We're rich and powerful when you look at GDP and advanced military hardware and the sheer amount of wealth in this country. When you look at other things, you realize we're on a par with Russia. Our rich people are some of the richest in the world. Ordinary people are still fighting for crumbs and things stopped improving for the next generation 3 generations ago.
We could have beaten Covid with a lot fewer dead had we had universal health care amd poorer preachers who traveled by bus instead of private jet. We might have beaten it more easily with less money pouring into the Pentagon and more going to public health. We might have had far fewer funerals if billionaires paid their fucking taxes and supported their own countries instead of being philanthropic dilettantes abroad. We might have been in better shape to fight the virus had our country allowed us better food choices, less pollution through mass transit, and safer housing.
Yeah, we're number one, but not in the things that really matter. Until we are, people will focus on personality cults, expecting some man or other to whip the rest of us into shape to get them into heaven or otherwise save them. Until we are, it not only can happen here, it will happen here.