I am just an amateur unlike some we have around here such as LS. I have to confess that I had more interest in European history (even Greek and Roman history) than American until the last ten yrs. when I began an in depth study of the Revolutionary period. This was the result of an interest stimulated by discussions on FR.
Though there are a lot of sorry stories and revolting episodes it does put a lot of things happening today in perspective. For instance, the Class Warfare card is one which has been played throughout our history since the rise of Jefferson and the Democrats. And we have always had a mendacious media which makes up lies out of whole cloth. Voter fraud has been endemic throughout our history starting with Aaron Burr and Tammany Hall in NYC. At one time some states even allowed illegal immigrants to legally vote. As bad as things seem today we have survived worse. I realize these are slender grounds for hope but they are at least there.
Bismarck once said “There is a Providence that protects idiots, drunkards, children and the United States of America.” When you study American history you have to agree.
Fair enough. Do you think though, that we have ever had a radical of the sort that Obama is, convinced as he is, that the country has been on a wrong path from the getgo, and dedicated to converting us to some kind of a neo-marxist utopia?
As flawed as our system is (see the unalterable changes that FDR blessed us with), can we ever recover from Obama?