Once upon a time, dem dey talk say America na di 'shining city on a hill,' as if di way dem design dia constitution don give dem permanent moral high ground.

But now, dat hill don dey under di weight of executive wahala, institutions wey no dey move forward, and di way dem dey twist law to fit dia own agenda. Wetin remain still dey special, but no be di kind special wey dem first talk about.

America dey different because e dey do things wey other liberal democracies no dey do: presidents wey dey untouchable, elections wey money dey control, courts wey no fit act even when law dey break, and constitution wey dem don turn to something wey no fit change or even question.

Di time of George W. Bush presidency stretch di constitution, but di time of Donald Trump scatter di illusion wey people get about am.

Now, we don sabi wetin many people dey suspect but no wan talk: di US Constitution, as dem dey use am, no be strong wall against tyranny. E dey depend on custom and goodwill, but those two dey disappear when dem dey needed pass.

One of di biggest problems na di power wey di president get. Di president fit use prosecutorial power, veto, pardon, and control foreign affairs anyhow, and nobody fit check am. Other serious democracies no dey allow dis kain thing.

Di US Supreme Court even talk say sitting president get almost total immunity for official acts. Dis one don turn di presidency to something like monarchy wey wear civilian cloth.

For other countries like Germany, South Africa, and France, di leaders no dey above di law. But for US, president fit do things like incite violence, block justice, or spoil lawful institutions, and e go still dey untouchable.

Di US Constitution no dey enforce itself; e dey depend on di people wey dey power to control demself. But dat kain assumption don fail, and di system wey dem build on top am don dey crumble.

To fix di system, dem need to make sure say di prosecutorial power no dey under di president. Di Justice Department suppose dey independent, and campaign finance laws suppose change to stop di influence of big money.

For other countries like Italy and South Korea, independent prosecutors don bring down sitting and former leaders. But for US, di Justice Department dey act like tool for di president.

Even for foreign affairs, di president dey do wetin e like. Courts no dey even hear cases wey involve serious things like torture or genocide. Other democracies no dey allow dis kain free hand.

For example, di British Supreme Court don stop di prime minister from shutting down Parliament for political gain. But for US, di president fit just discard international agreements anyhow.

Even for domestic issues, US democracy dey different. Di Supreme Court decision for Citizens United case don make corporate money dey control elections. For other countries like UK, paid political ads no dey allowed.

Judges for US dey serve for life, but for other democracies like Canada and South Africa, judges get retirement age. Di US system dey preserve old ways wey no fit work for today world.

Basic things like healthcare and education wey other countries don see as rights, for US, dem still dey depend on where person dey live or how much money dem get.

If di Constitution go improve, dem need to remove di immunity wey presidents get, make di Justice Department independent, and change campaign finance laws. But di system dey controlled by people wey dey benefit from di way e dey now.

America don turn to system wey dey hold on to old myths, and e no dey ready to face di challenges of today. Di exceptionalism wey dem dey talk about don change to something wey no fit work again.