Land of Optimism in the Dumps
The UK Guardian has a striking, must-read piece today on our collective loss of optimism.
What does anyone have to look forward to in that world? Yet we, as Democrats, have not presented another vision of the future, one in which we are prosperous, safe, and happy because we have made it so. In 2008 and beyond, we cannot evaluate candidates on policy and issues alone, but rather we must find the leaders who will make us feel that the problems we face are not insurmountable and will inspire us to solve them.
America, in short, is in a deep funk. Far from feeling hopeful, it appears fearful of the outside world and despondent about its own future. Not only do most believe tomorrow will be worse than today, they also feel that there is little that can be done about it.Who should be surprised, after six and a half years of George W. Bush and 12 straight years of a Republican (briefly divided) Congress? The Republicans love to tell us that we can't solve the economic issues that face us, because if the market doesn't take care of it, it can't be done. They love to tell us that we should be scared of the future, because crime will be rampant, God will be banned, the government will take our liberty away, and illegal immigrants will steal America from us. They tell us that we will never be safe, and that around every corner lurk those who want to destroy our way of life.
What does anyone have to look forward to in that world? Yet we, as Democrats, have not presented another vision of the future, one in which we are prosperous, safe, and happy because we have made it so. In 2008 and beyond, we cannot evaluate candidates on policy and issues alone, but rather we must find the leaders who will make us feel that the problems we face are not insurmountable and will inspire us to solve them.
