Exceptionalism and Cohen's Op-Ed

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Thursday, September 25, 2008
Palin’s American ExceptionBack to Article »
Sarah Palin loves the word “exceptional.” She may be onto something in her batty way: the election is very much about American exceptionalism.
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1.
September 25, 2008 6:15 am
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You make an excellent point, Mr. Cohen. I fear that it will be lost in an avalanche of indignation over the term "batty," a singularly unfortunate choice of words.
— M., California
Recommend Recommended by 13 Readers
2.
September 25, 2008 6:15 am
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Once I saw "her batty way," I understood that your purpose was to denigrate and not to really examine the issue. Your job at the New York Times is safe.
— Dr. Rona Michelson, Modiin, Israel
Recommend Recommended by 9 Readers
3.
September 25, 2008 6:25 am
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An exceptional piece, Mr. Cohen. Your incite and analysis is sharp and world wise. Unlike the petty, shrill, and exceptionally provincial "world view" held by Governor Palen.Aw shucks, she's homeland awesome. "Country First" and mooseburgers. This contest is getting embarassing.
— BW, Skagit , WA
Recommend Recommended by 63 Readers
4.
September 25, 2008 6:25 am
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I've done a lot of research on Palin, and compared it with what most New York Times Liberals are saying about her. It doesn't add up. I think she is a thoughtful, insightful woman who had the ability, in Alaska, to think outside the box and not do things quite according to business as usual. She took on the elite in Alaska, and won. She is a powerful woman, and since she is not one of your own, you establishment liberals dislike that. Thus, it is necessary to concoct a bunch of slogans about her that are meaningless -- e.g., Palinism is all about rage. It helps that you all think alike, and are able to echo and reinforce one another. I think you are afraid she will demolish some of your sacred cows. She's only the Vice President, you know, yet you are all obsessed with her. In a way, that's a sign of respect.Damian
— Damian, Boston, MA
Recommend Recommended by 17 Readers
5.
September 25, 2008 6:25 am
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posted 09/25/08Interesting analog to the "exceptional" place we believe ourselves to hold on the global stage is one my teen-age daughter presented only today: It was a business card advertisement handed out at school for a local fundamentalist church. It's catchy message--Coexist? (Notice the ? at the end.)I was so sad to see an otherwise beautiful message normally written out in the symbols of various world religions get hijacked by solipsistic theology. This inflated "exceptional" view of ourselves infiltrates our most sacred halls and severs our most basic human ties.Sadly, it's everywhere and Palin is it's most visible proponent.
— Erin, Kalamazoo
Recommend Recommended by 55 Readers
6.
September 25, 2008 6:25 am
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Palin's Republican Neo-Exceptionalism in incapable of looking critically at how America's efforts to project unilateral power under Bush is viewed by the rest of the world: as willful arrogance or, at best, as blind ignorance. As such, anybody like Palin who clings to her guns & religion world view it is fated neither to succeed nor alleviate global tensions.In the end, a Palin presidency would bring nothing but the second fall of Rome to American soil.
— BeerBellyBuddah, Wpg., Canada
Recommend Recommended by 69 Readers
7.
September 25, 2008 6:33 am
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You nailed it Roger. At its best, this is an important distinction between the two campaigns: the belief of an exceptional America in the world versus an exceptional America as an island against the world.Exceptional is a result of our idealism. That we are part of the world is realism. There really is no choice though that doesn't stop many from trying.The world is small these days. We are and must be engaged in the world. However, go-it-alone attitudes, wars of aggression and walls on our borders is not the way.We need new leadership to envision and cultivate new ways to be exceptional. It really isn't rocket science, diplomacy, respect, aid in times of crisis, cultural exchanges, Peace Corps, bring students to our universities, learn other languages, reduce our dependence on autocratic states, increase our interdependence on everyone else... oh you get the idea.Thank you for your column.
— Eric, Wisconsin
Recommend Recommended by 48 Readers
8.
