quoting patriotism, and the economy.

last night i read 4 really interesting articles. it should be no surprise that most focused on the upcoming election and the candidates to sell more issues.

the articles in Fortune (seldomly read, and received monthly for cashed in frequent flier miles*) focuses more on...well the financial/economic aspects of the candidates, whereas Time (flipped through occasionally thanks to the work/media hookup*) focused on the broader topic of defining patriotism along the ends of the political spectrum, while also examining essays written by both candidates on the very same topic.

while you should definitely go read all of these articles for yourself, here are the Raman highlights.

FORTUNE: both candidates were asked a series of questions, their answers placed next to each other. the first question: "what do you see as the gravest long-term threat to the U.S. economy?

OBAMA: "if we don't get a handle on our energy policy, it is possible that the kinds of trends we've seen over the last year will just continue. demand is clearly outstripping supply. it's not a problem we can drill our way out of. it can be a drag on our economy for a very long time unless we take steps to innovate and invest inthe research and development that's requred to find alternative fuels. i think it's very important for the federal government to have a role in that process. [further article]

McCAIN: "well, i would thin that the absolute gravest threat is the struggle that we're in against Islamic extremism, which can affect, if they prevail, our very existence. another successful attack on the United States of America could have devastating consequences. [further article]

i'll just let these responses sink in. when asked a question about the ECONOMY, one candidate made a rational answer related to supply/demand and the current energy crisis. the other subtly brought up fear tactics to play up their national security credentials. it's easier to dodge a question/use misdirection in a speech, but in the written word, it just makes you look foolish. the remaining articles paint an interesting picture of each candidate, favoring neither one over the other, but that first question i found to be VERY revealing.

now let's shift gears over to the Time article.

as mentioned earlier, the premise focused on the perception/definition of patriotism across the polar US political ideologies, conservative and liberal, and tried to reconcile them against each other.

to make it even more interesting, each candidate, Obama and McCain, were asked write an essay on their views of patriotism (which brought the article's tenants further to life). definitely go read each essay, and the article, but in the meantime, here are quite a few (selective) quotes from the bigger article that really struck me:

"conservatives think patriotism is a tribute to the past."

• "...they also believe that comparing America with other countries is beside the point. it's like your family: it doesn't matter whether it's objectively better than someone else's. you love it because it is yours"
• "...[Americans] are also bound together by a set of inherited traditions that immigrants must be encouraged - even required - to adopt. and [conservatives] fret that if newcomers don't assimilate into the common culture, they won't be truly patriotic."

"liberals believe [patriotism is] a key to the future."

• "for liberals America is less a common culture than a set of ideals about democracy, equality and the rule of law. American history is a chronicle of the distance between those ideals and reality. And American patriotism is the struggle to narrow the gap. Thus, patriotism isn't about hono9ring and replicating the past; it's about surpassing it."
• "there is something vaguely farcical about conservative panic over Mexican flags in Los Angeles when Irish flags have long festooned streets on St.Patrick's day."
• "but if conservative patriotism can be too exclusionary, liberal patriotism risks not being exclusionary enough. if liberals love America purely because it embodies ideals like liberty, justice and equality, why shouldn't they love Canada even more?"

"if conservatives tend to see patriotism as an inheritance from a glorious past, liberals see it as the promise of a future that redeems the past."

"when it comes to patriotism, conservatives and liberals need each other, because love of country requires both affirmation and criticism. patriotism should be proud but not blind, critical yet loving."

have a happy fourth of July. especially all you Brits.

*these disclaimers are made so you don't think i'm a regular reader/fan of these publications. one is too haughty, the other too McNews-ish for me. i prefer to get my news from the Economist (though soon to be the Week), BBCNews.com, Week in Review, and Google News about 30 mins before Week in Review. it's sad when a majority of your news intake comes from other countries and funny drawings.