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I expect a society that has a number of educators who endorse pedagogy that prioritizes niceties over competence will generate less competent individuals. Although, I'm not sure that Americans at large ever did value competence much.
As for the government, the USG didn't seem that smart during the Cold War either. There was the government that allowed an intelligence agency to believe a 1000 strong militia could successfully execute regime change in Cuba with an amphibious landing. Sure, the CIA was a silly place filled with wacky ideas and incompetence. The very serious people -- the ones who didn't think the Bay of Pigs would work -- decided it was all well and good. They could just as easily deny involvement with a carrier task force offshore.
The USG has been exposed as inept in counter-espionage for century. Does this plane look familiar, or maybe I meant this one? US intelligence agencies and Federal law enforcement were repeatedly compromised at high levels right up to the end of the Cold War. Despite the fact Soviet espionage efforts were proven beyond a doubt from get go the USG allowed, decided, or forgot to correct the public's perception. Instead, they were led to to believe Soviet-friendly memes like McCarthyism instead of the reality that the nation's adversaries posed serious threats. Then there was that time where the USG unwittingly decided America and the rest of the world should go hungry and foot the bill for Soviet breadlines. Woops! Didn't think about that one.
The USG belatedly rounds up spies from time to time, but its counter-espionage appears dismal as it ever was. It could be that general government incompetence can no longer be propped up by blessings, luck, or being too big to fail. Alternatively, China could be a far more capable adversary than the Soviets ever were. China is also not without its own incompetent fuck ups despite our general interest and the
Iron CurtainGreat Firewall. COVID, ahem.The Soviets were great at espionage but at the end of the day, they were outmatched. USA + Western Europe + Japan > USSR + Eastern Europe + poor China. And China switched sides to the US camp late in the Cold War, which is almost forgotten today. USA + Western Europe + Japan + poor China >>> USSR + Eastern Europe.
And the Soviet system didn't work either, they were consistently behind in basically all fields of technology with rare exceptions. Temporary lead in spaceflight (but not missile force), temporary lead in tanks with the T-64. Far behind in semiconductors, submarines, guided weapons. They had talent but weren't good at innovation. Regardless of ideology it's tough when you and your allies are the poor countries who got hit hardest in WW2 and you're facing the industrialized, rich countries.
China is the biggest manufacturer in the world, they have scale the Soviets never had. Over twice US electricity production, 3x US car production, 13x US steel production, 1.5x more industrial robots per worker. And their system works in that they can do high-tech.
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