Comments on: American Exceptionalism: Is it Nationalism in Disguise?

By: D. Saul Weiner

D. Saul Weiner — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 02:05:37 +0000

Well said. It is odd that, if there is such a thing as American Exceptionalism that is worth talking about, it is a consequence of Americans having done a better job of limiting government tyranny better than most other countries, at least for a while. Yet the folks who extol AE are only looking to expand the power of the state, reverting America to the mean. It would at least be a coherent thing to talk about if they were doing what Ron Paul is trying to do.

By: bob

bob — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:52:49 +0000

I have also noticed the increase in the use of the term among conservatives. It seems to be a reflex against the apparent relative decline in power that our country is currently experiencing, and I think it is seasoned with more than a whiff of nationalism as Conservatives have a deep psychological investment in America as the world’s number one power. We are certainly blessed in many ways, but it strikes me as hubris and makes me uneasy to hear AE trumpeted by “National Greatness” Conservatives when we have descended into seemingly intractable debt while still allotting more money to our military and defense establishment than all of the other countries in the world combined. The foundation supporting our greatness is no longer solid.

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:52:53 +0000

Thanks for the intelligent critique Jeff.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:08:48 +0000

Please don’t tell me you looked up the word conservative to define what the Modern Conservative political movement is ?
And you think AE is convoluted …
Apparently you are so smart that you have become stupid …
One less RSS feed to worry about …
Goodbye …