The characterizations by this author are so off the mark it is rediculous. The man who initiated the destruction on a functioning mental health system, research on HIV, the California's education system, organized labor and the purveyor of the war on drugs, the war against science, the war on student resistance, support for Apartheid, subversive misogyny is Ronald Reagan.
The man who has opened our eyes to the power of peoples' democracy, human rights, diplomacy before war, planet protections, the possibllilities of a just government , global humanism and more is Barak Obama
Now who was the optimist and who was the pessimist? Masks are not substance and that's all Reagan was.
The man who has opened our eyes to the power of peoples' democracy, human rights, diplomacy before war, planet protections, the possibllilities of a just government , global humanism and more is Barak Obama
Now who was the optimist and who was the pessimist? Masks are not substance and that's all Reagan was.
23
Lots of people speak disparagingly of Sara Delano Roosevelt. Credit her with this - knowing her husband was ill with heart trouble and not wanting to endanger his life, she trained her son, FDR, always to be positive and cheerful. He brought that optimism to American life and what an influence he had!
5
I just watched Walking with Destiny on Netflix about Winston Churchill and his importance to the outcome of WW2 and specifically his handling of the UK and its actions/reactions in that war.
Winston Churchill was not an optimist. He was not a pessimist. He was a realist.
Imagine what movies we would be seeing now if he had been either an optimist or a pessimist.
He imagined the worst, shared the real possibility of the worst with the British people he served and asked them to dig deep, stay calm and do their best.
They responded.
Winston Churchill was not an optimist. He was not a pessimist. He was a realist.
Imagine what movies we would be seeing now if he had been either an optimist or a pessimist.
He imagined the worst, shared the real possibility of the worst with the British people he served and asked them to dig deep, stay calm and do their best.
They responded.
7
Those wealthy leaders who only care about their own kind are the worst of leaders - parasites and con artists who ultimately shatter the lives of those they pretend to lead.
The most productive leaders are those who combine strong egos with a genuine commitment to lift up all the people they lead. This is both borne out by modern psychology - see Hare and Maccoby - and enshrined in the oldest, most enduring principles of Western Civilization - pleonexia, the Anacyclosis, Hercules' Choice and all the Hebrew prophets exhorting the rich to show justice for the poor.
Genuine optimism is realistic, pragmatic and above all humane.
Reagan unfortunately dealt in a poisonous counterfeit of optimism: toxic flattery - idealized you, demonized him, the divide and conquer strategy of the irresponsible plutocrat.
Though I was a Republican then I could never bring myself to vote for Reagan. He made my skin crawl, because beneath the sunny attitude he was slyly making the vile politics of dehumanizing hate respectable again.
The most productive leaders are those who combine strong egos with a genuine commitment to lift up all the people they lead. This is both borne out by modern psychology - see Hare and Maccoby - and enshrined in the oldest, most enduring principles of Western Civilization - pleonexia, the Anacyclosis, Hercules' Choice and all the Hebrew prophets exhorting the rich to show justice for the poor.
Genuine optimism is realistic, pragmatic and above all humane.
Reagan unfortunately dealt in a poisonous counterfeit of optimism: toxic flattery - idealized you, demonized him, the divide and conquer strategy of the irresponsible plutocrat.
Though I was a Republican then I could never bring myself to vote for Reagan. He made my skin crawl, because beneath the sunny attitude he was slyly making the vile politics of dehumanizing hate respectable again.
14
Reagan may have had a great agency creating Morning in America, but Reagan was a pessimist when it came to inspiring young people into service. He famously said "Government is the problem and not the solution."
I agree we need more optimism and courage. President Kennedy inspired a nation to challenge by creating the Peace Corps and sending us to the moon and back.
The Happy Warrior, Hubert Humphrey, challenged the Democratic Party to install a Civil Rights plank in its platform during the 1948 Democratic Convention? These were optimistic leaders that challenged us to new heights and greater freedoms.
Ronal Reagan inspired greed in our land and it remains to this day.
The theme to Franklin Roosevelt's campaign was Happy Days are here again. He inspired a nation out of the Depression and victory in Europe and Japan!
Reagan was an optimist like Herbert Hoover, with a campaign theme of a chicken in every pot --- the Morning in America theme for its day.
Mario Cuomo was inspirational --- go read his thought about Mr. Reagan's Shinning city on a hill.
Reagan was an actor whose trickle down economics was a fraud as later suggested by his former budget director David Stockman.
I long for the Happy Warrior -- Hubert Humphrey and JFK's vision!
I agree we need more optimism and courage. President Kennedy inspired a nation to challenge by creating the Peace Corps and sending us to the moon and back.
The Happy Warrior, Hubert Humphrey, challenged the Democratic Party to install a Civil Rights plank in its platform during the 1948 Democratic Convention? These were optimistic leaders that challenged us to new heights and greater freedoms.
Ronal Reagan inspired greed in our land and it remains to this day.
The theme to Franklin Roosevelt's campaign was Happy Days are here again. He inspired a nation out of the Depression and victory in Europe and Japan!
Reagan was an optimist like Herbert Hoover, with a campaign theme of a chicken in every pot --- the Morning in America theme for its day.
Mario Cuomo was inspirational --- go read his thought about Mr. Reagan's Shinning city on a hill.
Reagan was an actor whose trickle down economics was a fraud as later suggested by his former budget director David Stockman.
I long for the Happy Warrior -- Hubert Humphrey and JFK's vision!
14
I probably should have been born in Italy, as I am too anarchistic to be either a good conservative or a good liberal, and I fell out of love with religion many decades ago.
However, what turns me off most about conservatism is that conservatives have the notion that we can go back in time (a physical impossibility) to an idyllic time of history (which never existed).
Consider, e.g., the Tea Party, a party whose 21st century leaders live in the late 18th century, when the average life expectancy of Americans was 30 years because bacteria had not been discovered, and when most white women and children, as well a most blacks, were considered to be pieces of property. Even in rich families it was common for wives to die during child birth and for every family to lose a child to a completely preventable disease. Why not just join ISIS and go back to the Stone Age?
However, what turns me off most about conservatism is that conservatives have the notion that we can go back in time (a physical impossibility) to an idyllic time of history (which never existed).
Consider, e.g., the Tea Party, a party whose 21st century leaders live in the late 18th century, when the average life expectancy of Americans was 30 years because bacteria had not been discovered, and when most white women and children, as well a most blacks, were considered to be pieces of property. Even in rich families it was common for wives to die during child birth and for every family to lose a child to a completely preventable disease. Why not just join ISIS and go back to the Stone Age?
8
Americans are upset about the course of America because the politicians acting at the behest of the multinational corporations have set America on a course which is eroding the lifestyle Americans have come to expect. We don't need happy talk, we need sound policies.
Take the TPP, for example. This abomination legalizes trade with slave economies. Further, it outsources justice to corporate panels stocked with judges appointed by the corporations.
The argument is that these "free trade" agreements are necessary to keep America competitive. This, of course, is nonsense. It is a recipe for the snake to eat its own tail.
The key to improving life for a community is production, not corporate profits. Since the American worker will never be able to compete with a slave, production is doomed. If production is doomed, all that will be left is service, and that has a short life span.
We should not be competing with China in the Chinese way. We should be making China compete with us in the America way. We should be in competition to reach the top, not the bottom.
Rather than slave trade, we should enforce worker safety and benefits rights and regulate environmental issues. This will increase the cost of products. But so what. We can pay workers more, so that they can afford their own products. Henry Ford proved that this works. Further, we can tax slave products to keep the market fair.
America-first policies is what will bring success, and then optimism.
Take the TPP, for example. This abomination legalizes trade with slave economies. Further, it outsources justice to corporate panels stocked with judges appointed by the corporations.
The argument is that these "free trade" agreements are necessary to keep America competitive. This, of course, is nonsense. It is a recipe for the snake to eat its own tail.
The key to improving life for a community is production, not corporate profits. Since the American worker will never be able to compete with a slave, production is doomed. If production is doomed, all that will be left is service, and that has a short life span.
We should not be competing with China in the Chinese way. We should be making China compete with us in the America way. We should be in competition to reach the top, not the bottom.
Rather than slave trade, we should enforce worker safety and benefits rights and regulate environmental issues. This will increase the cost of products. But so what. We can pay workers more, so that they can afford their own products. Henry Ford proved that this works. Further, we can tax slave products to keep the market fair.
America-first policies is what will bring success, and then optimism.
4
Sometimes that pessimism is simple realism. Re; this generation not thinking their children will be better off. Looks to be realistic, as there is nothing on the horizon that looks like it will re-invigorate the US economy to its pre-2008 levels. Its looks rather obvious that US leaders are stuck in a mode of nostalgia, and longing for a past they, nor anyone else can ever recreate.
Personally, I tend to embrace my pessimism, and temper it with large doses of optimism. I'm pretty optimistic that once things settle down in both parties Presidential campaigns, there wont be much of anything meaningful being addressed. It will go back to, "Im the new Messiah, and he/she ain't." And some people, too many, love that schtick. Not me.
I don't seek wishful thinking, or hope filled dreams from our elected leaders, I dont need them to buoy me up. I need them to actually do their JOBS. Their J-O-B's! Which means putting ideology aside, rolling up their sleeves, getting dirty from work and not mud-slinging, and stop letting far too many big issues end up on the docket of SCOTUS, for them to legislate.
I want results! I don't want advertizing about how their product is gonna dazzle and make our lives awesome! I want results, I want them to fill in their respective "potholes", without deliberating for months on end on whether the hole is too deep or too shallow, or round enough, or should we call in more advisers.? Its a hole, its obstructing traffic, now fill it!
Personally, I tend to embrace my pessimism, and temper it with large doses of optimism. I'm pretty optimistic that once things settle down in both parties Presidential campaigns, there wont be much of anything meaningful being addressed. It will go back to, "Im the new Messiah, and he/she ain't." And some people, too many, love that schtick. Not me.
I don't seek wishful thinking, or hope filled dreams from our elected leaders, I dont need them to buoy me up. I need them to actually do their JOBS. Their J-O-B's! Which means putting ideology aside, rolling up their sleeves, getting dirty from work and not mud-slinging, and stop letting far too many big issues end up on the docket of SCOTUS, for them to legislate.
I want results! I don't want advertizing about how their product is gonna dazzle and make our lives awesome! I want results, I want them to fill in their respective "potholes", without deliberating for months on end on whether the hole is too deep or too shallow, or round enough, or should we call in more advisers.? Its a hole, its obstructing traffic, now fill it!
7
We only need to look beyond our own country to see that the world is not an optimistic place. Places that once were steady and sedate are now teetering on the brink of hopelessness and political disaster. Boiling points are rising across the globe and the sense of despair is in the air.
Pessimism is often the residual of decades of increasing wealth in government, bad economics and back-room dealings that use the masses as pawns. The same kind of self-aggrandizing and bloviating is witnessed across the globe while countries collapse under those who claim that they will be the savior when in actuality, they simply create havoc while fleecing their own pockets and puffing up their already over-inflated egos.
Until we stop being impressed by these side-show barkers and stop being led like "sheeple" into a false belief that one person can change the path we are on, Rome will continue to burn. What a sorry discourse, to be having this same conversation decade after decade when we have literally come so far in innovative greatness.
Until the super-egoists are seen for what they really are we will continue to be used as pawns. They know and like power. Just like the first taste of blood to a hungry beast, they won't forget how it is to be the leader of the pack, taking no prisoners. Rome will continue to burn. Until we aren't afraid to embrace one another's ideas, ideals and contributions lest one of the sides lose power, we'll keep enslaving ourselves to Caesar. Et tu, Brute.
Pessimism is often the residual of decades of increasing wealth in government, bad economics and back-room dealings that use the masses as pawns. The same kind of self-aggrandizing and bloviating is witnessed across the globe while countries collapse under those who claim that they will be the savior when in actuality, they simply create havoc while fleecing their own pockets and puffing up their already over-inflated egos.
Until we stop being impressed by these side-show barkers and stop being led like "sheeple" into a false belief that one person can change the path we are on, Rome will continue to burn. What a sorry discourse, to be having this same conversation decade after decade when we have literally come so far in innovative greatness.
Until the super-egoists are seen for what they really are we will continue to be used as pawns. They know and like power. Just like the first taste of blood to a hungry beast, they won't forget how it is to be the leader of the pack, taking no prisoners. Rome will continue to burn. Until we aren't afraid to embrace one another's ideas, ideals and contributions lest one of the sides lose power, we'll keep enslaving ourselves to Caesar. Et tu, Brute.
2
"Ya know she's sugar, and spice and all things nice......." Yeah Albert, we can all just quit, move to Europe, teach piano lessons to poor Spaniard kids who of course can pay the vig to keep you in grits, then move back to NY City and voila you land a job a NY Times producing articles and books of something like that. This is the prescription for every poor slob, trudging to work at Macs as their once industrial/union job shipped to Vietnam(another optimists vision). What Albert refers to as pessimism is really just rationality. Ronnie Reagan was nothing but a cheerleader who had the wind at his back. Carter/Volker did the hard work. Carter suffered under the sunny, morning in America message. Volta got canned when the "supply siders" needed easy Al to grease the wheels. So Albert, I challenge you to come up for a way to sell the drudgery and soullessness of the daily grind for those who must suffer under the oppression of monopsonistic employers, playing everyone off against each other. I don't buy your balderdash anymore than any other rational person would who read this piece of fluff.
5
Excellent article. Optimism is sorely in American politics. But even more so in the American media. The race towards more clicks and more eyeballs have made the media cultivate a culture of despicable negativity, appealing to the basest of human fears, and a narrative that everything is actively being destroyed. The naive American people, who really lack a perspective, due to intense local coverage in the news media, has no chance. Politicians need to remind people that America is a great country, better than many others, Americans are better off than 90% of the world's population and despite a loud narrative to the contrary, life in America is actually getting better. Will someone among the 16 GOP hopeful step up and admit this fact ? Unlikely, as the narrative of doom and gloom is their best chance of winning.
8
In the Reagan era context here the natural contrast in pessimism is of course Jimmy Carter. His world was simply running out of energy, and it was going to get worse every day until we acted - which involved 68 degree thermostats, wearing sweaters and rationing if you recall that celebrated speech. So the Carter debasement of pessimism was in being completely wrong for one thing. Then again, being consistently right as a pessimist seems to have almost no value politically since the public prefers lies and fiction of all kinds with requisite happy endings.
1
I live in the territory of realism which exists somewhere between pessimism and optimism. While I am fairly optimistic about my own future I am not very inspired to feel hopeful about the world at large. Many of our institutions are something like rudderless boats caught up in any chaos that comes along. The developed nations of the world don't do much to inspire optimism these days:
Here in the United States we the people are essentially held hostage by a war of attrition between two political parties. The GOP mantra during Obama's terms in office has been to obstruct, obstruct, obstruct. Tell me how this is good governance. Gun utilized rampages are essentially a weekly occurrence now. Prayers are offered, hands are wrung...and then it happens again.
Europe isn't doing much better. High youth unemployment in nations such as Spain leaves me wondering if there will be a lost decade (like Japan in the 1990s) or even a lost generation. And then there is the eurozone mess with Germany and Greece cast as antagonists. How much more austerity must be enacted in Greece before this policy path is cast away for the crippling choice it is?
Asia also is concerning. As China grows ever more powerful its economic prowess is felt across the globe. Yet how many people can breathe the air of its urban centers without falling ill? And Japan suffered the Fukushima disaster in part due to its decision to build a reactor on a fault line. Not exactly reassuring.
Where are the healthy leaders?
Here in the United States we the people are essentially held hostage by a war of attrition between two political parties. The GOP mantra during Obama's terms in office has been to obstruct, obstruct, obstruct. Tell me how this is good governance. Gun utilized rampages are essentially a weekly occurrence now. Prayers are offered, hands are wrung...and then it happens again.
Europe isn't doing much better. High youth unemployment in nations such as Spain leaves me wondering if there will be a lost decade (like Japan in the 1990s) or even a lost generation. And then there is the eurozone mess with Germany and Greece cast as antagonists. How much more austerity must be enacted in Greece before this policy path is cast away for the crippling choice it is?
Asia also is concerning. As China grows ever more powerful its economic prowess is felt across the globe. Yet how many people can breathe the air of its urban centers without falling ill? And Japan suffered the Fukushima disaster in part due to its decision to build a reactor on a fault line. Not exactly reassuring.
Where are the healthy leaders?
3
Mr. Brooks' political adversaries may accuse him of shallow optimism, perhaps concealing cynicism. Can a bridge be built? We need people in leadership who see hope, possibility, who value creativity, giving them a way to connect to the other side, to those who are skeptical, who disagree. They are optimistic. These qualities are found regularly among successful people in life. Can we separate our own opinions in assessing those who feel optimistic, pessimistic? Agree with his programs and positions, I frequently did not, but I did see Ronald Reagan as an optimist. He had powerful visceral qualities, optimism being one of them, giving a feeling of connection to many who disagreed with him, including me. Brooks says that it helps to discover optimism where at first there's frustration. A good therapist would agree. At least his son wasn't cheating. Frustration about our national "conversations" may also be assuaged with determination to discover some optimism.
4
To me, that there are people who possess this so called "unflinching belief that all people are assets waiting to be developed," is a terrifying thought, for it seems to imply that humans are mere machines built for consumption, being cultivated like farm animals by those who control industry and capital. For a man who wrote a book about the alleged heart of the conservative, Brooks seems blissfully unaware that his own tradition contains some of the most fervently pessimistic, anti-Utopian writers in Western literature. I think of Burke, de Maistre, and other thinkers of the Counter-Enlightenment who form the basis of conservative thought. Reagan and other peddlers of plutocracy are what is known as Neo-Liberals, not conservatives.
I might also add that the author seems to think pessimism is merely a psychological disposition and not a philosophical and political position. To conflate the two is fallacious, for adherents of the latter need not be depressed or kill joys. What, then, of Mr. Brooks's point about the need to be optimistic? It seems little more than an elaborated bumper sticker that reads "be happy," or a thousand other tersely worded commands so often advanced by politicians that are, in reality, too impotent and insipid to vouchsafe the desired result.
I might also add that the author seems to think pessimism is merely a psychological disposition and not a philosophical and political position. To conflate the two is fallacious, for adherents of the latter need not be depressed or kill joys. What, then, of Mr. Brooks's point about the need to be optimistic? It seems little more than an elaborated bumper sticker that reads "be happy," or a thousand other tersely worded commands so often advanced by politicians that are, in reality, too impotent and insipid to vouchsafe the desired result.
3
Somewhere between pessimism and optimism lies my familiar territory of realism. I am optimistic about my own prospects...mostly because I am a fighter and have overcome many obstacles particular to my life history and family. But I am *not* optimistic about the larger reality of America today. In fact, most of the developed nations don't much inspire me these days:
Here in America we witness the ongoing attrition and disenfranchisement wrought by two political parties caught in a stalemate that seems to have no end. I am optimistic that there is still a capacity to cooperate and compromise within the human psyche. I am not optimistic it will be widely on display soon in America. When one of the GOP's many empty suit mouthpieces like Mitch McConnell openly declared a stated priority was to make Obama a one-term president you now things are bad. Tell me again how obstruction equates to governance?
In Europe we witness the debacle that is monetary union without sufficient political and economic union. Greece and Germany aren't exactly seen in a positive light these days. Staying in the Euro seems to be a bargain with the Devil.
Then there is Asia. As noted elsewhere in the NYT today China is an expansive power steadily remaking the world. But what good is that if you can't breathe the air in its borders. Japan doesn't exactly inspire either given the disaster of Fukushima. Who builds a reactor on a fault line?
Our priorities need serious adjustment.
Here in America we witness the ongoing attrition and disenfranchisement wrought by two political parties caught in a stalemate that seems to have no end. I am optimistic that there is still a capacity to cooperate and compromise within the human psyche. I am not optimistic it will be widely on display soon in America. When one of the GOP's many empty suit mouthpieces like Mitch McConnell openly declared a stated priority was to make Obama a one-term president you now things are bad. Tell me again how obstruction equates to governance?
In Europe we witness the debacle that is monetary union without sufficient political and economic union. Greece and Germany aren't exactly seen in a positive light these days. Staying in the Euro seems to be a bargain with the Devil.
Then there is Asia. As noted elsewhere in the NYT today China is an expansive power steadily remaking the world. But what good is that if you can't breathe the air in its borders. Japan doesn't exactly inspire either given the disaster of Fukushima. Who builds a reactor on a fault line?
Our priorities need serious adjustment.
4
In the abstract, most people want to be around optimists. The flaw in Arthur Brooks' column is his seeming refusal to accept that a definition of either optimism and pessimism is inherently subjective. Sure, all of can distinguish between the extremes of Debbie Downer and Pollyanna. The more difficult distinction is when my Debbie Downer and your Pollyanna (or vice versa) are the same person.
I readily agree that Reagan generally had a sunny disposition, but I was not generally won over by it because those I saw around him and those I personally knew who supported him were generally so negative and vituperative to those of us who didn't support him. We were seen as the destroyers of their American just as I see most on the right today as the destroyers of my America. Why is it that conservatives refuse to see President Obama as an optimist? Why is it that they accuse him of dividing us when to me they have been dividing us, not just since his Presidency began but all the way back to the 1984 Republican convention when they had a banner over the dais reading, "America's Party," as if there were any doubt who the true patriots were?
In a similar manner, I imagine that Whisenant's book on the rapture was purchased by people who thought themselves optimists. Coming from a fundamentalist family, I can assure you that many find apocalypse as the ultimate optimism, accepting as they do the penultimate verse of Revelation: "Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus."
I readily agree that Reagan generally had a sunny disposition, but I was not generally won over by it because those I saw around him and those I personally knew who supported him were generally so negative and vituperative to those of us who didn't support him. We were seen as the destroyers of their American just as I see most on the right today as the destroyers of my America. Why is it that conservatives refuse to see President Obama as an optimist? Why is it that they accuse him of dividing us when to me they have been dividing us, not just since his Presidency began but all the way back to the 1984 Republican convention when they had a banner over the dais reading, "America's Party," as if there were any doubt who the true patriots were?
In a similar manner, I imagine that Whisenant's book on the rapture was purchased by people who thought themselves optimists. Coming from a fundamentalist family, I can assure you that many find apocalypse as the ultimate optimism, accepting as they do the penultimate verse of Revelation: "Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus."
6
Optimism while making people feel better, has hidden the real agenda's of the grinning candidates who become president. Reagan did promise a new morning for American, but he didn't mention it was for the wealthy and big business. He gave the country voodoo economics. He oversaw the beginning of changes in the tax code that favored big business and the rich. He demeaned educated politicians as being out of touch with the needs of most Americans making educated a dirty word. He demonized unions, the one group that made the American dream and a middle class life possible. He also gave us Iran-Contra.
When George W. Bush, another smiling optimistic guy, left the presidency he left the country with an enormous debt. He borrowed heavily from the Chinese who have become a threat to us economically and militarily. He lied the country about the reasons for invading Iraq and left us with the Middle East mess that we have today. During his first run for President he told the country he was a "compassionate conservative" ignoring his very conservative record as governor of Texas. (His brother is using a similar strategy now.)
What we need from people running for public office is honesty. We need to be told what he/she intends to do when he/she gets into office. We need to be given the facts about how those decisions will impact the rest of us. Honesty is what we need.
When George W. Bush, another smiling optimistic guy, left the presidency he left the country with an enormous debt. He borrowed heavily from the Chinese who have become a threat to us economically and militarily. He lied the country about the reasons for invading Iraq and left us with the Middle East mess that we have today. During his first run for President he told the country he was a "compassionate conservative" ignoring his very conservative record as governor of Texas. (His brother is using a similar strategy now.)
What we need from people running for public office is honesty. We need to be told what he/she intends to do when he/she gets into office. We need to be given the facts about how those decisions will impact the rest of us. Honesty is what we need.
7
Brooks may be right that a candidate with a positive message will win the 2016 election, but beyond that he insults our intelligence. We aren't pessimistic because of negative messages; we're pessimistic because the system is so corrupt that all the messages—blessed by the high SCOTUS priests who kiss the hems of the garments of the New Robber Barons financing them—are just propaganda. These same robber barons are cynically freezing action to replace the global industry that is literally ending life on Earth.
What's more, the corruption transcends nations; see TPP, IMF and "Greece, the Sacrificial Lamb." See "Save the Elephant." The optimistic president is bargaining away our sovereignty as the global financial acronyms pit nations against each other.
Obama rode his optimistic message to victory in 2008, only to quash it for me before his inauguration by naming a perp of the multi-billion-dollar Wall Street heist as treasurer to fix it. The perps are more powerful than ever. In 2012, for the first time in my life, I didn't vote for president.
Two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ forgave all manner of sinners, with one exception: The rich, whom he gave less than a camel's chance of entering heaven because "love of money is the root of all evil." The Prince of Peace physically asaulted the money-changers. He was prescient. Jesus worshipers, and democracy lovers, should be taking to the streets, not passively waiting for the next election to vote for a feel-good message.
What's more, the corruption transcends nations; see TPP, IMF and "Greece, the Sacrificial Lamb." See "Save the Elephant." The optimistic president is bargaining away our sovereignty as the global financial acronyms pit nations against each other.
Obama rode his optimistic message to victory in 2008, only to quash it for me before his inauguration by naming a perp of the multi-billion-dollar Wall Street heist as treasurer to fix it. The perps are more powerful than ever. In 2012, for the first time in my life, I didn't vote for president.
Two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ forgave all manner of sinners, with one exception: The rich, whom he gave less than a camel's chance of entering heaven because "love of money is the root of all evil." The Prince of Peace physically asaulted the money-changers. He was prescient. Jesus worshipers, and democracy lovers, should be taking to the streets, not passively waiting for the next election to vote for a feel-good message.
3
"...Optimism bias can be a contributing factor in car accidents, as drivers overrate their own abilities..."
___
(All second-hand information) My father and I left the office on the afternoon of June 7th, 1990, in my recently purchased '67 Mustang fastback, complete with a 390" V-8, and head to the car dealership to pick up his car. After dropping him off, we planned to meet back at the house and head to dinner.
At 19, driving a muscle car, while going around a lazy curve the steering apparently locked the wheels and when the road straightened out the car continued in that arcing curve taking it into oncoming traffic. I was hit on the passenger side of the car, thrust forward where my face careened off the hard plastic steering wheel; thrown back; the weld that holds the back of the seat upright snapped, slipped out from underneath the lap belt and launched through the rear window sustaining a traumatic brain injury. Apparently my father drove upon the scene about 10-minutes later where I lied unconscious posturing on the rear hood of the car. Reportedly, I spent the next 22-days in coma with a collapsed lung.
Based on the freshness and consistent arc of the skid marks when I was released from the rehab in Aug, there was no doubt I was doing well over 100mph.
