You know you’ve really screwed the pooch when you get put in your place by…Cokie Roberts.
Here's the video. See if you agree.
I share Luntz's pessimism about America, but I agree that the last thing we need is pessimism from our political parties. That can too quickly translate into nihilism, a state we're headed for all too quickly already. In one sense Luntz is right, many of us think that the world we leave the next generation won't be as good as the one we inherited. That's a sad, pathetic thing. And frankly, it's been people like Luntz who have been trying to keep us afraid for all the wrong reasons for far too long.
One of the things I liked about John Edwards was he got that:
America lives because 20 generations have honored the one moral commandment that makes us Americans.
To give our children a better future than we received.
John Edwards' Speech Today
He said it's our responsibility not to do that. You don't have to sugar-coat the truth to make it clear. Just saying things suck and leaving the question of what to do about it isn't something we want to hear from our leaders. We also don't want to hear nonsense about Dachau when what we're really talking about, at worst, is a slightly different version of what we have already.
The fact is that many of the problems of this country have nothing to do with its capabilities, but with its ruling class, who are distinctly uninterested in doing anything for anyone but themselves. Our leaders need to see what needs to be done, understand how to get it done, and do it. If the Republicans can't figure out a way to do that, then they should continue pouting in the corner like they have been for the last ten months.
At least they'll be out of the way.
UPDATE: Added the John Edwards quote by way of example.
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