Bush’s Original Sin Revisited

To the Sacrifice Generation, the original sin of President George W. Bush was that in the wake of the September 11th attacks he gave no call for national sacrifice. He had an approval rating in the 90s, the good will of the nation, and the political capital to ask for the moon and get it from the American population. We would have saved more money. We would have sent our children to war in numbers that rivaled World War II. We would have committed ourselves to complete reimaginings of healthcare, social security, NASA, transportation, or energy. We would have done anything. “Fortunately” for us, all he asked was what we already wanted to do: shop.

His clarion call for national action consisted of asking Americans to mob malls and conspicuously consume in order to support the American economy. There was no call for sacrifice. There was no was request that we put aside personal good for common good.

Howard Kurtz has noted that President Obama is repeating that original sin. He has refused to ask Americans to sacrifice for a national healthcare plan. This is inexcusable. We’ve already posted that healthcare isn’t cheap and shouldn’t be treated like it is. The president owes it to the country to level with us: “This will be expensive. This will be costly. But it will be worthwhile. It will help the country. I am asking you all to sacrifice now to make our children better off.”

Americans will respond to this challenge. We want this challenge. Our country has always found its better angels when giving of itself to forward a cause worthwhile. We are better than the president is giving us credit for.