http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBMgCo-Wgs4
The Santorum campaign just released this new ad “Obamaville” in which there is a flash frame of Obama sandwiched in between images of Ahmadinejad while the narrator speaks the words “sworn American enemy.” Watch for it at about the 40 second mark.
We have been seeing pretty ugly ads ever since LBJ’s “Daisy” ad of 1964 but this conflation of a sitting president as a “sworn enemy” is a reprehensible new low.
“Most wounds are self-inflicted”
I would cite the quote if I knew who said it.
Andy, I find it pretty amazing how much our nation has changed in our lifetimes (so far). I remember one of those dorm room discussions with friends “back in ’76″ when I made a statement that I had no idea of just how it would pan out (which was the point, actually). I said that in our lifetime, we would experience changes that we could not even imagine right now. I don’t feel I was being all that prescient, I was probably just remembering something I just read in the ‘Whole Earth Catalog’.
I don’t feel I am being overly pessimistic, and in fact I have great hope for our future, but I think it’s safe to say that we grew up and came of age at the peak of America’s power, prestige, and prosperity. What is happening right now is very disturbing, but is probably inevitable. I have a feeling the seeds of all of this were planted long ago.
I guess the song could be updated to play “the times they are still changing.” I think that we did indeed catch the tail end of a golden era for the United States. In fact, that was pretty much the point of the crib-note “Post WWII through the 60s” (http://frivolousdisorder.com/?page_id=69)
I also agree that those seeds were planted a long time ago. In my post, “Do you think this flag makes my dogma look fat? Reagan’s Legacy” (http://frivolousdisorder.com/?p=182) I outline what I see as the “seeds” of our highly polarized country.
I am, however, very optimistic. I have a pretty unflagging faith in the ability of this nation to rise to its challenges, showing our strength and resiliency. There is still much that we need to reconcile. (That magic balance of taxes, social services and national defense is one of the big ones.) But over time, our fears and anxiety for change will generally loose out to our ability to adapt to changing landscapes and new realities.
BTW, I really appreciate your post. As I always say about my day-job work, I am happy if you either love it or hate it but indifference is the worst.