> Going back to the Industrial Revolution the United States has been 100% gas pedal all the time on innovation and disruption

Arguably true, but it's also been way ahead of the pack (people tend to forget this) on protection for organized labor, social safety net entitlements, and regulation of harmful industrial safety and environmental externalities.

This statement is awfully one-sided.

I am not sure you can call it being 'ahead of the pack' when we are currently furiously disassembling those forward thinking ideas.