Missing the Pointe

President Biden spoke yesterday at Pointe du Hoc in Normandy where he recalled the sacrifices of American servicemen who stormed the beaches of France on D-Day to liberate Europe and the world from fascism.  He said that the remaining veterans of D-Day were "asking us to do our job, to protect freedom in our time, to defend democracy, to stand up to aggression abroad and at home to be part of something bigger than ourselves."

But many Americans don't care about that, because gas prices are too high, and besides, Joe Biden himself is too old to be President.

Biden's speech put him in good company with President Ronald Reagan, who gave a similar speech espousing freedom and wanting against American complacency and isolationism back in June 1984.  But Americans, leading their daily lives and barely cognizant of the threat to democracy at home and abroad, can't be bothered to care about the rest of the world.  It's worth noting that Americans have historically tended to care only about two countries - their own and whatever country their ancestors came from, though thanks to forty years of supply-side economics - part of the Reagan Revolution - Americans don't even care about any of that now. They're too busy thinking of themselves and their own lots, and although Biden offers policies that will help them personally, he also asks them to give back, which Donald Trump encourages people not to bother with even as he encourages them to get what they want without concern for anyone else.  Because apart from restoring the Wollman skating rink in New York's Central Park - which he probably only did for the publicity - when has Trump done anything for anyone?

As for the rest of the world . . . yeah, too many Americans think they live in the greatest country in the world and have no interest in traveling to any other. Especially when supply-side economics means they couldn't afford to travel abroad even if they wanted to.  And with Trump still a formidable contender for the Presidency once again, even those who can afford to travel abroad likely won't be able to - for reasons I already articulated back in January.

All I can say is, Luke Russert should be glad he went to see the rest of the world and find himself while gaining invaluable worldliness before it was to late.