First Principles

After skewering the origins and logic of hippy bumper stickers “Dissent is the Highest Form of Patriotism” and “Patriotism is the Last Refuge of Scoundrels,” the New York Post’s Ralph Peters takes on Obama’s campaign sloganeering:

My fellow Americans, there is nothing audacious about hope. Hope is what makes people buy lottery tickets instead of paying the bills. Hope is for the old gals feeding the slots in Atlantic City. It destroys the inner-city kid who quits school because he hopes he’ll be a world-famous recording artist.

Yes, hope can work to positive effect, sustaining us in the face of grave misfortunes. But there’s nothing audacious about it. “The audacity of hope” is blubbering gobbledy-gook.

Audacity is for innovators, risk-takers and crusaders – for those willing to stand in the fire of public opinion and tell a million people they’re wrong and here’s why. Audacity’s not for the passive mob hoping government will fix everything (while blaming government for everything).

Hope is the opposite of audacity. It’s passive, an excuse for inaction.

Awesome.