Saturday, November 17, 2007
Noonan on beacons
Peggy Noonan's latest column gives critically important instructions to us as Americans. If we want to remain a great power, we need to follow this path.
I'd been thinking about the subject from a different angle, and it's no longer clear to me that we should even try to remain a great power. I'm just about convinced that our citizens would be better off with a more French attitude toward the world ... but if we're going to hold onto the Superpower Status, we must listen to Peggy.
I'd quibble with one thing, italicized here:
The quibble: When a politician skips the Brand-R and Brand-D recorded talking points to discuss real questions with real solutions, our pundits don't say he lacks "fire in the belly"; they treat him as crazy, and describe his obvious truths as unthinkable, racist, protectionist, nativist, etc, etc, etc. ¶ 7:55 PM
I'd been thinking about the subject from a different angle, and it's no longer clear to me that we should even try to remain a great power. I'm just about convinced that our citizens would be better off with a more French attitude toward the world ... but if we're going to hold onto the Superpower Status, we must listen to Peggy.
I'd quibble with one thing, italicized here:
To be a beacon is to speak softly to the world, with dignity, with elegance if you can manage it, or simple good-natured courtesy if you can't. A superpower should never shout, never bray "We're No. 1!" If you're No. 1, you don't have to.
To be a beacon is to have a democracy in which issues of actual import are regularly debated. Instead our political coverage consists of daily disquisitions on "targeted ads," "narratives," "positioning" and "talking points." We really do make politicians crazy. If a politician cares only about his ads and his rehearsed answers, the pundits call him inauthentic. But if a politician ignores these things to speak of great issues we say he lacks "fire in the belly" and is incompetent. So many criticisms of politicians boil down to: He's not manipulating us well enough! We need more actual adults who are actually serious about the business of the nation.
The quibble: When a politician skips the Brand-R and Brand-D recorded talking points to discuss real questions with real solutions, our pundits don't say he lacks "fire in the belly"; they treat him as crazy, and describe his obvious truths as unthinkable, racist, protectionist, nativist, etc, etc, etc. ¶ 7:55 PM