I've since developed an uncontrolled seizure disorder, on meds and stopped driving.
“The nice part about being a pessimist is that you are constantly being either proven right or pleasantly surprised.”
- George Will
___
(All second-hand information) My father and I left the office on the afternoon of June 7th, 1990, in my recently purchased '67 Mustang fastback, complete with a 390" V-8, and head to the car dealership to pick up his car. After dropping him off, we planned to meet back at the house and head to dinner.
At 19, driving a muscle car, while going around a lazy curve the steering apparently locked the wheels and when the road straightened out the car continued in that arcing curve taking it into oncoming traffic. I was hit on the passenger side of the car, thrust forward where my face careened off the hard plastic steering wheel; thrown back; the weld that holds the back of the seat upright snapped, slipped out from underneath the lap belt and launched through the rear window sustaining a traumatic brain injury. Apparently my father drove upon the scene about 10-minutes later where I lied unconscious posturing on the rear hood of the car. Reportedly, I spent the next 22-days in coma with a collapsed lung.
Based on the freshness and consistent arc of the skid marks when I was released from the rehab in Aug, there was no doubt I was doing well over 100mph.
I've since developed an uncontrolled seizure disorder, on meds and stopped driving.
“The nice part about being a pessimist is that you are constantly being either proven right or pleasantly surprised.”
- George Will
3
Well, this is one of more bizarre omissions in editorial essays in modern times (not to be hyperbolic). An essay on "we need an optimistic politician..." and we are finishing the second term of the most strategically "optimistic" politician since Reagan, if not ever, and nary a whisper of the current President and his place in history. Yes, we can. You are the change you have been waiting for. Even as he's turned the corner in these last two years of his lame duck turn to address systemic injustices, Obama has struggled to appeal to, claim the primacy of, our higher Selves. Read/watch the Amazing Grace speech... he mimics the "church" energy of the Black tradition wherein the most grievous realities are acknowledged within the context of spiritual assurance and Grace. The more interesting question is how the "optimism" has actually fared in the Public Sphere. Obama has tried to get us up out of our lethargic comfort zones to exercise the Body Politic which is flabby, depressed, and morbidly bloated from the constant diet of poisonous negativity. Not sure the President has done much to win the struggle against the negativiks... the more interesting question is, why not?
5
The shift in public attitudes isn't about optimism/pessimism. It's indicative of a growing awareness that the pendulum of inequality of wealth and opportunity has swung too far to the right. People are becoming more aware of the massively corrupting influence of Wall Street in politics and economic policy making. And they want reform - now.
The growing public response to social reformers like Warren and Sanders is cause for hope. There's your optimistic, non-apathetic spirit - people ready to fight for what's right.
The growing public response to social reformers like Warren and Sanders is cause for hope. There's your optimistic, non-apathetic spirit - people ready to fight for what's right.
4
So lets see what he really believes: a quick look at the American Enterprise Institutes websites shows the following article titles:
Obama presents a false dichotomy on Iran
"Sorry, America: Iran won't defeat ISIS for you"
"Why the gap between worker pay and productivity might be a myth"
"Akamai on broadband: A few surprise and a new (but useless) metric"
"Cutting troops but letting the civilian army swell"
"Absent strong action, Medicare goes the way of Greece"
"A Hard Look at Hard Power: Assessing the Defense Capabilities of Key US Allies and Security Partners"
A few of these articles are not obviously optimistic or pessimistic. But none are optimistic and many reach for the most pessimistic view possible(...the way of Greece...really?)
Maybe he's only optimistic about his own parties ideals.
Obama presents a false dichotomy on Iran
"Sorry, America: Iran won't defeat ISIS for you"
"Why the gap between worker pay and productivity might be a myth"
"Akamai on broadband: A few surprise and a new (but useless) metric"
"Cutting troops but letting the civilian army swell"
"Absent strong action, Medicare goes the way of Greece"
"A Hard Look at Hard Power: Assessing the Defense Capabilities of Key US Allies and Security Partners"
A few of these articles are not obviously optimistic or pessimistic. But none are optimistic and many reach for the most pessimistic view possible(...the way of Greece...really?)
Maybe he's only optimistic about his own parties ideals.
5
This is a very top-down look at a very problematic current situation. By saying that leaders have the power to holistically change the entire mentality of their people is a little unrealistic. I'm all for optimism, but telling a poor struggling family that the only reason it's unhappy with its current situation is because it CHOOSES to be is preposterous.
3
To talk about the benefits and costs of either optimism or pessimism is a little misleading, because the research is largely correlational. For all we know, other parts of optimists’ personalities or environments are leading to the benefits/costs noted by Mr. Brooks and not the optimism itself. Or the supposed benefit of optimism is actually the preceding cause of optimism, as in the case of good health. This limitation in discerning benefits from optimism particularly pertains to analysis of actual high-profile political leaders.
That said, research such as that done by Shelley Taylor does suggest that certain positive illusions about oneself in moderation may be psychologically (if not physically) helpful in general. This research does not identify, however, the best leadership personality to solve America’s biggest problems.
In my view, as some commenters have alluded to, a little realism seems like a necessary minimum.
That said, research such as that done by Shelley Taylor does suggest that certain positive illusions about oneself in moderation may be psychologically (if not physically) helpful in general. This research does not identify, however, the best leadership personality to solve America’s biggest problems.
In my view, as some commenters have alluded to, a little realism seems like a necessary minimum.
1
Arthur and David keep coming up with this stuff. I know it pays. But is this really the way they and their friends talk to each other when they are alone?.
4
I agree with Brooks, Optimism is good for an individual, for a country and for world as whole as Optimist sees Opportunity in every difficulty while a Pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity.
The pessimists are out in force in their comments. I think the author is correct. To me he is saying, quit assuming that people who disagree with you are bad. Don't waste time on complaining but actually believe you can do something and do it.
1
Here is a cheery, optimistic thought:
I finally found a true statement in an Arthur Brooks column:
"My wife, Esther,..."
There! I feel better already!
I finally found a true statement in an Arthur Brooks column:
"My wife, Esther,..."
There! I feel better already!
6
There have been only two great presidents since FDR. As Brooks observes, Reagan and Clinton. But I don't think it was either of their sunny, optimistic attitudes that made the most difference. I believe they were sunny and optimistic because they understood the vast potential of this country and were willing to help unleash it. And they were men of their times. Reagan won the Cold War. Clinton won the peace, which in many respects was more difficult. He managed to keep from getting us overly entangled in the affairs of other nations, which is exactly what a peace-time president should be doing. The temptation is always strong to use America's vast military power for petty little interventions and wars of choice. Clinton resisted the urge, something neither of his successors seem able to do.
I would like to see another man of strength and resolve, the wellspring of optimism, ascend to the presidency. But the experience of the Bush-Obama years has left me skeptical.
I would like to see another man of strength and resolve, the wellspring of optimism, ascend to the presidency. But the experience of the Bush-Obama years has left me skeptical.
1
There's a reason that, in the depths of the Depression, FDR said "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Citizens do take cues from their leaders.
I have no doubt that the current polls would show far less pessimism if the Republicans hadn't spent the past six and a half years trying to undermine President Obama's efforts to dig us out of the large hole that Bush II left us in and denying every inch of progress that his administration has achieved, from stabilizing the economy and reducing the deficit to creating jobs and, yes, the success of Obamacare. The Republicans have cynically seized on being anti-FDRs for political advantage.
There is not equal fault on all sides here. What's fascinating to me, however, is how negligent the Democratic leadership has been in recognizing the simple reality that FDR, Reagan, Clinton and this article accept and making their case in a positive light.
I have no doubt that the current polls would show far less pessimism if the Republicans hadn't spent the past six and a half years trying to undermine President Obama's efforts to dig us out of the large hole that Bush II left us in and denying every inch of progress that his administration has achieved, from stabilizing the economy and reducing the deficit to creating jobs and, yes, the success of Obamacare. The Republicans have cynically seized on being anti-FDRs for political advantage.
There is not equal fault on all sides here. What's fascinating to me, however, is how negligent the Democratic leadership has been in recognizing the simple reality that FDR, Reagan, Clinton and this article accept and making their case in a positive light.
1
Taking you to France, Arthur Brooks, just for a moment. The great satirist Voltaire was to write 'Be Happy and you will be Healthy', which I think makes for good French fries, and then his 'Candide' whom I relate to at times, and find depressing. It is about Optimism from an elderly friend the other day, reminding me to read the essays of Montaigne, and tend to one's garden.
What's working in my French and Irish background is the mirth and dry wit of the philosopher James Stephens who wrote 'what is this compulsion that we have to go to America?' when things to askew. The exchange between his philosopher and the God Pan in his 'Crock of Gold', says it all for this American.
The 16th Century German artist, a puzzle for a friend in Paris, is all about being merry with a lust for living, and I told her that in America we take ourselves too seriously and are wildly neurotic. At least I am.
In the meantime, the news that we need to rebuild our country, a project which a boss of mine was writing of in the mid-90s, all of a sudden has become top priority when yesterday few had heard of 'Infrastructure'.
'Amazing' is a word I use all the time and when I start using 'Awesome', I shall know that I have reached the rafts of unrealistic Optimism.
Recently I sent as a tease, a Phil Graham (?) quiz on 'Attitude' and all came in with their scores, and a pal who wanted 100. Bosh & Bach, I replied, you'd be manic and you're as good as it gets, while Arthur is A+1 Okay.
What's working in my French and Irish background is the mirth and dry wit of the philosopher James Stephens who wrote 'what is this compulsion that we have to go to America?' when things to askew. The exchange between his philosopher and the God Pan in his 'Crock of Gold', says it all for this American.
The 16th Century German artist, a puzzle for a friend in Paris, is all about being merry with a lust for living, and I told her that in America we take ourselves too seriously and are wildly neurotic. At least I am.
In the meantime, the news that we need to rebuild our country, a project which a boss of mine was writing of in the mid-90s, all of a sudden has become top priority when yesterday few had heard of 'Infrastructure'.
'Amazing' is a word I use all the time and when I start using 'Awesome', I shall know that I have reached the rafts of unrealistic Optimism.
Recently I sent as a tease, a Phil Graham (?) quiz on 'Attitude' and all came in with their scores, and a pal who wanted 100. Bosh & Bach, I replied, you'd be manic and you're as good as it gets, while Arthur is A+1 Okay.
1
Churchill was a racist and anti-Semite and might have brought the UK into partnership with the Axis powers if democracy hadn't taken hold in Britain and Churchill wasn't such an English nationalist. Reagan was all too willing to give up his liberal creed to serve the needs and desires of Joseph Raymond McCarthy and J. Edgar Hoover in the early fifties to keep his acting career going as the matinee idol had no role to play in the new medium of television.
Eisenhower was a true believer in the hierarchies of Europe and the military and had no pangs of conscience as he served as MacArthur varlet when MacArthur rode his horse through the camp of the World War One veterans and their families in Washington and razed it to the ground. This is a part of American history that no one seems to have studied but a part that needs to be known so we can start again to move forward.
Eisenhower was a true believer in the hierarchies of Europe and the military and had no pangs of conscience as he served as MacArthur varlet when MacArthur rode his horse through the camp of the World War One veterans and their families in Washington and razed it to the ground. This is a part of American history that no one seems to have studied but a part that needs to be known so we can start again to move forward.
2
Optimism is one of the tools of leadership that works when there's clearly a goal which, if attained, will help everybody who pitches in to reach that goal. That's not our world.
I can put it little better than to employ Mr. Brooks' Reagan snip:" He possessed an unflinching belief that all people...were human assets, waiting to be developed so they could earn their success."
What Reagan's "optimism" really meant was that indeed, people were assets - but their earned success would enrich an ever smaller, ever more powerful fraction of our society, with no thought to improving the lot of the "assets" who actually generate our wealth.
People increasingly see the deeply rigged nature of this game. In this game, the "optimism" that Mr. Brooks espouses is nothing more than denial of the obvious, its object being the continued enrichment of the few. That kind of optimism doesn't serve our country.
I can put it little better than to employ Mr. Brooks' Reagan snip:" He possessed an unflinching belief that all people...were human assets, waiting to be developed so they could earn their success."
What Reagan's "optimism" really meant was that indeed, people were assets - but their earned success would enrich an ever smaller, ever more powerful fraction of our society, with no thought to improving the lot of the "assets" who actually generate our wealth.
People increasingly see the deeply rigged nature of this game. In this game, the "optimism" that Mr. Brooks espouses is nothing more than denial of the obvious, its object being the continued enrichment of the few. That kind of optimism doesn't serve our country.
3
In a world where radical extremist absolutist thinking, whether from U.S. Republicans, or from groups like ISIS, abounds, and where the chief defender of western liberal democracy...is an 18-year-old Muslim girl from Pakistan, the first thought makes me pessimistic, but the second part makes me optimistic.
2
Notwithstanding the potential benefits of psychological bootstrapping, in the absence of a broad-based humanistic code of ethics, people and the groups they form will continue to compete for resources at each other's expense without much thought of the future. We will most likely eventually end up taking care of one another properly, but it looks as if it is going to take some more time for us sufficiently to evolve socially. One way to speed things up might be to refocus on the humanities in education alongside vocational studies.
1
Mr. Brooks,
I agree with your basic assumption about the failure of leadership. I disagree with the false dichotomy of optimist and pessimist. In fact, I think that you are discussing equally potential destructive personality traits or compulsions. I think that the vision of leadership is weak because it is completely bounded to "problem-solving."
Like others here, I believe that we need a "realism" in our leadership. But we could also benefit from the leadership of a "dreamer." The recent Bush/Obama failure is the result of both a detachment from reality, and an inability to dream big, and to communicate that dream. (Interestingly to me, George Bush seems to be the greater of the optimists, while Barak Obama was less optimistic and arguably less of a failure.)
Your notion that we need to have leadership with a "positive plan" makes sense to me. That "positive plan" needs to not be rhetorically couched as a problem solving activity for the short run. What we need are more leaders that recognize that life is long, and that the life of the American nation is likely to be very long. We need to extend the time horizon of our vision and look out further into the future. We need leaders that can articulate a dream for our future that is more than managerial problem solving.
Thanks for your essay.
I agree with your basic assumption about the failure of leadership. I disagree with the false dichotomy of optimist and pessimist. In fact, I think that you are discussing equally potential destructive personality traits or compulsions. I think that the vision of leadership is weak because it is completely bounded to "problem-solving."
Like others here, I believe that we need a "realism" in our leadership. But we could also benefit from the leadership of a "dreamer." The recent Bush/Obama failure is the result of both a detachment from reality, and an inability to dream big, and to communicate that dream. (Interestingly to me, George Bush seems to be the greater of the optimists, while Barak Obama was less optimistic and arguably less of a failure.)
Your notion that we need to have leadership with a "positive plan" makes sense to me. That "positive plan" needs to not be rhetorically couched as a problem solving activity for the short run. What we need are more leaders that recognize that life is long, and that the life of the American nation is likely to be very long. We need to extend the time horizon of our vision and look out further into the future. We need leaders that can articulate a dream for our future that is more than managerial problem solving.
Thanks for your essay.
2
On the right, this optimism business morphs into a Leo Straussian denialism where negatives are comfortably ignored in favor of an outlook favoring American Exceptionalism. The Neo-cons of Bush/Cheney were so optimistic that there was not even a whiff of irony in any rhetorical question of the Iraq War..."What could possibly go wrong?" This, and the sunny optimism attendant around the repeal of Glass-Stegal make me quite comfortable with reticent pessimism rather than your optimism which is simply a palatable way of describing the film-flam of the cheery politician. "What can go wrong...will..."
5
An optimist who aggressively put the needs of the people above the desires of the corporate plutocracy would not know what hit him/her once the corporations had fired the Citizen's United cannons.
4
It takes ludicrous optimism not to see how stacked the deck is against anyone perceived as threatening by any key player in the interlocked directorship.
Ronald Reagan was not an optimist; he was a determined racist demagogue who concealed his venom behind a Hollywood smile. "Welfare queens?" Spoken with a smirk to appeal to the worst in people's natures. Only the naively partisan would subscribe to Reagan's "sunny optimism;" it was the mask he wore in public, just like he did on the Hollywood "B" lots. And, please not forget W's sophomoric smirks, either. Assess the results of his eight years. President Obama is not a pessimist; he's a realist, and a responsible leader has an obligation to bring the nation's attention to pressing issues. Scroll down the long roll of Republican wannabes and you'll see the living, breathing definition of pessimism.
9
A vapid piece. We don't need hope, we need leaders with a vision that does include the immense challenges we face and not the extreme right demagogues who are in charge or campaigning. So, I would suggest realists. We certainly don't need another Reagan, or another Dubya now. Do we? Think.
7
Interesting that Reagan, the man who optimistically tripled the national debt, saddled the economy with the ideas behind a tax plan drawn on the back of an envelope, and brought the macho back to American foreign policy, is the central if disguised icon of optimism.
6
An optimistic bent towards life is always appealing if it contain an element of genuineness.
Usually with dissembling politicians one can be sure that whatever they say and whatever personality they try to project is designed and manufactured to pander to a guileless public.
Additionally, often a person with a natural wit like Jack Kennedy appears on the surface to be optimistic but in fact contains a deeper and darker pessimism misleading to the public.
Usually with dissembling politicians one can be sure that whatever they say and whatever personality they try to project is designed and manufactured to pander to a guileless public.
Additionally, often a person with a natural wit like Jack Kennedy appears on the surface to be optimistic but in fact contains a deeper and darker pessimism misleading to the public.
We need optimists to be sure, but not willfully, aggressively blind optimists who only look to their own ideology and ignore all objective reality. We are constantly being told, notably by conservatives and right-wing true believers, the country is on the brink of destruction. Yet, who would we trade places with? Many would trade with us, but I seriously doubt we would trade with anyone.
Maybe we should give some liberals op-ed space.
Maybe we should give some liberals op-ed space.
2
I don't consider the negativity in Washington - in campaigns, in the inability of Congress to get anything done, in the continued animosity between an executive branch and a legislative branch that represents tow parties - to be the result of pessimism. I consider it to be the result of branding and marketing. Maybe that makes me neither a pessimist or an optimist, but a instead a bit of a cynic.
Negativity, fear mongering, "the world will fall apart if you listen to THEM" is really effective in polarizing people towards one party or another. It makes campaigning cheaper in that you only have to convince a few to vote your way to win an election. But the result is you have to keep up the polarization to KEEP the seats you won, and negativity becomes the modus operandi.
If we want facts, pragmatism (and I am not convinced we do) to be the basis for our governance, we would need to do things like convince conservatives that gay marriage will not bring about an apocalypse, and convince progressives that the global economy is here to stay.
Optimism comes from seeing a future and believing you can manage the change in it positively. For that, we would need politicians who can explain and embrace change, and are willing to gamble on an electorate that will try to understand and embrace change too. Negativity is just so much easier and cheaper.
Negativity, fear mongering, "the world will fall apart if you listen to THEM" is really effective in polarizing people towards one party or another. It makes campaigning cheaper in that you only have to convince a few to vote your way to win an election. But the result is you have to keep up the polarization to KEEP the seats you won, and negativity becomes the modus operandi.
If we want facts, pragmatism (and I am not convinced we do) to be the basis for our governance, we would need to do things like convince conservatives that gay marriage will not bring about an apocalypse, and convince progressives that the global economy is here to stay.
Optimism comes from seeing a future and believing you can manage the change in it positively. For that, we would need politicians who can explain and embrace change, and are willing to gamble on an electorate that will try to understand and embrace change too. Negativity is just so much easier and cheaper.
1
What we desperately need, and seek, in a leader is hope. That's what so many found enticing in candidate Obama - the idea that we could change the course of our country. Hope is inextricably linked with optimism, for only when we are hopeful do we feel optimistic that life will change for the better.
We want a leader who gives us hope that he or she is on OUR side, not of the 0.1%. We want to hope that we can alter the course of climate change, improve the economic conditions of all Americans, and have a voice in controlling our political destinies. So far, only one politician has given us a plan to hope for a better future: Bernie Sanders. That's why he is so popular, despite the fact that mainstream media rarely mention his name.
We want a leader who gives us hope that he or she is on OUR side, not of the 0.1%. We want to hope that we can alter the course of climate change, improve the economic conditions of all Americans, and have a voice in controlling our political destinies. So far, only one politician has given us a plan to hope for a better future: Bernie Sanders. That's why he is so popular, despite the fact that mainstream media rarely mention his name.
4
There can be no real optimism so long as the Democrats, which, contrary to what the article says, are the party of pessimism and pan, or in power.
THEY are the ones who put obstacles to progress in place. For example,
using "Global Warming" (whether it is real or not is immaterial, as there will always be a country somewhere that does not use it as an excuse to decay, as the Democrats want to do, and that country will then ascend).
Democrats always see problems, optimists see promise and opportunity.
Optimists know government is the obstacle to optimism.
THEY are the ones who put obstacles to progress in place. For example,
using "Global Warming" (whether it is real or not is immaterial, as there will always be a country somewhere that does not use it as an excuse to decay, as the Democrats want to do, and that country will then ascend).
Democrats always see problems, optimists see promise and opportunity.
Optimists know government is the obstacle to optimism.
1
The devil is always in the details however. Political optimists typically leave this section blank while pessimists more often are reacting to something concrete—to data, about climate change, economic inequality, policing tactics...the list goes on. Like the best political optimists, this essay is short on details about policy choices, about research that backs up its premise, about the reasons for choosing a Manichean approach in political campaigning.
In the simplest terms, optimism is an emotional appeal substituting for policy. Sure, it would be nice if a positive attitude could change the mind a handful of influential climate science deniers. But we pessimists believe that action is required to address a great deal of political and psychological resistance. Maybe optimism is the answer. Do you see it motivating public sacrifice? I don't recall President Reagan asking for much of that. We have seen optimism used to justify an invasion of Iraq, tax policy that burdens the working class. The list goes on. Many of us see optimism as a ruse to put the onus on the individual where an honest call for shared sacrifice is required. Your calls for a happy cast on things sound a lot like denial of the obvious. Optimism and pessimism can't be refuted with facts. Point your finger all you like. Who will ask us to make difficult choices?
In the simplest terms, optimism is an emotional appeal substituting for policy. Sure, it would be nice if a positive attitude could change the mind a handful of influential climate science deniers. But we pessimists believe that action is required to address a great deal of political and psychological resistance. Maybe optimism is the answer. Do you see it motivating public sacrifice? I don't recall President Reagan asking for much of that. We have seen optimism used to justify an invasion of Iraq, tax policy that burdens the working class. The list goes on. Many of us see optimism as a ruse to put the onus on the individual where an honest call for shared sacrifice is required. Your calls for a happy cast on things sound a lot like denial of the obvious. Optimism and pessimism can't be refuted with facts. Point your finger all you like. Who will ask us to make difficult choices?
1
>
As to "Optimists are happier than pessimists, as a rule." Please reference the your data for this rule.
“No, there is something wrong with our optimism. There are those odd optimists among us who, having made a lot of optimistic speeches, go home and turn on the gas or make use of a skyscraper in quite an unexpected way.”
Hannnah Arendt
“A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything.”
Nietzsche
As to "Optimists are happier than pessimists, as a rule." Please reference the your data for this rule.
“No, there is something wrong with our optimism. There are those odd optimists among us who, having made a lot of optimistic speeches, go home and turn on the gas or make use of a skyscraper in quite an unexpected way.”
Hannnah Arendt
“A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything.”
Nietzsche
Look at the actual policies not the flabby language. In the effort to pay off their election donors Republicans refuse to raise taxes on those who can easily afford it, refuse to raise minimum wage and stop the business subsidy by the middle class to those poverty wage workers. They refuse to repair roads and rail and other infrastructure. They refuse to spend money to update the forty year old computer systems that house government information and when they get hacked they blame the person who has to work with and around this pathetic equipment. You can bet Republicans don't take responsibility for the breech now threatening American security because it captured the names of agents all over the world.
I don't want "optimism." I want competency and realistic governing. Republicans are filled with hate and contempt for poverty stricken people but among the sixteen running for the presidency, there isn't a shred of a plan that might address any of our problems. What we hear is empty language, ambiguity and outright hate. Is there any non-Republican that these people don't vilify? The only thing more pathetic and obnoxious than their mindless rah-rah about capitalism's wonder cure is the call for what was under Reagan, and will be under any of the others, a mindless optimism.
While championing their language instead of positive, constructive action the front page of the Times shows anyone who cares to see how the Chinese are working to eat our capitalist lunch.
I don't want "optimism." I want competency and realistic governing. Republicans are filled with hate and contempt for poverty stricken people but among the sixteen running for the presidency, there isn't a shred of a plan that might address any of our problems. What we hear is empty language, ambiguity and outright hate. Is there any non-Republican that these people don't vilify? The only thing more pathetic and obnoxious than their mindless rah-rah about capitalism's wonder cure is the call for what was under Reagan, and will be under any of the others, a mindless optimism.
While championing their language instead of positive, constructive action the front page of the Times shows anyone who cares to see how the Chinese are working to eat our capitalist lunch.
4
Two points: You are correct; we do not need the pathetic centrism of today. When one considers the horrendous problem upon us of global climate change and the response is DENIAL, and votes against doing anything to correct it (recently in the senate) we have a serious problem and need lyour idea of competing solutions to solve it. Not the denial and ignoring response.
And your sorry Regan story is unbelievable particularly in the context you present it. Reagan may have seemed optimistic to you, but that was a realy fake, phony cover for prejudice against those most needy and those most struggling in life. He was the classic Republican with all their strange conceptions of people "wanting to be on welfare, the welfare queens," "the lazy masses," and of course the nonsense about " "open and free markets." etc. All the destructive nonsense of that party.
So his optimism was a cover and he was very lacking in critical thinking and he was selected for that reason. With his tall, handsome, movie star image, he was the phony of the Century.
And your sorry Regan story is unbelievable particularly in the context you present it. Reagan may have seemed optimistic to you, but that was a realy fake, phony cover for prejudice against those most needy and those most struggling in life. He was the classic Republican with all their strange conceptions of people "wanting to be on welfare, the welfare queens," "the lazy masses," and of course the nonsense about " "open and free markets." etc. All the destructive nonsense of that party.
So his optimism was a cover and he was very lacking in critical thinking and he was selected for that reason. With his tall, handsome, movie star image, he was the phony of the Century.
7
I would like the participants in this year Development and Climate UN conferences in September and December, respectively in New York and Paris, to receive a beautifully illustrated card with the following statement: “Maximum progress would come not from convergence on an unsatisfying centrism, but from a true competition of optimistic visions for a better future. Research suggests that optimists can find solutions where pessimists do not. And while competing optimists may disagree, sometimes fiercely, they don’t mistake policy differences for a holy war.”
