Centrist, seems to be a dirty word in the US, pragmatism a lost art.......Instead we are left with the 2 extremes of the spectrum of our modern politics....Thriving on division, neither willing to govern for the center
pragmatic centrist government that can lead it out of this multifaceted crisis....
To steal a quote from your post.....The US hoped for the same with the election of Biden in 2020
Friedman could be calling for a little pragmatism and centrist thinking in America too...