The Cold War happened.
The U.S. still hasn't figured out what will follow the disintegration of its dancing partner some twenty years back.
In the bigger historical picture, the impedance mismatch between the Constitution and hegemony is increasingly obvious.
Spot on, spot on, and spot on.
Obama has promised fundamental transformation, but hasn't sold the whole European welfare state idea very well.
He's not even trying. ObamaCare is a sellout to the Insurance-Industrial Complex, people still have no right to paid vacations or paid parental leave (nor are these even on the table), workers' collective bargaining rights remain sold down the river, and the country is still full of nutjobs with guns. Meanwhile, the US continues to throw its "We're on a mission from God" weight around the planet while, at home, the 1% continue to grow their slice of the pie.