Your country is stuffed because of now your three branches of Government operate.
The Judicial is not independent. The appointment of Federal & Supreme Court Judges for life by the Executive branch is stupid. The Judges need to be appointed by an independent body.
If the same party holds the Presidency as well as the Senate, then the appointment will go through. If the Senate is held by an opposing party, the appointment won't. Because of this the Judge's (not always, but mostly) appear to follow the respective party's view in cases. They are not independent. It's that simple.
The Legislative branch runs into problems when differing parties control different houses. If one person can control what potential legislation is to be brought to the floor then that person controls the whole process. You might as well have only one house. More will happen, quicker & faster.
As for the Executive / Presidency, regardless of your politics and which party has the Presidency, they can act like a King through Executive Orders.
Then there are the respective committees each House & Senate have. How can the Executive refuse to attend, answer questions or produce documents. What would happen to a 'normal' US citizen who did that. They would be incomtempt. Yet the Executive can. It does not make sense. Some may say the information is to sensitive, but, you have processes for that: i.e.: closed hearings.
If the checks and balances in the Judicial and Legislative branches are not working you have an authoritarian executive.
Then you have a hang up about the word Socialism.
Socialism is not communism. It seems to me that the right political parties in the US use this as a boogey man every time they talk about someone with "liberal" ideas and "liberal" ideas are not all wrong.
People would say NZ is a socialist country, maybe, we have a reasonable welfare net established through bloody sweat & tears. Which mostly have been kept in place by either Governments be they "centre-right" or centre-left". For example, National Superannuation is guaranteed to everyone over 65, regardless of whether you need it or not. But we are a capitalist country. And yet the two can co-exist as the same time.
As for how your country was in the 50s / 60s you have to realise that because of WW2, the US was the only country left with funds or a manufacturing base. Therefore most trade was US (there is a generalisation here). That has changed and the US is no longer the main player, as it would never have been had it been effected by WW2 as Europe & Asia were.