So the Left Thinks the United States is Exceptional Now?

By Rob Olive September 13, 2013 Well, better late than never, I suppose. I guess I should welcome the Statists to the partyalthough it took them a while to arrive. Oh, I know, Woodrow Wilson hinted at it and FDR offered his own version of it in 1941although he included freedom from want in his laundry list, as well as other bits of socialist dogma. In a country founded upon individual liberty, shouldnt that be an individual responsibility, as opposed to a right or imagined freedom to be granted and guaranteed by the State? Then again, it was FDR. The French aristocrat Alexis de Tocqueville is credited with the first use of the term exceptional in reference to the United States in 1831. In Leftist circles these days, its fashionable to characterize de Tocquevilles words as an insult to the early United States; and perhaps they were intended to be exactly thatI could care less. Another popular Leftist take is that none other than the Soviet butcher Joseph Stalin coined the term American Exceptionalism, while having a tiff with an American Communist (shouldnt that be an oxymoron?) in 1929, after the American Commie informed Uncle Joe that the American proletariat wasnt interested in revolution. Apparently they had it too good over here. Again, this take might be absolutely correctand, again, I could care less. Perhaps more appropriate and correct references to our Exceptionalism come from men such as Thomas Jefferson (hey, he was no Joe Stalin, but he was the best we could do at the time), who said, The last hope of human liberty in this world rests on us; or Abr aham Lincoln, who referred to the United States as the last best hope of mankind. Of course, among modern politicians, no one alluded to our Exceptionalism (though he may not have used the term) more than Ronald Reagan, who famously and beautifully referred to America as a shining city on a hill, referencing John Winthrops seventeenth -century quote. In my opinion, the argument shouldnt be about who first coined the term, or precisely what they meant by it, or whether or not it was intended to be pejorative. I think we should have an honest discussion about whether or not our country is, in fact, exceptional, and if so, why. I bring this up because, on September 10th 2013, President Obama said that America was exceptional in his attempt to convince the American people that we should bomb Syria, sort of, if the Russians dont bail us out first, and if the Syrians dont get rid of their chemical weapons quickly enoughIm still not sure of what he was actually trying to say. Regardless, the text of his speech is as follows: with modest effort and risk, we can stop children from being gassed to death, and thereby make our own children safer over the long run, I believe we should act. Thats

The Left Thinks Were Exceptional Now?

what makes America different. Thats what makes us exceptional. With humility, but with resolve, let us never lose sight of that essential truth. Okay, thats ridiculous on so many different levels I dont know where to start; and Im not going to attempt to deconstruct the passage, much less the entire speechwhether or not we should bomb Syria is beyond the scope of this article. What I would like to take issue with is the Presidents assertion that were exceptional because we can stop children from being gassed to death. Really? Who writes this stuff for him? Isnt he supposed to be a brilliant orator? Is he not capable of looking at a speech beforehand and saying, Thats moronic and I wont say it? Does he simply read whatever is put on his teleprompter? Never mind. Then, following Russian President Vladimir Putins disingenuous, snarky op-ed in the New York Times two days later, in which he took issue with Obamas use of the term exceptional, Nancy Pelosi screeched in a news conference, America is an exceptional country. All of a sudden, we have Obama and Pelosi defending our Exceptionalism. I would love to ask the President and thescreecher (Im sorry, but she is one of the least impressive humans Ive ever been exposed to, and for her to have been second in line for the Presidency makes me shudder) just why they think were an exceptional country. Does Obama really believe its because we can keep Syrian kids from being gassed? I think notany number of countries could do that, which begs the question: do they really think were exceptional? And if so, why? Websters defines exceptional as: Far beyond what is usual in magnitude or degree. With that in mind, how are we exceptional in the minds of Obama and Pelosi? Are we more socialist than European countries? Are we poorer than African countries? Are we as authoritarian as China? These would seem to be traits the Left admires; yet the answer to each question has to be noat this point anyway. Yet, all of a sudden, America is an exceptional country according to these two. On this one issue, I have to agree with them. The United States of America is an exceptional country, but not because we could bomb Syria if we wanted to. Were exceptional because we were founded upon the concept of individual liberty, and because that concept stilldespite efforts against itis a part of our national psyche; and that makes us far more unique than those on the Left want to admit. It also carries with it a burden of responsibility thats not fashionable these days; and it argues against the Lefts efforts to expand the welfare state at every opportunity, thereby creating more dependency and less individual liberty. These same politicians who crammed Obamacare down our throats because it was good for us, and who want to tear the heart out of the 2nd Amendment (thereby subjugating us to the State), now stomp their feet and declare us exceptional. Thats an insult I wont stand for. The American Left quite obviously wants to strip us of the very individual liberty that makes us unique in the world, and they have the gall to still call us exceptional?

The Left Thinks Were Exceptional Now?

Though they chose the correct word, their actions havent earned them the right to use it. Too many have sacrificed too much in defense of the one thing that, in fact, makes us exceptionalindividual liberty and all that comes with it, good and bad. American Exceptionalism is (barely) alive, and not too well these days; but to whatever degree it still draws breath, it does so in spite of people like Obama and Pelosi.

Rob Olive is the author of Essential Liberty, a Novel that paints a disturbing portrait of what firearm confiscation might look like in the United States. Find out more about Essential Liberty and read Robs blog at www.roboliveauthor.com

The Left Thinks Were Exceptional Now?