Government

The GOP’s Insipid American Exceptionalism

Sep. 4, 2012 2:18pm

- Cato Institute

Justin Logan is the director of foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute. He is an expert on U.S. grand strategy, international relations theory, and American foreign policy. His current research focuses on the shifting balance of power in Asia — specifically with regard to China — and the formation of U.S. grand strategy under unipolarity.
He has authored numerous policy studies and articles on topics including international relations theory, U.S. China policy, U.S. Russia policy, stabilization and reconstruction operations, and the policy approaches to a nuclear Iran. His articles have appeared in Foreign Policy, the National Interest, the Harvard International Review, Orbis, the Foreign Service Journal, National Review, the American Conservative, Reason, Politico, the American Prospect, the Chicago Sun-Times and other publications. He has made regular appearances on a variety of broadcast media including the BBC, MSNBC, Fox News, Voice of America, and others.
Logan holds a master's degree in international relations from the University of Chicago and a bachelor's degree in international relations from American University. He lives in Washington, DC.

I’ve had it with “American exceptionalism.” Enough already.

The phrase has garnered a considerable amount of attention lately, namely because Republicans are saying it over and over again. The Atlantic points out that the term itself was coined by Joseph Stalin, lamenting America’s inability to go communist (cf. Louis Hartz). Of course, the concept that America was different than Europe goes back at least to Tocqueville, but is it too much to ask that we recall Tocqueville was writing nearly 200 years ago? Might we not pause, at least momentarily, to reconsider the argument from authority and subject it to a bit of scrutiny?

I complained about the pervasive theme at the Republican convention in my podcast yesterday, and Alex Massie holds forth against the exceptionally exceptionalistic speechifying at Foreign Policy today. Republicans—and the rest of us—ought to just shut up about exceptionalism already. As it stands now, a few word substitutions could make Herder or Fichte feel right at home at a GOP convention. We ought not to like this.

Encouraging citizens to reify, then flutter with excitement at the uniqueness of their own “imagined community” lubricates both the administrative capacity of and enthusiasm for the Great American Welfare/Warfare State that is presently bankrupting our unborn children. Those of us who would like a bit more federalism, veering toward sectionalism even, do so realizing that this would create downward pressure on the centralization of our lives in the body of the national government. (“Who is this fellow 2,000 miles away from me and why should I subsidize his career and pay his flood insurance and pension?”) That the disgrace of slavery accompanied the last era of sectionalism in this country is no reason to throw out the concept itself.

Bizarrely, the GOP married this nationalistic theme with an ostensible concern for how America is viewed across the world. Might we not consider that the world finds this constant self-congratulation unseemly and perhaps even dangerous? Imagine your coworker, or neighbor, or spouse, constantly parading about, preening and pronouncing that he is the greatest person ever to have been made and marveling at how lucky are those subject to his ministrations. Any impartial observer would forgive you for nudging him off a pier, and all the more so if he were, in fact, great.

This is perhaps the saddest part of the whole garish spectacle. The United States is a great country. Take a look around you. Saying it over and over again doesn’t make it any more so; in fact it makes it less. All the bleating about our exceptionalism from our leaders is enough to make you think that they don’t really believe it. The party doth protest too much, methinks.

The next time your would-be ruler holds forth about exceptionalism, remind yourself what Mencken said:

Democratic man, as I have remarked, is quite unable to think of himself as a free individual; he must belong to a group, or shake with fear and loneliness—and the group, of course, must have its leaders. It would be hard to find a country in which such brummagem serene highnesses are revered with more passionate devotion than they get in the United States. The distinction that goes with mere office runs far ahead of the distinction that goes with actual achievement.

That’s what this is all about: If we allow the other party or candidate to insert its peculiar and grotesque proboscides into our homes, wallets and lives—well, we’ll be just that much less exceptional.

Comments (12)

  • topperj
    Sep. 8, 2012 at 6:39pm

    I think his point is that we NOT any longer exceptional. We have allowed our greatness to be chipped away by big, obtrusive government hacks. In essence, we have given up our exceptionalism. We are closer to a welfare state than an exceptional state. It saddens me to agree with the author but look around and see what we’ve become.

    Report this comment

    topperj  
  • The Third Archon
    Sep. 5, 2012 at 9:42pm

    It’s also delightful to read the comments and see the author’s point, that the repetition of the “American exceptionalism” theme by the Right only succeeds (aside from being a self-indulgent wank fest on their part) in making them look like a bunch of narcissistic ethnocentric selfish boors, is completely lost on this audience.