September 25, 2008 6:33 am
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Seeing Sarah Palin grinning, small-talking, and pretending to be a competent political representative of the United States, is painful, and very embarrassing.Omnipresent, constantly within two steps of her, the dark-suited handlers, always tense and fearful, that if they as much as blink their eyes, it might suffice for her to make a PR mess for the Party and the Ticket somewhere! One these poor handlers will be held responsible for within the Campaign.What could John McCain ever have been thinking about, putting her within a heartbeat of becoming the most powerful politician on earth?What can some Americans even be thinking about, claiming she'd make a great stand-in for McCain, a malignant melanoma survivor (so far), when actuarial tables tell us he has at least a one-in-three chance of not even completing his first term?And what can citizens of other countries around the world be thinking of us, parading her around town like a queen bee, as our financial system crumbles, and candidate McCain freezes in fear at the prospect of an open debate with his rival, right before their (and our) very eyes?Will someone please tell me this isn't happening to what used to be the greatest country in the world?!?
— aix1825, Marco Island, FL
Recommend Recommended by 140 Readers
9.
September 25, 2008 6:36 am
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American exceptionalism does not come from anarchistic rural life or casino-like urban landscapes. When America stays true to real values that respect humans around the world and at home, while tapping into the enormous potential of its citizens working together, then America truly is exceptional. We didn't go to the moon with money from Wall Street in a rocket built on ideas that reject scientific principles. We went to the moon with the help of the GI-bill and tax money from American factories.www.usparliament.blogspot.com
— Jacob Olsson, New York
Recommend Recommended by 32 Readers
10.
September 25, 2008 6:44 am
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well said mr cohn.now how do we as citizen do this ? we vote and vote we shall.but do we vote with minds that have been poisoned by vapid self centered materialism and religios zealots,or rational, thoughtful, world views?the choice has never been so clear.
— michael, los angeles
Recommend Recommended by 23 Readers
11.
September 25, 2008 6:53 am
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Mr. Cohen. Thank you for the word "batty." That's exactly the word I've been looking for for Sarah Palin for the last few weeks. "Batty." Perfect.
— gmnickles, Reno, NV
Recommend Recommended by 21 Readers
12.
September 25, 2008 6:53 am
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When the person a heartbeat away from the Presidency SERIOUSLY believes that the Earth started 6,000 years ago with a talking snake, we have blinders on reality bigger than those in this article. Still, it's a good start.
— Darster, Birmingham
Recommend Recommended by 48 Readers
13.
September 25, 2008 6:53 am
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This is a terrific editorial which sums up the choice the electorate must make - to pine uselessly for the past, or to look to the future. Can we be a people which acknowledges American exceptionalism in our past and honors it, as well as acknowledge that insisting that such exceptionalism continues in a changed world is a very dangerous and close-minded path? I don't know, but the last 8 years leave something to be desired.The irony of course is, as Obama elliptically alludes to, that we have spent the better part of a decade eroding those elements of our society and tradition which make us exceptional. These might include our adherence to the Geneva Conventions and all they morally imply, our willingness to overrun habeas corpus, spy on our own citizens, use legalistic justifications to deny others their basic human rights simply because they are not citizens, and oversee the most terrifying expansion of executive power in our history.If we want to maintain American exceptionalism, we should both return to these admirable traditions, as well as admit that in certain areas the world has caught up, enabling us to aim higher and succeed, instead of deny reality, demonize those who oppose us, and twiddle our thumbs while Rome burns. You can't fix a problem if you won't admit it exists.
— George P, NYC
Recommend Recommended by 34 Readers
14.
September 25, 2008 6:53 am
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I'm American but have lived outside the US for several years. It's true that America breeds a sort of admirable idealism that is rare in other countries and that can be used for good- and it does at times inspire our fellows abroad. But, you are correct that this republican-style mantra of, "we're better than everyone else and they only hate us because they're jealous" is EXCEPTIONALLY counter-productive and alienates even our friends. Who wants a friend who thinks he's better than everyone else in every way?All I can say is: If McCain and Palin take the White House, I certainly won't be back in the next 8 years. I'll continue to vote and to hold onto the positive things I had instilled in me by my beautiful country, America, but I can't stand to watch 8 more years of this slaughter of all America truly stand for (life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness).