If that spirit of optimism were to reign globally, leaders at UN conferences and other venues might also consider long-term solutions to the present unjust, unsustainable, and therefore, unstable international system that enriches the few, impoverishes the many and imperils people, species and planet.
I have proposed in my 2012 book “The Tierra Solution: Resolving the climate crisis through monetary transformation” the conceptual, institutional, ethical and strategic dimensions of going after a just, sustainable, and therefore, stable international monetary system, which as glue wound bind together just monetary, financial, economic and commercial systems.
If that spirit of optimism were to reign globally, leaders at UN conferences and other venues might also consider long-term solutions to the present unjust, unsustainable, and therefore, unstable international system that enriches the few, impoverishes the many and imperils people, species and planet.
I have proposed in my 2012 book “The Tierra Solution: Resolving the climate crisis through monetary transformation” the conceptual, institutional, ethical and strategic dimensions of going after a just, sustainable, and therefore, stable international monetary system, which as glue wound bind together just monetary, financial, economic and commercial systems.
1
There they go again! (To plagiarize Reagan's seriously repeated and copied phrase.) But that's the Heritage Foundation for you. They never saw, heard or read a laissez faire shill they didn't like.
6
Pure psychobabble. You know conservatives are scratching their bottoms when they come up with stuff like this.
What Americans need is a little reality.
What Americans need is a little reality.
8
Ronald Reagan was a huckster, who knowingly destroyed the American middle class with his tax cuts for the uber rich (of which he was one of). Forty years later and we are all still suffering under his policies, which every Republican (also rich) embraces.
His optimism was only for the .01% and he was right about that.
His optimism was only for the .01% and he was right about that.
6
.
Regarding Reagan: A nice guy whose utter incompetence and that of those he chose to run Justice, ( Meese, Thornburg ) allowed the formation of the stalker gangs that now openly and notoriously stalke and poison people - without the slightest fear of arrest.
Before Reagan, the very concept of stalker gangs poisoning people would have been unimaginable.
So being cheerful might be useful, but I would rather have a dour competent President over a smiling incompetent President.
If you object to the above because Reagan did some things well, remember that a President is supposed to do things well. The highest possible standards apply to that job.
.
Regarding Reagan: A nice guy whose utter incompetence and that of those he chose to run Justice, ( Meese, Thornburg ) allowed the formation of the stalker gangs that now openly and notoriously stalke and poison people - without the slightest fear of arrest.
Before Reagan, the very concept of stalker gangs poisoning people would have been unimaginable.
So being cheerful might be useful, but I would rather have a dour competent President over a smiling incompetent President.
If you object to the above because Reagan did some things well, remember that a President is supposed to do things well. The highest possible standards apply to that job.
.
3
I looked up the American Enterprise Institute and found it to be the grazing grounds for little Merry Sunshines like Paul Wolfowitz, Lynne Cheney, and John Bolton. Yes, the work "Joy" pops into your head when you see these doom-mongers scraping the President off their shoes on Sunday blab shows, pressing for various wars.
Please pass the happy pills to the GOP. The ceaseless fear talk and sour spirit is not where you can grow optimism, confidence, or other qualities that they have been stomping out for decades now. Stop feeding fear and optimism might take hold.
Please pass the happy pills to the GOP. The ceaseless fear talk and sour spirit is not where you can grow optimism, confidence, or other qualities that they have been stomping out for decades now. Stop feeding fear and optimism might take hold.
9
As a one time conservative I must strongly object to this sophisticated attempt to re-make and re-model conservatism. What is conservatism if not a bleak view of human nature. People can not be trusted and will lie, steal and cheat (e.g., social security disability fraud). Government, a human endeavor, will always be corrupt (the EPA). Sure there are exceptions. The military is honorable, inviolate and the best in the world. Entrepreneurs are intrepid job creators, a blessing on us all. And of course the wealthy are obviously God's chosen people. Don't get me wrong, some of my best friends are conservatives, but overall they are a pessimistic, nasty bunch, God bless 'em, and the world would not be the same without them.
5
America has been very good at making people feel optimistic when things are already going well. But by the same token, we shun and despise those who hit rock bottom for not living up to our optimistic expectations. From the cycle of poverty to mass incarceration, we seem to love to bring fire and brimstone upon those who miss their one chance.
What Reagan and the conservative movement did was to destroy the sense that things can get better when they are currently bad. With each financial disaster, slimy trade deal and tough crime law, more and more people have hit a bottom from which they cannot escape. The ranks of those people have achieved a critical mass and we are reaping the consequences now.
What Reagan and the conservative movement did was to destroy the sense that things can get better when they are currently bad. With each financial disaster, slimy trade deal and tough crime law, more and more people have hit a bottom from which they cannot escape. The ranks of those people have achieved a critical mass and we are reaping the consequences now.
9
So, you are trying to justify the GOP opposing everything as some sort of Reagan-esque walk down the Yellow Brick Road to the sunny optimistic nirvana of Compassionate Conservatism where the Enfranchised continue to their march towards total Asset Ownership and everyone else should just be happy?
Save it, we want progress, not platitudes.
Save it, we want progress, not platitudes.
11
Reagan is the conservative Jesus. Ever malleable to fit their needs and agenda.
Jesus and his teachings are about as far removed from conservative principles as possible, yet they pretend to be followers out of convenience and expedience.
Same with Reagan who they've made a demigod. Arms for hostages, cut and run in Beirut, serial tax increases and debt ceiling raises. Ginormous government spending and record deficits ( not my beef but certainly conservatives).
But Reagan kept smiling.
Style over substance I suppose. Thanks for that legacy Gipper.
Jesus and his teachings are about as far removed from conservative principles as possible, yet they pretend to be followers out of convenience and expedience.
Same with Reagan who they've made a demigod. Arms for hostages, cut and run in Beirut, serial tax increases and debt ceiling raises. Ginormous government spending and record deficits ( not my beef but certainly conservatives).
But Reagan kept smiling.
Style over substance I suppose. Thanks for that legacy Gipper.
9
Both Alfred E. Smith and Hubert H. Humphrey were known as the "happy warrior". How'd that work out for them?
Much of the average Americans' pessimism is not political but economic.
We've seen our standard of living slowly and constantly decline over the last 35 years thanks, in no small part, to Reagan's optimism.
Mr. Brook, we do not need any more of that kind of optimism.
Much of the average Americans' pessimism is not political but economic.
We've seen our standard of living slowly and constantly decline over the last 35 years thanks, in no small part, to Reagan's optimism.
Mr. Brook, we do not need any more of that kind of optimism.
7
Optimism makes you happier. Or so yet more misinterpreted research says in this article.
It seems more likely that people who are happier, whose lives are going well, are more likely to feel optimistic.
Another case of associations being unjustifiably interpreted as causal.
It seems more likely that people who are happier, whose lives are going well, are more likely to feel optimistic.
Another case of associations being unjustifiably interpreted as causal.
2
“Why on earth would a politician choose pessimism?”
Pessimism is associated with fear— fear of the present and fear of the future—just fear!. “Fear” does not require much brain effort. “Hope” on the other hand deals in the future which is unknown and consists of variables that are unknown. Hope requires a great deal of mental effort on the part of brain.
Pessimism is associated with fear— fear of the present and fear of the future—just fear!. “Fear” does not require much brain effort. “Hope” on the other hand deals in the future which is unknown and consists of variables that are unknown. Hope requires a great deal of mental effort on the part of brain.
1
"Reagan’s success came from his sunny optimism."
Mr. Brooks willfully ignores Reagan's post-acting, pre-political career as GE-paid spokesman, making a standard stump speech warning Americans of the dangers of how Medicare was a Communism-inspired program. He was a spokesman for far right paranoid sensibilities that saw Red Boogeymen everywhere they looked, especially in social service programs, the likes of which saved the Reagan family during the Depression! And later his sunny optimism of Laffer Economics and Trickle-Down Economics (neither of which works as promised) guaranteed the types of government deficits his rightwing principles pretended to abhor the most. The triumph of fantasy over reality.
Mr. Brooks willfully ignores Reagan's post-acting, pre-political career as GE-paid spokesman, making a standard stump speech warning Americans of the dangers of how Medicare was a Communism-inspired program. He was a spokesman for far right paranoid sensibilities that saw Red Boogeymen everywhere they looked, especially in social service programs, the likes of which saved the Reagan family during the Depression! And later his sunny optimism of Laffer Economics and Trickle-Down Economics (neither of which works as promised) guaranteed the types of government deficits his rightwing principles pretended to abhor the most. The triumph of fantasy over reality.
5
Optimism could be as phony as that mask on his actor's face, but there's something in the human genome that falls for it. Go ahead, smirk, grin, try to laugh, fake a smile. and you will find you are really feeling much better. Try it!
3
Reading the bromides and platitudes of Mr. Brooks's latest piece, I am struck by the fact that he did not address the fundamental reasons for the depressed state of mind of AMERICANS: the disappearance of jobs for professional classes and working class Americans due to globalism, and the reluctance of politicians on both sides to defend them against this new system. To say, as Brooks does, and I am paraphrasing, that optimism is healthier than pessimism, that things will turn out for the best if u believe they will is like saying that the sky is blue!We know these things. What he should have written about was the growing number of H-1B visas being given out to engineers in the developing world, which will result in higher unemployment for our citizens, and our open borders policy letting anyone into the country, touch a government subsidy, and compete unfairly with US citizens in the area of manual labor.In a nut, this is the core of American anxiety about the future, but I see no mention of it in Brooks's piece.To bring Reagan into the discussion strikes me as odd. I have never understood why RR has been put on a pedestal by the American right.His admonition to Mikail Gorbachev:"Mr. Gorbachev:Tear down that wall" was meaningless, redundant because G. was going to tear it down anyway, or risk having it torn down for him by dissidents in both East and West.In any case, later for the platitudinous Mr. BROOKS, no offense intended.
5
The prospects for gainful employment of people over 50 who have fallen off the career track aren't worth sending out resumes.
"We Need Optimists: Leaders have to stop choosing pessimism and try to inspire hope."
We need "leaders." Without true leadership, optimism doesn't matter, and there are few important people visible in western society who I could call a leader. In fact, although many people make fun of the bombastic, self-centered savior of America Donald Trump, Trump actually does have what many Americans consider to be sufficient "leadership" skills.
In fact, the greatest leaders on Earth today are people like the 18-year-old Pakistani Muslim girl Malala and 90-year-old former President Jimmy Carter. While the new wonder Pope Francis continues to teach that women should be subservient to men, Malala and Jimmy Carter fight for equal rights for all.
Second, the entire "conservative" method is one of fear and pessimism and a desire to return the idyllic past, which never existed and which, even if it had existed, would be a physically impossible journey. But liberal optimism...without a real plan is...is not a plan.
Third, we need to stop looking for happiness and meaning and instead search for purpose as Tim Minchin talks about in the commencement speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5RBG1PadWI
Finally, we need to once again think in terms of progress, instead of in terms of innovation, because innovation that solves no problem, like the Apple I Watch, serves no purpose.
We need "leaders." Without true leadership, optimism doesn't matter, and there are few important people visible in western society who I could call a leader. In fact, although many people make fun of the bombastic, self-centered savior of America Donald Trump, Trump actually does have what many Americans consider to be sufficient "leadership" skills.
In fact, the greatest leaders on Earth today are people like the 18-year-old Pakistani Muslim girl Malala and 90-year-old former President Jimmy Carter. While the new wonder Pope Francis continues to teach that women should be subservient to men, Malala and Jimmy Carter fight for equal rights for all.
Second, the entire "conservative" method is one of fear and pessimism and a desire to return the idyllic past, which never existed and which, even if it had existed, would be a physically impossible journey. But liberal optimism...without a real plan is...is not a plan.
Third, we need to stop looking for happiness and meaning and instead search for purpose as Tim Minchin talks about in the commencement speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5RBG1PadWI
Finally, we need to once again think in terms of progress, instead of in terms of innovation, because innovation that solves no problem, like the Apple I Watch, serves no purpose.
5
"When 1988 came and went and the end times did not materialize, Mr. Whisenant updated his prediction to 1989. And then 1993 and 1994."
Clearly, Mr. Whisenant was an optimist.
Clearly, Mr. Whisenant was an optimist.
1
"What happens if one side unilaterally breaks out of the current negative equilibrium? I predict it will see victory"
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, of course, but I see a lot of positivity in Barack Obama. He has soldiered on in the face of enormous negativity to build a healthcare program for people who couldn't afford it, opened the door to normalizing relations with a former enemy (Cuba) and has worked with other western powers to forge an agreement that would reduce the nuclear threat posed by another enemy: Iran.
The amount of hope behind these initiatives was apparent in 2008 and it was still potent enough in 2012 to win over a jaded electorate after a somewhat disappointing four years.
P.S. The reference to Churchill in this article is an interesting one. Churchill lost the post-WWII election in part because Labour came out with a social reform platform promising social security, a National Health Service and a full employment policy. That was a whole lot of hope.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, of course, but I see a lot of positivity in Barack Obama. He has soldiered on in the face of enormous negativity to build a healthcare program for people who couldn't afford it, opened the door to normalizing relations with a former enemy (Cuba) and has worked with other western powers to forge an agreement that would reduce the nuclear threat posed by another enemy: Iran.
The amount of hope behind these initiatives was apparent in 2008 and it was still potent enough in 2012 to win over a jaded electorate after a somewhat disappointing four years.
P.S. The reference to Churchill in this article is an interesting one. Churchill lost the post-WWII election in part because Labour came out with a social reform platform promising social security, a National Health Service and a full employment policy. That was a whole lot of hope.
4
Reagan certainly didn't look at government optimistically. He grumpily whined about getting it off our backs. Instead of seeking better government.
That absolutist negativism, slavishly followed by Republicans ever since, has been immensely destructive to the United States of America. From "Starve the Beast" to "Contract [on] America" to government shutdowns to "our sole purpose is to make President Obama fail", Reagan's legacy has been one of destructiveness.
That absolutist negativism, slavishly followed by Republicans ever since, has been immensely destructive to the United States of America. From "Starve the Beast" to "Contract [on] America" to government shutdowns to "our sole purpose is to make President Obama fail", Reagan's legacy has been one of destructiveness.
11
Hey, how's this for an optimistic thought: abstinence works. Isn't that a mantra of the Republican party? And how do most Democrats lean? Towards realism and quality sex education. Now THAT'S being optimistic.
5
I don't agree with Arthur Brooks very offen but he correctly identifies the reason Reagan was a successful President. His focus is on Reagan (rather then Clinton) because he is who he is. The respondents who complain that Obama came to office on a waive of optimism that was crushed by the dark forces of racism peddled by talk radio and Fox miss the point Maureen Dowd constantly makes about this President.You can't just let the haters hate. You have to keep selling them. Unfortunately Hillary is not going to be any better as "seller in chief" and will probably be much worse.
I agree that Ronald Reagan was probably very attractive to a sixteen year old boy. We need leaders not cheerleaders.
6
I'm a firm believer in having a positive attitude, in everything I do. Having said that, Mr. Brooks tag line of "leaders who inspire HOPE" really struck a nerve. That, and calling Reagan "optimistic".
Number One: Reagan was an actor, and not a terribly good one. Bad Westerns, and playing with a monkey was his contribution. His vice President, George the First, was the brains of the outfit. We witnessed what George Bush brought to the World with his "New World Order".
And, Number Two: "Hope". There's a complex word, to be certain. Having a positive attitude can get tough some days, when the carpet keeps getting pulled out from under one's feet. Having voted for our current President, I feel cheated that all of his claims of "saving the global environment" not only never came to pass, but went the wrong way, AND with his signature. How anyone in their right mind can approve and license Off Shore Oil Drilling in the Arctic is mind boggling. And, he's "still thinking" about Keystone XL.
Democracy is no picnic. HOPEfully (ha!) we can all sit at the same table and break bread together, and work it out.
We DON'T need "optimists". We need HONESTY. Sure, candidates spin whatever clever line they want, but, we are AT the tipping point of this Planet becoming unable to sustain human life. My grandchildern deserve to play on snow covered mountains, or on a beautiful, clean beach. Their children do, as well.
We need leaders that walk their talk, and keep their word.
Number One: Reagan was an actor, and not a terribly good one. Bad Westerns, and playing with a monkey was his contribution. His vice President, George the First, was the brains of the outfit. We witnessed what George Bush brought to the World with his "New World Order".
And, Number Two: "Hope". There's a complex word, to be certain. Having a positive attitude can get tough some days, when the carpet keeps getting pulled out from under one's feet. Having voted for our current President, I feel cheated that all of his claims of "saving the global environment" not only never came to pass, but went the wrong way, AND with his signature. How anyone in their right mind can approve and license Off Shore Oil Drilling in the Arctic is mind boggling. And, he's "still thinking" about Keystone XL.
Democracy is no picnic. HOPEfully (ha!) we can all sit at the same table and break bread together, and work it out.
We DON'T need "optimists". We need HONESTY. Sure, candidates spin whatever clever line they want, but, we are AT the tipping point of this Planet becoming unable to sustain human life. My grandchildern deserve to play on snow covered mountains, or on a beautiful, clean beach. Their children do, as well.
We need leaders that walk their talk, and keep their word.
4
Hope & Change. Obama's and the Progressives' have flamed out. Perhaps we can have hope and change that will allow us to live within our means, and no longer have to feel guilty and apologize for what we have earned through work.
old,
The problem is not living within our means it is living up to the philosophy and reason of our founders. Jefferson, and his cohort did not pray to God they believed the creator created, gave us free will and departed. They believed we were responsible for our future. They believed in design and our building our future.
They believed in Presidents like Jimmy Carter an Engineer who put solar panels on the white, and believed in turning down the thermostat and investing in the future. jimmy Carter was the consumate American President.
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the neo-American President who believed it was the Sabbath day and America had but to sit back and enjoy. Reagan was the Ozymandias President and America is paying a heavy price for its decision to elect a Neo-American. America was supposed to be about picking up a tool belt and building a habitat for humanity and acknowledging that God helps those that help themselves. Fairy tales can come true only when you prepare for the future, that was supposed to be America before celebrities became the new Kings and Princes..
The problem is not living within our means it is living up to the philosophy and reason of our founders. Jefferson, and his cohort did not pray to God they believed the creator created, gave us free will and departed. They believed we were responsible for our future. They believed in design and our building our future.
They believed in Presidents like Jimmy Carter an Engineer who put solar panels on the white, and believed in turning down the thermostat and investing in the future. jimmy Carter was the consumate American President.
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the neo-American President who believed it was the Sabbath day and America had but to sit back and enjoy. Reagan was the Ozymandias President and America is paying a heavy price for its decision to elect a Neo-American. America was supposed to be about picking up a tool belt and building a habitat for humanity and acknowledging that God helps those that help themselves. Fairy tales can come true only when you prepare for the future, that was supposed to be America before celebrities became the new Kings and Princes..
I hope Mr. Brooks will visit that famous story of Oliver Sacks where a bunch of neurologically impaired aphasic folks were watching The Great Communicator and were laughing hysterically at the TV. By watching Reagan's mismatched gestures and involuntary visual cues with his words, they found and found the guy a common fraud. Sacks' take-away was that this was a case where actually having brain damage made you more able to see the truth in front of your eyes.
6
Arthur, the problem runs deeper than emotion.People have been taught to seek leaders who print money to pay for things that neither current taxes nor growth will cover - and to feel entitled to that money.
Krugman is chief evangelist for this.His goofy "What, we worry?" mantra - reeks almost taunting.Now that things are so slack that conventional inflation doesn't reignite, he's gained lots of followers.
Including Republicans.
When John Boehner talks of "means tests", he - like Jonathan Gruber - counts on the earning middle class not to do the simple math to see that these are major tax increases wearing cloaks and hoods.
Anyone who tries to inject any sort of fiscal realism is now simply shouted down.
So, having driven fiscal Republicans away, the party now seeks out social Republicans (who perhaps should label themselves "regressives", as visibly/proudly as the social Democrats have labeled themselves "progressives") - and wrings its hands as Donald Trump soars in the polls.
The fact is, Trump is your quintessential optimist.
If Ross Perot had said fewer dumb things, he would likely have been president.
That was the lesson Perot should've taken from Reagan.
And the lesson Trump should take from Perot.
I only wish Mike Bloomberg would be more optimistic.
And realize this - the only thing Greeks have to be optimistic about these days is that their debt will be forgiven.
That's not true optimism. True optimism is believing that one is in charge of one's future.
Krugman is chief evangelist for this.His goofy "What, we worry?" mantra - reeks almost taunting.Now that things are so slack that conventional inflation doesn't reignite, he's gained lots of followers.
Including Republicans.
When John Boehner talks of "means tests", he - like Jonathan Gruber - counts on the earning middle class not to do the simple math to see that these are major tax increases wearing cloaks and hoods.
Anyone who tries to inject any sort of fiscal realism is now simply shouted down.
So, having driven fiscal Republicans away, the party now seeks out social Republicans (who perhaps should label themselves "regressives", as visibly/proudly as the social Democrats have labeled themselves "progressives") - and wrings its hands as Donald Trump soars in the polls.
The fact is, Trump is your quintessential optimist.
If Ross Perot had said fewer dumb things, he would likely have been president.
That was the lesson Perot should've taken from Reagan.
And the lesson Trump should take from Perot.
I only wish Mike Bloomberg would be more optimistic.
And realize this - the only thing Greeks have to be optimistic about these days is that their debt will be forgiven.
That's not true optimism. True optimism is believing that one is in charge of one's future.
1
It is well known that the CONservative mind motivated by fear.
Just watch their candidates day after day pandering to it.
They are coming for your guns
They are coming for your wallet
They are going to nuke you
Social Security is broke
They are coming for your religion
They are invading your state....
Need I go on?
Just watch their candidates day after day pandering to it.
They are coming for your guns
They are coming for your wallet
They are going to nuke you
Social Security is broke
They are coming for your religion
They are invading your state....
Need I go on?
5
This is a well-intentioned essay that leaves much out. Where to start. I weary of references to Horatio Alger tales, when Alger was a pedophile minister who prayed on young men. As for Ronald Regan’s optimism—Optimism like FDR"s “we have nothing to fear but fear itself” was well intentioned hopeful and realistic given his social programs. Regan's hope was an empty hope of bluster and good news as he destroyed our nation for the middle class. Optimism studies of business successes probably does not account for all the unlucky optimists who did not make it to the top. Where are the references to optimist business executives who failed? It is all a balance, but optimism without real hope and real programs is a hollow bell in failed or failing symphony. The USA still has music, but it needs a new conductor and a new composition. If optimism is to accomplish anything we need a new national symphony, a real one, of compassion, hope and attention to the needs of all our citizens. One that rids us of guns and violence, provides real jobs, fixes our infrastructure, gets rid of capital gains, and returns the tax rates on the rich to those of Eisenhower.
2
I agree with your basic premise that optimistic leaders are more charismatic and thus attract a greater following. Ronald Reagan is a perfect example of a leader who had the ability to charm through his words & fatherly spark in his eyes & "it's going to be ok" smile. This type of leader lifts up hopeless people from despair and delivers a sense of purpose to unite the masses. What I disagree with is what is accomplished behind the scenes of the paternalistic facade. Is the optimist someone truly capable of making intelligent decisions based on the circumstances of the moment. For instance, most medical patients prefer a doctor who has a good bedside manner instead of one who is inept at communicating clearly with them. This doesn't mean that they want the charming & optimistic doctor to mislead them into believing they only have a minor case of heartburn when the doctor knows that their condition is terminal. Should climate change scientists provide all of their bleak assessments based on real life data that is indisputable, lie to the public in order to maintain a rosy & optimistic tone? Martin Luther King was an optimistic leader who provided a sense of optimism to his followers although we all know what happened to him and how civil rights for many are still in peril. Bernie Sanders sounds sour & besieged although his economic message is optimistic to many. What is more important, that a leader keep a sunny disposition or deliver realistic promises?
12
Surely there is some truth to the Optimism v. Pessimism schema. Nonetheless, it generally is not such a neat division. One man's pessimism may be another's penchant for critical thinking, something that is in short supply in much of today's public discourse; and another's optimism may be a hair's width away from denial, burying one's head in the sand. This simplistic formula breaks down when confronted with the realities of most people's characters, although they may lean and be predisposed markedly more in one direction than the other -- and can vary at different stages of life and career. And under changing circumstances. We all possess elements of both. What we should be looking for is emphasis or a judicious balance, an effective, psychodynamic equilibrium between the two. One hand washing the other, not amputating It.
9
For those of us who remember Reagan's election, whether we were among those who liked him or among those who cared about democracy, he represented a sea change. But it wasn't about optimism vs. pessimism. Reagan represented the point at which we openly embraced voting for candidates not because they demonstrated competence or integrity, but because they gave good face & zippy one-liners. Because they were the sort of person we supposedly "wanted to have a beer with."
Essays like this are just part of that change, and part of that problem. You want us to look at the surface, the demeanor, the spin. We shouldn't trouble our little heads about the fact that the person is dishonest, or has enormous conflicts of interest, or can't remember the difference between Iraq & Iran. This is why we end up with leaders who, whether they smile like Clinton or frown like Republicans, craft their talking points around poll results, and their policies around the money.
Essays like this are just part of that change, and part of that problem. You want us to look at the surface, the demeanor, the spin. We shouldn't trouble our little heads about the fact that the person is dishonest, or has enormous conflicts of interest, or can't remember the difference between Iraq & Iran. This is why we end up with leaders who, whether they smile like Clinton or frown like Republicans, craft their talking points around poll results, and their policies around the money.
6
I wouldn't drink the beer without having it tested for a Mickey fist.
1
Attitude is everything. Americans as a whole are increasingly looking to someone else to make things better or right. If more of the 69% took responsibility for making their own lives better instead of blaming the government, the economy or President Obama, they would see an immediate improvement in their circumstances. Choosing to be pessimistic is just that, a choice. It is easier than taking responsibility for your own happiness and well-being.
I am not a Republican--in fact, I am a lifelong Democrat. But I am tired of the whining on both sides.
I am not a Republican--in fact, I am a lifelong Democrat. But I am tired of the whining on both sides.
It looks to me that Americans are deferring their hopes to their next lives.
" 76 percent of Americans did not feel confident that “life for our children’s generation will be better than it has been for us.""
Perhaps because this statement is 100% verifiably true and a good portion of our thanks can be directed towards the Reagan administration.
You call it pessimism; I call it reality.
Perhaps because this statement is 100% verifiably true and a good portion of our thanks can be directed towards the Reagan administration.
You call it pessimism; I call it reality.
10
We've gone from the shaming of welfare queens supposedly driving limos to the current shaming of every white schlub in khakis who works hard for a living. That's what you've had for the past seven years.
Optimism is also associated with over confidence. Even Reagan said, "Trust but Verify." Leaders should always test their assumptions, especially, when they involved going to war.
