The Legacy of the Blame America First Bunch

American exceptionalism has been a target of liberals in America for decades. They have eschewed the whole idea ever since the 1960’s and the rise of the hippy generation. That is the generation that spawned our president, Barack Obama and others who came under the spell of such as Saul Alinsky in Chicago. These days, there are many in our country who carry a burden of guilt feelings about supposed social errors America has committed. They would prefer to call attention to America’s mistakes than to promote the good things that America has done.

America has been a beacon of security in a very unstable world. Nancy and I have seen how very beneficial the presence of American soldiers has been in stabilizing volatile situations in Africa. We have all seen the benefits of promoting free enterprise and entrepreneurism in the economies of many countries. America has been exemplary in its demonstration of the rule of law in a society. We have shown the world that a stable government does not need to change by shooting the political leader. Our economy has shown how to produce goods and services leading to the highest standard of living in the world.

Some would say, however, that these demonstrated benefits of the American way of life have come accompanied by an indulgence in militarism, racism, sexism, corporate greed, and environmental disregard as the means to a broad economic, military, and even cultural supremacy in the world. Those are the ones who would denigrate the American ideal.

Mr. Obama has made it clear that his idea of how and where to apply presidential power was shaped precisely by this brand of liberalism. He has shown this by his devotion to big government, his passion for redistribution, and his scolding and scapegoating of Wall Street and capitalism, in general. He would give up the whole idea of American exceptionalism.

That policy should make the liberals happy, but they should realize that the Obama administration is mediocritizing the United States in the view of the rest of the world. If this keeps up, nobody will come to us for support and encouragement in a difficult world. His policy of downgrading the United States will not make the world a better and more secure place for the peoples to live.