Peggy Noonan: On Loving America

Peggy Noonan wrote speeches for Ronald Reagan. She helped get George HW Bush elected. She has been consulted regarding The West Wing. And she has been a weekly columnist for The The Wall Street Journal for almost a quarter of a century writing columns that have won her a Pulitzer – and now have been partially compiled into one forthcoming book called A certain idea of ​​America.

“What’s that idea?” Peggy writes in the excerpt we’re publishing today. “That she is good. That she has value. That from birth she was something new in human history, a progress, a progress.” After a week of doomerism about our democracy, we thought our readers deserved to read her hopeful words about what she describes as “our continuing miracle, America.”

From Joe Biden’s lust for power to Taylor Swift’s magic and, yes, Donald Trump’s insanity, A certain idea of ​​America examines the most powerful forces that have shaped our nation over the past decade. It’s out on November 19th, and we’re delighted to announce that Peggy has chosen to spend release day with us, as our next Free press Book Club guest. Bari Weiss will host in New York City – and you’re all invited. There will be an open bar. What are you waiting for? We expect this to sell out quickly, so reserve your ticket now by clicking here.

But first: Peggy’s essay. Part of the purpose of The Free press The Book Club must reflect on older books that speak to new ones, and in this piece Peggy recommends three that she writes “touch on the why, how, and what of loving America.” We hope you love reading about them as much as we did. —The editors

The famous first sentence of Charles de Gaulle War memories most happily translates as: “All my life I have had a certain idea about France.” It struck me when I first read it many years ago and stayed with me because all my life I have had a certain idea about America.

What is that idea? That she is good. That she has value. That from birth she was something new in human history, a progress, a progress. Its founders were engaged in the highest form of human achievement, making assumptions and creating arrangements by which life could be made more: just. In its history I saw something fabled. The genius cluster of the founders, for example: How did it happen that those special people came together at that particular moment with exactly the right, different but complementary gifts? Long ago I asked the historian David McCullough if he ever wondered about this. He said yes, and the only explanation he could come up with was, “Provided.” This is also where my mind settles.