I completely agree with the author. Why would a company, person or government invest in the future without a view that the future will be better? Huge investments in military, spying, prisons and creating a police state are all about a future that is scary and far worse then today.
We have been pulled into wars that are now well into their second decade. We continue to have the highest prison population in the world. Video camera's along with technology are being deployed every day to watch our every move. Companies that should be investing in the future are raising dividends and buying back stock instead of reinvesting in the future of their businesses. The government should be increasing investment in science, space exploration, health care and schools. Sequester is being broken to increase the military.
Pessimism and fear rule the day and it's impacting the budgets of our entire society from individuals to companies to local and federal governments. Pessimism and fear will lead to a self fulfilling future.
We have been pulled into wars that are now well into their second decade. We continue to have the highest prison population in the world. Video camera's along with technology are being deployed every day to watch our every move. Companies that should be investing in the future are raising dividends and buying back stock instead of reinvesting in the future of their businesses. The government should be increasing investment in science, space exploration, health care and schools. Sequester is being broken to increase the military.
Pessimism and fear rule the day and it's impacting the budgets of our entire society from individuals to companies to local and federal governments. Pessimism and fear will lead to a self fulfilling future.
1
You'll be happy to know that Big Pharma no longer does research to create new antibiotics. Although most antibiotics are rapidly losing their efficacy due to the evolution of resistance, Big Pharma execs say that there's little money in antibiotics since for any antibiotic maintains its efficacy...it must be used as little as possible. But somehow "the invisible hand of the market" will protect us.
Why does it need to be pessimism or optimism? What about a healthy dose of realism with recommendations that provide hope for the future? What we hear now is a lot of partisan negativity and condemnation without detailed description of solutions. Our Republican and Democratic leaders may find that they have more in common if they focus more on hopeful solutions and spend less time demonizing and blaming each other.
Optimism in the service of the self, that's Reagan. He perfected the dog whistle - a way to play the race card and still be able to argue that you did not. He was the main factor behind a terrorist campaign in Nicaragua, and used his "awe shucks" they did it and I didn't know about it mime. Others have mentioned his lying compulsion. A B-grade actor with modest abilities, and we fell for it. Tough talk while he spent WWII on a movie lot for the Army pretending to participate in the war. The man has passed. It does him no honor to distort his life. He rose to heights in a society that was a lot more fair before his policies.
4
How about a realist?
Hey, I don't think this article will make much difference to the tone or the outcome of the national debate on issues like gun control or immigration. But then I still expect the worst and hope for the best.
The problem, in my observation of folks, is that the line between optimism and self-delusional pollyannaism is often paper thin.
1
This makes interesting reading, especially after today's article about the crumbling rail infrastructure in the Northeast Corridor, surely the product of a national vision gone pessimistic: tight, withdrawn, bitter, angry and vision-free.
Governor Christie represents the apotheosis of such pessimism, promising that, as President, he would help solve the degradation after having interjected himself previously into an obstacle to a solution within his own jurisdiction of authority. He might as well be selling the George Washington Bridge.
We have two major political parties, Though both have serious flaws, one of them is anchored in angry obstructionism; the other proposes to move forward over the barriers predictably thrown up in the path of progress.
America wasn't built upon "No."
www.endthemadnessnow.org
Governor Christie represents the apotheosis of such pessimism, promising that, as President, he would help solve the degradation after having interjected himself previously into an obstacle to a solution within his own jurisdiction of authority. He might as well be selling the George Washington Bridge.
We have two major political parties, Though both have serious flaws, one of them is anchored in angry obstructionism; the other proposes to move forward over the barriers predictably thrown up in the path of progress.
America wasn't built upon "No."
www.endthemadnessnow.org
1
The universe is uncaring and the only thing between it and us is us. While the "Ayn Rands" get somewhere in life, they forget some basics from kindergarten. We need to help each other because each of us are so alone, a subsurface aloneness either steeling against or filling us with fear. And some of those steeled harness fear and pride to sell self-sufficiency at cost to most our vulnerable parts of society. I suspect there are fewer things to fear than we would be led to believe. We can live a better world by focusing on the positives of helping each other, while not ignoring the real, probable fears. "The only thing we have to fear is ... fear itself."
I prefer to be a REALIST. NEITHER a pessimist nor an optimist.
Do you have any of those?
Do you have any of those?
2
It is true that politicians from both major parties can land anywhere on the optimism/pessimism continuum. It is also true that political parties develop an overall outlook that can be slotted somewhere on the continuum. Over time, entire parties move to be more optimistic or more pessimistic.
Today's GOP seems to have moved way to the pessimistic side of the balance. They see problems without solutions everywhere they look. Carbon tax? terrible idea--it'll never work. Health care reform? that's just Socialism--it'll never work. Nuclear deal with Iran? they are cheaters--it'll never work. Gun control laws? then only bad guys will have guns--it'll never work. The list could go on forever.
Today's GOP campaigns by pointing out all the many bad things the President is doing, but offers no solutions. This is a fundamentally pessimistic approach.
In contrast, President Obama ran on the idea of HOPE. What could be more optimistic? Yet Mr. Brooks does not even mention him. Often when discussing things that need improvement, President Obama makes a point of saying "We can do better. Let's tackle this problem. Let's bend the arc toward the good." He, and Democrats in general, believe the role of the government is to make things better. Mr. Brooks might not agree with their path, or even with their definition of "better," but he cannot claim that their underlying belief in the power of government to make things better is pessimistic.
Republicans have run out of ideas.
Today's GOP seems to have moved way to the pessimistic side of the balance. They see problems without solutions everywhere they look. Carbon tax? terrible idea--it'll never work. Health care reform? that's just Socialism--it'll never work. Nuclear deal with Iran? they are cheaters--it'll never work. Gun control laws? then only bad guys will have guns--it'll never work. The list could go on forever.
Today's GOP campaigns by pointing out all the many bad things the President is doing, but offers no solutions. This is a fundamentally pessimistic approach.
In contrast, President Obama ran on the idea of HOPE. What could be more optimistic? Yet Mr. Brooks does not even mention him. Often when discussing things that need improvement, President Obama makes a point of saying "We can do better. Let's tackle this problem. Let's bend the arc toward the good." He, and Democrats in general, believe the role of the government is to make things better. Mr. Brooks might not agree with their path, or even with their definition of "better," but he cannot claim that their underlying belief in the power of government to make things better is pessimistic.
Republicans have run out of ideas.
4
My version of optimism - this morning I read the book review of the upcoming Dr. Seuss book (which I had pre-ordered a few weeks ago) before reading anything else on the Times's web page. Which got me thinking - was the great Dr. Seuss an optimist? Hmm...
Huh. Not a single mention of Obama's one-word campaign slogan? Gets to be harder and harder work to maintain the mainstream-pundit "both sides are equally blah blah blah" fiction doesn't it.
1
We do not need optimism. We need joy.
There's a huge difference between those things, Mr Brooks.
And it was St Ronald who taught Americans (well, except poor Americans) they could have whatever they wanted and not have to pay for it dollar for dollar. It's easy to be optimistic if that's the governing message.
There's a huge difference between those things, Mr Brooks.
And it was St Ronald who taught Americans (well, except poor Americans) they could have whatever they wanted and not have to pay for it dollar for dollar. It's easy to be optimistic if that's the governing message.
So Reagan believed that all people were human assets? Really? Does that include the tens of thousands of Gay people who died of AIDS while he refused to even say the word "AIDS"? Does that include the people of Guatemala who were killed by the war criminal Rios Montt who Reagan refereed to as a "man of God"? Does that include those who were his ideological foes when a common joke in the White House was "There are two kinds of people in this country, Liberals and Americans" Does it include those who were concerned about the environment when Reagan named a secretary of the Interior who said and I quote "I dont believe that we need to preserve the earth for future generations, Christ shall return long before that is a problem" How an educated fellow such as Mr. Brooks could reconcile Reagan's war on the poor with this pablum I really don't know. I invite readers to go on Amazon and look at presidential biographies regarding FDR or Lincoln. What you will find is that there is a lively and nuanced debate about both. Now make the same search regarding Reagan and all you will find is hagiography. There is no recent work on the Iran Contra Constitutional Crisis. Why this slant? Because many liberals have indulged in this fantasy that there once was this bighearted Conservative who really was open to compromise and fellowship. It is the great lie that cripples honest political discourse.
3
My mind is with the pessimists, my heart with the optimists. Life isn’t clear enough or simple enough to choose one over the other, but as long as I can think I also intend to hope.
13
Let us just agree that optimism should be anchored in a modicum of reality --something more than cynical framing. No more Republican Cheshire Cat optimism of the variety that what is good for rich people is good for the country. It is not and there is ample evidence confirming this. A good starting place would be what is good for the majority of us--including the poorest and most vulnerable--is good for the country because it speaks to our cultural foundations and best interests.
Another problem is that spin-masters know all too well that negativity will be remembered when optimism is forgotten and plays better during elections. I suppose that means we are all too risk averse to be won over by optimism. And that we will hear what we want to hear.
But yes...let's all be optimistic...
Another problem is that spin-masters know all too well that negativity will be remembered when optimism is forgotten and plays better during elections. I suppose that means we are all too risk averse to be won over by optimism. And that we will hear what we want to hear.
But yes...let's all be optimistic...
13
Everybody, who thinks about it, knows Ronald Reagan hid his evil activities with "optimism" and an apparent "good nature." I'd rather have a grouch who does the right things for every citizen.
8
We've had optimism. It was Ronald Reagan. Never again, please.
4
It's hard to be optimistic when the news media, including the NYTs, bombards us daily with negativity. Negative stories of Islamic fanaticism and murder, negative stories of racist white people, negative stories of greedy businessmen such as Rupert Murdoch, stories that criticize and find fault with different aspects of our culture or history, and stories whose only intent is to demonize Republicans. Readers get turned off by it all and want to withdraw. All think they are living through the worst period in American history. The only thing that keeps me from becoming clinically depressed when I read the news are my five colorful backyard chickens who will soon begin to lay eggs.
1
No! What's needed is for there be the basis for more approval by those who have very real reasons and accurately perceive that things are unacceptable. I have to say here religion is the opiate of the masses. Optimism spun out of nothing so those who are doing well to keep everybody else from doing well is just that, heroin for the masses. As far as I'm concerned, this column advocates nothing less than addiction at it's very worst because it is unseen, unacknowledged and targeted to the most vulnerable not unlike Joe Camel.
A prescription for unfunded optimism like this is crack, cheap dangerous at a cost that is unmeasurable.
A prescription for unfunded optimism like this is crack, cheap dangerous at a cost that is unmeasurable.
1
Optimism as it is practiced in this country is synonymous with wishful thinking. What is needed is pragmatism, stating how things are instead of how people wish them to be.
2
I was 19 when Reagan was elected - and I didn't vote for him and I was not secretly happy he won. One of the first things he did upon being elected, in addition to going after the airline controllers union in a big aggressive gesture to signal his intent to stick it to the working man and woman (a gesture that inspires the likes of Scott Wwalker to this day), was to go after the poor of Central America, leading to horrible repression and bloodshed. Some optimist.
Oh, and why harken back to Reagan and Churchill? There's this guy in the White House right now (hint: he is not white himself) who would serve as a much better and more relevant example.
Oh, and why harken back to Reagan and Churchill? There's this guy in the White House right now (hint: he is not white himself) who would serve as a much better and more relevant example.
8
Ronald Reagan is a great metaphor for the United States.
Between 1983 and 1996 the Guatemalan Army killed an estimated 200,000 Mayan Indians as "communists" in the biggest genocide in the Americas during the entire 20th century.
The Guatemalan Army was armed, trained and financed by Ronald Reagan.
Yes, Ronald Reagan was an optimist with a plan...but the plan was diabolical and a national disgrace to all Americans.
Between 1983 and 1996 the Guatemalan Army killed an estimated 200,000 Mayan Indians as "communists" in the biggest genocide in the Americas during the entire 20th century.
The Guatemalan Army was armed, trained and financed by Ronald Reagan.
Yes, Ronald Reagan was an optimist with a plan...but the plan was diabolical and a national disgrace to all Americans.
11
Optimism in politics is just a marketing tool. Promises of good times and a better life are rarely kept. Optimism is no substitute for honest hard work and the implementation of a fair and just society for all. Mostly it is made up of happy slogans which does no one any good except for temporarily making people feel better. I'll take a dose of realism and honesty any day over the fake and patronizing slogans of Reagan and his ilk.
2
The reason we don't have optimists in policy is because optimism is a characteristic of leadership. And to be a leader, one must be an adult in thinking and perspective.
Non-leadership and lack of adult mentality leave only the demonization of others in order to convey oneself as capable or effective.
Consider out current political leaders? Any who you would want as the CEO of your company? The father in your family? Your sibling?
There - proof positive.
Non-leadership and lack of adult mentality leave only the demonization of others in order to convey oneself as capable or effective.
Consider out current political leaders? Any who you would want as the CEO of your company? The father in your family? Your sibling?
There - proof positive.
A pessimist is an optimist with more information.
2
We live with an inability to deal with our problems. On t,he right they have the rapture on the left global warming. The agnostics fear asteroid impact, the world becoming a George Romero movie, terrorism, gun control, crime, drug epidemics and government oppression, dead white men and cancer. All hopelessness and despair brought to us by reality TV. No wonder our best and brightest are waiting in line for a one way ticket to Mars.
Remember the optimism of the early sixties. Putting a man on the moon, medical cures and the end of poverty and injustice.
Oh well, there's three things we could be sure of: death, taxes and the next recession.
Remember the optimism of the early sixties. Putting a man on the moon, medical cures and the end of poverty and injustice.
Oh well, there's three things we could be sure of: death, taxes and the next recession.
1
Don't forget nuclear fusion producing electricity too cheaply to meter just over the hill.
Yeah! We need optimists. Just like Saint Reagan. Grade B movie actor, descending into Alzheimer's dementia, sleepwalking through history (thank you Haynes Johnson)...............
I figure George W's administration was the true follow up to Reagan's.
I figure George W's administration was the true follow up to Reagan's.
4
I'm optimistic that we are seeing the beginning of the end of America. It's been all downhill since 1969.
2
When the US elected the misogynist who had trashed Helen Gahagan Douglas to the presidency to implement the southern strategy to put slavers back in the driver's seat?
Not hardly. Since the moon landing, of course. The high point in human achievement.
We've been on a long slide down since then.
We've been on a long slide down since then.
What? I'm trying to think of any president who was NOT elected on the concept of HOPE.
I'm an inveterate optimist. It's in my bones. I'm bullish on the future of the United States, and on the future of humanity. As Vox points out, "[There has been] huge decline in the share of the world population living on less than $1.25 a day, from 53 percent in 1981 to 17 percent in 2011." That is greater progress faster than at any other time in world history. But there's more. Hunger is falling worldwide. Child labor is on the decline. The share of income spent on food keeps declining. Life expectancy continues its upward march. Child mortality is down, and death in childbirth is rarer. People are getting taller. Guinea worm is almost eradicated, as is polio. Teen births in the US are down, as is smoking. The percentage of people dying in wars continues to fall, as it has for decades. Wars are getting rarer. Homicide rates in Europe and the US continue to decline. Violent crime is down, as is the number of nuclear weapons. More and more countries are democracies, more people are going to school for longer, and illiteracy continues to fall. The US unsheltered homeless population has fallen by nearly 32 percent since 2007. Access to the Internet and mobile phones worldwide keeps expanding, even for the poorest. And solar power keeps getting cheaper.
There's no reason to hit "reply" and tell me I'm a naive fool. It's all I ever hear from my family and friends. I understand I'm an outlier, a freak. But that's okay by me.
http://www.vox.com/2014/11/24/7272929/charts-thankful
There's no reason to hit "reply" and tell me I'm a naive fool. It's all I ever hear from my family and friends. I understand I'm an outlier, a freak. But that's okay by me.
http://www.vox.com/2014/11/24/7272929/charts-thankful
1
Perhaps politicians do in fact lean strongly toward optimism or pessimism but this seems indeed bizarre. Isn't it abundantly obvious that we face serious perils while at the same time have great potential, resilience and resources upon which to draw? How can a leader function effectively while tending to see one of these substantially more than the other? Can we tackle complex issues like climate change and racism and income inequality, etc., etc. if we insist on giving undue weight either to the positives or the negatives?
Is this column about the realities of public life, or about the phantom world of public relations? Is it for politicians and strategists, or for citizens? Anytime you imagine yourself choosing between an "optimistic" message and a "pessimistic" message, that's a good sign you are not talking about reality. It probably means your actual goal is to sell something. We live in a big world with wonderful people and massive problems, enormous pain and fabulous potential. We're not doing anyone's intelligence a favor by asking them to "choose" between optimism and pessimism. How about realism?
2
Dick Cheney, George W & Don Rumsfeld were optimists too.. They thought that it would be a cakewalk to invade Iraq and that the troops would be welcome with garlands. We now know the giant crater they dug on our planet.
No thanks, I will take a pessimist any day who won't gamble away our children's future and cause another crash!
No thanks, I will take a pessimist any day who won't gamble away our children's future and cause another crash!
4
I liked the concept of this article until he got to the line "This manifests itself on the political left when we construct welfare programs that fail to boost unemployed Americans back into the work force." - at which point I realized that it was a sly political polemic. Ronald Reagan was a joke, politically. And I never got the impression that he cared about poor people at all (I believe he came up with the phrase "welfare queen") - so the speech the author references was certainly NOT an expression of his true feelings - an optimistic lie, if you will. Reagan did more to tear apart the social conscience of our country, and dismantle the idea of treating all citizens fairly then any president before or since. He started creating the economic mess we find ourselves in now. His "optimism" was carefully constructed propaganda.
47
The "left" these people write about is a reflection of themselves in a mirror.
Funny, I never heard optimism in Reagan. All I heard was the Morning In America sound track swelling with strains of "Greed Is Good" and "Onward Christian Soldiers" to cover the grinding gears and marching boots of the mobilization of the far right backlash politics of hate and resentment for prior decade's gains by women, minorities, unions, and the poor, which have soured the American spirit ever since.
What Brooks is hankering for is not optimism in politics but better actors and better orchestration - the sounds of the Right triumphant.
What Brooks is hankering for is not optimism in politics but better actors and better orchestration - the sounds of the Right triumphant.
7
Really, where is the cause for optimism? The true American way of life is dying, if not dead; the middle class is shrinking, corporations have a stranglehold on our pensions, paychecks, insurance, etc. While the middle class disappears and the burdens are shifted to workers, the corporations and the people leading them get obscenely rich -- emphasis on obscenely. With such a massive gulf between the haves and have nots, with Congress for sale to the highest bidder, with party and drinking mentalities at universities, a growing drug culture across the country, I actually see very little reason to be optimistic. In fact, being one might actually be seen as delusional in these times.
28
Unfortunately for the great experimenter's i.e. us, the realism necessary to address the Union's financial dilemma, has not been historically embraced by 'us' as optimistic. But as austere, oppressive, and at least a kill-joy. Though realistic, it is received as more pessimistic than -- if at all -- optimistic.
It does not seem to me, as my analogy testifies, that as generationally spoiled as the American people are, they will 'willingly' take the necessary-realistic-medicine. Even with a spoonful of optimistic-sugar. Leaving us to print & inflate with the euro -- for as long as we can. Smile. Hope for the best. Be optimistic. The chances are, given today's current economic & currency alternatives, it will work out. For now. Wave the Party Banner!
It does not seem to me, as my analogy testifies, that as generationally spoiled as the American people are, they will 'willingly' take the necessary-realistic-medicine. Even with a spoonful of optimistic-sugar. Leaving us to print & inflate with the euro -- for as long as we can. Smile. Hope for the best. Be optimistic. The chances are, given today's current economic & currency alternatives, it will work out. For now. Wave the Party Banner!
RR was a great speechmaker. When I lived in CA and he was running for governor, I remember being impressed, even dazzled, by his speeches--although I knew that factually what he said was not true or was based on inaccuracies. He was a great actor--no, I've not lost my marbles. In movies he made trite, unrealistic roles with stilted dialogue seem real and honest; in politics he made nonsense seem like perfect sense. After his speeches I said to myself, Hey, wait a minute: he was wrong on this or that; during the speeches I believed he was right. Great actor? Maybe I should say great orator--not like the 19th Daniel Webster, but the epitome of what we 20th century Americans like in a political speaker: homespun, like one of us (as we never were but as we in our more idealistic moments liked to think we were), candid, not elevated or elite, just folks. I'm glad I was able to say to myself what I said after his speeches, but sorry that most others didn't do the same.
3
Where does optimism cross the line into either cynicism or denial?
In Reagan we saw both cynical lip service to helping the poor (as only possible through voluntarism later more metaphorically focused in G. H. W. Bush's "1,000 points of light" as means of addressing massive problems, solutions for which lay beyond the scope of solely voluntary contributions and efforts) and denial (that the "exceptional" government that he alternately mocked and praised could ever have contributed to massive social problems such as homelessness and hunger... or that his own administration could have supported broader, more fairly administrated, government funded remedies to these and other social ills).
It was hardly "optimistic" to disparage and mischaracterize the poor and hungry as "welfare queens" and "food stamp frauds." Such rhetoric was a staple of the Reagan-era "bully pulpit." For too much of his time in office, Reagan cared too little about too many. If that is your idea of "exceptionalism," Mr. Brooks, I would suggest it is a variety of "exceptional" that deserved a shorter bus.
Finally, a minor tweak to your wife's optimism might bolster its logic: "At least we know he's not cheating all the time... or very well."
In Reagan we saw both cynical lip service to helping the poor (as only possible through voluntarism later more metaphorically focused in G. H. W. Bush's "1,000 points of light" as means of addressing massive problems, solutions for which lay beyond the scope of solely voluntary contributions and efforts) and denial (that the "exceptional" government that he alternately mocked and praised could ever have contributed to massive social problems such as homelessness and hunger... or that his own administration could have supported broader, more fairly administrated, government funded remedies to these and other social ills).
It was hardly "optimistic" to disparage and mischaracterize the poor and hungry as "welfare queens" and "food stamp frauds." Such rhetoric was a staple of the Reagan-era "bully pulpit." For too much of his time in office, Reagan cared too little about too many. If that is your idea of "exceptionalism," Mr. Brooks, I would suggest it is a variety of "exceptional" that deserved a shorter bus.
Finally, a minor tweak to your wife's optimism might bolster its logic: "At least we know he's not cheating all the time... or very well."
3
Reagan's optimism was just a sales pitch to cover the ills of Reaganomics which has mostly divided our country and greatly increased inequality.
We are the richest industrial country on the planet and now rank around 20 in education. Go look at those terrible socialist countries. You won't find poverty and crime and violence and incarceration rates like we have. You won't find people working two part-time jobs and still below the poverty line with no health care.
And they even do better than us in terms of economic mobility which is the ability to pull oneself up from our bootstraps.
Touting American exceptionalism makes us feel better. It doesn't fix our problems and too often allows people to ignore the problems.
I would choose the character of realistic above the character of optimism.
We are the richest industrial country on the planet and now rank around 20 in education. Go look at those terrible socialist countries. You won't find poverty and crime and violence and incarceration rates like we have. You won't find people working two part-time jobs and still below the poverty line with no health care.
And they even do better than us in terms of economic mobility which is the ability to pull oneself up from our bootstraps.
Touting American exceptionalism makes us feel better. It doesn't fix our problems and too often allows people to ignore the problems.
I would choose the character of realistic above the character of optimism.
7
Optimism is as dangerous a drug as heroin. And it leads inevitably to the disaster that was the Reagan presidency.
1
Reagan's fans probably belive he is now happily sitting in the pilot's seat of the presidential airplane in his museum making airplane noises for eternity.
I did not agree with everything Reagan said or did, but his optimistic vision made it easier to support some of his policies. Optimism in practice takes courage. The courage to suggest solutions rather than just point out the problems. A good leader has to have a vision forward. Without that vision to see a better future there is nothing to follow. JImmy Carter, while a good man, was not an inspiring leader. His infamous "malaise speech" is a case in point. No one wants to follow the class know-it-all who is also a pessimist. FDR would not have roused our nation with a "I know you are all afraid, as I am," rather than his famous and inspiring "We have nothing to fear but fear itself." The first just creates doubt, and doubt kills the warrior. The second says, there is nothing we cannot do. As the article title says it, we need optimists.
If the Republican candidates continue to peddle negativism and fear they will lose the election.
Some of the examples used in the article are mistaken. Over estimating your driving skills is not optimism it is a foolish overconfidence.
We need smart leaders who can assess a situation realistically and develop a solution and then present it to their citizens in a positive light so they will be on board and support their leaders decision.
If the Republican candidates continue to peddle negativism and fear they will lose the election.
Some of the examples used in the article are mistaken. Over estimating your driving skills is not optimism it is a foolish overconfidence.
We need smart leaders who can assess a situation realistically and develop a solution and then present it to their citizens in a positive light so they will be on board and support their leaders decision.
10
Reagan sure got a lot credit for beating what was already a dead horse, the Soviet Union.
Jimmy Carter and the government have done much for the poor than Reagan, who said that government is the enemy. It is optimistic to hope private business will help the poor.
I'm optimistic that Republicans, Wall Street puppets & Chamber of Commerce types will be crushed in the forthcoming elections!
1
While it is possible that a Trump third party bid will sink the GOP and elect Hillary Clinton, I can't be optimistic that this will lead to us solving any of our pressing problems.
This op-ed is not about optimism; it is about Republicans once again having a president in the White House. The Republican strategy of fear and pessimism is no longer an effective strategy and he is suggesting a change in course. Who does he bring up - Ronald Reagan, the proponent of "voodoo" economics (quoting Bush Sr.) and Clinton whose economic policies were disastrous for the poor and of course wreaked havoc on the middle class. (At least Clinton's deeds post presidency does help to rectify his policies.)
Regarding the merits of optimism - yes, of course, Mr. Brooks is correct. Anyone even marginally informed about the state of the world today - if only a realist - would not have Hope and without Hope there would not be a rational reason to engage with your fellow man.
Two major problems with this piece. Brooks, curiously, begins with a negative depiction of his son (!). There are many parents that have children who aren't doing well in their studies yet the thought of them cheating doesn't come to mind. Most of us would attribute it to lack of application, frequently referred to as "Not living up to potential."
Regardless of his political persuasion how could a legitimate conversation about what our country needs take place without including the present administration? After all this op-ed is very much about the next presidential campaign.
Regarding the merits of optimism - yes, of course, Mr. Brooks is correct. Anyone even marginally informed about the state of the world today - if only a realist - would not have Hope and without Hope there would not be a rational reason to engage with your fellow man.
