Super America

Nothing says American Exceptionalism quite like the Big Game. (Editor’s Note: I am reluctant to refer to the Super Bowl directly, given that the name “Super Bowl” is licensed by the NFL, and I do not want to be sued for its’ unauthorized use). Unlimited fatty foods, free flowing domestic beers, illegal gambling, underage prostitution, and corporate sponsored violence truly defines our exceptional place in world history. This sounds more like the storyboard for an episode of The Sopranos than a football game. The use of Roman numerals to describe this annual orgy of excess seems perfectly appropriate, since unsuspecting QBs are often substitutes for the human sacrifice portion of the program. The only thing missing is the lions, and I am pretty confident that we won’t see Lions at the Big Game any time soon.

American exceptionalism has become quite the topic of discussion in the echo chamber, but not as it relates to the Packers or Steelers. It has become the new litmus test for aspiring politicians, according to Kathleen Parker, and I think she is correct. In a recent op-ed piece, she compared the utterance of the phrase “American exceptionalism” to other arbitrary hurdles for pols, such as the wearing of a flag pin and using the phrase “Islamic terrorism”. In this bizarro world, symbolism trumps actions, and words equal results. Sometimes reality doesn’t even matter.

President Obama has apparently not jumped convincingly enough onto the exceptionalism bandwagon, at least not convincingly enough for the Right wing. The problem here is that regardless of what Obama says or does, the Right will flog him with claims that he does not accept the tenets of American exceptionalism. This makes sense to the Right, since they aren’t even convinced he is a citizen, despite facts to the contrary.

Here’s the most recent example, post-SOTU speech. House Speaker Boehner and CNN’s Kathleen Parker had this exchange after the Obama address to Congress:

PARKER: You know one of the words that I listened out for in his speech last night was the word "exceptional." ... But I didn't hear him say it and I thought at a time when you're building a speech around sort of defining the common purpose of America, that seemed to me a rather -- you know, a simple direct line, fairly -- pretty much a no-brainer, but he didn't say it.

BOEHNER: Well, they -- they've refused to talk about America exceptionalism. We are different than the rest of the world. Why? Because Americans have -- the country was built on an idea that ordinary people could decide what their government looked like and ordinary people could elect their own leaders.

And 235 years ago that was a pretty novel idea. And so we are different. Why is our economy still 20 times the size of China's? Because Americans have had their freedom to succeed, the freedom to fail. We've got more innovators, more entrepreneurs, and that is exceptional but you can't get the left to talk about it. They don't -- they reject that notion.

PARKER: Why do you think that is?

BOEHNER: I don't know. I don't know. I don't know if they're afraid of it, whether they don't believe it. I don't know.

I heard Obama’s speech, and I am not sure that either of these characters did. My mama taught me that I have 2 ears and one mouth for a reason – listen more than talk. Boehner and Parker have skipped the listen part in a dramatic and blindly partisan way.

During the State of the Union, Obama talked about the qualities that "set us apart as a nation" and the things we do "better than anyone else." And his belief that America is "not just a place on a map, but the light to the world" and "the greatest nation on Earth." And his reminder that "as contentious and frustrating and messy as our democracy can sometimes be, I know there isn't a person here who would trade places with any other nation on Earth."

Boehner specifically whined that "they" don't understand that "the country was built on an idea," a day after Obama explained, "What's more, we are the first nation to be founded for the sake of an idea -- the idea that each of us deserves the chance to shape our own destiny."

This is all in the public record. These Right wing claims are silly and insulting to those who listen and read. How can anyone sit on TV and pretend that none of this was said during his address? The sad fact is that the truth cannot be allowed to get in the way of a good story, and the GOP’s story is that Obama is anti-American and not like us. If Obama tomorrow gives a speech titled “American Exceptionalism”, the Right will question his inflection, the red color of his tie, and his reliance on a teleprompter instead of speaking from the heart. The goal post will continue to move.

Think I’m kidding? Fox News posted an article about an Obama “gaffe” during the National Prayer Breakfast. The President used a quote from the Bible during his remarks, and Fox News reported that he has misquoted the Bible. Blasphemy, right? Except there are dozens of translations of the Bible, all legitimate in their own way. Fox News relied on the King James version – Obama’s quote was from the New International version. Have these litmus tests for public office gotten so ridiculous that use of a different translation of the Bible becomes a disqualifying event? Or is the only litmus test really in play questioning Obama at every turn, regardless of merit?

On the question of American Exceptionalism, Obama will never win over his Right wing critics that harbor a transparent agenda. After tomorrow, Green Bay fans will never be able to convince Pittsburgh fans that they are the better team, even when the scoreboard says otherwise at the end of the game.

Green Bay 26 – Pittsburgh 22