I thought this whole RedNote thing was a protest, not an actual endgame.

I'd agree with most of your assertions but not your conclusions. Moral high ground is not a requirement to say 'the US prefers that US-based companies engage in spying/manipulation rather than China'. It's like saying "well since there are US spies in China then how can we kick out their's?"

"Crypto’s potential lies" - indeed lol. I don't disagree that Democrats are behind the curve, but I do disagree that the average person should involve themselves in wallets that have zero safeguards against mistakes or theft. Mistype an address and all your savings are gone? It's the wild west.