Two major problems with this piece. Brooks, curiously, begins with a negative depiction of his son (!). There are many parents that have children who aren't doing well in their studies yet the thought of them cheating doesn't come to mind. Most of us would attribute it to lack of application, frequently referred to as "Not living up to potential."
Regardless of his political persuasion how could a legitimate conversation about what our country needs take place without including the present administration? After all this op-ed is very much about the next presidential campaign.
1
The connection of what is taught in school to real life isn't easy in the US.
My own parental optimism results from the fact that an internship at the American Enterprise Institute a few years ago convinced my son that the policies that organization espouses are contrary to his values. Rather, AEI confirmed his Progressive stance on issues.
4
Yeah, I recall Reagan. It did not make me feel optimistic when he bailed out hundreds of banks.
Optimism is often accompanied by denial. As a short-term solution, in asituation where you have little control, it is Argos coping mechanism. But in situations, where there you have a lot of control and need to be thinking long term - for example climate change - denial is counterproductive.
Coping strategies are not "one size fits all".
Optimism is often accompanied by denial. As a short-term solution, in asituation where you have little control, it is Argos coping mechanism. But in situations, where there you have a lot of control and need to be thinking long term - for example climate change - denial is counterproductive.
Coping strategies are not "one size fits all".
3
Volcker's monetary policy convinced bankers to become peddlers of loan based securities to get all the interest rate risk engendered by stupid monetary policies off their own books and into the portfolios of unsuspecting investors. This also opened up the derivative casino where insiders could place bets on their own next moves.
We Need Optimists For They Are The Blind Who Do Not See The World As It Is.
1
One blinds oneself by following the blind.
Beneath the optimism/pessimism dicotomy in personalities and approaches to governing is the sad fact that fear-mongering gets votes and sustains power. This was more elequently stated near the end of the 1995 film, "The American President," an Aaron Sorkin script. At a press conference the fictional president, Andrew Shepherd (Michael Douglas), criticizes his fictional opponent, Bob Rumson (Richard Dreyfuss), by addressing the American people as follows:
"...whatever your particular problem is, I promise you, Bob Rumson is not the least bit interested in solving it. He is interested in two things and two things only: making you afraid of it and telling you who's to blame for it."
That is the formula so effectively exploited by right-wing politicians and media for decades. I'm sure they are optimistic that it will work again in the 2016 elections, even if it does not solve any of our nation's problems.
"...whatever your particular problem is, I promise you, Bob Rumson is not the least bit interested in solving it. He is interested in two things and two things only: making you afraid of it and telling you who's to blame for it."
That is the formula so effectively exploited by right-wing politicians and media for decades. I'm sure they are optimistic that it will work again in the 2016 elections, even if it does not solve any of our nation's problems.
2
Come on- you know probably better than anyone that pessimism has been big business for the right wing for a loooooong time now.
These folks do not believe in the goodness of their fellow Americans. Ugly radio talk has made at least one generation of men think that screaming at women, being irrational about discussing any opposing POV, and punishing legislators who try to talk about gun safety is "normal". The guys in our dads' generation seem like aliens with their confidence in America's optimistic Can Do attitude. Reagan role-played that but did not embody it.
These folks do not believe in the goodness of their fellow Americans. Ugly radio talk has made at least one generation of men think that screaming at women, being irrational about discussing any opposing POV, and punishing legislators who try to talk about gun safety is "normal". The guys in our dads' generation seem like aliens with their confidence in America's optimistic Can Do attitude. Reagan role-played that but did not embody it.
4
No thanks, I had enough hope. I want the unvarnished truth and I want to see a plan. A plan that enables this country and its leaders to deliver on the promises of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The game is rigged, Donald. We're tired of hearing you trash the Republicans (I'm a Democrat) in service of Hilary's campaign to nowhere. Is there anybody out there who can run a 21st century America that hasn't been bought and sold 10 times over?
Liberty is the power to negotiate one's contracts equitably, but there are gives for every get in equitable contracts.
Mr Brooks is delusional. Ronald Reagan caring for the disadvantaged? How about closing down St Elizabeth's hospital so that all the mentally ill, homeless people were out on the street and Mitch Snyder had to start a huge shelter? How about trickle down economics which put people out of work? How about his comments about welfare queens? How about starting his campaign in Philadelphia, Mississippi, thereby communicating to a good part of the population that he did not care one bit about them? What I remember is an ostentatious celebration of greed which Reagan and his wife brought to DC, lost fur coats on the Subway, expenditures for clothes, china in the White House a la Marie Antoinette, and a good part of the population being set back and never recovering.
6
Arthur, were you asleep during the first Obama campaign, with Hope as the mantra? And Republicans "generally seen as the more negative" of the two parties? Ya think?
2
Need optimism?
Joe Biden for President in 2016 and Michael Bloomberg for Vice President.
Joe Biden for President in 2016 and Michael Bloomberg for Vice President.
2
Time scale matters. Long-term optimism is crucial for motivation. Short-term pessimism is crucial for avoiding pitfalls and making necessary adjustments in the process of identifying, building, and negotiating pathways leading to a future likely to warrant the long-term optimism. The greatest threat to long-term optimism is blind and falsely based short-term optimism.
1
To the true optimistic politician it would not be about self. The final line might better be...
Hey, at least you helped people feel better about the world they live in.
Hey, at least you helped people feel better about the world they live in.
1
Duh!
But the worst part of it is that over half the readers won't get it.
But the worst part of it is that over half the readers won't get it.
Ronald Reagan was a B actor. Give him a script, cast and crew, point him at the camera and he could play that aww-shucks routine on cue. I see nothing to emulate.
4
One of the most optimistic viewpoints I've heard in a long time is President Obama's phrase: "Yes, we can!" And it makes me feel good that he has achieved so much during his presidency despite Republican obstruction (or should I say pessimism). To list just a few achievements: lifting us out of the Great Recession, working us out of two wars (although the Islamic State problem is ongoing, we're not fighting it with thousands of ground troops), the Affordable Care Act, the Dodd-Frank financial reform act, appointing Justices Kagan and Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, and now the Iran Nuclear Accord. Right now, in these instances, we can say: "Yes, we did!" And President Obama still has a year and a half in office.
If Mr. Brooks is in the AEI offices right now, he should encourage his fellow members to smile and be happy. We still have big problems to solve, but our nation is in a much better place now than it was at the end of the George W. Bush administration.
If Mr. Brooks is in the AEI offices right now, he should encourage his fellow members to smile and be happy. We still have big problems to solve, but our nation is in a much better place now than it was at the end of the George W. Bush administration.
3
How has Obama lifted us out of the Great Depression? Reason that unemployment figures are low is that so many have dropped out of the work force, and r living on government subsidies, Show me one supermarket chain that does not manipulate the hours of its employees in order to avoid paying their health insurance premiums?The economic situation was bad when O took office in 2008, but he has only made it worse by allowing our US citizen work force to be undermined and marginalized by an open borders immigration policy and the distribution of H-1B visas to foreign nationals to replace American engineers and scientists. The comment of this writer is not well thought out.
Every day I am faced with the reality of poverty in America. Working at this fee medical clinic I see families trying to get by on temp or seasonal jobs at minimum wage. The little girls have one dress...that should have been turned into a rag for the LAST person who wore it. Second hand stores are popping up everywhere with names like “Wear Me Again.” Dollar General stores on every block.
The local discount food store is empty of patrons the last week of the month...money has run out.
State legislatures are hot to require drug tests to ANYONE who gets SNAP (food stamps). I had a woman crying in my exam room that her markedly disabled sister is now getting $11/month in food stamps! A urine drug screen costs the state $763 apiece from contracted labs. Yet here’s the thing. Average rate of illegal drug use among the poor is less that 1%. The rest of America? 9.4%.
The poor are chronically ill. For decades they haven’t been getting basic maintenance testing such as Pap Smears, prostate exams, colonoscopies, doctor or dentist visits. By the time they come in, the cancers and heart disease are so far advanced that nothing can really be done. Well they could get a heart transplant but only the Dick Cheney’s of the world have the $250,000 cash upfront to get one.
And EVERY patient has gone a lifetime without dental care. You and I get cavities filled, crown, bridges. The poor get their rotten teeth removed and get dentures. Chain dental labs everywhere.
Optimism?
The local discount food store is empty of patrons the last week of the month...money has run out.
State legislatures are hot to require drug tests to ANYONE who gets SNAP (food stamps). I had a woman crying in my exam room that her markedly disabled sister is now getting $11/month in food stamps! A urine drug screen costs the state $763 apiece from contracted labs. Yet here’s the thing. Average rate of illegal drug use among the poor is less that 1%. The rest of America? 9.4%.
The poor are chronically ill. For decades they haven’t been getting basic maintenance testing such as Pap Smears, prostate exams, colonoscopies, doctor or dentist visits. By the time they come in, the cancers and heart disease are so far advanced that nothing can really be done. Well they could get a heart transplant but only the Dick Cheney’s of the world have the $250,000 cash upfront to get one.
And EVERY patient has gone a lifetime without dental care. You and I get cavities filled, crown, bridges. The poor get their rotten teeth removed and get dentures. Chain dental labs everywhere.
Optimism?
71
Nuschler, are you willing to give more of your assets to correct the inequality you speak of? Perhaps, on the 1040 tax return, there should be a line in which those who want to reduce inequality can fill in a dollar amount above their required tax payment to solve this?
Thanks for sharing. Eye-opening to me, and very sad. Your thoughts about how to change this? Seems to me we need a realistic look at what is going on, and perhaps a positive outlook that we can effect some change, though I certainly don't have the answers.
RENUSCHLER: The pauperization of America eloquently depicted has grown more obvious, more pronounced under the present chief of state who came into office allegedly possessing "charisma,"or the ability to heal and solve problems.But things have only gotten worse, and the impoverishment of our working and middle classes is relentless and unstoppable.. How can any President be a friend and ally of the AMERICAN WORK FORCE when he adopts policies intended to undermine it by allowing foreign labor to come in and take JOBS away from those who most need them?In doing so, Obama is acting like his predecessors.So,"Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose(The more it changes, the more it stays the same)!"It also raises the question:"Why bother to vote,"since presidents will change, but not the pro business policies, which appear immutable,.Democrats blame the KOCH brothers for the corruption of the system, but r they any different than Soros or STEYER, big money contributors to the Democratic Party?I can't think of any politician whose primary goal on entering politics is not to enrich himself, Obama included. My hunch is that Obama is already thinking of those huge speaking fees that will be his for the asking once he leaves office.As his fellow Democrat said once,"Gotta pay them bills!"
What we really need in our leaders is CONSENSUS BUILDING CAPABILITIES. Can we have an article about that?!!!
18
For sure, and if we apply ourselves to the usage of clearer sentences such as 'Good manners' instead of 'Advanced Social Skills', we may be back at the dawn of something new.
In "The Territorial Imperative", Robert Ardrey (p. 145) came to the simplified conclusion that some modern countries are noyaux and some are nations. The problem for the U.S. and western Europe is that we think we are nations, but our behavior is more that of the people of a noyau like Italy:
"All forces in a true nation work for compromise and inner peace; all forces
in a true noyau for division and emotional mayhem [...] Nations produce heroes, noyaux geniuses. The nation is fundamentally anti-genius, since survival rests on uniformity of response; the noyau is fundamentally anti-hero, since variation is its life's blood. The noyau must look skeptically on the hero and hope that he will not get anybody into too much trouble. The nation must look with suspicion on the genius and pray that common sense will somehow survive him."
"All forces in a true nation work for compromise and inner peace; all forces
in a true noyau for division and emotional mayhem [...] Nations produce heroes, noyaux geniuses. The nation is fundamentally anti-genius, since survival rests on uniformity of response; the noyau is fundamentally anti-hero, since variation is its life's blood. The noyau must look skeptically on the hero and hope that he will not get anybody into too much trouble. The nation must look with suspicion on the genius and pray that common sense will somehow survive him."
Obama is the most optimistic and naive president in a generation and he hooked tens of millions on hopium and all we got was a Republican health care law that covered 30 percent of the uninsured and raised our costs. I'd say optimism is a proven failure.
2
Reagan's optimism made me nervous. His anti-tax and anti-labor policies were destructive of policies other GOP presidents supported. Ike said paying taxes was patriotic. Reagan said government was the problem. He then proceeded to fulfill his promise.
1
Ah yes, another conservative's thinly-veiled "hey guys, we need to get our act together if we want to win that next big election." I don't think that a call for putting on your optimist hats for a time qualifies as actually being optimists.
1
Think of it this way: at least we have gruel, plenty of blighted cityscape outskirts in which to pitch our tents, and legalized euthanasia seems to be catching on.
2
Too bad the idea has to come from the news paper. The best place are the leaders themselves.
Absent Tip O'NEILL, Ronald Reagan could never have been the optimist that he was. There has to be a welcoming hand across the aisle to grasp and John Boehner is not that man.
1
You want optimism. Then perhaps we should not have elected a president who claims to be "managing America's decline: and telling we citizens who have toiled to build careers and businesses that "we didn't built that."
After watching Chris Matthews defend the President against Marco Rubio's nasty smears, reflecting on the vile treatment of the President by the Republican party, and observing the grace and patience with which the President has handled it, I would say that Barack Obama is a greater optimist than Ronal Reagan ever was.
5
Many in the United States see nothing positive and no hope. That is a problem. Our nation has many problems that need thought study and resolution. What I hear Arthur C. Brooks saying is politicians who tell us that they are willing to try to solve the nations issues. that would be a refreshing change.
A better example of spreading hope and optimism would be FDR. he came into the presidency when the world appeared to collapse, and inspired Americans to keep trying to survive, because the world had to improve if we can all pull together to make it better. And he succeeded, and laid down the foundation of modern society in the US
3
It is a fine line between optimism and self deception.
1
We can probably split hairs on the semantics as different people will prescribe meaning differently, but I'd be happy with leaders who have focus on positive possibilities that cut across political lines. While I'm not sure I would necessarily call that optimism, I do think they would attract like-minded individuals who find the ultimate vision attractive even if they might different significantly on how to realize it. Instead we seem to have too many leaders who build their base of followers by focusing on disagreement in the details. It may attract supporters, but it is not going to lead to much progress.
Brooks is right. Republicans are the optimists.
It takes remarkable optimism to think that we will survive despite soiling and despoiling the Earth. It takes remarkable optimism to believe that poverty can be addressed by free markets. It takes breathtaking optimism to believe that an individual or a nation will be safer with more guns.
The proper debate is not between optimism and pessimism. It is between optimism and delusion.
It takes remarkable optimism to think that we will survive despite soiling and despoiling the Earth. It takes remarkable optimism to believe that poverty can be addressed by free markets. It takes breathtaking optimism to believe that an individual or a nation will be safer with more guns.
The proper debate is not between optimism and pessimism. It is between optimism and delusion.
3
Surely we do not need more political optimism. Think of Reagan's voodoo economics as the flip side of his sunny optimism and recoil. Saying "people" (Or "folks" nowadays) and meaning it are vastly different. What we could use are more honest politicians, and by that I mean more of those who are not beholden to the Grey Eminences in whose pockets they are. But that comes perilously close to a contradiction in terms.
2
Seriously? Obama wasn't optimistic enough for you? Look what we (our country) did to him.
2
What an out of touch editorial. If you're doing well it is very easy to go on with optimism. If your not you side with a politician that whacks you up side the head and reminds you there is more to life than being able to afford your cellphone plan. There's the long forgotten dream of owning a home (and for millions, being able to afford to rent one). If the times stepped out of the towers on 8th Ave they'd see something different than brooks point of view.
1
"All of us are lying in the ditch, but some of us are looking at the stars." --Oscar Wilde.
1
Actually, the quotation is "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."
Remember Hope and Change, how has that worked for America ? Not so good I would say. We don't need liberal, progressive socialist ideologues regardless of how optimistic they may sound nor speech makers who cant make anything work. What we really don't need is another moronic democrat in the white house much less in any other elected position. democrats may be optimistic but they are beyond incompetent in office. Just say no to optimistic democrats.
Instead let's go with the party who brought us W and now The Donald.
Thanks for sharing the AEI, right-wing, political-babble Koch Brothers point of view. I'm feeling much more optimistic already -- that this was written as a sly GOP vs Democrat "opinion piece."
What we actually need are realists. People who don't sugar-coat, but tell it like it is. That is the missing element in American politics today and, from what I can see, the only person who seems to be hewing to that concept is Bernie Sanders.
What we actually need are realists. People who don't sugar-coat, but tell it like it is. That is the missing element in American politics today and, from what I can see, the only person who seems to be hewing to that concept is Bernie Sanders.
27
What we need are people who tell the truth within the limits of their context and perspective. What we need are people who listen to and hear and respect others human beings as brothers and sisters telling their "truths." Neither political socioeconomic gloom and doom nor sunny optimism necessarily reflect truth telling nor honesty nor empathy nor reality in an ethnic sectarian colored racial socioeconomic political gender educationally diverse nation. Partisan politics seeks money, power and voters.
Ronald Reagan was an actor. Arnold Schwarzenegger was an actor. Donald Trump is a 4-times-bankrupt fraud and an actor. They were/are used by the wealthiest to sell the democracy-destroying ideas that we are despairing under today. As one commenter said, "give me an optimist like FDR" or JFK who improved democracy instead of further destroying it which is the mission of the ALEC/Koch brothers/Wall Street/u.s.chamber of commerce/radical religious right/nra/major media corporate conglomerate. Fortunately they are a minority of the population and all they can buy is OUR votes. WE need to get out the vote and get rid of their operatives if we want a return to democracy.
28
Donald Trump has never filed for personal bankruptcy. The bankruptcies were with highly leveraged business units, such as casino corporations.
Trump and his legal and business advisers know the bankruptcy code inside and out, and are willing to use it to their advantage, notwithstanding whether such laws are good for the general public or not. His use of the bankruptcy code has been within the law as he found it, and indicates to me the evidence of a prudent businessman in a topsy turvy enterprise. Those who lost out due to those bankruptcy filings were also investing in a business that they should have known is risky, had they done their due diligence.
Trump and his legal and business advisers know the bankruptcy code inside and out, and are willing to use it to their advantage, notwithstanding whether such laws are good for the general public or not. His use of the bankruptcy code has been within the law as he found it, and indicates to me the evidence of a prudent businessman in a topsy turvy enterprise. Those who lost out due to those bankruptcy filings were also investing in a business that they should have known is risky, had they done their due diligence.
2
Oh, brother. Funny how the GOPers scream and cry about the formerly uncontested right to discharge student loans in bankruptcy, which those corporations should have known was risky. Donald Trump, like George Bush, was born on third and wants everyone to believe he hit a triple.
1
Yes, we must not confuse Donald Trump the human person with Donald Trump the corporation "person." Corporations have all of the privileges and benefits of citizenship, but with good attorneys can avoid most of the responsibilities of citizenship most of the time.
2
An optimist does not begin his campaign near the site where 16 years earlier three young men were killed by racists.
27
Sir.Thank you for remembering this important point.
Reagan knew exactly what he was doing and the message it sent to his supporters.
BTW: Is that the colonel of the 20th Maine? He too sent a message. Of a different kind.
Reagan knew exactly what he was doing and the message it sent to his supporters.
BTW: Is that the colonel of the 20th Maine? He too sent a message. Of a different kind.
De-linking optimism from the plan, or linking optimism to a genocidal plan, makes optimism meaningless.
Consider jihadists. Islam, like Christianity, prohibits suicide, which is considered to be a selfish act against God. However, blowing up oneself in a crowd of women and children is considered to be an act of jihad by jihadists.
And after dying in an act of jihad, the jihadi wakes up in Heaven in the presence of God and the Prophet.
If the only response is, "That's crazy", I agree. But one person's optimism is another person's crazy.
Consider jihadists. Islam, like Christianity, prohibits suicide, which is considered to be a selfish act against God. However, blowing up oneself in a crowd of women and children is considered to be an act of jihad by jihadists.
And after dying in an act of jihad, the jihadi wakes up in Heaven in the presence of God and the Prophet.
If the only response is, "That's crazy", I agree. But one person's optimism is another person's crazy.
Reagan’s “Morning in America” campaign theme was a lie and the lies of he and other ALEC operatives are what have made the vast majority of us so pessimistic. He said, “Together, let us make this a new beginning. Let us make a commitment to care for the needy,” said Reagan at the 1980 Republican National Convention in Detroit as he accepted the nomination of his party. “We have to move ahead, but we’re not going to leave anyone behind.” Then he closed most mental health facilities, forced poor mothers off welfare and food stamps, gutted antitrust laws, de-funded regulatory agencies, and broke the Air Traffic Controllers union. He meant he wasn't going to leave any of his buddies in the top 1% global financial elite behind. Democracy-destroying mission accomplished. Now we have to grit our teeth and kick out all the ALEC/Reagan spawn operatives from OUR government at all levels including OUR United States Supreme Court. It's not fun.
43
The need for optimism is essential to a successful political campaign. Chris Christie will go nowhere. His campaign slogan is "Telling it like it is". Which means, telling people that your long held expectations will not be met, and you will have to downsize your expectations for the future. Nobody wants to hear that, nonetheless voting for it!!
Donald Trump, on the other hand, has a message that he will make things better for the average American through economic expansion and fairer international trade. No wonder, notwithstanding his bombastic, boastful wrestler style, people are attracted.
So, until the Republicans learn that they have only half the formula by stirring dissatisfaction, and the deal is not clinched until they come up with a plan that will realistically point to a better future. Until they do that, they are the messengers of misery, and nothing more.
Donald Trump, on the other hand, has a message that he will make things better for the average American through economic expansion and fairer international trade. No wonder, notwithstanding his bombastic, boastful wrestler style, people are attracted.
So, until the Republicans learn that they have only half the formula by stirring dissatisfaction, and the deal is not clinched until they come up with a plan that will realistically point to a better future. Until they do that, they are the messengers of misery, and nothing more.
6
Trump has no plan but he slings hate around with gusto and that is what gins up his supporters: they love to put the blame for their situation, whatever it is, on someone else.
Please. Trickle down optimism!!!!!
An optimistic leader is powerless to significantly affect those left behind by the changing economy. Their movement toward optimism can only come from the bottom up not top down.
BUT MY WIFE WHO IS AN OPTIMIST DISAGREES !!
An optimistic leader is powerless to significantly affect those left behind by the changing economy. Their movement toward optimism can only come from the bottom up not top down.
BUT MY WIFE WHO IS AN OPTIMIST DISAGREES !!
2
Marty the optimist will embrace the future where they can benefit from their efforts. The pessimist will want to be taken care of by others. The optimist see opportunity the pessimist sees doom and gloom.
Although I don't think I'm an "optimist", I always see the glass as half-full.
My wife, on the other hand, who strives to be an "optimist", always sees the glass as half-empty...and leaking.
My wife, on the other hand, who strives to be an "optimist", always sees the glass as half-empty...and leaking.
1
If you are looking for a reason why pessimism is ascendent, look no farther than the complete lack of vision and goals for America. Not a single candidate is offering anything to look forward to. Bernie Sanders is talking about a return to basic economic fairness: that's a start, but it sounds like the beginning of the blues song, "It's a long, uphill climb the bottom."
The country's motto now is "it's good enough." We need someone to inspire us to be the best we can be and to work together toward lasting goals and achievements.
The country's motto now is "it's good enough." We need someone to inspire us to be the best we can be and to work together toward lasting goals and achievements.
41
I would like Bernie and his followers start singing "This Land is My Land."
"We need someone to inspire us to be the best we can be and to work together toward lasting goals and achievements."
Actually, Obama's campaign sailed and won on that promise. Unfortunately, it was his political inexperience that failed to deliver on the promise. If he had only implemented a single payer health care system during his first two years in office, when he had the chance to do it, he would have achieved far more than he did. He learned quickly the rules of the power game and got corrupted by it. His optimism no longer sounds sincere.
Actually, Obama's campaign sailed and won on that promise. Unfortunately, it was his political inexperience that failed to deliver on the promise. If he had only implemented a single payer health care system during his first two years in office, when he had the chance to do it, he would have achieved far more than he did. He learned quickly the rules of the power game and got corrupted by it. His optimism no longer sounds sincere.
1
Professional athletes strive to visualize winning shots instead of the losers for a reason. It works.
When we are focused on the problems, we are at best cautious and at worst, complicating an already complex system.
We should be discovering common interests instead of more reasons to argue and hate.
The artist who faces a blank canvas or piece of paper and sees nothing but problems is an artist with a creative block.
That's where we are.
In this context, leaders with the hope and competence of an artist (the trained and/or practiced artisan who knows how to realize their vision) would be a welcome relief.
Sincerely.
When we are focused on the problems, we are at best cautious and at worst, complicating an already complex system.
We should be discovering common interests instead of more reasons to argue and hate.
The artist who faces a blank canvas or piece of paper and sees nothing but problems is an artist with a creative block.
That's where we are.
In this context, leaders with the hope and competence of an artist (the trained and/or practiced artisan who knows how to realize their vision) would be a welcome relief.
Sincerely.
I cannot imagine a more optimistic campaign than the one that President Obama, who is not mentioned once in this article, ran in 2008 and the people were behind him and then look at what happened when he got into office. No one in Congress wanted to join him in his optimism. That is where the ugliness, the obstructionism and the down right war to keep anything positive from happening began.
The people in power are already optimistic. They have a good chance of buying and influencing their own way to a world that suits them. Politicians don't need to be optimistic to the people because as was written in another article here recently, our one vote matters very little depending on which state you are in.
What we need is for more politicians to fight for a genuine democracy, a path that is very hard to be optimistic about. It would be wonderful if the people who supposedly represent us were forward thinking, globally and culturally sensitive, science minded, optimistic about how to reach a healthy planet while providing for the health of our citizens, to truly provide the American dream of upward movement through economic, job and educational opportunities but I am not optimistic that anyone really wants to provide that for all facets of the American population.
The people in power are already optimistic. They have a good chance of buying and influencing their own way to a world that suits them. Politicians don't need to be optimistic to the people because as was written in another article here recently, our one vote matters very little depending on which state you are in.
What we need is for more politicians to fight for a genuine democracy, a path that is very hard to be optimistic about. It would be wonderful if the people who supposedly represent us were forward thinking, globally and culturally sensitive, science minded, optimistic about how to reach a healthy planet while providing for the health of our citizens, to truly provide the American dream of upward movement through economic, job and educational opportunities but I am not optimistic that anyone really wants to provide that for all facets of the American population.
109
Hope is audacious here, that is for sure.
Obviously Mr. Brooks never heard Obama's "Yes we can" speeches or motto.
2
Agree with the above.
By the way, though Obama is generally cheerful (and has the kind of killer sense of humour that many folks miss), he is also a pragmatist.
