Michael Kinsley takes on the whole notion of “optimism” today as only Kinsley can. I wish I had something interesting to add to this, but I actually just wanted to recommend the column.
Kinsley notes that “optimism” has not only been identified as Reagan’s best quality, but also as a characteristic that consultants insist is necessary for political success.
Reagan’s death took what was already a festival of optimism in American politics and turned it into an orgy. Optimism has long been on every short list of “quintessentially American” qualities. After Reagan’s two sweeping victories, it became a great cliche of political analysis as well: The more optimistic candidate almost always wins. This insight is like those studies showing that the taller presidential candidate almost always wins (the 2004 election will be an interesting test of that one), with the crucial difference that you can’t do much about your height. By contrast you can ladle on the optimism all you want.
Thanks to Reagan, optimism is considered an essential ingredient of any presidential candidate’s public self-presentation. They all say they have it; their opponents accuse them of lacking it. A typical American politician would sooner admit to being a bigamist than a pessimist.
But the funny part about “optimism” is that only works when you’re the incumbent.
Consider, for example, the text of Bush’s latest TV ad, which happens to be called, “Pessimism.”
Bush: I’m George W. Bush and I approve this message.
I’m optimistic about America because I believe in the people of America.
Announcer: After recession, 9-11 and war, now our economy has been growing for ten straight months. The largest tax relief in history. 1.4 million jobs added since August. Inflation, interest and mortgage rates low. Record homeownership. John Kerry’s response? He’s talking about the Great Depression.
One thing’s sure . . . Pessimism never created a job.
This is idiotic on several levels, but let’s just focus on the one Kinsley mentioned.
It’s a bit of a cheat for the incumbent to accuse his opponent of pessimism. By the very nature of elections, the side in power is going to argue that things are going well, and the side in opposition is going to argue that things are going badly. It is awfully convenient for the side in power if the canons of optimism forbid any assertion that things are going badly — even if they are.
That, of course, is the whole idea of Bush’s optimism offensive. Kerry has brought up the Great Depression to point out that Bush, as of now, is the first president since then to suffer a net loss of jobs. Bush says the important issue here isn’t the loss of jobs, or even the truth of Kerry’s statement (which he doesn’t challenge) but the very reference itself.
Exactly. The Bush campaign, at a minimum, deserves credit for being a little clever. For months, any and all criticisms of Bush were inherently “unpatriotic.” Now that it’s the campaign season, any and all concerns about the state of the nation are inherently “pessimistic.” If John Kerry were optimistic, the argument goes, then he wouldn’t be pointing out all the terrible things Bush has done as president. I’ll have to remember this in 2008 when Kerry is running for re-election.
In fact, wasn’t Bush the ultimate pessimist just four years ago, when the country was enjoying unprecedented peace and prosperity? He complained about plenty of things — taxes, military readiness, lawsuits against his corporate buddies, a lack of government exploitation of religion, etc. — and promised to make things better. That’s what candidates do.
As recently as the 2000 election, today’s President Georgie Sunshine was eager to spread pessimism and gloom. And apparently he remained optimism-deficient until recently. What else can explain the job losses of his first three years as president?
We don’t want a president who sees the silver lining in every cloud. We want a president who sees the cloud and dispels it. We want someone who will make the objective situation justify optimism, not someone who is optimistic in any objective situation. If optimism is hard-wired into the American character, it should be especially important to have someone sober at the wheel of the car. Of course, such clear-headedness is a hopeless ideal. But it is odd that politicians of every stripe now promise that their vision will be clouded.
And if forced to choose between a leader whose vision is clouded by optimism and one whose vision is clouded by pessimism, there is a good case that pessimism is the more prudent choice. Another name for pessimism is a tragic sensibility. It is a vivid awareness that things can go wrong, and often have. An optimist thinks he can pop over to Iraq, knock Saddam Hussein off his perch, establish democracy throughout the Middle East and be home in time for dinner. A pessimist knows better.