Cross-posted from Jimmy Zuma’s blog at Technorati.
___
As near as I can tell, “exceptionalism” is a made up word only found in the phrase “American exceptionalism.” Yet that hasn’t stopped the creation of a cottage industry asserting the mythological idea. Underpinned by both religion and hubris, American exceptionalism argues that the United States is the land chosen by God to enjoy the miracles of capitalism. According to the belief, Americans are a modern day chosen people – sorry Jews; you’re so yesterday — meant to lead the world by divine right. Divine right, of course, is a concept that used to be associated only with kings. Nowadays, it’s associated with morons.
In the ethos of American exceptionalism, we are the best at everything. We have the best health care, the best economy, the best civil society, the most freedom and the greatest opportunity. God made it so. And who are you to question God? Never you mind any facts to the contrary. Everyone knows that only over-educated liberal snobs like to use facts to find the truth.
This belief is a big factor in why Republicans in Congress imagine we can default on our debt without consequences. Because this same American exceptionalism – borrowing from its 1st cousin, Neoconservatism – argues that we can do whatever we want. Who can stop us, after all? We’re the top of the food chain. Everyone else is dependent on us. Screw ‘em!
Did I mention that most believers have never been outside of the US? Never seeing (Or is it never looking?) is a necessary part of any self-delusion.
So here we are at the brink. Many in Congress are ready to renege on paying the debt created by a decade of government underfunding. A sneering Eric Cantor, for example, has voted to spend the money since 2001. Now he won’t vote to pay what he owes.
Republicans like to say that running the government is just like running a household. If so, then this is deciding to default on the mortgage, refusing to move out of the house and saying that’s OK because God says you are the greatest neighbor on the street. You can also forget this whole notion of just paying the interest, like the chronically under-informed Michelle Bachmann likes to argue. When a loan is due, both the interest and the principal are due. Try just paying just the interest on your car loan next month.
Meanwhile, investors are beginning a selloff of US Treasuries in anticipation that they’ll lose value. The Greece crisis is near-solved and the Euro is poised to restart its march to displace the dollar as the world reserve currency. And China continues to prosper by cornering the market for green tech manufacturing. They’re competing mostly with Germany in this market, not at all with us. Meanwhile, we’re focused on protecting coal and oil profits.
Today, the word “patriot” has been co-opted by dumb crackers and “Founding Fathers” has been stolen by high school dropouts. These words now make us cringe because we know that they are used as cover for some utterly selfish argument. Real history is competing with a belief-based version that imagines great leaders and great doers were promoting not democracy, but unfettered survival of the fittest. Selfishness is exactly the opposite of what our great patriots and Framers practiced. They were defenders and creators of cooperation through government.
But I wouldn’t expect these mooks to know that. They practice a weird kind of faith-based history. It’s true because I believe it’s true. Presented with a fact, they’re reply with an “I believe…” as if it trumps as evidence. I believe that lower taxes create jobs, they say, even though there is zero evidence of that. Lower taxes didn’t break the economy, eight years of no regulatory oversight did. Lower taxes only broke the government.
House Republicans intend to default. They don’t know what they don’t know. Through the foggy lens of American exceptionalism, default has no negatives. So if default is to be avoided, it can only happen by force. The President, the Senate, House Democrats and smarter House Republicans will need to shove it down the throats of these right-wing anarchists.
American exceptionalism? It means we’re the only country heading over a cliff because we decided to believe that dumb was the new smart. Now isn’t that special…
___
Jimmy Zuma is a longtime advocate for disability rights and a strong voice from the left. Jimmy blogs at Smart v. Stupid and his writing is published in the The Tucson Sentinel, DC Water Cooler, Open Salon and OpEd News.
.
Its all about race. About having a Black President. The Reps have never been as religious as they now claim to be. Those white crackers’ stomachs have been turning since Obama was sworn in. They use religion as a weapon. Jesus Christ for those who do believe, which is not me, that is an insult. They use it to get political strength. They use it to pass laws or not pass them. Going against our constitutional rights of course.
Then they say that in the 3 yrs Obama has been president that he has not fixed this mess HE is in which is the mess THEY left HIM. Reagan who they adore raised taxes more than 10 times if I am not mistaken. So what is up with these fools. Its racial. They cannot go to sleep at night with a black intelligent president that has more common sense than all of them put together.
