Pages 22-23 of America Imagine a World Without Her

Dinesh D’souza

Progressive sometimes sound anti-American but they are not simply advocates of destruction. In destroying one America they seek to construct another: In other words, their unmaking is prelude to a remaking. So there is a vision of America that progressives affirm. It happens to be very different from, indeed antithetical to, the vision that conservatives affirm. Contrary to what we hear, the great American divide is not a clash between conservatives who advocate liberty versus progressives who oppose liberty. One side, for example, cherishes economic liberty while the other champions liberty in the sexual and social domain. Nor is it a clash between patriots and anti-patriots. Both sides loves the America of Columbus and the Fourth of July, of innovation and work and the “animal” spirit of capitalism, of the Boy Scouts and parochial schools, of traditional families and flag-saluting veterans. The other side loves the America of tolerance and social entitlements, of income and wealth distribution, of affirmative action and abortion, of feminism and gay marriage.

If patriotism isn’t the dividing line, neither is American exceptionalism. Again, both sides believe America is exceptional but one sided believes America is exceptionally good while other believes that America is exceptionally evil. One group considers America the good society; the other considers America the evil empire. Even here, conservatives bemoan certain aspects of modern America while progressives celebrate them, such as government-administered healthcare or forced acceptance of homosexual lifestyle.