Is American Exceptionalism Back in Vogue With the Left?

David Azerrad / November 17, 2010

Speaking on Meet the Press this week, former congressman and current chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council Harold Ford Jr. said:

I think that there is a sense of who we are, what we represent, and why we’re important to the world. The notion of exceptionalism is thrown around… I think people realize that we’ve built a lot of stuff in this country, we’ve innovated, we’ve lead, and for us to maintain that position, some changes are going to have to come about.

It was only last spring that President Obama explained to a reporter in Strasbourg, France, that American exceptionalism may not be as exceptional as it’s cut out to be: “I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism.” Though the President went on to highlight some of the things that make America extraordinary in his eyes—“the United States remains the largest economy in the world. We have unmatched military capability”—his opening words and subsequent reminder to recognize “the value and wonderful qualities of other countries” essentially amounted to a denial of American exceptionalism. (more…)