— db, Italy
Recommend Recommended by 55 Readers
15.
September 25, 2008 6:53 am
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“Like it or not, Americans really are a special people with a special ideology that sets us apart from all other peoples.”This is from the same genius (Calabresi) who said yesterday: "This Administration deserves to be trusted because it has kept us safe from terrorist attack since 9/11, has fought and won two wars, has presided over eight years of economic growth, has appointed two stellar justices to the Supreme Court, and has even learned how to do Louisiana’s job of protecting that state from hurricanes. The day will come, and not before long, when Americans will wish that George Bush was still president."The truth is most countries in the world are "special people" with their own unique ideology. Iceland. Costa Rica. Philippines. India. Switzerland. Egypt. Brazil. It's easy to make the case that each is "special".
— Bill, Scottsdale, AZ
Recommend Recommended by 42 Readers
16.
September 25, 2008 6:53 am
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There is much truth in this article about America's declining position economically vis- a- vis the rest of the world. There is also much truth about the wisdom of seeking better ways of cooperating with, and acting in conjunction with other nations.But this does not mean the model of cooperation is always the right one, and the one which is going to work when facing totalitarian and authoritarian states.For what we are now facing is a world, and Russia is the perfect example of this, which we thought was moving in the direction of democracy and is in fact moving more and more towards restriction of personal freedom.The United States does after all stand for protection of individual rights and freedoms in a way no other nation does.The simple recipe of 'talking more to them' is not going to bring the Islamists, the mullahs of Iran, the party chiefs of Communist China, the Putin regime in Russia away from their efforts, to in one way or another force America down.So neither the McCain model if it somewhat unfairly, is taken to be one which leans more on military unilateralism , nor the Obama model which speaks more to political cooperation, is satisfactory.What the United States needs now is a supremely competent leader who while believing strongly in the traditional values of America , knows how to deal with its present crises. Carrots when they are appropriate, but sticks for the Saddam Husseins, and Ahmadinejads.
— Shalom Freedman, Jerusalem Israel
Recommend Recommended by 4 Readers
17.
September 25, 2008 6:57 am
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Mr. Cohen, I'd worry more about the message than the messenger. I think what passes for "Palinism" is really just Bushism, whispered into her hockey-mom ear like a Jedi mind trick. Enough of this nonsense!http://enough2008.blogspot.com/2008/09/palin-storm-trooper.html
— Levi, Chicago, IL
Recommend Recommended by 10 Readers
18.
September 25, 2008 6:57 am
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We may have been exceptional between 1776 and 1980 or so but it would be difficult to advance that argument nowadays. The only measure we lead the world in is military spending, more than the rest of the world combined. Every other political, economic, and social measurement shows us lagging much of the developed world and getting worse, especially the last 7 years. People learned from us and then outdid us. We're lagging in freedom of the press, science education, human rights, broadband internet access, environmental protection, driver safety, effectiveness of healthcare, life expectancy, infant mortality, homicides, poverty rate, suicides, freedom, corruption, literacy rate, graduation rate, child well-being, freedom of expression, ......
— Johnny E, Texas
Recommend Recommended by 27 Readers
19.
September 25, 2008 7:01 am
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There is a huge difference between American exceptionalism and going off on a tangent. Although Palin is saying the word exceptional which sounds lovely, where she and McCain are headed is off on a dangerous tangent far beyond core Republican philosophy.
— bob, sf
Recommend Recommended by 9 Readers
20.
September 25, 2008 7:01 am
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An exceptional article--realistic rather than palinistic--thank you.
— A.C., san francisco
Recommend Recommended by 13 Readers
21.
September 25, 2008 7:13 am
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Yawn .... another editorial and another extreme anti-Palin/Bush/McCain article. If this is supposed to convince us independents to somehow vote for Obama then you underestimate our intelligence. Overtly biased Opinions from the NYT is actually worse than the election in 2004. I'm having to turn elsewhere to try to get some decent covereage. Please do us all a favour and stop this nonsense so that we can get educated.
