Chunk 22: Dah America.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who has just died, served 27 years on the US Supreme Court. Donald Trump has promised to nominate her replacement in just a few days.

Doesn’t that all seem a little, what’s the word … hasty?

I mention this, because there’s a fascinating section I just read in “Fear”, Bob Woodward’s new book about the Trump administration.

Rex Tillerson, interviewing for the job of secretary of state, is discussing Russia with president-elect Trump: “If you want to understand Russia, they haven’t changed much culturally in 1,000 years. They are the most fatalistic people on the face of the earth, which is why they’re willing to live under lousy leaders. If you ask them about it, they’d say they don’t like it, but they’d say ‘Dah Russia’ - ‘That’s Russia.’”

“Dah Russia” is, of course, a concept completely foreign to Americans. When they don’t like something, they look to change it ASAP. They have built their entire economic model out of monetising impatience. Buy now, pay later! See something you like online, order it straight away on Amazon or Ebay! Have an opinion, share it immediately on Twitter! Or Instagram! Or Snapchat! Everything is about instant gratification.

So, having whipped themselves into a frenzy in their day-to-day lives, it was only a matter of time until America came to expect their government to follow suit. Except, that’s not how government works, is it?

Governments move slowly and carefully (sometimes painfully so) because that’s what comes with taking an important job seriously and doing it responsibly. Steady as she goes.

And when you move too quickly? Well, look at the contrasting points of view of America’s last two presidents:

Barack Obama: “The pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.”

Donald Trump (speaking about the Coronavirus): “If you take the blue states out, we’re at a level that I don’t think anybody in the world would be at. We’re really at a very low level but some of the states — they were blue states, and blue-state management.”

I mean, holy moly.

Putting Trump’s monstrous cynicism about Covid 19 aside, could you possibly have two more contrasting leaders of one country without a military junta somewhere in between? Is it any wonder America seems so rattled at the moment? They’ve moved so rapidly from one direction to another, the entire whole country must feel like they have whiplash.

Perhaps it’s time, instead of tainting the Russians, the Americans tried studying them instead. Because right now, amidst all the turmoil, a little bit of good, old-fashioned “Dah America” might go a long way.

I don’t mean continue with a lousy leader, like Trump.

But maybe a new president Biden should dedicate the next few years to settling things down. Calm the farm. Play the long game.

Because, on the precipice of another wild election, you have to wonder how much more turmoil they can take.