Opinion: America's story of us

View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. Monday, February 6, 2017 [The New York Times]( [NYTimes.com/Opinion »]( [Opinion]( Monday, February 6, 2017 If any number of things had gone the other way — James Comey, Russian interference, a less distrusted nominee — the Democrats might now be starting their third straight term in office. And of course Hillary Clinton did win the popular vote, by no small margin. So I understand why many sober Democrats have urged the party not to exaggerate the political lessons from the 2016 election. But it would also be a mistake to underreact. Presidential politics are, by far, the party’s strong suit — and it still couldn’t beat Donald Trump. In addition to the White House, Republicans hold the House, the Senate and about two out of every three [governorships]( and [state legislatures](. Keep this Republican dominance in mind as you mull [Ross Douthat’s most recent column]( which ran in the Sunday paper. He describes the dominant story that liberals tell themselves and voters as one in which America is “a propositional nation bound together by ideas rather than any specific cultural traditions — a nation of immigrants drawn to Ellis Island, a nation of minorities claiming rights too long denied, a universal nation destined to welcome foreigners and defend liberty abroad.” This story stands in opposition to the more traditional American narrative that was “particularist as well as universalist” and once adopted by both liberals and conservatives: “Our founders built a new order atop specifically European intellectual traditions. Our immigrants joined a settler culture, Anglo-Saxon and Protestant, that demanded assimilation to its norms.” I reject the idea that today’s American story should be a Protestant or Anglo-Saxon story (and Douthat does too). But his column makes a crucial point: The universalist narrative that stirs passion and patriotism in so many liberals has failed to win over most parts of the country that don’t touch an ocean. The heartland instead prefers an image of America more closely tied to the country’s cultural past. The Democrats won’t win parts of this argument, because they can’t (and shouldn’t) abandon their positions in favor of civil rights, gun control and separation of church and state. But there are other issues, especially economic ones, that play to the Democrats’ strengths. The party would be wise to spend some time thinking about how to construct a story about the country’s future that’s less skittish about honoring its past. If you think I’m being harsh, remember that many Democrats are [no longer comfortable]( naming events after Thomas Jefferson. The full Opinion report from The Times follows, including Eric Posner on [Trump condemning a judge]( John Yoo on [the trouble with Trump’s executive orders]( and Mimi Swartz on [Houston’s Supersize Super Bowl](. David Leonhardt Op-Ed Columnist  Editorial [The Finger on the Nuclear Button]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD Atomic scientists say that President Trump is the main reason for a worrisome development.  Op-Ed Columnist [Frederick Douglass]( [A Lesson in Black History]( By CHARLES M. BLOW Donald Trump has much to learn from Frederick Douglass. Op-Ed Columnist [Springtime for Scammers]( By PAUL KRUGMAN Making financial predators great again.  ADVERTISEMENT  Op-Ed Contributor [Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, showing paperwork that compares the makeup of the Trump administration’s National Security Council to those of previous administrations.]( [I Was on the National Security Council. Bannon Doesn’t Belong There.]( By MICHAEL G. MULLEN The president shouldn’t allow partisan politics to taint deliberations at the council.  Editorial [Carolyn Bryant and her husband, holding their sons, at his murder trial in 1955.]( [Black Lives, White Lies and Emmett Till]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD More than 60 years later, a key witness has finally told the truth. Editorial [Attorney General Bob Ferguson announcing a proposal to ban the death penalty in Washington State.]( [A Wiser Generation of Prosecutors]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD Some new district attorneys are thinking differently about their powerful role in the justice system.  Taking Note [Melissa McCarthy impersonating Sean M. Spicer, the White House press secretary, on “Saturday Night Live.”]( [Why Melissa McCarthy Had to Play Sean Spicer]( By ANNA NORTH She showed that cross-gender casting can be a lot more interesting than just putting a man in a dress.  Harry Campbell [Op-Ed Contributor]( [Executive Power Run Amok]( By JOHN YOO Even those of us who support a strong president are concerned.  Op-Ed Contributor [President Trump with Judge Neil Gorsuch in the East Room of the White House after announcing Mr. Gorsuch as his nominee for the Supreme Court.]( [Gorsuch Must Condemn Trump’s Attack on a Judge]( By ERIC POSNER The Supreme Court nominee is highly qualified, but should lose his support if he doesn’t stand up for judicial integrity. Op-Ed Contributor [Protesting in New York against President Trump’s executive order banning certain immigrants from entering the United States.]( [Five Reasons the Opposition Is in Good Shape to Fight Trump]( By JAVIER CORRALES The president’s adversaries in the U.S. are not confused, fragmented, demoralized or alone. That’s an advantage in their battle against Trumpism. Op-Ed Contributor [The ransacked sanctuary at St. George’s church in Qaraqosh, Iraq, in November.]( [Donald Trump’s Phony Compassion for Christians]( By TOM MALINOWSKI The president says he wants to favor the victims of religious persecution, but his order would cut the number of such refugees the country admits. The Stone [Rethinking Our Patriotism]( By GARY GUTTING There is no shared American ideal. Clashing visions and political conflict are at the core of our national being. Op-Ed Contributor [A sign stating “Quebec in mourning” at a rally near the Islamic Cultural Center in Quebec City last month.]( [Meanwhile in Canada … Things Are Just as Bad]( By SCAACHI KOUL Americans who imagine escaping to a liberal utopia are in for a rude awakening. On Campus [‘I’m Afraid It Will Make Terrorism Worse’]( By HADIL MANSOOR AL-MOWAFAK A Yemeni college student writes about the effect Trump’s ban on refugees could have on Americans. Contributing Op-Ed Writer [Houston’s Supersize Super Bowl]( By MIMI SWARTZ They sure know how to hold a party here. Oh, and there’s a football game.  ADVERTISEMENT  Sunday Review [Why Nobody Cares the President Is Lying]( By CHARLES J. SYKES In the conservative media, we conditioned people not to trust facts or mainstream news outlets.  Letters [Dane’e McCree with her daughters, Marleigh, left, and Brooklyn, in Grand Junction, Colo. “I can’t even feel it when my kids hug me,” Ms. McCree said after a breast reconstruction surgery.]( [Numb After Breast Reconstruction]( Plastic surgeons and patients discuss the problem and a failure to communicate.  SIGN UP FOR THE OP-DOCS NEWSLETTER Watch [new Op-Docs]( read discussions with filmmakers and find out about upcoming events.  FOLLOW OPINION [Facebook] [FACEBOOK]( [Twitter] [@nytopinion]( [Pinterest] [Pinterest]( Get more [NYTimes.com newsletters »]( | Get unlimited access to NYTimes.com and our NYTimes apps for just $0.99. [Subscribe »]( ABOUT THIS EMAIL You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's Opinion Today newsletter. 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