What made you exceptional was never your military or economic might. You were exceptional before you ever became militarily or economically mighty. You were exceptional when people, including yourselves, referred to you in the plural, as "these United States" instead of "the United States."
What made you exceptional was that you were founded upon an idea, that "We, the people" shall govern ourselves, from the bottom up, not be ruled, from the top down. To govern is to do the will of the people; to be ruled is to do the will of the ruler. To be governed from the bottom up is for politicians to view themselves as servants of the public; to rule from the top down is for the ruler to view the public as his obedient servants.
No other nation before you embodied these noble principles to such an extent. Other nations were ruled by "the divine right of kings," and those kings were crowned, as often as not, by popes. Nobody votes for kings and popes--they depart in coffins, not helicopters.
America, you have lost it--you have lost your claim to exceptionalism, despite all your military and economic might. If you pursue Trump's course, you will land in the dust bin of history, along with every other fallen empire, and in a much shorter time than you think, despite all your present but ephemeral military and economic might.
@moonbus saidPlagiarism?
What made you exceptional was never your military or economic might. You were exceptional before you ever became militarily or economically mighty. You were exceptional when people, including yourselves, referred to you in the plural, as "these United States" instead of "the United States."
What made you exceptional was that you were founded upon an idea, that "We, the peo ...[text shortened]... uch shorter time than you think, despite all your present but ephemeral military and economic might.
@Mott-The-Hoople saidIf by plagiarism you are saying that America is following the script laid out by all the other failed empires before it, then, yes!
Plagiarism?