Barack Obama is making a lot of news for comments about people in small town America being bitter. Both Hillary Clinton and John McCain have called his comments “elitist”. They may be, but was he wrong?
Yes, Virginia, Barack was wrong. People aren’t bitter. That would be an improvement. What they are is apathetic. The American Dream may not be dead, but it has certainly turned on its snooze alarm.
People no longer believe America can achieve the things it sets out to. The very same conservatives who are busy cheerleading the war effort and double checking that everyone has the appropriate flag lapel pin or lawn ornament, have done much to kill the confidence Americans once had in America.
Think about it. For the last thirty or so years, America has been dominated by a bunch of people busy telling us what government can’t do. Gone is the government that won World War II, gone is the government that belatedly but doggedly pursued Civil Rights Legislation, gone is the government that put a man on the moon or was visionary enough to establish retirement programs such as social security.
Thanks in large part to conservative politicians and talk show hosts, we no longer believe. But, in fairness, it’s not just the conservatives, the liberals have contributed mightily to the loss of confidence too. Liberals, these days known as progressives, lost touch with the values of average Americans. They spent too much time and effort on causes America wasn’t yet ready for. I agree that you have to fight for the beliefs that will make a better future. But, you’ve also got to pick your battles. Liberals have been horrible at that for the last thirty years.
Worst of all, liberals stopped defending themselves. They somehow let the term “liberal” become a dirty word. For most people, the word now conjures up an elistist, ineffectual person who’s woefully out of touch and busy fighting for the rights of three billed horn-toed slugs rather than the average America. Somehow liberals lost the war for the American mind and soul to a group of people whose chief message is “we can’t help you”. Seriously, how did the conservatives do so well over the last three decades with such a bad message?
When you add the failings of conservatives to those of the liberals, you get stagnation. We’ve spent the last thirty years calling each other names rather than figuring out what we can agree upon so that we can actually fix some things.
Why is it that years after 9/11, we still haven’t figured out border security? How is it that we still don’t have universal health care when most CEOs are making millions even when their companies tank and when most people’s biggest worry is not losing their job, but losing their health care? Why are we stuck in Iraq after and despite the lessons of Vietnam? What happened to war as an absolute last option? Why is the gap between the wealthy and poor getting ever greater in the greatest country in the world?
With questions like these facing America can you blame any of us for losing faith? Or maybe getting bitter?
So, Barack was wrong. But, where he’s been right is offering hope. Here’s hoping that he’s the real deal and that he means what he says when he talks about wanting to work with Republicans to get things done.
We could use someone inspiring again in the Oval Office.
PS – Sorry if this post sounds bitter, but at least I’m not apathetic!
Tags: America, Barack Obama, Bitter, conservative, Democrat, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, liberal, life, politics, Presidential Race, Republican
Someone can be “inspiring” but if they “inspire” policies I dont agree with, I wont be voting for them regardless.
I hear you. When I was a kid all I heard about was how inspiring Ronald Reagan was. I never understood how he inspired people but nevertheless he certainly did.
Guess it’s different strokes for different folks.