Gribbit's post asking "What Happened to the American Spirit?" has been picking up some attention around the Alliance today. Part of what Gribbit says is right on target...mainly that since World War II, America's Spirit (which I believe is a reference to national pride) has taken a hit -- with very few moments of resurgence of unity.The real argument is about what caused the fundamental change in the American psyche that allows us to contemplate bringing home our troops before the job is done "over there." Gribbit believes that conservatives and most Republicans still have that "gung ho" attitude, and I tend to agree with him. The 2006 mid-term elections have been misdiagnosed as a mandate for change against the war when in reality, what caused the Republican fall from favor was a combination of divergence from principles and a number of scandals and corruptions.
All of which brings us to the famed "Let's sit this one out!" battle cry...which, if I read Gribbit correctly, is the position he is advocating. In my not so humble opinion, raising the white flag to liberalism for any reason is akin to having lost the American Spirit. It signals a willingness to accept defeat in the face of adversity that I suspect conservative icons like Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan would find terribly disturbing. Goldwater once famously chastised conservatives to get up and get engaged after a loss. Does that sound like the kind of guy who would surrender at least four years to Democrats just because the Republican standard bearer disagreed with you 20% of the time? Reagan was known to be a happy warrior variety of conservative. Would he appreciate the "Let's Sit This One Out" strategy? I don't recall Reagan sitting anything out... When he visited Germany, against the advice of his State Department, Reagan demanded, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." He didn't say, "Yo, Gorby, I'm just gonna sit this one out..."
If conservatives are going to lament the death of the American Spirit, I'd like to recommend that we follow Goldwater's advice and get back to work restoring it rather than grieving over what might have been... Just my $0.02...do with that as you will.
UPDATE: Just for clarity... McCain is not an enemy of conservatism. Like many of us conservatives, McCain is not idealogically pure. He may drive us nuts once and a while, but he IS better than the alternative. Should we sit by and assist in the killing of the American Spirit by tacitly electing uber-liberal Democrats? I do not believe that is conservative or in America's best interests.
UPDATE 2: Further clarity for our liberal and/or Democrat friends... I don't think that liberalism, in and of itself, is unAmerican or unpatriotic. I do, however, think that belief in American exceptionalism is patriotic and quite a few liberals and/or Democrats don't believe in it...and that is why I believe they are bad for our country.
