Germans also have a more homogeneous society and are probably harder and more efficient workers. And one third of the population.
I do feel like there are bits and pieces of other countries we can try to emulate. But no perfect solution we can take from one country
I agree with the second part that we should not look to just create a carbon copy of one particular country and try to transfer it over here.
I do have to push back a bit on the first part. Keep in mind that Americans work much more than Germans. We have longer work days, fewer vacations and we retire at an older age. And while Germany has a smaller population, that also means it has a smaller tax base. If anything, social Democracy would do better in the US because our economy is so big and so diverse that we will always have a very large tax base even in the midst of severe economic downturns.
Most importantly, I have to ask why you believe that our heterogeneous population prevents us from having similar results as Germans and Swedes and Danes?
I don't agree with Duyba on much, and I do believe social democracy is achievable in America, but racism will cause major friction.
From the new deal to Obamacare, the push back against most social programs have been how much people perceive it would help minorities, especially African Americans.
Besides Obamacare, look at other recent examples. Blacks are the faces of "welfare" and food stamps, so these need to be cut. Whites are the faces of SSDI, so it can stay even though it has major problems.
When FEMA were rescuing black people in New Orleans after Katrina, it was a wasteful program. When they started rescuing middle class whites in New Jersey after Sandy, it got removed from the cross hairs.
Crack cocaine epidemic destroying black communities, lock them up. Heroin epidemic destroy white middle class communities, rehabilitate them.
The push back against nearly all social programs is that there are a large number of people in the white community that don't want to institute programs that disproportionately help minorities, even if it helps them too.
They would want to know that white supremacy and social democracy would be able to live hand in hand.
Even in the countries you mentioned, fascism and white nationalism in on the raise because they don't want their tax dollars going to help refugees.
Minority groups won't be excited for social democracy if there is not the guarantee of no systemic racism.
Conservative whites won't get excited about social democracy until there are guarantees there will be systemic racism.
That leaves white liberals and progressives caught in the middle.
Either too afraid to tied the issues together; so they talk about the two systems as separate issues, arguing social democracy will fight systemic racism to minorities. While simultaneously promising whites that social democracy will cure all their problems (Bernie Sanders).
Or they tie them together, but are only willing to make incremental improvements in both areas, all the while hoping the clock doesn't run out before the next crisis hits (Hillary Clinton)
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If Jon Edwards had become president in 2008, and had the integrity and orating skills of Barack Obama, maybe America would be warming up to the idea of social democracy.
But he wasn't
Instead the skin color of the president has caused a good portion of this country to believe that if we kick out, lock up, or kill enough minorities.
Like some sort "gift to the gods", the invisible hand of the market will be pleased, and bless them with same prosperity their grandparents and parents experienced in the 1950s.
Because those were the days, when jobs were plentiful, hardly any brown people where around, and the black man knew this place.
