It seems to me that if "optimism" means always saying that America has never fallen or failed, then Ronald Reagan was an inveterate pessimist. His campaign in 1980 was premised on the notion that America had objectively declined as a nation under the hapless presidency of Carter. His optimism was about how to improve that. How, after all, could it have been "morning in America" if it had never been night?The trick is to be optimistic about America as a country--as an idea--while being very pessimistic about America under its current stewardship. One needs to believe in Americans themselves, while convincing us that we are ill-led. This is why Phil Gramm's "nation of whiners' remark is a killer--it attacks the people themselves. This idea being floated that Obama is a pessimist really smells like an effort to conflate a skepticism of Republican polices with a skepticism of America as a country. In other words--more of the same.
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Andrew has an interesting post on the efforts to label Obama as a pessimist:
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Bear in mind though that being too negative about the current stewardship invites the good people in Oklahoma to think that they're saying it about them, as they've voted for the GOP in large numbers.
The message needs to be delivered with surgical precision to avoid ricocheting this way.
In related news, President Bush informed us last night that "I don't see America having problems." The Republicans seem to have confused Reagan with Dr. Pangloss. Not only is it perpetually morning in America, it's the best of all possible mornings.
Am I the only one who came away from that interview thinking that Bob Costas was better informed than the President?
Good post until the last sentence. The issue with Obama is the sense that he thinks the country has never been good -- and won't be -- until he, as president/messiah, can perfect it. Consider his wife's comment that when Democratic primary voters started voting for Obama that was the first time she felt proud of her country. That goes beyond a criticism of the current leadership.
Remember everyone mentioning Sullivan's big blind spot about racism in America? Well, remember that during the 1980 campaign Sullivan was a young Thatcherite in university at Oxford. Whatever his opinions about Reagan's political identity, they weren't based on his personal experience in the US until he moved here some time in the mid-1980s.
Reagan was not the sunny optimist of "it's morning in America" until he ran for his second term. Until then, his entire political career had been based on white, male backlash against all the deviants who were ruining American society -- commies, Liberal elitists, feminists, blacks, homosexuals, intellectuals, DFHs, students. His signature moments in the 1980 campaign were kicking off his campaign in Philadelphia, MS, and his angry, "I paid for this microphone!" moment in a debate in NH before the primary.
Reagan was all about anger and revenge. He won essentially by arguing that asses needed to be kicked, and that he was the one who'd kick them. Despite Sullivan's fantasies from across the Atlantic ocean, or inferences based on the subsequent evolution of Reagan's political persona, it had very little to do with sunny optimism.
Democrats have long been considered the "glass half empty" party. Yet, in this election, those who still refuse to admit the dire straits we're in as a nation aren't wearing only rose colored glasses.....they've blinded themselves.
OT, but welcome to the Atlantic, TNC. Have long followed Matt, but hanging on to your every word so far.
BTW....where's that Josh Green tell all article?
Good post until the last sentence. The issue with Obama is the sense that he thinks the country has never been good -- and won't be -- until he, as president/messiah, can perfect it. Consider his wife's comment that when Democratic primary voters started voting for Obama that was the first time she felt proud of her country. That goes beyond a criticism of the current leadership.
How can his wife's comment be proof of of what "he think?
Maybe Fred thinks all black people are telepathically linked liked the Borg, which is why all black people are collectively responsible for Fred not getting into Harvard Law or whatever because of affirmative action.
"It seems to me that if "optimism" means always saying that America has never fallen or failed..."
Not quite finding that definition in my dictionary, maybe someone here can help?
"How can his wife's comment be proof of of what "he think?"
He has also made comments that support my point, but his wife's comment was the one I remembered off the top of my head. It's relevant because their views don't seem to be too far apart, but Michelle isn't as skilled as Barack in parsing what she says, so you can often get the more candid version from her.
He has also made comments that support my point, but his wife's comment was the one I remembered off the top of my head.
Comments such as...? Surely there is some standard of proof that should be met when making such a claim, no?
When you fill your head with Steve Sailer nonsense like Fred does, you get garbage in and garbage out. Why take a silly self-professed racists views on anything seriously?
I enjoy most of your new blog posts. Please, please don't become an Andrew Sullivan though. I'm already not surprised that the Atlantic hired another man and another Obama supporter (not really diversity, is it?). But please don't parrot Andrew Sullivan. His ridiculous endorsement in the Nov. or Dec. issue of the Atlantic was the most selfish endorsement by a columnist I have ever read. Sullivan did nothing but say how great he is and project all sorts of good feelings on Obama for the first 5 pages. Obama has much to offer, and much to endorse. I'm voting for him. But Sullivan is a sychophant who shares little in common with progressives other than disliking the current war. Once the war is over, Sullivan will remain sychophantic and self-loving, but will no longer support Obama. And let's not even start on Sullivan's virulent misogyny. Please don't post to him, be your own voice. Not a Sullivan dittohead.