"We shall extract our resources, and we shall provide a market for products. We will provide a government that is as pliable as possible towards the encouragement of those two things, and all else is communism."
Daily Kos: No We Can't
This sentence, in my mind, is the essence of the American Nightmare that Hunter describes here and attributes to the Republicans. And the idea that America as a society, as a country, can accomplish nothing Together anymore -- with the possible exception of ongoing war, as he hints at briefly -- is truly disheartening. And unfortunately, despite the rhetoric of "Yes We Can," it doesn't appear that the Democrats, whom Hunter doesn't mention, for the most part offer much of an American Dream as an alternative. The vision that was heralded in 2008 seems to have proven to be largely an empty one. The results serving as merely a pale shadow of the possibility that could be represented by a real New American Dream. This would be a realized vision of a country in which militarism and empire are shed in favor of health care for all, the best education in the world, full employment, real democracy, and incredible national accomplishments such as a completely sustainable energy economy, the banishment of crippling diseases, and exploration of space. While fascinating, wonders of the consumer marketplace such as the iPad is not truly the product of "We the People" that will help fulfill and sustain the American Dream. While the American Dream is deeply personal, at the same time integral to it is the attainment of "great things" as a people, as a country, and as a society.
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The followup thought below was in response to a comment by a friends who felt I was being a bit extreme and overly critical of Obama.
Perhaps I did sound harsh. But from my personal perspective, two things are at work:
1. I have generally very high (perhaps unrealistic?) expectations of elected officials. I don't approve of very many, and if they falter I'm usually ready to pounce (though I do dole out praise when deserved).
2. #1 is driven still further by my belief that we have entered a critical period in this country (and the world). We are facing multiple current and pending crises, with our way of life under threat from joblessness, perpetual war, global warming, lack of investment in public goods, irresponsible government financial management, and a democracy beset by corruption, made all the worse by apathy and misplaced values. If we are to make it through and reverse course, changes need to start happening now. Or yesterday, more like. We must demand more of our elected officials, or unfortunately, we simply won't make it out of this mess we've created for ourselves.
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