America is such a colossal influence on the world that it is difficult to separate our national myths from reality. I always enjoy Newt's take on this subject. I've followed his career since the 1980s and have read most of his books on politics and history. I revere Newt as one of the three pillars of Modern Conservatism, along with Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan.
On the other hand, my politics are now conflicted. The Great Recession of 2008 makes me question whether Conservative ideals of shrinking government, cutting taxes, and deregulating business make sense in this era. After all we did all those things during George W. Bush's administration and the result was the greatest economic collapse since the 1930s. Thus, I read Newt's book to stimulate my thinking and perhaps take it back to its Reagan-era roots.
Newt gets right to the point in explaining why he believes that "American Exceptionalism" should guide us today:
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In other words, belief in American Exceptionalism leads inevitably to a smaller, more effective, accountable, and limited government. The American revolutionaries did not shed their blood for the welfare state....Instead, they fought for individual liberty--and that made America an exception among all other nations.
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However, I wonder about the "exceptional" characteristics that Newt says prompted early Americans to found this country:
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Looking through four hundred years of American history, back to the first colonists' arrival at Jamestown, we find five habits of liberty that have been crucial to sustaining American Exceptionalism. They are:
* faith and family
* work
* civil society
* rule of law
* safety and peace
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Does the historical record really show American Colonists as being exceptional in "faith and family" values? Many observers noted that American Colonists displayed the common vices of drunkenness, gambling, prostitution, and illegitimacy, same as any other people, if not more so.
It's also dubious that the early Americans had any special affinity for work. Many took off to the frontier because it allowed for a life of relative indolence that enabled them to live off the land without becoming gainfully employed. And it's a bit of a stretch to believe that Southern planters desired hard work to be done by anybody other than their slaves.
The idea that early Americans had exceptional respect for the "rule of law" is also amusing considering that American Colonists were the very incarnation of riot and revolution. After throwing off the British they spent the next 90 years trying to subvert various American governments. American Exceptionalism is more likely characterized by our having LESS respect for the "rule of law" than other peoples. Challenging authority rather than blind obedience to law is the quintessential American characteristic.
As for "civil society" our early American ancestors had little use for "safety and peace" otherwise they would not have instigated wars of aggression against the British, Indians, Spanish, and Mexicans who stood in the way of their conquest of the heart of North America. Early Americans were primarily a belligerent lot more reminiscent of barbarians than of standard bearers for a "civil society."
Perhaps there are other characteristics of American Exceptionalism:
* INDIVIDUALISM --- Americans are prone to thinking that that our individual rights trump the collective rights of governing entities, thus the central theme of rebellion against governmental authority in our history. We have a unique tradition as a patriotic people who love our country while frequently ridiculing its government. Most other peoples express confidence in their government but are modest about praising their country. Americans have a strong anti-government, pro-individualist streak in our nature. This difference explains why phrases like "government-mandated healthcare" sounds benign to other people, but raises the hackles of many Americans.
* COMMONERS CAN ACQUIRE WEALTH --- Maybe no American idea is more exceptional than the notion that the poor have a right to acquire wealth. The American Revolution succeeded because the poor helped foment it. Poor Americans threw rocks at the British during the Boston Massacre and defied the King's orders to stay away from the frontier. The Colonists didn't rebel until King George curtailed their ability to acquire wealth by restricting their trade and closing the frontier. That's when Americans said, "The Man's ripping us off. Let's take him down!"
* ARMED CITIZENRY --- Citizen's militias defeated the British in the 13 Colonies, the Spanish in the Gulf Coast, the Mexican dictatorship in Texas, and the Indians in the interior. Our respect for personal firearms as the ultimate defense of liberty is exceptional. We are the only people whose right to own personal firearms is enshrined in our Constitution.
* COURAGE --- Americans acquired our country because Americans have the courage to DIE fighting for our rights. Perhaps no other people would have taken on the British Empire in 1776 and 1812, gone out to the frontier to fight Indians by themselves, or locked themselves into the Alamo.
Thus, Newt's "Currier and Ives" portrait of early Americans may be an over-simplification. The early Americans who made us EXCEPTIONAL were unrulely rascals who said: "King George is ripping us off! Let's go tar and feather some Redcoats!" The element who desired a "civil society" of "safety and peace" became Tories and emigrated to Canada. IMO a historically correct analysis of the character of the early Americans as it relates to American Exceptionalism can be found in Dale Van Every's
Ark of Empire: The American Frontier: 1784-1803 (The Frontier People of America, Vol. 3) and John Fiske's
The Critical Period of American HistoryThe latter part of the book describes Newt's prescription for restoring America's greatness. These ideas are oriented around educating our children to understand our "Exceptionalism," working hard, volunteering for community service, and running for public office. Then Newt talks about replacing the convoluted tax system with a flat 15% rate. His energy plan is "all of the above." He wants to replace Social Security with personal retirement accounts.
As the economy enters its fourth year of recession Americans are trying to decide whether to lurch to the left and implement an updated form of FDR's New Deal or lurch right and implement an economy based on downsized government and lower taxes as Newt advocates. In 2008 they pulled left. In 2010 they pulled right. They are undecided where to turn in 2012. Newt sums it up perfectly:
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"The election of 2012 will bring us to an historic crossroads. The direction we choose will determine whether we will continue as an exceptional nation or follow a path of decline and fade into mediocrity, inadequacy, and failure."
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"American exceptionalism" aside, the book is a great pep talk explaining Newt's view of how Conservative politics offers solutions to our current problems. After reading the book I've been paying more attention to Newt in the debates. I about fell out of my chair laughing at his witty ripostes in the last debate. Newt is well on his way to proving that he's a three dimensional human being, having an engaging personality in addition to the scholarly and Machiavellian Speaker of the House dimensions!
--------------->THE POINT I MAY HAVE MISSED:
After my second reading I'm wondering if there is a larger message from Newt that I may have missed on my first reading. I think Newt's primary message (paraphrasing) is:
"America is exceptional because our people think big. They dare to do what seems to be impossible. They dared to declare Independence and win it. They dared to create a government based on the radical idea that government serves the people, not the other way around. They dared to extend their sovereignty across a continent. They dared to confront slavery on our soil and defeat it. They dared to take on the Nazis and beat them. They dared to lead man into new frontiers of space and science. They took risks and won. Let's do the same now to move forward beyond our current problems."
I think Newt sees Conservatives as the inheritors of this tradition of pushing the envelope of human achievement. I also think he sees Liberals as people who seek to minimize the accomplishments of America and make it look small. Liberals say things like, "America is no different from any other country. Our Founders were hypocrites. How could Washington and Jefferson care about liberty when they owned slaves? We built our country by stealing the land from the Indians. We built our wealth by polluting the environment. The rest of the world hates us, and they're right, because we're founded on evil principles of exploitation and greed." Liberals tend to strike Conservatives as being negative, petty people, who are out of character with the true American spirit.
I wish Newt had expressed this idea more directly, or perhaps I was obtuse in missing the point the first time I read the book. Newt may have overstated the saintly virtues of early Americans, but certainly he captures their spirit that destined this country for greatness.