I voted for Obama partly because he was upbeat but also because he is a pragmatist. And my vote has been well placed; he has slowly worked away at the situation of this country and has made steady and measurable improvements in many areas. The real improvements in this world tend to come in ebbs and flows or fits and starts. Pragmatists understand this better than anyone.
By the way, though Obama is generally cheerful (and has the kind of killer sense of humour that many folks miss), he is also a pragmatist.
I voted for Obama partly because he was upbeat but also because he is a pragmatist. And my vote has been well placed; he has slowly worked away at the situation of this country and has made steady and measurable improvements in many areas. The real improvements in this world tend to come in ebbs and flows or fits and starts. Pragmatists understand this better than anyone.
2
George W. Bush used the word "optimist" so many times to describe himself and the way he sees the USA that the word for me has forever the taint of bloodthirsty botulism. Just what did his so-called "optimism" do for us?
6
Under George W. Bush, Texas ranked 5th in the world in executions behind:
1) Communist China,
2) Communist Vietnam,
3) Saudi Arabia (Islamic dictatorship), and
4) Iran (Islamic dictatorship).
1) Communist China,
2) Communist Vietnam,
3) Saudi Arabia (Islamic dictatorship), and
4) Iran (Islamic dictatorship).
“At least we know he’s not cheating.” That is not optimism. That is ignorance. Phrased that way, it may be lying, and optimism in politics may involve lying in this day and age. The Confederate flag is about patriotism. Choose that sort of optimism. Show the world a fool. On NPR on July 26, 2015, Senator McCain showed he is not a fool by admitting that when he ran for the presidency he had been, in his own words, “a coward” in his weak statements about the flag issue when he visited South Carolina. Little and late, but appreciable.
4
I always told my students that if you cheat and do well grade-wise, you would learn less than a struggling student who chooses not to cheat. This would come back to haunt, if you were planning to continue your education. So agree, it is better not to cheat. :)
4
"Let us make a commitment to care for the needy,” said Reagan at the 1980 Republican National Convention in Detroit".
This is typical of the entire conservative (American Enterprise Institute) movement....say something that is a DIRECT CONTRADICTION of everything you stand for. Who did more to hurt the needy than Ronald Reagan (prior to the Bush crime syndicate, that is.)
This is typical of the entire conservative (American Enterprise Institute) movement....say something that is a DIRECT CONTRADICTION of everything you stand for. Who did more to hurt the needy than Ronald Reagan (prior to the Bush crime syndicate, that is.)
21
The middle class prospered during the Reagan presidency and poverty levels declined. The opposite has happened during the Liberal Progressive Obama administration. Most people due better when they do for themselves than when the government takes care of them.
It turns out that nobody was more needy than the interlocked directors who call all the shots in the US.
The encourage of delusional hope is one of the methods by which the "haves" in consumerist society keep the riff-raff (that would be all the rest of us) buying things we don't need and which are probably not good for us on credit to ensure their ongoing wealth. It is the fundamental principle upon which televison and the largest portion of the internet are organized.
9
It's hard to be an optimist when you're on the edge of a cliff with a hard tail wind...
Rather than pose a smile, it's time to fight back.
Rather than pose a smile, it's time to fight back.
11
Reagan was the torpedo that broke the keel of the ship of state. He was the Pied Piper that took our future.
We need fewer narcissists. And even fewer delusional people in power.
We need fewer narcissists. And even fewer delusional people in power.
18
Fantastic! Maybe Mr Brooks and the AEI should start being optimistic and along with other GOP think tanks acknowledge that the USA has a Great President right now! President Obama has done good things for America and can still do more with a little fairness and cooperation from AEI etc.
33
On the light side I`ve always heard you should borrow money from pessimists, they don`t plan on getting it back.
9
It is difficult to be optimistic when the head of the right wing think tank, AEI, is given so much space to write what really amounts to propaganda carefully crafted to belie his true positions. If only the the masses could maintain their cheerful optimism while the rich get richer and the poor lose more and more safety nets!
26
As a realist I am only too happy to embrace optimism where possible.
5
Yeah. Reagan was really optimistic about all the people who contracted and died AIDS. There are more examples, yet his over all pessimism with dealing with the beginnings of the Pandemic is enough for me to discount any of his so said "optimism."
7
Trickle-down economics my left foot. Yes, that worked out well, didn't it?
14
"Playing down the probability of disaster can lead us astray in other situations where assessing risk is vital, like choosing a profession or selecting a mate." Add to this: ' . . or pretending global warming won't be a game changer.'
9
After 20 posts like yours(which I liked) I don't think most respondents bought his rap.
I will be optimistic when Citi stops writing legislation and when behemoths like Citi (SIFIs/LCFIs) are forced to shrink. Although I am not opposed to the repeal of Dodd Frank, the way lawmakers inserted the poison during the last hour of the government funding negotiations was unconscionable. Taxpayer bailouts and TBTF are still with us, post crisis.
6
Mr. Brooks clearly gives away his own predisposition to optimism--he says optimism is the view of successful people, including successful politicians. It's incredible that he doesn't mention, as support for his thesis, the election of Barack Obama, Mr. Yes-We-Can, whose very marketing materials were branded HOPE. And how did Mr. Obama's, I believe genuine, optimism work out for him and his optimistic supporters? Has he been able to bring the warring factions together, to reanimate bipartisan fellow-feeling? We can thank Mr. Brooks own party, and even his own organization, for trying to undermine the president at every turn--for setting out to "make him a one-term president"--regardless of the President's attempts to find a middle ground.
And as for the sunny Mr. Reagan who cared so much for The People? Mr. Brooks perpetuates the myth--despite decades of research showing that the policies and "successes" of the Reagan years constituted a virtual assault on the American worker and middle class, as well as environmental protection, from which we, The People, have never recovered.
And as for the sunny Mr. Reagan who cared so much for The People? Mr. Brooks perpetuates the myth--despite decades of research showing that the policies and "successes" of the Reagan years constituted a virtual assault on the American worker and middle class, as well as environmental protection, from which we, The People, have never recovered.
162
Funny, isn't it?
Nixon was probably the best president for protecting the environment, while Reagan was one of the worst.
But today most Democrats do the absolute minimum and are not much different from most Republicans.
Nixon was probably the best president for protecting the environment, while Reagan was one of the worst.
But today most Democrats do the absolute minimum and are not much different from most Republicans.
1
No one in the AEI is interested in seeing the president take another victory lap. And it's hard to be optimistic after the total mess left by the last administration for Mr. Obama clean up.
There was an article in Money Magazine about how millionaires and multi-millionaires invest. It stated that a survey showed that these people are better at investing because they are BOTH optimists (ability to carry out a long-term strategy) and pessimists (have a good sense of risk).
In other words, they are REALISTS. They are driven by evidence and NOT emotions. Positivity and negativity are emotions. They do not help you.
In other words, they are REALISTS. They are driven by evidence and NOT emotions. Positivity and negativity are emotions. They do not help you.
The United States has effectively lost every protracted military adventure it has undertaken in the last 50 years. (I am excluding relatively brief engagements like Grenada and the first Gulf War.) But we have charged into every one of those wars-- from Vietnam to the enduring conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan-- with a boundless optimism and certainty regarding not only our righteousness, but also our ultimate chances of success.
I would like to hear Mr. Brooks explain how it is that we are better off as a result of these extremely costly misadventures, all of them undertaken out of a misplaced optimism about our power and influence to bend the world to our will.
For once, let's elect a leader whose starting point is realism, not optimism; compassion not arrogance.
Bernie 2016
I would like to hear Mr. Brooks explain how it is that we are better off as a result of these extremely costly misadventures, all of them undertaken out of a misplaced optimism about our power and influence to bend the world to our will.
For once, let's elect a leader whose starting point is realism, not optimism; compassion not arrogance.
Bernie 2016
16
Have we forgotten that Ronald Reagan was a talented ACTOR who very probably suffered from early Alzheimer's disease while in office? What needs to be determined is who was really making the decisions.
8
RETHERESARNIn 1975 I was the interpreter for a French politician who later went on to hold several ministerial posts under Mitterand, Jean Pierre Chevenement, in a tete a tete with RR, before his run for the presidency. Reagan received us in his office in LA, and was charming and witty to his guest who, by the way, was from the extreme left wing of the PSU, France's Socialist Party.Chevenment was delighted with Reagan despite the difference in their ideologies. On leaving, Chevenement, in his wry manner, remarked to me,"Il est sympathique de la part du STATE DEPARTMENT de me presenter aux gens qui ne sont pas sympathiques(It is nice of the State Dept. to introduce me to people who r not so nice)!"JPC, like everyone else upon meeting RR, was swept away nonetheless. Whether RR suffered from memory loss and ALZEIMER'S towards the end of his second term is a matter of speculation. Who can know?But that day in 1975 with JPC he was certainly on his game,
Pessimism is an ugly but pervasive fashion that takes different forms in different times. The threat of nuclear apocalypse of the 50's and 60's gave way to fear of the "Population Bomb" of the 60's and 70's. Now, many choose to believe in the worst Global Warming predictions. All times require belief in a boogey man of our own creation to dispense the justice that we in our hearts believe that we deserve.
Brooks has good reason to embrace optimism. He has a terrific job, he's financially secure, and he enjoys saying everything would be swell if people were as moral and humble (!) as he is. It's good thing Reagan is wearing a mask in the illustration. Behind that mask was a person as clueless as Brooks is now.
25
Nonsense. What America needs is a responsible conservative party. Years of hate politics have turned the GOP into a freak show. I'm pretty sure most of the pessimism in politics can be traced back to a the party that trashes government at every opportunity then does everything it can to disrupt normal functioning.
138
Nonsense. What America needs is a responsible progressive party!!! There is NOTHING optimistic about corporatism and its hold on America and Americans. Nothing optimistic about Climate Change. You want optimism then we need to take $$$$$ out of politics and create policies that support American people and the environment. The article is complete fluff!
Reagan was a treasonous fraud and should have been impeached. It was only the intimidating power of the right, and Reagan's movie actor optimism, coupled by his dementia, that kept him in office.
He was no real optimist, he was a cynical tool.
He was no real optimist, he was a cynical tool.
9
Arthur and Ester, I'm glad for you, that your biggest challenge seems to be a teenager's grades.
Many of the rest of us on the wrong side of the great and widening class divide, where the few are wealthy and the many are struggling, are fighting for our very survival. Issues such as poor health because of unaffordable health care (no one has the $5000 deductible in their back pocket, affordable premiums are just a mirage), poverty, aging, and drugs and violence in our neighborhoods, and children getting poor educations while school districts rake in billions from property taxes.
Prattling about optimism is just another way to take the focus off the reality that one politician after another promises roses and gives thorns. We don't need cheery mindsets, we need results.
Many of the rest of us on the wrong side of the great and widening class divide, where the few are wealthy and the many are struggling, are fighting for our very survival. Issues such as poor health because of unaffordable health care (no one has the $5000 deductible in their back pocket, affordable premiums are just a mirage), poverty, aging, and drugs and violence in our neighborhoods, and children getting poor educations while school districts rake in billions from property taxes.
Prattling about optimism is just another way to take the focus off the reality that one politician after another promises roses and gives thorns. We don't need cheery mindsets, we need results.
9
Americans don't need phony optimism, which is most politicians on the campaign trail deliver. They need hard truths. America is a country in decline. The Chinese are spending hundreds of billions a year building up the infrastructure of OTHER countries, while we, the "richest nation on earth" can't even maintain our own crumbling bridges, roads, tunnels, airports, trains, subways, etc. I won't even bother going down the list. Our quality of life lags behind most Western European countries on just about every measure. Instead, Americans are fed a steady diet of platitudes and cliches from our politicians. We just need to work harder, says Jeb Bush. I'll make this country great again (fill in the blank). Yeah, right. Anyone who is optimistic about where America is headed just isn't paying attention.
9
Yes, being hopeful is important, whether it pertains to our political leaders or the voter-citizens.
But far more meaningful and crucial to our county's economic, social,, and political success is to have voters and political leaders who are realistic, non-ideological, and morally and intellectually honest.
If one denies health care to the populace, denies the fact of global warming, and denies opportunity for equality to fellow citizens, as the Republicans are wont to do, this is a prescription for national failure.
But far more meaningful and crucial to our county's economic, social,, and political success is to have voters and political leaders who are realistic, non-ideological, and morally and intellectually honest.
If one denies health care to the populace, denies the fact of global warming, and denies opportunity for equality to fellow citizens, as the Republicans are wont to do, this is a prescription for national failure.
6
Optimist, pessimist, nihilist, socialist, anarcho-syndacist, etc., etc., whatever label you pin on our politicians matters not; people will STILL stay away in droves as evidenced by the elections of 2014 (36% turnout of registered voters).
I, however, am "optimistic" that even fewer will turn out in 2016 hence making my "unaffiliated" vote somewhat meaningful!
A silver lining indeed!
I, however, am "optimistic" that even fewer will turn out in 2016 hence making my "unaffiliated" vote somewhat meaningful!
A silver lining indeed!
1
Well, one of the reasons,I think he got the sympathy, and so love of the people, because he was shot in full public view, and survived barely!
Optimism is a good idea. But you can't go overboard. Nobody believes that things are getting better. So the best slogan for 2016 will be "I won't make things worse."
2
optimists are optimists because they selectively ignore bad news. is all news bad? no. is it all good? no. optimists, however, are routinely blindsided by the bad because they downplay its reality. consistently called a pessimist because i try to be pragmatic about events and the humans that precipitate them i am also incline to believe that optimists have an agenda they are pursuing and, like mr. brooks, are trying to frame the debate. i would reject an optimists advice in most cases. they are misleading.
1
Ronald Reagan was an actor. Enough said.
4
“Pessimism is the consequence of knowledge of the absolute illogic of the world-order”....... “pessimism . . . is older and more original than optimism”.... “you ought to learn the art of this-worldly comfort first; you ought to learn to laugh, my young friends, if you are hell-bent on remaining pessimists”
Nietzsche
Nietzsche
Optimism is irrational in a world full of people whose present lives consist of practicing idolatry to live better after death.
4
"A pessimist is a person who has had to listen to too many optimists." -- Don Marquis
4
How about realism rather than the groupthink and hucksterism so extolled under the optimism rubric. Let's see... T Rump is an optimist and T Cruz is a pessimist? More simplistic pablum from the newest intellectual darling from the right. And please, enough of the social science and psychology references along with homespun wisdom. Reagan and Clinton the optimists? I guess that forgives them a multitude of sins. And the graphics - golly! Happy face Reagan and sad face Obama. Please, enough simplistic nonsense. This is beneath the Times. Yes, it is good that the young man does not cheat. Is that optimism, or rationalization in the face of some work that has to be done?
11
How about we forget trying to parse out and define optimism versus pessimism and only vote for Intelligent Realists. You know the kinds of people who recognize the value of scientific investigation and who reject things that do not work, like magical thinking and trickle down economics
7
We have too much "optimism" in this country—and not enough realism. No one's poor in the U.S.—we're merely between opportunities. No one wants to tax multimillion-dollar inheritances because everyone believes that they're about to get one. Something like 10% of the population believes that they're in top 1%—another 15% knows that they're not in the top 1% but believes that they're about to be. A significant sector of the population "invests" a portion of their paychecks in various state and regional lotteries, rather than in actual savings accounts. People believe that those "support the troops" magnets and bumper-stickers magically do something to help and support the troops. No, we don't need more optimism—we need some reality-based education.
157
Like Lake Wobegon, where all the men are handsome, all the women are strong, and all the children are above average?
In order to be an American optimist, you have to believe in "we," that we are all in this together. And there is not a living republican who believes that. Rather, most believe that one or more groups compromising the national "we" are suckers, takers, slackers, criminals or perverts. So good luck finding your optimist.
9
It is clear that in the U.S., "we" are mostly individuals who hate the collective.
However, it is true that the collective can be as damaging as the individual.
However, it is true that the collective can be as damaging as the individual.
Oh boy. As Mr. Arthur(False Equivalency)Brooks favorite "Optimist" once said: "There you go again..."
Sorry Mr Brooks, but you'll need to site specific examples, if you expect us to believe that the candidates on the Democratic side, are as passionately pessimistic as the 15 on the Repubs.
Calling out the massive inequality in society today as a problem to be solved, is not pessimistic.
Cynically claiming that by saying that is "class warfare", clearly is.
Sorry Mr Brooks, but you'll need to site specific examples, if you expect us to believe that the candidates on the Democratic side, are as passionately pessimistic as the 15 on the Repubs.
Calling out the massive inequality in society today as a problem to be solved, is not pessimistic.
Cynically claiming that by saying that is "class warfare", clearly is.
6
I, too, remember Ronald Reagan's optimism quite fondly, although I never voted for him. Bill Clinton's optimism, too, and I definitely voted for him. They were both labeled 'Great Communicators,' and yet it seems that if their secret could be bottled, it would be their optimism.
12
" In 2014, a Wall Street Journal/NBC poll revealed that 76 percent of Americans did not feel confident that “life for our children’s generation will be better than it has been for us.” "
Maybe they think this because that's what the evidence is. Maybe they would become optimists if the country changed direction.
Maybe they think this because that's what the evidence is. Maybe they would become optimists if the country changed direction.
8
Ronald Reagan seemed pretty pessimistic to me. For example, in 1961, while Medicare was first proposed as a policy, Reagan taped a message about Medicare in which he said:
"One of the traditional methods of imposing statism or socialism has been by way of medicine….If you don't do this, one of these days you and I are going to spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was like in American when men were free."
Reagan was definitely pessimistic here. When he died of Alzheimer's disease, men and women in America were certainly still free, and those his age who were, like him, in need of medical care did not have to worry about dying because they could not afford it.
This is only one of many pessimistic predictions Ronald Reagan made about America's future. Mr. Brooks' column praising Reagan as an optimist is based on a lack of knowledge or an inability to accept the truth about the 40th President's profound pessimism.
"One of the traditional methods of imposing statism or socialism has been by way of medicine….If you don't do this, one of these days you and I are going to spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was like in American when men were free."
Reagan was definitely pessimistic here. When he died of Alzheimer's disease, men and women in America were certainly still free, and those his age who were, like him, in need of medical care did not have to worry about dying because they could not afford it.
This is only one of many pessimistic predictions Ronald Reagan made about America's future. Mr. Brooks' column praising Reagan as an optimist is based on a lack of knowledge or an inability to accept the truth about the 40th President's profound pessimism.
5
An optimist like Reagan? All you need is an open ended credit card that you have no intention of paying off. No thanks. I'd rather have an educated populace that can see through the lies. Not much chance of that though, is there? That's not pessimism. That's realism.
4
One of the biggest roles of a successful CEO is cheerleader. When things are down, just at the time when it looks its bleakest, the CEO injects more enthusiasm. We're better than this. And better days are ahead. Obama has none of these traits. Instead we get tactics straight out of the Saul Alinsky playbook. People get discouraged. And they are tired of it. There are two people out there rising rapidly in the polls, Trump and Sanders. Despite their rancor they both have this trait. No teleprompters, no storybook script. Obama has damaged the American ego, and it will take a strong leader to fix it.
We need realists far more...
41
Right. Besides, how was President Reagan an optimist? Coining phrases like "morning in America" is cheap. President Reagan created an economic atmosphere that is poisonous to these days and far beyond. And remember Donald Rumsfeld declaring in 2005 or so that increase in terror in Iraq is proof positive that we are winning big.
What is more optimistic than a president who prefers agreements over warmongering?! And yet, just look around and see the Republican reaction to President Obama's recent policies on Cuba and Iran. And how about that pesky and hateful Obamacare, which, in crude terms, allows people to not slide into bankruptcy because they are ill?!
What is more optimistic than a president who prefers agreements over warmongering?! And yet, just look around and see the Republican reaction to President Obama's recent policies on Cuba and Iran. And how about that pesky and hateful Obamacare, which, in crude terms, allows people to not slide into bankruptcy because they are ill?!
Don't you think optimism is unwarranted in an economy that is stagnant and whose productivity growth has slowed down since 2000 despite the iPhone's and other smart devices? When corporations start to invest instead of giving cash to their shareholders, we may see a cause for optimism (of that kind, of course). When people start see considerable improvement in their welfare, wages, free time and other "tangible" conditions of life, they may change their pessimism for optimism. That is not in the horizon, though.
8
When you begin with defining Government as the problem and throw in a large dose of pandering to racism there are not going to be a lot of sunny days.
56
Hope without a realistic but positive vision for the future is mere delusion, and that's what Reagan was peddling. Everything that's wrong with the political process in this country can be traced to his election, first and foremost because we chose a glib actor over a farmer who warned us that we needed to address our problems instead of candy-coating them and who has devoted his post-presidential life to service.
My optimism died when I realized that Republican politics had been taken over by a coterie of greedy sadists whose goal was to subject middle-income people to as much fear and pressure as possible: job insecurity, lower real income, and actual physical peril if they couldn't afford health care, with a large dose of paranoia about sex/gender and the non-white Other. Conservatives are supposed to prize stability and personal autonomy, not exploitation and domination.
I'm pessimistic, but not without a sort of dreadful hope that eventually a critical mass of Americans will have had enough of letting the rich run over the rest of us. That a return to more democratic politics will probably have to be triggered by a prolonged trauma like the Great Depression and World War Two does not make me optimistic. It makes me profoundly sad that we can't just work together to achieve the goals that most Americans already share.
My optimism died when I realized that Republican politics had been taken over by a coterie of greedy sadists whose goal was to subject middle-income people to as much fear and pressure as possible: job insecurity, lower real income, and actual physical peril if they couldn't afford health care, with a large dose of paranoia about sex/gender and the non-white Other. Conservatives are supposed to prize stability and personal autonomy, not exploitation and domination.
I'm pessimistic, but not without a sort of dreadful hope that eventually a critical mass of Americans will have had enough of letting the rich run over the rest of us. That a return to more democratic politics will probably have to be triggered by a prolonged trauma like the Great Depression and World War Two does not make me optimistic. It makes me profoundly sad that we can't just work together to achieve the goals that most Americans already share.
62
Wonderful thesis by Arthur Brooks. I employ the great Billy Crystal's approach: "Wherever you go, always expect the worst. Then it's amazing how good things can seem."
Arthur's take on Reagan is a perceptive one. I, too, repelled by Reagan, was forced to admit that he could unify a nation. No one can, today. But today's Republican pessimism is a chemistry of dumb voters and opportunists cashing in on the negative messages that they propagate.
Some Republicans attack Donald Trump for his outré messages, but look at Ted Cruz. He has stated that this nation is being destroyed. The Dow is at 18,000, unemployment is going down, probably at a faster rate than as was for the 1988 recession, and the US economy is strong, especially welcome by the world when it looks at Europe. And China has some poor economic issues.
No, we're fine. The Republicans are the ones who have put themselves in their own funk, to quote Bill Clinton. There is good money to be had in writing a book that trashes America, or spouting irrationally incoherent gibberish on Right Wing television or radio.
Arthur brings up some interesting constraints on optimism, such as gambling. I think optimism is warranted, but with a healthy understanding of the environment. When I'd go to conferences in Las Vegas, a friend of mine would say, "I have $100 and I'm going to gamble until I lose it all." Optimistically she knew that she was going to have fun, and then quit after the $100.
Arthur's take on Reagan is a perceptive one. I, too, repelled by Reagan, was forced to admit that he could unify a nation. No one can, today. But today's Republican pessimism is a chemistry of dumb voters and opportunists cashing in on the negative messages that they propagate.
Some Republicans attack Donald Trump for his outré messages, but look at Ted Cruz. He has stated that this nation is being destroyed. The Dow is at 18,000, unemployment is going down, probably at a faster rate than as was for the 1988 recession, and the US economy is strong, especially welcome by the world when it looks at Europe. And China has some poor economic issues.
No, we're fine. The Republicans are the ones who have put themselves in their own funk, to quote Bill Clinton. There is good money to be had in writing a book that trashes America, or spouting irrationally incoherent gibberish on Right Wing television or radio.
Arthur brings up some interesting constraints on optimism, such as gambling. I think optimism is warranted, but with a healthy understanding of the environment. When I'd go to conferences in Las Vegas, a friend of mine would say, "I have $100 and I'm going to gamble until I lose it all." Optimistically she knew that she was going to have fun, and then quit after the $100.
8
I eagerly await Brooks' endorsement of the most optimistic candidate in the race, Bernie Sanders.
55
Arthur, a couple of thoughts. First off, it's interesting that you reference Churchill at the end of your column, a man who openly admitted to suffering from chronic depression (he called it "black dog") as an illustration of an optimistic leader. I have loved Winston, but one wonders if he would have ever had a smile on his face if he didn't also have a war to fight and an enemy to hate.
With regard to Reagan, his oh so sunny disposition led to the embrace what H.W. Bush presciently called as "voodoo economics" - an approach that history has demonstrated to be just about as credible as "The Secret".
That said, I would agree that optimism serves an important role in our political and personal process - inasmuch one must have the hope for a better day in order to maintain the energy necessary to keep oneself, and one's nation, moving ever forward. The problem is that optimism must be balanced with realism - which IMHO is entirely different animal than catastrophic pessimism.
Realism requires that we acknowledge that the Sun still rises after even the longest night, and that seemingly intractable problems - honestly confronted, rather than nefariously defined away - can become invaluable opportunities for personal and collective growth.
Realism additionally requires that we tell the truth about the nature of a problem, most of all to our selves - which in the instance of our current national malaise, has almost everything to do the voodoo economics that AEI promotes.
With regard to Reagan, his oh so sunny disposition led to the embrace what H.W. Bush presciently called as "voodoo economics" - an approach that history has demonstrated to be just about as credible as "The Secret".
That said, I would agree that optimism serves an important role in our political and personal process - inasmuch one must have the hope for a better day in order to maintain the energy necessary to keep oneself, and one's nation, moving ever forward. The problem is that optimism must be balanced with realism - which IMHO is entirely different animal than catastrophic pessimism.
Realism requires that we acknowledge that the Sun still rises after even the longest night, and that seemingly intractable problems - honestly confronted, rather than nefariously defined away - can become invaluable opportunities for personal and collective growth.
Realism additionally requires that we tell the truth about the nature of a problem, most of all to our selves - which in the instance of our current national malaise, has almost everything to do the voodoo economics that AEI promotes.
26
Curiously missing from this biased article is another attitudinal option: realism. If you want to see realism in action, you should have been paying attention to President Obama for the last 6 years. And his attitude has remained remarkably upbeat in spite of having to deal with the harsh realities he has faced every day of his Presidency. This despite getting absolutely NO credit for all the good he has accomplished in the face of unwavering obstruction from the pessimists on the Republican side of the aisle. The benefits of having a realist in the White House can also be measured by comparing them to the disaster of George W. Bush's presidency. Now there was a "cock-eyed optimist" if I ever saw one. You know, the guy everyone wanted to have a beer with? How did that work out for the Country?
