Okay so our newest generation of voters have no living memory of before the Berlin wall. To whom “Better dead then Red” sounds more like commentary of the red and blue state map then the threat of Soviet invasion. I’m one of that generation. I was born before but memories are fleeting and Sesame Street was never brought to me by the color Red Menace.
In short Russia isn’t so much the Enemy as it is the land of furry hats and vodka (and maybe dudes from the 22nd century looking for “nuclear wessels” for the geeks).
In the past the public perception of socialism = communism was a common political tactic to argue against socialistic things such as universal healthcare, safety nets, and general government.
Now in this brave new world we don’t have that boogie man. We have Canada and Sweden.
Sure China is a large country with Communistic ideals but we buy all our stuff from them. They’re not really marketed as a threat to our nation the way the USSR was. They’re a business partner.
There’s also North Korea but who in America actually feels like North Korea is a real threat. We cut off the foreign aid and they starve. What are they going to do to us? Even if North Korea is a threat it isn’t a major meme in the public perceptions.
Instead we have the examples of Europe and Canada where everyone gets health care and Euro countries like Norway and Sweden which boost some of the happiest people. Most of which have social safety nets to catch you if you fall and average qualities of life (if ranked by happiness, and health) that are on par or better then the average American’s.
Plus recent failures are generally (whether right or wrongly) blamed on the right.
I think we’re heading farther to the left. Not as far as Europe is (some of that our Constitution and national philosophy doesn’t support) but alot farther then seemed possible a mere generation ago.
The Bush administration sure tried it’d damndest to turn terrorism/radical Islam into the new boogieman (sp?). But the worst it had to offer as perpetual enemies were a stateless terrorist group, a bunch of tribesmen in Afghanistan, and Iran- a country where the Revolution is now growing grey hair and which at worst might someday develop nukes, if Israel doesn’t obliterate them first. The fact that Bushco had to sell the pathetic claim that Iraq represented an international threat shows just how far down the barrel they were scraping for enemies.
Frankly I wish isolationism would make a comeback and we could move on to a post-superpower USA. But sadly, empires almost never decline gracefully and they usually make the mistake of expending themselves trying to cling to glory.
I’d go with Islam as the likely future boogy man. Cold war with China would require a complete restructure of our economy. Plus they kind of have us by the balls debt wise.
If a man owes you ten thousand dollars, he’s got a problem. If a man owes you ten million dollars, you’ve got a problem. If it comes to economic hardball, our dependance on China is nothing compared to China’s dependance on us.
To the OP: Human nature creates conflict of some kind or another, sooner or later. There’s always an enemy for everyone. Sorry.
I vote for Islam. The fact that Obama’s association with a colleague who is a moderate Palestinian can be used against him in a presidential campaign isn’t exactly McCarthyism, but it is headed down that road.
It’s the nature of what that enemy is the debate I guess. What I’m saying is “that’s socialist/communist!” is losing it’s sting in America. Che Guevara, the Cuban revolutionary, is now fashionable to wear on your clothes. The irony of buying Che Guevara merchandise at The GAP not withstanding.
I’m hopeful it means we can start thinking with out heads more and institute a social safety net like virtually all the developed countries have.