It has been six months since my last post, “American Empire
(?): The Way Forward.” I imposed a
kind of self-banishment from blogging to finalize my PhD dissertation and
complete my viva voce. Upon emerging from
my academic cave a couple of weeks ago, I was greeted by the realization that
little has changed. I now know how
Punxsutawney Phil must feel
every February 2nd when the same old drunk Penn-men get dressed up
to greet him and violate what for this subterranean mammal must be a blissful
slumber including hopeful dreams that something new awaits him on the morning
of next winter’s wake up call.
Similarly, the same knucklehead politicians and pundits seem to be with me after my
academic reclusion, although fewer of the more colorful and stupefying ones
like Perry, Bachmann, Santorum, and Gingrich are with us in their aspiring
form. I must admit that my
masochistic evil twin misses them a great deal.[1] However, notwithstanding the constancy
of our national leadership deficit some things do feel different, which I
interpret (using the much maligned term) as hopeful.
As
I identified in December, the US does appear to be experiencing a decoupling
from the woes of the world, especially that emanate in Europe. While not entirely decoupled, our
markets are certainly benefiting as a relatively safe place to store wealth,
especially for monied folks in the southern Latin clines of the euro who want
to avoid catastrophic losses with a return of the drachma or the peseta. Among other things, they are buying up
big-city US real estate; and it is important to note that US Treasuries,
slammed by S&P last July, are doing quite well, thank you. The reality is that while we have
gained a great deal of weight that should compromise our prospects as the most
attractive (one-night) romantic target at closing time at the local bar, demand
for all things American remains at unprecedented levels. However, there is a greater (hopeful)
decoupling development, which is more local and more personal that appears to
be taking hold: people seem to be ignoring bad news and have begun to find ways
to get on with their lives. In the
absence of national leadership – particularly in Congress – individuals are
leading for themselves. It is as
if they have declared the current crisis moot.
This
condition amounts to another ‘work-around’ to be added to the list of three
others in my last post; this one is, in effect, a psychological work-around
where we each – one-by-one – reclaim our personal sovereignty. People are beginning to turn the noise
off and listen to their own music.
They are making tough choices (in many cases because there is no other
choice) and moving on. They are
forging new pathways and new identities to escape the banality of the current
crisis to produce what for them is transcendence toward a more manageable
future. This development is not
based in apathy, or denial, or anger; it is based in reality and, I believe, is
for the most part a very good thing.
While reclaiming sovereignty can be interpreted as a dangerous trend
toward isolation and disunion, in the current crisis it may be just what our
leaders need to sober up and start serving their constituents again. Can you imagine the tectonic shift that
will occur when our leaders realize that no one cares what they have to
say anymore? Who is elected this November,
or in the coming two or three election cycles, may become irrelevant.
Nearly
two centuries ago Alexis de Tocqueville observed of Americans that they had a
particular sense of sovereignty that began with the individual and eventually
“emerged from the towns and took possession of the government.”[2] Perhaps reclaiming our personal
sovereignty is a first step, however painful, to reclaiming America’s seat at
the table of greatness.
[1] Although I read this morning that Bachmann has had
her staff reserve precious lawn space outside Congress to herald the expected
battering of Obamacare by the Supreme Court, no doubt with her trademark
bimbonic stare. My twin awaits
re-satiation.
[2] Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America (New York: Literary Classics of the United States,
2004), p. 63.