107
Yeah, I remember that wanting to share a beer w/ GWB response, having a beer w/ a known alcoholic is not what I think of as a good time nor is it the quality I look for in a US President.
1
“This despite getting absolutely NO credit for all the good he has accomplished in the face of unwavering obstruction from the pessimists on the Republican side of the aisle.”
I am flummoxed by the number of people who think that Obama is the “worst thing to ever happen to America.”
Now with Obama in Kenya this week, Twitter, comment columns, all reveal the EXACT same phrase: “Hope he stays there.” Even the NYT has published that quote. It sickens me that Americans led by the haters and liars of AEI et al keep up that drumbeat. History will sort it out and see that he was one of our best.
Now he faces 60 days of malevolent congressional hearings how he and Kerry were bamboozled into accepting the Iran deal--diplomacy instead of pre-emptive strikes. Yet when asked the ones yelling the loudest, standing behind Netanyahu instead of POTUS all say: “Well I haven’t read the deal yet.”
The most optimistic people I know have absolutely NO grasp on reality! No understanding of FACTS!
I am flummoxed by the number of people who think that Obama is the “worst thing to ever happen to America.”
Now with Obama in Kenya this week, Twitter, comment columns, all reveal the EXACT same phrase: “Hope he stays there.” Even the NYT has published that quote. It sickens me that Americans led by the haters and liars of AEI et al keep up that drumbeat. History will sort it out and see that he was one of our best.
Now he faces 60 days of malevolent congressional hearings how he and Kerry were bamboozled into accepting the Iran deal--diplomacy instead of pre-emptive strikes. Yet when asked the ones yelling the loudest, standing behind Netanyahu instead of POTUS all say: “Well I haven’t read the deal yet.”
The most optimistic people I know have absolutely NO grasp on reality! No understanding of FACTS!
1
> My own analysis of this speech found that “people” is Reagan’s most frequently repeated word, uttered 38 times. When we add in all the specific people he is fighting for — “families,” “children,” “the needy” and so on — the number more than doubles.
Characterization of Reagan as an advocate of "the people" is delusional. His actions in office indicate that was a cheerful yet pitiless sociopath. (Thousands of dead Nicaraguans say "Hi!") But that's beside the point.
Declaring "Our country has problems." then articulating what they are and describing how you plan to solve them isn't pessimism. It's an attempt at problem-solving. Once upon a time, pre-Gingrich and pre-Reagan, conservatives actually showed some interest in problem solving. No more.
Read Joshua Foa Dienstag's "Pessimism: Philosophy, Ethics, and Spirit" for a substantive discussion of pessimism - http://press.princeton.edu/titles/8307.html
Characterization of Reagan as an advocate of "the people" is delusional. His actions in office indicate that was a cheerful yet pitiless sociopath. (Thousands of dead Nicaraguans say "Hi!") But that's beside the point.
Declaring "Our country has problems." then articulating what they are and describing how you plan to solve them isn't pessimism. It's an attempt at problem-solving. Once upon a time, pre-Gingrich and pre-Reagan, conservatives actually showed some interest in problem solving. No more.
Read Joshua Foa Dienstag's "Pessimism: Philosophy, Ethics, and Spirit" for a substantive discussion of pessimism - http://press.princeton.edu/titles/8307.html
41
You say there is a need for more "optimism" in our politicians. Well, I'd say that pushing for passage of health care reform that now provides hope for, not just health care, but life itself for millions of Americans who otherwise would likely die, even in the face of outrageous efforts to thwart it at every turn, requires not just optimism, but great faith in the ultimate good in people, most people anyway. I'd add that pushing to negotiate a chance at peace in the Middle East instead of turning immediately to the tools of war, even as the cynical opposition ranted and continues to rant, connotes optimism in the ultimate good sense of mankind. One sees optimism when one cares to look with open eyes, if one dares to look.
56
Optimism and pessimism are both ideologies that bring doom. The only way to go is realism. People must wake up to the true facts of the way things are, and the way things will be, not the perception that all things are good or all things are bad.
14
I completely agree, and I'm glad Mr. Brooks has the loquaciousness to describe a feeling I've had off and on for the better part of a year. My temperament is naturally sarcastic and cynical. This has often been a good thing, but I'm well aware that it isn't *always* a good thing. I read headlines about corruption, murder, and hypocrisy, and I think, "Well of course."
But that's not the way things should be. I've tried to be more optimistic and look for solutions to problems, rather than just shrug and accept that things are meant to be frustrating. It's not easy. It's downright exhausting, in fact. But I was raised to be a fixer rather than a complainer, and I feel better about myself when I try to be the former, rather than default to the latter.
But that's not the way things should be. I've tried to be more optimistic and look for solutions to problems, rather than just shrug and accept that things are meant to be frustrating. It's not easy. It's downright exhausting, in fact. But I was raised to be a fixer rather than a complainer, and I feel better about myself when I try to be the former, rather than default to the latter.
Of course, it's better to see the glass as being half-full. A glass that's half-full may represent hopes and dreams but it's insufficient to change optimism into goal-driven action. The glass is also half empty. The emptiness represents the absence of opportunity to prove one's true potential.
It is very easy to be discouraged in an era defined "not by what you know, but who you know." Lower one is in the socio-economic ladder, less are the "connections" for better careers. In another era, this system of rewarding the well-connected would be aptly termed as nepotism. The glass is also half empty because of pervasive discrimination on the career front, low pay for the lower and middle income groups and concerns about financial security at retirement.
Even a glass that is three-quarters full will contribute to realistic optimism. Any thing less constitute mere dreams and desires - not optimism grounded in reality.
It is very easy to be discouraged in an era defined "not by what you know, but who you know." Lower one is in the socio-economic ladder, less are the "connections" for better careers. In another era, this system of rewarding the well-connected would be aptly termed as nepotism. The glass is also half empty because of pervasive discrimination on the career front, low pay for the lower and middle income groups and concerns about financial security at retirement.
Even a glass that is three-quarters full will contribute to realistic optimism. Any thing less constitute mere dreams and desires - not optimism grounded in reality.
Why do you feel the need to go back to Pres. Reagan to find an optimistic leader. Our current President came into office on a wave of Hope and Change but got the stuffing beat out of him by a party that, not only preached pessimism, but profited from it both commercially (FOX news) and politically (Congressional wins). You're barking up the wrong tree when you include Democrats in your false equivalencies. We may not all be optimists but we do believe that the future can be bright again as soon as we fix the misguided monetary policies that have brought the middle class to the brink of despair. The policies that began with Pres. Reagan's trickle down economics. Pres. Reagan may or may not have been an optimist, he was an actor after all, but his monetary policies were definitely cockeyed.
153
I agree with you about President Obama. The overall difference with Reagan was the opposition was also optimistic and they worked together. President Obama has faced a truly ugly opposition.
Tip and Reagan were more than civil with each other they liked each other and worked together in spite of very harsh political differences. The tax deal that they came up with was largely written by Democrats. Rates came down and deductions used by the wealthy were reduced dramatically. Cap gains and dividends were taxed at the same rates as income. That was gutted by both President Clinton and President Bush.
Tip and Reagan were more than civil with each other they liked each other and worked together in spite of very harsh political differences. The tax deal that they came up with was largely written by Democrats. Rates came down and deductions used by the wealthy were reduced dramatically. Cap gains and dividends were taxed at the same rates as income. That was gutted by both President Clinton and President Bush.
1
The Obama "hope and change" is based on taxes, spending, borrowing, and redistribution. It can't last much longer.
Absolutely right, sir. I have been pondering the question, and optimism is the only thing that will cure this country of media overload and the onslaught of violence that is dragging us down and turning us into robots.
1
A candidate to get elected needs to be an optimistic critic with large measures of ego: things are bad but I shall make them better. This is mostly spin and why so many unqualified candidates are elected.
A leader should be neither an optimist nor a pessimist, but a realist with moderate measures of ideology or principles. This of course is the best way not to be re-elected.
A leader should be neither an optimist nor a pessimist, but a realist with moderate measures of ideology or principles. This of course is the best way not to be re-elected.
2
We don't need optimistic or pessimistic leaders; we need leaders who are connected to reality and to the public as opposed to the 0.1%.
Is Bernie Sanders pessimistic when he calls out CEO pay and our campaign financing dollaracracy as obscenities ?
No, he's being realistic in the same way FDR was being realistic in 1936 when he said "we struggle with the old enemies of peace—business and financial monopoly, speculation, reckless banking, war profiteering.....never before in all our history have these forces been so united against one candidate as they stand today. They are unanimous in their hate for me—and I welcome their hatred."
Those vintage FDR words probably sound a little pessimistic to a Ronald Reagan sycophant, but they sound incredibly optimistic to me because speaking the truth is the greatest act of optimism one can indulge in.
Lies are pessimistic, especially the sunny 'optimistic' lies told by pathological liars getting ready to wreak havoc on reality.
"We'll be greeted as liberators" said the optimistic pathological liar VP Dick Cheney on the eve of the Iraq invasion as he prepared to drive the nation over a 1000 foot cliff.
"Mission Accomplished" said the sunny, optimistic and idiotic President George W. Bush just a few months later.
"Tax cuts pay for themselves" say the professional Neo-Con-Artist Reverse Robin Hood prevaricating class...except that they don't.
I'll take the liberal bias and alleged pessimism of reality over prevaricating optimists.
Is Bernie Sanders pessimistic when he calls out CEO pay and our campaign financing dollaracracy as obscenities ?
No, he's being realistic in the same way FDR was being realistic in 1936 when he said "we struggle with the old enemies of peace—business and financial monopoly, speculation, reckless banking, war profiteering.....never before in all our history have these forces been so united against one candidate as they stand today. They are unanimous in their hate for me—and I welcome their hatred."
Those vintage FDR words probably sound a little pessimistic to a Ronald Reagan sycophant, but they sound incredibly optimistic to me because speaking the truth is the greatest act of optimism one can indulge in.
Lies are pessimistic, especially the sunny 'optimistic' lies told by pathological liars getting ready to wreak havoc on reality.
"We'll be greeted as liberators" said the optimistic pathological liar VP Dick Cheney on the eve of the Iraq invasion as he prepared to drive the nation over a 1000 foot cliff.
"Mission Accomplished" said the sunny, optimistic and idiotic President George W. Bush just a few months later.
"Tax cuts pay for themselves" say the professional Neo-Con-Artist Reverse Robin Hood prevaricating class...except that they don't.
I'll take the liberal bias and alleged pessimism of reality over prevaricating optimists.
168
The job of governing, actually a very simple bureaucratic function, is given far too much import which in turn allows commentary such as this to be held in esteem.
My kid cheated and when caught was back at it in a week.
Some of us never learn.
My kid cheated and when caught was back at it in a week.
Some of us never learn.
2
"The job of governing, actually a very simple bureaucratic function..."
A half-truth, at best.
The EASY part of governing is in the execution, the bureaucratic aspect of the process.
The HARD part of governing, what is under discussion here, is deciding what to do, what the society's goals are, and the policies to put in place to define and guide the bureaucrats' jobs.
A half-truth, at best.
The EASY part of governing is in the execution, the bureaucratic aspect of the process.
The HARD part of governing, what is under discussion here, is deciding what to do, what the society's goals are, and the policies to put in place to define and guide the bureaucrats' jobs.
What do we need in a President, leader in general, education for high position,--and what does it even mean to be in high position?
I have never had a satisfactory answer to these questions. I have heard superficial nonsense such as a President should be an optimist rather than a pessimist and that Reagan was a great President, but Reagan to me was an old man with little intellect and little more than a smiling face while behind the scenes true strings were pulled.
I have heard the highest salaries for high position and the highest positions themselves are commanded by and identical to CEO and I have heard the education for high position is clearly more a scientific one (STEM fields) or computer or finance than anything else but I have never heard anyone ask or suggest what course there is in school let alone hope in life for a person to simply understand what "it's all about", how the social system as a whole operates, how a person can gain an overview of system to be able to troubleshoot, indeed truly lead the system at all.
My greatest failure in life and my greatest obsession has always been wanting to know "what it's all about" but for some strange reason there seems no course of action for such in school (it's denigrated as a "generalists question and route in life") and I have heard a person give as qualification for leader "engineering" or "computer" or "finance" background. So little clarity to me...I would guess the Germans can answer my question more usefully.
I have never had a satisfactory answer to these questions. I have heard superficial nonsense such as a President should be an optimist rather than a pessimist and that Reagan was a great President, but Reagan to me was an old man with little intellect and little more than a smiling face while behind the scenes true strings were pulled.
I have heard the highest salaries for high position and the highest positions themselves are commanded by and identical to CEO and I have heard the education for high position is clearly more a scientific one (STEM fields) or computer or finance than anything else but I have never heard anyone ask or suggest what course there is in school let alone hope in life for a person to simply understand what "it's all about", how the social system as a whole operates, how a person can gain an overview of system to be able to troubleshoot, indeed truly lead the system at all.
My greatest failure in life and my greatest obsession has always been wanting to know "what it's all about" but for some strange reason there seems no course of action for such in school (it's denigrated as a "generalists question and route in life") and I have heard a person give as qualification for leader "engineering" or "computer" or "finance" background. So little clarity to me...I would guess the Germans can answer my question more usefully.
2
I think trying to "boost unemployed people back into the work force" has been the main thing wrong the welfare system and with money itself. Obviously, there has been a lot more people than jobs needed for hundreds and even thousands of years. So, one should be optimistic about freedom and love rather than pride and hate. I think "help wanted" sounds like a better employer than "now hiring."
1
We've got at least one candidate who is unilaterally breaking out of the negative equilibrium, who is basing his campaign in the optimistic premise that those who have sat out elections in the past will support his ideas about taxing corporations and billionaires, and that our country can abandon it's military spending without diminishing its military might. Here's hoping Bernie Sanders doesn't get cheated out of a chance to bring his ideas to the voters!
28
Optimism? Bah. It wasn't Reagan's optimism that helped bring down the Soviet Union. Rather, it was his frank appraisal of the Soviets as bad boys who had to be confronted about their behavior, and then spent into oblivion by defense budget increases that they couldn't match that won the Cold War. On the other hand, his optimism about helping the mujahedeen in Afghanistan (which I supported at the time) eventually spawned al Qaeda, didn't it? And his optimism about things like budget deficits and the environment didn't get us very far, either.
What about Bill Clinton's optimism? Worked for a while at least, right? On the other hand, that booming economy he presided over was very much a bubble phenomenon. The seeds of 2008 were planted in his time, as he allowed his economic advisors to dismantle some important regulations, while at the same time he and his party pushed to increase the percentage of Americans who owned homes, a policy that contributed mightily to the housing bubble and the economic collapse under Bush II.
Speaking of W, he was pretty optimistic about stuff Afghanistan and Iraq, and dealing with Katrina, wasn't he? Where'd that get us?
Optimism in American politics is really about papering over big, tough problems (like entitlements, or the persistence of poverty) in order to soothe the electorate and get through your term in office before disaster hits. Or it's simply about being a clueless pol who believes God loves America. I'll take realism instead.
What about Bill Clinton's optimism? Worked for a while at least, right? On the other hand, that booming economy he presided over was very much a bubble phenomenon. The seeds of 2008 were planted in his time, as he allowed his economic advisors to dismantle some important regulations, while at the same time he and his party pushed to increase the percentage of Americans who owned homes, a policy that contributed mightily to the housing bubble and the economic collapse under Bush II.
Speaking of W, he was pretty optimistic about stuff Afghanistan and Iraq, and dealing with Katrina, wasn't he? Where'd that get us?
Optimism in American politics is really about papering over big, tough problems (like entitlements, or the persistence of poverty) in order to soothe the electorate and get through your term in office before disaster hits. Or it's simply about being a clueless pol who believes God loves America. I'll take realism instead.
4
We don't need more optimists...we need fewer pessimists pirating the news cycles and holding elected office!
When the economy is roaring and optimism is holding sway, society tends to bend liberal, when the economy is in the toilet and pessimism is holding sway, society tends to bend conservative.
It is, therefore, to the conservatives' political advantage to trample optimism with pessimism garnished with fear while continuing to foster prevaricated perceptions of a dire state in the union and world...just as they've been doing for all of their existence.
When the economy is roaring and optimism is holding sway, society tends to bend liberal, when the economy is in the toilet and pessimism is holding sway, society tends to bend conservative.
It is, therefore, to the conservatives' political advantage to trample optimism with pessimism garnished with fear while continuing to foster prevaricated perceptions of a dire state in the union and world...just as they've been doing for all of their existence.
10
Surely the Democratic message is one of optimism? But the "popular" media are controlled by those who understand primal ignorance and fear, and they exploit it for the benefit of their own revenues. Republicans got on the bandwagon long ago, and the two sides, typified by Fox and Huckabee, are indistinguishable. Democracy happens to be collateral damage.
9
Optimism?!!
The American Enterprise Institute and it's conservative "think tank" ilk have been among the most cynical shovelers of irresponsible negative propaganda in business.
Apologists for evil:
The right wing has done it's level best to destroy rational politics at least since the Clinton years. Then Gore v Bush.
Since Obama's election the GOP has done nothing positive, indeed when not obstructing they have been in the business of dismantling the american social contract, and destroying our politics whether we're talking about Citizens United, disregarding science, or pandering to the religious fundamentalists and the NRA.
Mr. Brooks would have us all put on our rosy Dr. Pangloss shades while we're all being raped.
The American Enterprise Institute and it's conservative "think tank" ilk have been among the most cynical shovelers of irresponsible negative propaganda in business.
Apologists for evil:
The right wing has done it's level best to destroy rational politics at least since the Clinton years. Then Gore v Bush.
Since Obama's election the GOP has done nothing positive, indeed when not obstructing they have been in the business of dismantling the american social contract, and destroying our politics whether we're talking about Citizens United, disregarding science, or pandering to the religious fundamentalists and the NRA.
Mr. Brooks would have us all put on our rosy Dr. Pangloss shades while we're all being raped.
69
First of all I would like to say that I totally agree. If as a leader you paint a picture really worth aiming for, aspiring to, then the hurdles you have to take to get there seem to be less daunting or at a minimum more than worthy of the effort needed to over come them ... because it will be worth it in the end! Regrettably the pessimism you speak of is found everywhere, especially here in Europe where we tend to be more inclined towards that direction to begin with. To my mind "pessimism" is a cover for abject incompetence. If one starts from the perspective that "they" (whomever "they" may be) will make it impossible to change anything, that circumstances created by the "others" are such that one cannot be anything but pessimistic then you have created the ideal excuse for not achieving or even trying to achieve anything. In turn it means you do not need to be competent at governing, at leading. All you need is the ability to raise money, be prepared to say whatever it is your echo-chamber supporters want to hear all in the knowledge that you will bear no responsibility for in-action. Most politicians are afraid to fail and with good reason, most are so fundamentally incompetent that if they did try anything they would fail. As an electorate we get what we deserve, so if we want to tackle and get rid of this negativity, this lack of vision then we need to take action, take responsibility and choose different leaders. If we do nothing then we get what we deserve!
1
Optimism: a disposition or tendency to look on the more favorable side of events or conditions and to expect the most favorable outcome.
Pessimism: a tendency to see the worst aspect of things or believe that the worst will happen; a lack of hope or confidence in the future.
Half-Truth: a statement that conveys only part of the truth, especially one used deliberately in order to deceive someone, even oneself.
Try to imagine that half of everything in your life was missing. Half of the ingredients of your lunch. Half of the ingredients of your medicine. H2 without the O. While listening to the radio you hear "there is a cat 5 tornado coming directly at" then the radio signal drops. In the middle of a phone call from your mate them saying "I just came from the doctor and she said" but the line drops".
Hope: a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.
Feelings are not good or bad. They are comfortable or uncomfortable. Feelings tell us the truth about what is happening to us in our life. Anger tells us that we are being abused and generates the energy to change our situation. How we use that energy and how we change our situation will depend on us how we were taught to use the energy of anger and knowing the truth about what is happening to us. Feeling loved tells us that we are being accepted for who we are and we are safe...until someone tells us I love you only if...? Each feeling is a barometer of how we are being treated in the world.
Pessimism: a tendency to see the worst aspect of things or believe that the worst will happen; a lack of hope or confidence in the future.
Half-Truth: a statement that conveys only part of the truth, especially one used deliberately in order to deceive someone, even oneself.
Try to imagine that half of everything in your life was missing. Half of the ingredients of your lunch. Half of the ingredients of your medicine. H2 without the O. While listening to the radio you hear "there is a cat 5 tornado coming directly at" then the radio signal drops. In the middle of a phone call from your mate them saying "I just came from the doctor and she said" but the line drops".
Hope: a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.
Feelings are not good or bad. They are comfortable or uncomfortable. Feelings tell us the truth about what is happening to us in our life. Anger tells us that we are being abused and generates the energy to change our situation. How we use that energy and how we change our situation will depend on us how we were taught to use the energy of anger and knowing the truth about what is happening to us. Feeling loved tells us that we are being accepted for who we are and we are safe...until someone tells us I love you only if...? Each feeling is a barometer of how we are being treated in the world.
4
I think I get where you're going here. And I like it. It's kind of like the law of attraction on a societal level. I think the world would do better with a bit more optimism. It doesn't have to equate with blind stupidity or passivity in the face of destruction, just an attitude that we can improve our world when we all work together, that we can all create more and better with hearts aligned to a sense of goodness. If the law of attraction has any validity (and many people believe we DO get what we ask for) then more optimism is an actually the most intelligent choice.
2
It's understandable that the commenters thus far have bashed both the politics and the breezy concepts in the editorial here. After reading them, I reverted to the tried-and-true pessimism which I'd suspended briefly after finishing Mr Brooks' piece -- which really did give me a bit of a lift. (I tweeted it - a verb which well captures the tone ironically.)
History, analysis, and dissection will readily take any of us down from looking up at the blue sky for a cheerful if less-than-bright glimpse of the day.
Is our pessimism deserved? Certainly. Is Mr Brooks' belief in Reagan well defended here? Not much at all. Is our country going to hell in a hand basket? Who knows, though it sure feels like it. But if we are -- I don't mind reading one fairly light contrary piece by someone who doesn't mind an attitude of hope while doing so. As someone who still finds the spirit of hope in our sitting President -- I seem to recall a moment when he inspired the same in some of us. And I wish we could get some of that bright-hearted hope back -- I felt better way back then...and sometimes feeling leads to action, which intellectual pessimism doesn't seem to rouse.
History, analysis, and dissection will readily take any of us down from looking up at the blue sky for a cheerful if less-than-bright glimpse of the day.
Is our pessimism deserved? Certainly. Is Mr Brooks' belief in Reagan well defended here? Not much at all. Is our country going to hell in a hand basket? Who knows, though it sure feels like it. But if we are -- I don't mind reading one fairly light contrary piece by someone who doesn't mind an attitude of hope while doing so. As someone who still finds the spirit of hope in our sitting President -- I seem to recall a moment when he inspired the same in some of us. And I wish we could get some of that bright-hearted hope back -- I felt better way back then...and sometimes feeling leads to action, which intellectual pessimism doesn't seem to rouse.
4
In the past few weeks I see the President Obama I voted for in action. It does give me hope, especially in light of the negative rantings of virtually the entire Republican field. I also agreed with the earlier comment that Mr. Obama has remained optimistic - and a true gentleman and American exemplar - in the face of determined opposition and party-sponsored hatred fomented by the Republican party.
So who do I see embodying realism and hope for the future? The youngest-thinking candidate: Bernie Sanders. Unlike St. Ronald of Reaganland, his hope is grounded in reality, which is what we need to renew America.
Yes, I'm being optimistic. Join me.
So who do I see embodying realism and hope for the future? The youngest-thinking candidate: Bernie Sanders. Unlike St. Ronald of Reaganland, his hope is grounded in reality, which is what we need to renew America.
Yes, I'm being optimistic. Join me.
"An optimist may see a light where there is none, but why must the pessimist always run to blow it out?" (Rene Descartes)
By this definition I think we can call the Republicans "pessimists," for their principal agenda since before the FDR years has been to take from the middle class and poor to give to the rich.
Calvin Coolidge: "The business of government is business"
Herbert Hoover: "The budget should be balanced not by more taxes, but by reduction of follies."
False optimism is always part the salesperson's pitch, especially when the need is to sell shoddy goods--like those hyped up promises of the Popeil gadget commercials and the daytime infomercials running on TV today. Too good to be true.
The GOP's beloved St. Reagan was a particularly effective salesman, who hawked optimism with his "morning in America" and "shining city on the hill" speeches, as he tried to make us believe that trickle-down economics and deregulation would "lift all boats." Meanwhile, he and the Republicans systematically worked to dismantle the EPA and doubled the defense budget while lowering taxes on the rich (from 70% to 28%), belittling poor people, and whacking away at social programs.
On the other hand, FDR, who had little reason to be optimistic (given his health and the pessimistic economic situation in this country), conveyed an optimism that kept downtrodden Americans' spirits hopeful: "We have nothing to fear but fear itself."
So if you want the lights blown out, vote Republican!
By this definition I think we can call the Republicans "pessimists," for their principal agenda since before the FDR years has been to take from the middle class and poor to give to the rich.
Calvin Coolidge: "The business of government is business"
Herbert Hoover: "The budget should be balanced not by more taxes, but by reduction of follies."
False optimism is always part the salesperson's pitch, especially when the need is to sell shoddy goods--like those hyped up promises of the Popeil gadget commercials and the daytime infomercials running on TV today. Too good to be true.
The GOP's beloved St. Reagan was a particularly effective salesman, who hawked optimism with his "morning in America" and "shining city on the hill" speeches, as he tried to make us believe that trickle-down economics and deregulation would "lift all boats." Meanwhile, he and the Republicans systematically worked to dismantle the EPA and doubled the defense budget while lowering taxes on the rich (from 70% to 28%), belittling poor people, and whacking away at social programs.
On the other hand, FDR, who had little reason to be optimistic (given his health and the pessimistic economic situation in this country), conveyed an optimism that kept downtrodden Americans' spirits hopeful: "We have nothing to fear but fear itself."
So if you want the lights blown out, vote Republican!
60
> "An optimist may see a light where there is none, but why must the pessimist always run to blow it out?" (Rene Descartes)
The second half of that sentence is one of the stupidest - and inaccurate - assertions I've read in a long time. My respect for Descartes just dropped a few notches.
Roughly speaking, pessimists believe that there's no natural bias towards things turning out well - that "progress" is not the natural state of things let alone a given. The natural trend of the world is towards failure and death. If you want things to turn out well then you'll need to work like a dog to make them happen. (Pessimists, such as myself, also view ourselves as realists.)
The second half of that sentence is one of the stupidest - and inaccurate - assertions I've read in a long time. My respect for Descartes just dropped a few notches.
