From the moment Barack Obama appeared on the national stage, conservatives have been searching for the best way to describe the danger he poses to America’s traditional way of life. Secularism? Check. Socialism? Sure. A tendency to apologize for America’s greatness overseas? That, too. But how to tie them all together?
Gradually, a unifying theme took hold. “At the heart of the debate over Obama’s program,” declared Rich Lowry and Ramesh Ponnuru in an influential 2010 National Review cover story, is “the survival of American exceptionalism.” …
When conservatives say American exceptionalism is imperiled, they’re onto something. In fundamental ways, America is becoming less exceptional. Where Gingrich and company go wrong is in claiming that the Obama presidency is the cause of this decline. It’s actually the result. Ironically, the people most responsible for eroding American exceptionalism are the very conservatives who most fear its demise. CONT.
Peter Beinart, National Journal