Friday, January 20, 2012

Can We Turn it Around?


Can America Turn It Around?
History proves we can, but we are saddled by a new caveat. (This is Part One of a three-part series.)

 
WYSIWYG

Two phenomena in particular give cause for hope. One is applicable specifically to the United States: the presidency of Ronald Reagan. The other applies to the West as a whole — the Renaissance.

The decade from 1970-1979 was certainly a bad time for America: A president resigned in disgrace, a war was lost, an economy was bruised and bloodied; life was already miserable when Jimmy Carter arrived and made things worse.

But then Ronald Reagan came along, and something remarkable happened. Reagan was able to tap into the deep reservoir of optimism in the American psyche, a reservoir many feared had long since dried up
[Part on of three - Can America Turn It Around?]


In this first part Matt Patterson seems to pin our hopes on the emergence of an exceptional leader.  But, he  acknowledges that "there is no one of such caliber among our political class today — left or right — nor does there appear to be one waiting in the wings."  To make things tougher still—

2. The American people were a different breed back in 1980. Since that time, three decades of liberal assault on American traditions — in our schools and media — combined with wave after wave of illegal immigration have eroded the common bonds of affection among our citizenry, what Thomas Jefferson referred to as “consanguinity” in the Declaration of Independence.

If you accept that Sarah Palin had it in her to be that leader, how do we handle the corrupt media and educrats who marginalized her?  Reagan was able to escape them, but "we were a different breed back in 1980."  The recipe may be the same, but a whole lot of eggs must be broken this time.



8 comments:

El Jefe said...

I'll be watching 'Free to Choose' and hope that someone from the GOP will be too.

Anonymous said...

It never ceases to amaze me how the folks who write this stuff always flatly state that there are no great leaders around. Like we'd know? I mean, sure, the concensus NOW is that Reagan was awesome. It was a significantly less popular viewpoint before he became president, no?

---Sam

El Jefe said...

Sam,

I have to disagree with you on that one. Reagan was the reason I enlisted back in '82.

There has been no president since that I would have done that for.

Anonymous said...

Sure, but before he was president did he inspire you similarly? Was he widely perceived as a great leader before he was elected, or were pundits writing similar articles in that time, complaining about the lack of obvious leaders?

Just a question - I was a bit young at the time to be paying attention...

But it does strike me that these guys are staring into their magic 8-ball and having a bit more faith in their own answer than perhaps is warranted. Seems to me leaders show up when they're needed a lot of times...

---Sam

Anonymous said...

The pundits have always passed off their biases as fact (how can I get a job like that?). When Reagan was running I remember that he was the one who would start WWIII, instead he ended the Cold War.

I like that Picture, Rodger. You have just been punched by someone who knows how.
GrinfilledCelt

Skip said...

Dutch was fairly good govenor 'cept the part of closing state funnie farms, which added a lot more homeless to the streets.

Anonymous said...

One can not pick ones self up, until one crashes to the ground. Sorry.

Skoonj said...

The closing of state funny farms was not of Reagan's doing. The very last piece of legislation President Kennedy signed into law in 1963 was what caused that. It caused the homeless problem by turning them out on the streets, supposedly to receive treatment from local clinics, set up by left wing groups. It was all a scam, designed to employ left wingers and syphon money to Democrat causes and the party. It has worked perfectly for almost 50 years.

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