Roughly speaking, pessimists believe that there's no natural bias towards things turning out well - that "progress" is not the natural state of things let alone a given. The natural trend of the world is towards failure and death. If you want things to turn out well then you'll need to work like a dog to make them happen. (Pessimists, such as myself, also view ourselves as realists.)
2
Wow! So many negative comments, proving Mr. Brooks' point. I too detested Reagan's policies, and still think the vast majority of them were ill advised, but I also remember Jimmy Carter's malaise speech, watching it in my third year of law school, thinking I will never be able to buy a house.The mood of Jimmy Carter's America was real sour, and in fact, for all the good he does, Carter is the least optimistic ex-President too, which is why few people who matter care about what he has to say on anything. Being an optimist does not mean being a Pollyanna,but rather recognizing that things can and most likely will get better overall, because that, and not the second law of thermodynamics, is the trend of life and history. When six years after the malaise speech I was married and bought my first house (thanks more to Paul Volcker than Ronald Reagan, I have to say), I felt that if Carter had won in 1980, his sourness and his lack of faith in the future all would have denied me this as it was a drag on the entire nation.
2
Conservative optimism has been a disaster for this country. Look at the economy. The housing bubble that grew and burst under George W. Bush was based on the idea that everyone was making huge amounts of money, so there could not be a problem with this practice. It was a Ponzi scheme, the very definition of what is wrong with optimism.
Bush's war in Iraq was supposed to be a quick exercise in shock & awe. We would come in, be greeted as liberators, establish a tax system and economy based on conservative principles as defined by the Heritage Foundation and your own American Enterprise Institute. The war was declared a success after 3 weeks, with Bush appearing in a jump suit on an aircraft carrier. The war continues. It has destroyed our economy, taken thousands of lives, and given rise to Al Qaeda in Iraq, ISIS, and a host of other terrorist organizations. It has escalated conflict in the Middle East.
Conservative Optimism gave us Citizens United, expecting that the wealthy will use their money for the greater good, not for buying politicians. It forgave the voting rights abuses of several southern states, who immediately moved to restrict voting rights of minorities. It places the rights of extremist religious sects above the rights of half of our population - women.
Conservative Optimism continues to believe that letting the .1% get richer will be good for this country. It is convinced that facts and failures of policy have no reason to dispel conservative optimism.
Bush's war in Iraq was supposed to be a quick exercise in shock & awe. We would come in, be greeted as liberators, establish a tax system and economy based on conservative principles as defined by the Heritage Foundation and your own American Enterprise Institute. The war was declared a success after 3 weeks, with Bush appearing in a jump suit on an aircraft carrier. The war continues. It has destroyed our economy, taken thousands of lives, and given rise to Al Qaeda in Iraq, ISIS, and a host of other terrorist organizations. It has escalated conflict in the Middle East.
Conservative Optimism gave us Citizens United, expecting that the wealthy will use their money for the greater good, not for buying politicians. It forgave the voting rights abuses of several southern states, who immediately moved to restrict voting rights of minorities. It places the rights of extremist religious sects above the rights of half of our population - women.
Conservative Optimism continues to believe that letting the .1% get richer will be good for this country. It is convinced that facts and failures of policy have no reason to dispel conservative optimism.
88
One day the army of the fearsome Tamerlane approached the town of Konya. The frightened citizens wailed “What can we do with such a monster? He’ll kill us all. We better send a delegate to placate him so that he might spare us.”
Naturally, the poor Hodja was drafted as the emissary. Worried, the Hodja decided to bring the Khan a gift, and the frightened Hodja approached the tent of the bloodthirsty warlord carrying a covered platter. Bowing before the Khan, the Hodja proclaimed “My lord, I come in the name of the good people of Konya. We beg you to spare us and have brought you a gift to show our respect.”
The Hodja placed the platter at the general’s feet, and uncovered it. It was a platter of figs.
Tamerlane was enraged, and bellowed “You dare to insult the Great Tamerlane by offering me a platter of common figs? Guards, seize the fool and hold him down!”
As the guards held down the cowering Hodja, Tamerlane began throwing the figs at the Hodja, hitting him in the forehead with the figs. Each time the Hodja was hit by a fig, he yelled joyfully “Allah be praised! Allah be praised!”
After several repeats of the Hodja praising God, the general stopped throwing the figs and asked in puzzlement “You stupid fool, why do you praise God every time that I hit you in the head with a fig?”
“My wife wanted me to bring coconuts instead.” Optimism rules!
Naturally, the poor Hodja was drafted as the emissary. Worried, the Hodja decided to bring the Khan a gift, and the frightened Hodja approached the tent of the bloodthirsty warlord carrying a covered platter. Bowing before the Khan, the Hodja proclaimed “My lord, I come in the name of the good people of Konya. We beg you to spare us and have brought you a gift to show our respect.”
The Hodja placed the platter at the general’s feet, and uncovered it. It was a platter of figs.
Tamerlane was enraged, and bellowed “You dare to insult the Great Tamerlane by offering me a platter of common figs? Guards, seize the fool and hold him down!”
As the guards held down the cowering Hodja, Tamerlane began throwing the figs at the Hodja, hitting him in the forehead with the figs. Each time the Hodja was hit by a fig, he yelled joyfully “Allah be praised! Allah be praised!”
After several repeats of the Hodja praising God, the general stopped throwing the figs and asked in puzzlement “You stupid fool, why do you praise God every time that I hit you in the head with a fig?”
“My wife wanted me to bring coconuts instead.” Optimism rules!
31
Hey, this looks like a great opportunity for me to take a contrary stance and tout my favorite book on the necessity of political pessimism: We Are Doomed, by John Derbyshire.
http://www.amazon.com/Are-Doomed-Reclaiming-Conservative-Pessimism/dp/03...
http://www.amazon.com/Are-Doomed-Reclaiming-Conservative-Pessimism/dp/03...
3
Peddling fear and hate might be the only go-to tactic from the Religious Right; but that will always lose in the long run. This is a long term losing strategy that was foreseen by the late great Barry Goldwater. He said you cannot reason with the Jerry Falwell ilk. As always, he was right.
What he didn't foresee though was just how badly cancerous they would be to the GOP.
What he didn't foresee though was just how badly cancerous they would be to the GOP.
1
Silly. Brooks is using this fake dichotomy of optimism/pessimism to avoid doing what needs to be done with fixing this country including its' infrastructure. Like I'm optimistic this bridge won't fall down any time soon, so we don't need to raise taxes. I'm optimistic there won't be a water shortage in the West so why worry. And if there is, technology will fix it.
194
Sorry Mike. The irrational religious wing of the GOP are an avowed enemy of science. They are elected for espousing science.
1
Talk about a fake dichotomy. I think the bridge was built by an optimist. The water was taped into by optimist. The guns were bought by pessimists. The prisons were built by pessimists, the camera's and watchers are employed by pessimists. The war mongers are pessimists, the peace seekers are optimists.
Doing what's needed to be done is highly colored by your view of the world.
Doing what's needed to be done is highly colored by your view of the world.
27
@HL:
> the camera's and watchers are employed by pessimists.
The Big Data companies that mine our personal information and use it to market us - or sell it to other companies which market us - were those created by optimists or pessimists?
> The war mongers are pessimists,
The Iraq War - the one where we'd greeted as liberators and the Iraqis would shower US soldiers with flowers and candy - was that instigated by pessimists or optimists?
> the camera's and watchers are employed by pessimists.
The Big Data companies that mine our personal information and use it to market us - or sell it to other companies which market us - were those created by optimists or pessimists?
> The war mongers are pessimists,
The Iraq War - the one where we'd greeted as liberators and the Iraqis would shower US soldiers with flowers and candy - was that instigated by pessimists or optimists?
1
Eureka College guy cheerleader Reagan, WW II hero of the Battle of Beautiful Downtown Burbank, raised the debt ceiling, a still record, 17 times, on average every 5.6 months. He added 190% to the federal debt in a mere 96 months.
He armed the Afghan loons who changed their name to the Taliban.
He gave Saddam Hussein satellite imagery to improve his use of chemical WMD's on Iran.
He illegally sold TOW missiles to Iran.
He shot down Iran Air 655, killing 290 civilians, 66 of them children.
He illegally armed the Contra terrorists.
He funded death squads in El Salvador, genocide in Guatemala and invaded Grenada.
All the people he caused to be slaughtered would hardly admire his optimism.
He armed the Afghan loons who changed their name to the Taliban.
He gave Saddam Hussein satellite imagery to improve his use of chemical WMD's on Iran.
He illegally sold TOW missiles to Iran.
He shot down Iran Air 655, killing 290 civilians, 66 of them children.
He illegally armed the Contra terrorists.
He funded death squads in El Salvador, genocide in Guatemala and invaded Grenada.
All the people he caused to be slaughtered would hardly admire his optimism.
213
The great reagan proposed a balanced budget. But the dems were in control of both the House and the Senate. They loaded up the budget with pork in order to allow Reagan's budget to go through. That is why the deficits.
And your point is?
Honestly, we (mostly) all know that he was a failure in many ways that some still won't admit to, but that's all beside the point of the article.
I despise RR, so please don't think I'm standing up for him. Even if he was a fraternity brother, full disclosure, ha ha.....
Honestly, we (mostly) all know that he was a failure in many ways that some still won't admit to, but that's all beside the point of the article.
I despise RR, so please don't think I'm standing up for him. Even if he was a fraternity brother, full disclosure, ha ha.....
Reagan conspired with Iran's Ayatollahs to defeat Carter. That's called "treason."
4
I... don't really get this piece.
The people who got us into Iraq were incredibly optimistic. Flowers in the streets, the troops will be greeted as liberators... that worked out well.
I don't want an optimist or a pessimist as president. I want a realist. Like the president we currently have.
The people who got us into Iraq were incredibly optimistic. Flowers in the streets, the troops will be greeted as liberators... that worked out well.
I don't want an optimist or a pessimist as president. I want a realist. Like the president we currently have.
350
Mission Accomplished...in a flight suit, no less.
1
It's actually rather remarkable that President Obama has remained as hopeful as he has in the face of the nastiness directed at him by Mr. Brooks' party.
226
I agree, it is truly remarkable of President Obama that he has stayed so positive with all the hatred thrown at him by the Republican Party and it's followers. And, I must say, the best First Lady we've had in a very long time, has also stayed very upbeat - at least in public. As people, as a family, I truly love the Obamas.
2
I'm not a pessimist or an optimist. I am a contrarian. I don't think American justice is an oxymoron. I think most whites find their encounters with the police about as unpleasant as most blacks because encounters with the police are unpleasant. I think the middle class bears most of the burden for taxes, and so they reasonably vote for ant-tax Republicans. I think the whole point of health care reform is to make health care available to everybody and Obamacare isn't doing a great job of that so I'm still a single payer system advocate. I think most of the gays who get married are well off and highly educated and that it has always been more important to help gays who can't get a job, and are harassed in school, at work, and in public. I think crossing the border illegally is wrong -- wrong enough that we should send recent illegal crossers back, but not wrong enough that we should pursue them forever. There should be a limitation period, and then they should become legal. It's nuts to ostracize these folks forever. And because there are hundreds of thousands of black market guns in the U.S., I think gun control laws are futile. Making it harder to get guns legally won't help. Making it hard to get guns illegally will.
Contrarians don't get their ideas from the party menu. They choose one from column A and one from column B. You can be a pessimist or an optimist. But what America needs is more people who think for themselves.
Contrarians don't get their ideas from the party menu. They choose one from column A and one from column B. You can be a pessimist or an optimist. But what America needs is more people who think for themselves.
32
I am a skeptic. Not a contrarian. Which most of the time does make me a contrarian, going against the grain.
I believe you are incorrect on your assessments.
Blacks find their encounters with the police far worse than whites. Because there is a Israeli soldiers/Palestinians relationship. Some police see black people as the enemy. And likewise, most blacks see the police as the enemy. Both sides need to deescalate.
The middle class does bear a much higher burden of taxes than do the tultra rich (the 1% of the 1%). The republican base is about pride. They don't see themselves as being in poverty, even when they are. Neither do they realize exactly how deeply income and wealth disparity is.
Obama is doing a great job of making most people able to afford healthcare that they previously couldn't afford. At the same time though, in states that don't have a large population, or for people living in areas that do not have a large population, the healthcare price is outrageous. Something certainly needs to be done about that.
Gay marriage i more about equal economic rights. There are thousands of laws benefiting married couples that were not eligible for gays. And yes, it is about having our marriages be treated with respect under the law.
There is actually an exodus of illegal aliens from Mexico, because the Mexican economy is doing much better. Most of the illegal aliens are coming from South America.
As for gun control. Spot on sir. Spot on.
I believe you are incorrect on your assessments.
Blacks find their encounters with the police far worse than whites. Because there is a Israeli soldiers/Palestinians relationship. Some police see black people as the enemy. And likewise, most blacks see the police as the enemy. Both sides need to deescalate.
The middle class does bear a much higher burden of taxes than do the tultra rich (the 1% of the 1%). The republican base is about pride. They don't see themselves as being in poverty, even when they are. Neither do they realize exactly how deeply income and wealth disparity is.
Obama is doing a great job of making most people able to afford healthcare that they previously couldn't afford. At the same time though, in states that don't have a large population, or for people living in areas that do not have a large population, the healthcare price is outrageous. Something certainly needs to be done about that.
Gay marriage i more about equal economic rights. There are thousands of laws benefiting married couples that were not eligible for gays. And yes, it is about having our marriages be treated with respect under the law.
There is actually an exodus of illegal aliens from Mexico, because the Mexican economy is doing much better. Most of the illegal aliens are coming from South America.
As for gun control. Spot on sir. Spot on.
1
Are those who "reasonably vote for ant(i)-tax Republicans" really blind to whose taxes are cut and whose are raised through user fees, surcharges and payroll tax hikes? Those anti-tax Republicans are anti-tax only for those who can pay for the privilege.
2
michjas, on the contrary. The fact is gays were being denied their equal rights, whether they were "well off" or not. It's no good trying to keep gays from being bullied, etc. if we don't do that for everyone.
Mr. Brooks - we need an optimist like the GOP needs Donald Trump! Optimism today is blatherskite and bumfwad! Like Ronald Reagan's optimistic remark when he saw horse pies - "there must be a pony around here!" and OOMPAH! - the native Americans shouting "OOMPAH" at every word Reagan uttered in his speech. And after the speech, walking through the barnyard the Native Americans shouted "don't step in the OOMPAH, Mr. President!". The only optimism America needs is the bright hope that the NRA will be dismantled, that gun control wil finally be a fact of life instead of guy lobbying, buying, selling and killing innocent folks with guns from sea to shining sea. Sunny optimism may have been the purview of Ronald Reagan, but optimism isn't at all evident at all the Republican Conservative Tea Party Folk who see their multitude of wannabe POTUS candidates attacking each other viciously to get the nod next year from the RNC. And Ronnie the Happy Warrior? PLEASE! - I'd rather have all the Democratic candidates channeling Winston Churchill than the smiley-faces adorning the Republicans whose chances of winning this coming Presidential Election are slim to none (i.e. JEB! - slim, and The Donald - none).
34
I can think of no president in the twentieth century who demonstrated greater "faith in and affection for the American people" than FDR. His optimism was legend but he is not even mentioned in this column. Perhaps it's because, unlike Reagan, Roosevelt's optimistic personality was also grounded in reality and not limited by a rigid ideological vision that produced such nonsense as "trickle down economics."
Mr. Reagan said he loved people but he also said he hated government - "government is the problem." He sowed the first seeds of pessimism Republicans still nurture today. Mr. Roosevelt saw government as a vital tool to enact programs and policies that would benefit the people he showed he loved. He didn't hate government but he despised those that tried to thwart it.
I think Mr. Brooks is correct that a healthy dose of optimism in our next president is exactly what we need, but let's be realistic and choose one like FDR who made government work, not like Ronald Reagan who wanted nothing less than dismantling it. Thirty-five years after the Reagan Revolution, it's now clear it's been a miserable failure, no matter how much Mr. Reagan smiled and how much optimism he exuded.
Mr. Reagan said he loved people but he also said he hated government - "government is the problem." He sowed the first seeds of pessimism Republicans still nurture today. Mr. Roosevelt saw government as a vital tool to enact programs and policies that would benefit the people he showed he loved. He didn't hate government but he despised those that tried to thwart it.
I think Mr. Brooks is correct that a healthy dose of optimism in our next president is exactly what we need, but let's be realistic and choose one like FDR who made government work, not like Ronald Reagan who wanted nothing less than dismantling it. Thirty-five years after the Reagan Revolution, it's now clear it's been a miserable failure, no matter how much Mr. Reagan smiled and how much optimism he exuded.
232
Wow.
I firmly believe Ronald Wilson Reagan was the LEAST optimistic President the US has had over the past 50 years. How else to explain his inability to understand and empathize with hundreds of thousands of AIDS sufferers, his immediate dismantling of solar energy panels on the White House, his overt references to "welfare queens" and his cynical arming of Iran?
Those aren't the actions of an "optimist," but a deeply pessimistic man.
I firmly believe Ronald Wilson Reagan was the LEAST optimistic President the US has had over the past 50 years. How else to explain his inability to understand and empathize with hundreds of thousands of AIDS sufferers, his immediate dismantling of solar energy panels on the White House, his overt references to "welfare queens" and his cynical arming of Iran?
Those aren't the actions of an "optimist," but a deeply pessimistic man.
178
The election of Reagan was a triumph of the stupid.
8
Is it possible to be "cynically optimistic"?
Imagine, if he had stayed lucid towards the end of his presidency, the damage he could have done.
Imagine, if he had stayed lucid towards the end of his presidency, the damage he could have done.
4
Optimism can work splendidly to run a winning campaign, but may not serve the nation well once the optimist is elected, depending on the cause being advanced.
Probably the three sunniest Presidents of the last 100 years were FDR, Saint Ronald and Bush the Second. FDR guided the nation to recovery and victory, Ronald set in motion the decline of the American middle class, and the super-confident Bush II responded to 9/11 with a fool's errand that so destabilized the Middle East that the nation may still be paying for it beyond the lifetime of anyone who voted for him on the basis of his vain optimism.
So Brooks scores one out of three, and the one isn't even on his end of the ideological spectrum.
Probably the three sunniest Presidents of the last 100 years were FDR, Saint Ronald and Bush the Second. FDR guided the nation to recovery and victory, Ronald set in motion the decline of the American middle class, and the super-confident Bush II responded to 9/11 with a fool's errand that so destabilized the Middle East that the nation may still be paying for it beyond the lifetime of anyone who voted for him on the basis of his vain optimism.
So Brooks scores one out of three, and the one isn't even on his end of the ideological spectrum.
111
Isn't some of this negativity the consequence of the role irony and edginess have played in popular culture? To seem sophisticated and serious, people seem to think that they have to indicate that they see through everything; and what is hidden, according to this paradigm, tends to be more scandalous than what meets the eye.
6
All else being equal, I agree that it's better to have a president who's optimistic AND who can communicate well. The problem is, all else is rarely equal.
14
Reagan was a compulsive liar who attacked our neediest citizens with phony claims about welfare queens driving limousines. His happy-face optimism and grandfatherly demeanor masked a cruel, regressive program that ended the era of prosperity and steady social progress that had blessed the country since FDR. Today, we are still suffering from the effects of deregulation and voodoo economics, which ultimately led to the economic collapse from which we still haven't recovered.
So sure, politicians should put on a happy face -- but if they don't back that up with policies that actually improve the lot of the American people, they'll be nothing more than shams. And the people know that at this point, which is why they are so cynical. Many don't know what the answer is, but they do know that their jobs are being exported to China and that they work harder every year to take home less.
Completely missing from the mainstream candidates (though not from Bernie Sanders) is another kind of optimism, that of FDR -- an optimism that was not afraid to take on monied interests, an optimism that took us through the Great Depression and the Second World War not just because of Roosevelt's disposition, but because he backed it with strong progressive action that improved the lives of the American people.
So sure, politicians should put on a happy face -- but if they don't back that up with policies that actually improve the lot of the American people, they'll be nothing more than shams. And the people know that at this point, which is why they are so cynical. Many don't know what the answer is, but they do know that their jobs are being exported to China and that they work harder every year to take home less.
Completely missing from the mainstream candidates (though not from Bernie Sanders) is another kind of optimism, that of FDR -- an optimism that was not afraid to take on monied interests, an optimism that took us through the Great Depression and the Second World War not just because of Roosevelt's disposition, but because he backed it with strong progressive action that improved the lives of the American people.
355
Thank you Mr. Hill. Accurate and articulately said.
2
He was an actor. He was able to speak in a way that moved people, and he understood that power. His politics were awful thru and thru, but sadly he put a good face on it. So I agree Josh, this is a dangerous criteria by which to judge our politicians. I was never fooled by this Reagan. I knew he was out to hurt most Americans and worked for the money interests. I grew up in a small town, not far from where Reagan grew up. On the surface everyone is very nice, but the nasty comments start the minute one passes.
4
In college in the 1970s I took a course called "Practical Politics." I needed an upper-division elective to graduate, and the course was offered in the summer of 1975, so the election of 1976 was in full swing. Although I have never actively participated in politics since, I was actually an election judge, as a teenage college student, for the 1976 election, and as far as I can tell, no one stole or stuffed the ballot box in m precinct. But what I learned is that all politicians, including Donald Trump and Jon Stewart, are really full of themselves and often think THEY have a plan for the world. Although I'm more "Jon Stewart" than "Donald Trump", I have to recognize this.
1
If you want to see the depths to which pessimism can sink, just take a look at Donald Trump. He was spawned in the dank, dirty backwash of Republican hate-speech that permeated the airwaves after Obama was elected. To draw an equivalence between Republicans and Democrats is to ignore reality, and to presume that history can be rewritten by spouting insipid platitudes about optimism and pessimism.
If there is a bitter conflict between the parties it is because the left is appalled at the depths to which conservatives have sunk. To say that the left demonstrates its pessimism by treating the poor as burdens to manage with pointless welfare programs is absolute nonsense. You can’t “boost” people into a competitive workforce who have suffered economic and social abandonment for decades. Somehow, in this same economic environment, C.E.O.s have been rewarded with salaries a thousand times the average worker’s pay.
Income inequality is at banana-republic levels, while every progressive initiative fought for by liberals in the last century is under attack. There are attacks on women’s rights, abortion rights, Social Security, Medicare and voting rights, a scaling of the wall between church and state by fundamentalists, and a shooting war by the police against people of color.
The Republican primaries will not be about pessimism but despair, as we watch candidates woo the slack-jawed and the yahoo. The only thing I can be optimistic about is that they will surely lose.
If there is a bitter conflict between the parties it is because the left is appalled at the depths to which conservatives have sunk. To say that the left demonstrates its pessimism by treating the poor as burdens to manage with pointless welfare programs is absolute nonsense. You can’t “boost” people into a competitive workforce who have suffered economic and social abandonment for decades. Somehow, in this same economic environment, C.E.O.s have been rewarded with salaries a thousand times the average worker’s pay.
Income inequality is at banana-republic levels, while every progressive initiative fought for by liberals in the last century is under attack. There are attacks on women’s rights, abortion rights, Social Security, Medicare and voting rights, a scaling of the wall between church and state by fundamentalists, and a shooting war by the police against people of color.
The Republican primaries will not be about pessimism but despair, as we watch candidates woo the slack-jawed and the yahoo. The only thing I can be optimistic about is that they will surely lose.
267
Trump has surged because his simple message is America is great. All we hear are tales of woe from the left. We've been dumping billions into programs like welfare and the end is never in sight. Democrats can only promise more free dollars to their voters. At some point you end up running out of other peoples money to spend.
2
gemli - Were this author to have his car stuck in a ditch, we guess he would rather have a tow-truck driver show up, talk sunny platitudes, share a cup of coffee and shoot the breeze for a while, rather than a driver show up and get to work looking at his car to see where to hook on and pull that would cause the least damage.
And the author very conveniently forgets Romney's 47% remark last campaign cycle, as well as demonstrating the difference in perspective of someone who was 16-24 while St. Ray-gun was in office, vs. those of us who were 26-34 during that time, and can very well recall the applicability of Nixon's Atty. Gen. John Mitchell's remark " Watch what we do, not what we say " to the Ray-gun years.
We're not in favor of sunny optimism or dark gloom from our politicians, just clear-eyed realism; thankfully, the proliferation of media outlets makes it harder for politicians to do like they used to, when pols could say/do one thing in one part of the country, then say/do the exact opposite in front of voters in another part of the country, with it days/weeks/months for the transcript of remarks to get widely distributed.
When voters are of a certain mind-set regarding the direction the country is heading, " it's a good thing " that they hold politicians' feet to the fire for possible solutions, sans either sunny optimism or doom and gloom; " just the facts, ma'am " is quite good enough.
And the author very conveniently forgets Romney's 47% remark last campaign cycle, as well as demonstrating the difference in perspective of someone who was 16-24 while St. Ray-gun was in office, vs. those of us who were 26-34 during that time, and can very well recall the applicability of Nixon's Atty. Gen. John Mitchell's remark " Watch what we do, not what we say " to the Ray-gun years.
We're not in favor of sunny optimism or dark gloom from our politicians, just clear-eyed realism; thankfully, the proliferation of media outlets makes it harder for politicians to do like they used to, when pols could say/do one thing in one part of the country, then say/do the exact opposite in front of voters in another part of the country, with it days/weeks/months for the transcript of remarks to get widely distributed.
When voters are of a certain mind-set regarding the direction the country is heading, " it's a good thing " that they hold politicians' feet to the fire for possible solutions, sans either sunny optimism or doom and gloom; " just the facts, ma'am " is quite good enough.
7
I wish that I could share your optimism that the GOP will lose in 2016. The present composition of our state and federal legislature does not inspire such optimism in the perception of the electorate.
We do need optimists. Too bad we end up getting clowns - especially those egomaniacal clowns
89
We would have to go back to the New Deal or, at the very least, the Great Society days to find a time when liberals were capable of shaping safety net programs without the involvement (interference?) of the right. For the last fifteen years, far from shaping programs, they have been engaged in a rearguard action to prevent the GOP from simply axing what little remains. It isn't the so-called liberals in Congress who have been trying to reduce Medicare to a voucher program and privatize Social Security while simultaneously defunding education, SNAP, Meals on Wheels for people with disabilities, and now an attempt to cut disability payments in exchange for passing a transportation bill.
Please, spare us the false equivalences. The political and economic landscape are dreary enough without it. And I am generally an optimist, but my glasses are clear, not rose colored, and I have a memory.
St. Ronnie was a hateful man with an actor's smiling countenance. He cheerfully, oh so cheerfully, denigrated the poor and courted racism. At sixteen, like too many adults, you saw the smile and could not understand the content of his speeches. Read them some day. You may see him differently.