That said though, I found the “America the special” rhetoric from many speakers at the convention tiresome and delusional. How many times did we hear from speakers that their story was a uniquely American one or that their presence in highest office was only possible in America – when there really wasn’t much unique about their story or the fact that it took place here. So when keynoter Mark Warner discussed how his first two businesses failed but his third was a success (enabling him to spend millions self-financing his campaigns) and then asked in what other country would that be possible I sat there thinking that it was probably possible in quite a few countries. While America certainly rewards entrepreneurialism we don’t by any means have a lock on business creation. And what he also didn’t say was how the U.S. Senate is a virtual millionaires club and membership there, which he looks like achieving, often today requires a huge personal bank account ruling out most people from making that leap.
Obama himself – due to his “exotic” background – is forced to describe his story as “only possible in America” in order to demonstrate his love of country. And yet our nation’s history shows that men and women of color have been denied opportunities here as much or more than they have received them. It is not clear and, we have yet to see how this election plays out, that America has made Obama’s story possible, or that his own talent simply propelled him forward despite the nation he calls home. If he loses and race is seen as a big part of the reason for his defeat, his story (and America’s) then may be closer to type.
One of America’s great strengths is that people generally feel it is a special place. And yet, do our politicians do us a disservice by continually telling us how great it is and we are when the reality is not so pretty? Politicians love to mention the valiant people working two jobs to pay for their health care but dare not mention how America lags most of Europe when it comes to basic health outcomes. Politicians love to mention how they got a higher education (if possible with scholarships and financial aid) despite their humble origins but often fail to mention how so many humble Americans go without a good education and lag far behind their international counterparts on core subjects. There are many areas where America is exceptional inasmuch as we are worse off than others despite our wealth and power. Social mobility has declined for years and the high cost of higher education is increasingly a barrier to opportunity.
Politicians of course talk about solutions to these problems but they rarely call it like it is and flat out tell people that in many ways and for many people life here is not better than it is in other countries. Instead, the myth of the American dream and the opportunity of any person to make it here remains pervasive – clouding us to a much more complex and darker reality. Obama speaks of restoring America’s promise but can only criticize so much in exhorting us to change.
Our sense of exceptionalism and the myth of the rags-to-riches American dream story also means that our politicians must present their story as some version of that myth. They outdo one another in trumpeting their humble origins, even if it goes back generations. Hillary Clinton grew up well-off in suburban Chicago but to win Pennsylvania she made the most of her grandparents hardscrable background in Scranton to prove she was just like anyone else. Now Joe Biden will do the same. Working-class roots are in vogue but go back into almost any of our family trees and you’ll find someone who was working-class or poor not too long ago. So it becomes silly to make class origins a litmus test for political office.
And what is and is not a working-class background has become a meaningless distinction as well. Sarah Palin is seen as “one of the people” because she has a gaggle of kids, likes guns and snowmobiling. Yet her dad was a science teacher, not exactly blue-collar by any definition. And her husband’s family owns a commercial fishing business – that’s right owns it – they aren’t everyday fisherfolk. Class though, has become confused with culture and values. You could be a billionaire, but if you drive a pickup with a gun rack you are one of the people.
America favors certain narratives and myths about itself and its people over others – particularly agrarian ones. Brian Schweitzer, the rancher turned Governor of Montana was hailed for his folksy speech at the convention (which I liked too). But how many “folk” anywhere, even in Montana, are actual ranchers and can understand what its like on the range? And yet its Obama who has to go out of his way to prove he’s normal – go figure.
Again, we live in a great country with still greater potential to live up to its own conception of itself. This election has made me feel confident for our future and prouder yet of who we are. But I can’t help but feel annoyed by the hypocrisy and delusional myth-making that narrows our debate and political choices. America doesn’t need to be told how great it is all the time when there are plenty of serious and long unresolved problems in our midst. And we all, but particularly the mainstream media, should stop abetting those who would tell us who is really American and who is not. A dose of reality about our current condition together with a recognition of more than one “classic” American story would do us all a bit of good.