God of your choice or no God at all BLESS US ALL.
Americans have had it with a government attempting to pit parties against one another. Enough political theater and enough games with our dollars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A Coup d’etat took place during the 2008 presidential election.
Obama is not the president, he’s the acting president. He disappeared for 2 weeks after his election win only to reappear looking exhausted sitting next to John McCain, with a bad poker face, for a press photo shoot. Obama is now a Pentagon puppet.
Here’s what Obama, Osama, Biden, Bin Laden, the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists, and Sarah Palin had to do with the last presidential election and the military’s overthrow of our government. Thousands of people are learning about this and sharing it everyday. Help us restore our democracy now.
http://electnomorespys.blogspot.com/
Americans have had it with a government attempting to pit parties against one another. Enough political theater and enough games with our dollars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A Coup d’etat took place during the 2008 presidential election.
Obama is not the president, he’s the acting president. He disappeared for 2 weeks after his election win only to reappear looking exhausted sitting next to John McCain, with a bad poker face, for a press photo shoot. Obama is now a Pentagon puppet.
Here’s what Obama, Osama, Biden, Bin Laden, the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists, and Sarah Palin had to do with the last presidential election and the military’s overthrow of our government. Thousands of people are learning about this and sharing it everyday. Help us restore our democracy now.
http://electnomorespys.blogspot.com/
While I agree that the idea of the US being uniquely exceptional due to divine favor desperately ridiculous on many levels, be careful with your own rhetoric.
“I believe that lower taxes create jobs, they say, even though there is zero evidence of that.”
Taxes are just one element of an immensely complicated system that drives human and commercial interests. That said, the statement above is at the very least misleading if not provably outright false.
hmm … I hardly think it is just the Republicans who are responsible here. It seems more like the Republicrats are responsible. Both parties have been on a profligate spending spree for decades. They act like they are just different wings of the same party.
Ouch! That’s telling those “dumb crackers” and “mooks”. The crackers and mooks are properly chagrined and will immediately subscribe to party doctrine. Whew! That was a debilitating crisis that was narrowly avoided.
“A sneering Eric Cantor, for example, has voted to spend the money since 2001. Now he won’t vote to pay what he owes.” Googling … hmmm … I know it’s here somewhere. Yep, here it is in Senator Obama’s floor speech on March 20, 2006:
“The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can’t pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government’s reckless fiscal policies. … Increasing America’s debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that “the buck stops here.” Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren.
America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better.”
Something needs to be done about those dumb mooks, or are they dumb crackers, over at the Ministry of Truth. Imagine finding a quote as old as 2006! There must be a bunch of “high school dropouts” in the Recdep.
Yikes! I forgot that everyone who disagrees with Obama’s failed, socialist policies is a racist! I suppose I should apologize for my unwillingness to buy a Government Motorcar (GM). Now … just “say’n” … failed socialist policies are no worse for America than the failed oligarchical business polices from the folks who brought us derivatives, the mortgage crisis, the $1 trillion financial system bailout (handout), etc.
Coup d’tat I must be a dumb a** cracker. All this time I thought this is a coup d’tat:
“A coup d’état (English: /?ku?de??t??/, French: [ku deta]; plural: coups d’état)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government,[1][2][3] usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either civil or military. A coup d’état succeeds if the usurpers establish their dominance when the incumbent government fails to prevent or successfully resist their consolidation of power. If the coup neither fully fails nor achieves overall success, the attempted coup d’etat is likely to lead to a civil war.
Curse the pesky electorate for running amuck and stirring up that 2008 coup d’tat. Something should be done about that rabble. Maybe they should just go eat some cake.
I’m pretty sure I’m not one of those despicable “right-wing anarchists”, but most American citizens have no real representation. This is a bipartisan assertion that includes dumb crackers, mooks, right-wing anarchists, and “over-educated liberal snobs”. Mark Twain was correct when he said, “We have the best government money can buy.” Oops! I’m slapping myself for quoting Twain. I forgot, the modern literati have declared him a racist instead of a progressive social satirist. I’m such a stupid, cracker, dropout, and mook. *smile