America, it is said, can live together because Americans live apart. The two cultures occupy different worlds. Traditionalists are concentrated in a great L-shape on the map, the spine of the Rockies forming its vertical arm, its horizontal one cutting a swathe through the South. With a couple of exceptions, all these “red states” voted for Mr Bush in 2000.I tend to agree with this analysis, but when I look at the map, my eyes are drawn to those parts of the map which are changing, and I see two areas that fit that bill.The rest of the country is more secular. This includes the Pacific coast and the square outlined by the big L, consisting of the north-eastern and upper mid-western states. With a few exceptions, these “blue states” voted for Mr Gore in 2000.
Their differences are deeply entrenched. Traditionalists are heavily concentrated in smaller towns and rural areas. Secularists dominate big cities. Southerners tend to be a bit more religious, a bit more socially conservative and more supportive of a strong military stance than the rest of the country. Intriguingly, black southerners are more conservative than blacks elsewhere, though less conservative than their white neighbours.
The political effect of these differences is increasing. For historical reasons (Republicans having been the anti-slavery party in the civil war), white southerners were part of the Democratic coalition, circumscribing for many years the political impact of southern conservatism. Now, as the region becomes more Republican, that conservatism is getting noisier.
In contrast, multiculturalism is deeply entrenched in blue states. The states with the highest levels of immigration of Latinos and Asians include New York, New Jersey, New Mexico and California—what Mr Frey calls America's new melting-pots. Mr Gore won all of them, except Texas and Florida. These were special cases: both had governors called Bush; both had seen the largest inflow from other parts of America of white immigrants, who tend to be more conservative.
The differences between the two Americas seem to be getting sharper. A new survey of American values by Pew finds greater social and sexual tolerance, yet also more strictness on matters of personal morality. The number of people saying they completely agree that there are clear and universal guidelines about good and evil has risen from one-third to two-fifths in the space of 15 years.
One of America's characteristic features is its sunny optimism, the sense that anything is possible. Yet there is an 18-point gap between the number of Democrats and Republicans who agree with the statement “I don't believe there are any real limits to growth in this country today.” Democrats are usually keener than Republicans to urge the administration to pay attention to domestic issues. This gap has widened from three points in 1997 to 16 points now. On America's role in the world, the importance of military strength and patriotism itself, the gap between the parties has never been wider.
So if there is a revival of exceptionalism—in the sense both of greater divergence from other countries, and of policies based on it—it will be controversial. Red states are likely to welcome it. Blue states probably will not.
The south has been changing from Democrat to Republican, but in reality the south has not changed in the traditionalist/exceptionalist direction. Rather, the change has been in the Democrats who have moved far away from it and as such away from southern appeal.
The other area is the rust belt, which is currently in a state of flux. Pennsylvania is becoming stronger for the Democrats. Illinois is even further along. Ohio was dangerously close last Presidential race for a state barely contested. Meanwhile, Wisconsin and Minnesota, normally Democrat states, have been drifting rightward. This is the real battelground, and I think Mr. Parker has hit on how this battle can be engaged by the Republicans. It has to be engaged using American Exceptionalism, to revive the positive feelings of the traditionalists in the suburbs who are being swayed to the Democrats. We must do this before the nature of the region changes.
The song that came to mind was one which came, naturally, from the South, and it came during the first revival of American Exceptionalism- the Reagan Revolution.
Well the eagle's been flyin' slowI had not heard that song in ages here in western Pennsylvania, until 9/11. I hear it regularly now. We can tap into the optimistic feelings and pride that come with the boastful side of American Exceptionalism and try to win back the parts of the rust belt which are slipping away from us. We can do it using the calls for unity, tradition, and pro-America feelings which are the strength of the south; we can tap into Reagan nostalgia. And if Howard Dean is the nominee, we will have almost the perfect candidates for us to fight this partisan battle. George Bush, the amiable, likable, optimistic individualist American, and Howard Dean, the angry, belligerent, self-proclaimed-metrosexual, Eurocentrist. The only thing that could be better is if Dean chooses a southern VP nominee, mistakenly assuming that the south is the battleground and not the midwest.
And the flag's been flyin' low
And a lotta people sayin' that America's
fixin' to fall
Well speakin' just for me
And some people from Tennessee
We've got a thing or two to tell you all
This lady may have stumbled
But she aint never failed
And if the Russians don't believe that
They can all go straight to hell
We're gonna put her feet back
On the path of righteousness and then
God bless America again
And you never did think
That it ever would happen again
( In America, did you )
You never did think
That we'd ever get together again
( We damn sure could )
Yeah, we're walkng real proud
And we're talkin' real loud again
( In America )
You never did think
That it ever would happen again
From The Sound up in Long Island
Out to San Francisco Bay
And everthing that's in between them
Is our own
And we may have done a little bit
Of fightin' amongst ourselves
But you outside people best leave us alone
'Cause we'll all stick together
And you can take that to the bank
That's the cowboys and the hippies
And the rebels and and the yanks
You just go and lay your hand
On a Pittsburgh Steelers' fan
And I think you're gonna finally
understand
And you never did think
That it ever would happen again
( In America, did you )
You never did think
That we'd ever get together again
( We damn sure could )
Yeah, we're walkng real proud
And we're talkin' real loud again
( In America )
You never did think
That it ever would happen again
Hannity plays it all the time.