At a press conference in 2009, Barack Obama said, “America has a continued extraordinary role in leading the world toward peace and prosperity.” He also proclaimed that America has core values that make it exceptional.
Based on those comments, right-wing pundits and politicians reached a conclusion: Barack Obama does not believe in “American exceptionalism.” And since they say this all the time, reporters feel obligated to cover it as if it were an actual, serious argument.
Hence Susan Page‘s front-page article in USA Today (12/21/10):
Over White House objections, they’re accusing him of not embracing the concept of American exceptionalism, saying he is pursuing an agenda on healthcare, the economy and foreign affairs that is at odds with fundamentals that distinguish the United States.
Obama “has clarified and personified secular socialization and a European view,” says former House speaker Newt Gingrich, who is weighing a presidential bid in 2012. Obama, he says, made “disastrous” comments on the subject during his first trip overseas as president in an exchange that has become a cause célebre among conservatives.
Page notes that this all comes down to one answer to one question at a 2009 press conference:
At a news conference in Strasbourg, France, in April 2009, a British reporter had asked the new president whether he subscribed to the idea that the United States is uniquely qualified to lead the world. “I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism,” Obama had replied.
That comment–which White House officials say critics have twisted and pulled out of context–led Gingrich, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and other prominent Republicans to question whether Obama believes that the USA has, by virtue of its heritage, a distinct and extraordinary role in world affairs.
He said, she said: Obama’s defenders say they’re misinterpreting the quote, Palin and company say they’re not. If there was any “context” to this quote, USA Today didn’t seem inclined to include it here–only the preface about the British and the Greeks.
But the paper did publish a sidebar article that included Obama’s entire answer to this question about exceptionalism.
Now in a sane media world, we would acknowledge that Obama said this:
The United States remains the largest economy in the world. We have unmatched military capability. And I think that we have a core set of values that are enshrined in our Constitution, in our body of law, in our democratic practices, in our belief in free speech and equality, that, though imperfect, are exceptional.
With that out of the way,we’d spend our time trying to figure out precisely how and why Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin willfully misinterpret his words. But we don’t have that media system. We have the one where the sputterings from Sarah Palin are taken seriously as one side in a “debate.”
I see you take it for granted that “believing in American exceptionalism” is a good thing.
Thank you ethan! My thoughts exactly. “Exceptionalism” = chauvinism / jingoism
Ethan, having followed FAIR’s output since pretty much its inception, I’d be disinclined to believe endorsement of that view was Peter’s intent, but I do think he should have made that clear.
That is an assumption, I grant you, and I’d like for Peter to make plain his views. I will say that the conflating of love of country (see title) with this belief is problematic. Does the former necessitate the latter?
Peter?
As for me, I’m not sure what “loving America” means. What precisely is “America”?
Standing mute before the death dealings of the powerful in this country would seem to be a peculiar form of love, don’t you think? If you care about Americans, and everyone else on this planet, wouldn’t the highest expression of that caring be to do what your conscience demands and your courage allows, to do what you can to ensure a livable world for them and their progeny?
Isn’t the bottom line that whole Golden Rule thing, and their history and their present acts have consistently shown this nation’s “leaders” to be exceptions to that rule, haven’t they?
What they seem to be wilfully unable to comprehend is that ultimately no amount of money and power will grant them exceptions to the rules of nature, and its destruction. We’re all in the same boat, and when the ship goes down, it won’t matter whether you’re in a first class cabin or steerage.
And, as the man said, your flag decal won’t get you into heaven anymore.
This reminds me of the ‘flag pin’ controversy during Obama’s campaign. Obama tried not to insult our intelligence and, for a time, didn’t wear a pin. But then it became a big enough controversy that he caved. It’s not clear you could be elected president without one. That quote “I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism,” suggests to me that Obama has at least a little bit of perspective on Americans’ obsession with their country’s supposed superiority (both the flag pin and that quote remind me of what I liked in Obama, although it’s all ancient history now). But he is president. It is not his job to have perspective. It is practically in the job description that, as president, you pretend that the US is the greatest, most perfect country ever. Indeed, the US shouldn’t even be compared to other countries. Like the other commenters above, I find it hard to get excited about saying ‘Obama does so believe in American exceptionalism!’
I agree with all the comments above, and concur with Doug Latimer’s take on Peter Hart — that it was most likely just an oversight to not mention the problems with our current ‘American exceptionalism’.* I’m still amazed that the Republicans are able to recycle disgraced former members like Gingrich ** into potentially viable presidential candidates (which may sound like a case of egregious ‘American exceptionalism’, but it too is far from ‘exceptional’ [unfortunately] – – just look at figures like Italy’s Berlusconi, for instance), but when the citizenry doesn’t want to look seriously at politics and too many of them virtually demand to be lied to, there are plenty of demagogues like Gingrich, W, Cheney, Clinton, Reagan, et al who will gladly accommodate them.
* There’s an excellent (and very readable) book on the subject titled “The Myth of American Exceptionalism” by Godfrey Hodgson, a Brit who studied and worked here as a reporter in the 1960s and 70s, wrote nearly a dozen US history books and even did a documentary on ‘St.’ Ronald Reagan.
** http://www.realchange.org/gingrich.htm
I’d be astonished if even the most ludicrously jingoistic of American politicians believes anything as witless as the notion of American exceptionalism. What narks them – or what they see advantage in pretending to be narked by – is when a fellow politician doesn’t pretend to believe in it.
The headline was meant to be cheeky, since the discussion is absurd on at least two levels– the demand that politicians declare that the United States is uniquely wonderful, and the suggestion from the right that Obama doesn’t hold this belief, though he pretty clearly says that he does– in the very same appearance they cite as proof that he doesn’t. A headline “The Debate Over Whether Obama Hates America” would make the same point, I think (though it might draw more traffic to the blog).
So the point was to try to narrow in on that “debate,” and not necessarily make a larger point about the empty-headed notion of American exceptionalism.
Doug Latimer– great John Prine reference.
“Doug Latimer– great John Prine reference.”
http://www.jpshrine.org/lyrics/songs/jpflagdecal.html
The man knows how to hit the nail, don’t he, Peter? “Sam Stone” is as searingly relevant today as it was nearly forty years back, isn’t it?
It’s hard for me to listen to it, and not tear up.
http://www.jpshrine.org/lyrics/songs/jpsamstone.html
And thank you kindly for clearing things up.
Obama will never be fascist enough for the armchair blackshirts.
Sputterings of Sarah Palin?How about the sputterings of Obama?Sputtering is in the eye of the beholder. Whenever BAM is off teleprompter…… let the sputtering begin. The reason he and his regime are taking such a beating is because America has gotten an unvarnished look at a liberal in office and rejected it. Rejected a path that would hurt American exceptionalism and personal freedoms.But any conservative who thinks obama does not love this country is wrong.Where else could such a man make a fortune(under George Bushes reign by the way)and become president of the United States -with little to no qualifications? He must love this country.And not like Michelle who “for the first time loved her country”after BAM won.No this country may not of done much for his extended family.But it has done quite well by him.
MIcheal, thanks for catapulting our propaganda…..We love that you keep repeating the teleprompter lie…keep up the good work.
And Rupert….. “We”love that you keep repeating the Sarah Palin lie
We never lie about Sarah…Everyone here at Fox knows she’s the greatest, smarterest, mostest qualified politician in the entire history of your fantastical country, ever…..You betcha!
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