— Greg Niven, Santa Clara, CA
Recommend Recommended by 8 Readers
22.
September 25, 2008 7:13 am
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To me McCain/Palin represent a small village in Russia that's called Potemkin...all facade, nothing behind it. It's a bankrupt village of few ideas and no solutions.
— Glenn, Hawaii
Recommend Recommended by 26 Readers
23.
September 25, 2008 7:13 am
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Yes - and it really is that scary.If America turns any more inward - it will cease to exist on the world stage except as some sort of begging military pariah.The fact that half of those polled seem to want to vote for McPain scares the rest of the world too - it means Bush wasn't a mistake, America really meant to be like this in 2008.Good Lord help us if Rove wins one more time!
— Rico, Alaska
Recommend Recommended by 37 Readers
24.
September 25, 2008 7:17 am
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Roger, you make some good points, but others are unfair. I'm not a Palin supporter, and I probably believe in American exceptionalism even less than you do, but in the spirit of fairness, I'd like to point out that nothing you quote Palin as saying suggests she's angry or enraged. Some American nationalists are, but prima facie Palin isn't. In the bits of speeches I've heard, she sounds almost like Obama as she tells people that as Americans they can each make a valuable contribution if they take the spirit of serving others seriously and believe in their individual ability to bring change. Her ideal of grass-roots populism and reformism may display contradictions in practice, but as an ideal it is based on joy, passion, and optimism, not anger.So far, at least, Palin hasn't shown herself to be against one-worldism. The remark you mention about Alaskans being able to see the coast of Russia suggests just the opposite. Palin's statement was not at all an ignorant, buffoonish claim to have knowledge of Russia or international affairs because of a mere coastline view. The broadcast version of the interview was shortened, so I recommend reading the original transcript of the whole interview. Palin mentions living next to Russia because she says being on the border has taught Alaskans the real, tangible importance in their everyday lives of peaceful coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation. This, she says, gives her some insight into the situation of other countries, such as Georgia, that also share a border with Russia. The most important lesson taught by proximity, she says, is that war with Russia should never be a substitute for negotiated solutions and the maintenance of mutually beneficial peaceful coexistence. The original transcript also shows Palin doesn't believe in holy wars or believe that any nation can fully know whether God is on its side or not. We need to hear more from Palin, but she's obviously not an enraged opponent of one-worldism or nostalgic for the old MAD world.In some areas, McCain's ideas are obviously outdated, but on Iraq it is Obama, not McCain, who keeps repeating the mantras of the past. It is McCain who supported the surge, which has shown that the Iraq war is now winnable and likely will be won in 3 years, and it is McCain who believes that US withdrawal should be steady but gradual so as to protect the security and welfare of Iraqis and Americans. McCain is therefore committed to helping Iraq emerge in the future as a unified state with a fledgling democratic system that will also help bring stability to the whole Middle East. Even PM Maliki says that the Iraq war was worth fighting and that more lives would have been lost if Saddam had not been overthrown, yet Obama opposed the surge and repeats the outdated claim that a winnable war is actually unwinnable. And his current overly rapid withdrawal plan would invite a return to ethnic cleansing, terror, and civil war.
— Charles, MA
Recommend Recommended by 9 Readers
25.
September 25, 2008 7:17 am
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First sentence in first online edition: Sarah Palin loves the world “exceptional.”Freud would be proud. At least you have the shame to say she loves the world before going on about Palinism and anger. Just a few days ago she was always described as "mouthing lines", now a philosophy is named for her.Are you seriously suggesting that the U.S. is just another country, the filling between Canada and Mexico?You should read the full Gibson/Palin interview. If you have, and know the parts omitted, then you should not mock the Alaska-Russia connection.Palin reminds me of my older sister. I support her, but it is not out of anger or separatism. It's out of respect for McCain and because I know Palin (like the Clintons) has depths that the media will never appreciate. You may ruin her life, but you will never portray her well. The Times delights in sticking pins in the Palin doll. Now, tell me again who is angry? She's not, I'm not. You and other NYT columnists seem quite angry.
— Carol, Albuquerque
Recommend Recommended by 8 Readers
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