America’s lost her mojo, and a broad spectrum of voices from the center-right to the Trumpy right have banded together to win it back. In a signed statement, published at National Review, these conservatives summon Americans to return to a “consensus view” that “America is a fundamentally fair society with bountiful opportunity.”
“The American project… is under assault. Our history is the subject of a revisionist critique that is all-encompassing, unsparing, and very often flatly inaccurate,” the statement reads. “Our traditional heroes are under threat of being run out of the national pantheon. Our institutions, from elections to the job market to law enforcement, stand accused of perpetuating a systemic racism that is impossible to eradicate. Our educational system, from kindergarten through graduate school, is increasingly a forum for crude propagandizing…” I’ll stop there because the relentless accuracy is thoroughly depressing.
The letter is signed by a diverse group of 59 conservative luminaries, ranging from former Bush administration officials (Karl Rove and former Attorney General Michael Mukasey) to former members of the Trump administration (like former Attorney General Bill Barr and former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos), advocates of national conservatism (like the Hudson Institute’s Chris DeMuth), culture warriors (like Ryan Anderson, whose controversial book that was critical of the transgender rights movement was removed by Amazon.com), and current elected officials (including Rep. Dan Crenshaw and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey).
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It can’t be understated how dangerous the current state of unease over inflation, rising rates of violent crime, the culture wars, and general malaise is for the future of our country. It feels like the country is coming apart and we are not united in some shared purpose. Just as an individual’s deep-seated psychological and spiritual needs (such as purpose and belonging) are fundamental (once their basic needs are met), the same is true at the national level.
Despite our many problems, most Americans still enjoy a level of peace and prosperity that is unmatched throughout history. And yet, most of us do not feel happy or fulfilled or part of a larger community. Contributing to the problem is an industry of activists, agitators, and pundits hellbent on spreading only bad news and never saying a kind word about America. If people aren’t content—and if they blame their country and its elites for their plight—nothing else much matters.
Part of the problem is that this war has two fronts. A few years ago, most conservatives were keen on seeing only the bright side of America, while too many on the left wanted to dwell only on the negatives.
Today, beating up on America is a bipartisan sport.
Many on the left see America as a racist country whose present status is the fruit of the poisonous tree. They want to uproot our history and destroy any lingering reverence for our founders.
And of course, the Trump era has birthed a right-populist (and growing) strain of anti-Americanism (often cloaked in flag-waving nationalism).
“Even some on the right,” the statement concedes, “have become disenchanted with the American project and are prepared to quit on it on grounds that it is already lost or hopelessly corrupted.” Whereas many progressives see America as a fundamentally evil and racist country, this new breed of nationalistic right-wingers sees modern America as a fundamentally weak and decadent nation that has been taken over by sexual deviants and the left. Some even seem to hold authoritarian or illiberal regimes—like Russia and Hungary—in high regard.
It is daunting to see such disdain for the American project on both sides of the political spectrum today. But we have faced dark times before, and not all that long ago. As the statement says, “The national mood resembles those of the 1930s and 1970s, when radical critiques of America got considerable traction and our national self-confidence often seemed to hang by a thread.”
For me, the 1970s comparison rings especially true. In fact, “America’s Crisis of Self Doubt” is reminiscent of a line from Jimmy Carter’s so-called “malaise” speech from 1979. Though he actually never said the word “malaise,” Carter did say that America was experiencing a “crisis of confidence…that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will.”
Today, like then, America has serious problems, and as Carter noted, “the true problems of our nation are much deeper—deeper than gasoline lines or energy shortages, deeper even than inflation or recession.”
Facing a similar crisis of faith as the one we are experiencing today, Carter tried to fix it by acknowledging it.
Carter’s speech failed to strike its intended chord, possibly because the last thing Americans wanted or needed at the time was a leader who would level with them about the severity of the problem. Instead, Ronald Reagan came along, and by the force of an unabashed optimism rooted in his faith in the American people, charisma and confidence, and effective policies, was eventually able to restore faith and optimism in America again.
But let’s be honest, Carter’s analysis was entirely correct—just as the signers of the National Review statement are entirely correct.
The question is will their accurate diagnosis be more effective than Carter’s?
I applaud the signers of this statement, even if I’m not optimistic that an accurate diagnosis, alone, will do much. The signers of this statement say that “there is no substitute for the hard work of public persuasion,” that they are “united as devotees of America,” and “determined to defend her and lift her up.”
This bit of cheerleading is good, as far as it goes. But signed statements and open letters come and go all the time.
What America really needs is a leader who can replace Joe Biden and inspire the public to embrace the American project. What America needs is someone who can lift the spirits of the nation and restore our hope. This will require electing a leader who is authentic, yet also a skilled rhetorician. Throughout American history, such leaders have always emerged at our darkest hour.
Unfortunately, when I look at the people most likely to be president in the near future—Joe Biden, Donald Trump, and Kamala Harris would seem to be the most likely to win in 2024—I don’t see any candidates fitting that description on the horizon. If conservatives want to guarantee that America’s best days are ahead—and make sure that America remains a beacon of hope to mankind—the best thing they can do is work to nominate a Republican presidential candidate who reflects the values they have endorsed.
It won’t be easy. And to paraphrase Rick Pitino, Ronald Reagan isn’t walking through that door.