    Report this comment

    The Third Archon  
    • asybot12
      Sep. 6, 2012 at 1:51am

      HEY you are BACK!!. Where are #1 and #2? You still have not told us! It seems like you are anything but an exceptional “person”. Haven’t changed much since the last time you where on this site. Holidays I guess, right, back to school with you, what is grade 2 this year? OK I’ll give you grade 3, good luck with the semester, hope the teacher is an understanding (non union) caring person.

      Report this comment

      asybot12  
  • The Third Archon
    Sep. 5, 2012 at 5:27pm

    It’s odd to hear a conservative denounce jingoism considering they wrote the book on it–are you sure this post wasn’t meant for the Huffington Post?

    Report this comment

    The Third Archon  
    • vox_populi
      Sep. 6, 2012 at 5:15am

      Well, considering that the Huffington Posts former CEO is now running The Blaze…

      #lolcapitalism

      Report this comment

      vox_populi  
    • IAMINFIDEL
      Sep. 8, 2012 at 8:56pm

      The Cato Institute is a libertarian think tank and is not conservative. Nevertheless, libertarians have more in common with conservatives than they do with liberals, progressives and socialists.

      Report this comment

      IAMINFIDEL  
  • The Third Archon
    Sep. 5, 2012 at 5:25pm

    “That the disgrace of slavery accompanied the last era of sectionalism in this country is no reason to throw out the concept itself.”
    I beg to disagree.
    “(“Who is this fellow 2,000 miles away from me and why should I subsidize his career and pay his flood insurance and pension?”)”
    He’s a fellow human being and American citizen, and you have a substantial interest in his welfare, that’s why. Funny how backwards individualist philosophy is–they think they world would stop turning without them, but on the contrary, the world would stop turning if everyone BUT them vanished, but if THEY vanished, the world would hardly notice.

    Report this comment

    The Third Archon  
  • pachrismith
    Sep. 5, 2012 at 1:07pm

    The United States of America is exceptional and being embarrassed that we are better than any country in the world and not saying it doesn’t change it. What too many people on both sides assume is that the people are better here – they aren’t. It is entirely the freedoms that we enjoy, the extent of which are not equaled anywhere else, that make us exceptional. The freedoms guaranteed by our constitution make it possible for everyone to (borrowing an US Army slogan – if you’re offended why are you reading this) “be all you can be”. If it were the people that were better, why then is there crime, poverty, and failure? If it were the people born here, why then do we so frequently see people from “third-world” countries immigrate, work their butts off, become successful and rich? It is the freedoms guaranteed by our constitution that allow human potential to blossom. If that embarrasses you then vote for Obama, his growing government mitigates those freedoms and encourages reliance on his government rather than self. My fear is that we will become like Russia and if we are given freedom again, some will work their butts off and become successful, and the rest will clamor for the return to communism because the government took care of them – after a fashion. In the USA, because of the unique freedoms available, anyone from anywhere in the world can be exceptional, and that should be broadcast loudly so all people can enjoy those freedoms. Enough already? Never!

    Report this comment

    pachrismith  
  • grayling646
    Sep. 5, 2012 at 5:35am

    This guy’s on the fifth rung. I’m barely hanging on to the bottom. Think I’ll go read some Zane Grey.

    Report this comment

    grayling646  
  • reggie patrick
    Sep. 4, 2012 at 8:46pm

    The political reason for the constant reminder of American Exceptionalism is to contrast this insipid current administration which has nothing good to say abou America.

    Just picture Owebama bending over in humility and servitude, with trembling and apologies pouring out of his Muslim adoring mouth and you may understand the constant cry “American Exceptionalism”!! In other words, There is a heap-big difference between us and the man, in office, that want even show kindness to his own brother, who lives in a tinshack, in poverty and squalor, who has never recieved kindness or help, from this Manchurian Candidate. We are much more exceptional than that!!

    Report this comment

    reggie patrick  
  • JPDevuyst
    Sep. 4, 2012 at 7:48pm

    Wow… I thought the blaze was a place to get away from this trash.

    Report this comment

    JPDevuyst  
  • beket
    Sep. 4, 2012 at 7:07pm

    Did I miss the gentleman’s definition of American Exceptionalism? Because, from his little rant, it sounds like he may not know what American Exceptionalism is.

    Report this comment

    beket  

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