The elements of an American comeback — according to you
I’ve been thinking about dramatic comebacks lately. Being down, almost hopelessly so, and then somehow overcoming all the odds.
Some of this is about the national election in Hungary, which in April saw Viktor Orban ousted as prime minister, sending the right-winger packing after decades of having an iron grip on power.
And some of this is about NBA point guard Jalen Brunson who led the New York Knicks to a glorious national championship on Saturday night, after the team was so down in game after game of its final series against the San Antonio Spurs that victory seemed impossible.
“You’re allowed to think about the worst possible scenario,” Brunson told an interviewer, “but you’ve got to go out there and do something about it.”
That was after the Knicks overcame a 29 point deficit to win Game 4 of their series. (If you want to read a great story about New York City’s reaction to the championship win, check out this beautifully written piece (gift link) by Matt Flegenheimer in the New York Times. It’s aptly titled, “Knicks Give Their City Something New: Impossible Joy.”)
Things may look impossibly grim, but you’ve got to go out and do something about it. As Antonio Gramsci put it, pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will.
Hungarians, sliding ever deeper toward authoritarianism, did something about it.
The Knicks, after a 53-year drought, did something about it.
And now, let’s talk about an American comeback. I’m shocked almost every day at how distressing things are right now as Donald Trump’s unrestrained second term acts as a wrecking ball on our democracy, our global reputation, and our values
But let’s say America can come back. Let’s say America does what Hungary has done, what the Knicks have done, and in literature, what Odysseus and Gandalf did. What happens after falling into the abyss? What can happen?
If America is to come back, reassert its democratic goals, and overcome this awful time, we must “do something about it.”
And in order to do something about it, we must have eyes on the prize, again like Brunson who through tears described winning the championship as “everything I’ve ever dreamed of.”
So, in this post, I ask you to tell me one element of your vision for an American Comeback. And I’ll tell you mine.
Dream big. And be specific.
Maybe it’s getting dark money out of politics. Maybe it’s fully establishing voting rights for all Americans. Maybe it’s expanding or reforming the Supreme Court. Maybe it’s an ambitious rethinking of public education with an eye to creating good citizens.
To use the expression that was coined in the bestselling business-management book “Built to Last,” What’s your BHAG (pronounced “bee-hag”)? What’s your “Big Hairy Audacious Goal” for an American comeback?
Microsoft wanted “to put a computer on every desk and in every home.” NASA’s goal was to send a man to the moon and bring him back safely.
Please tell me yours, and I’ll devote a post soon to some of them.
When I was editor of the Buffalo News, I told the staff my BHAG — I wanted us to be the best regional newspaper in America. We had some mighty stiff competition, and probably didn’t get there compared to the Boston Globe, the (then-named) St. Petersburg Times and the Miami Herald, among others, but we won prizes and did important public-service journalism. I think setting the goal, as a North Star, was important.
And, in keeping with that, my own BHAG for the American comeback is to rebuild local journalism, which has declined so precipitously in the past two decades. That decline has resulted in an ever-expanding map of “news deserts,” where the public has little or no source of news about where they live. (The Buffalo News, which still does good work and is essential in Western New York, has not been immune; the newsroom staff I led, which numbered about 200 for many years, is only a quarter of that now. And the paper is printed in Cleveland, rather than on-site in Buffalo. A nonprofit reporting outlet, Investigative Post, founded by News alumnus Jim Heaney, helps to fill the gap. But the loss is still crushing.)
The results of the national decline are far-reaching. When local news diminishes, politics become more polarized, people become less engaged in their communities, and we lose the common ground of facts — and truth — that are the foundation of our democracy. An important nonprofit organization, RebuildLocalNews.org, revealed last week that local governments are paying roughly $1 billion more each year in excess costs because of the loss of public oversight; too often, the local press is no longer a watchdog on government.
That organization, run by Steve Waldman, has practical ideas about how to attack the problem. And some organizations like Press Forward and the American Journalism Project are making headway. I wrote about this sweeping problem and possible solutions here.
In addition, this is too small to qualify as a BHAG, but I’d also like to see the White House and its grounds restored to the beauty they had before the wrecking ball hit. Read my former Washington Post colleague, the brilliant Monica Hesse, about the latest White House embarrassment in this gift link.
Please think about your BHAG for an American comeback and let me know in the comments. And thanks so much for supporting this effort of mine with your interest and your subscriptions. I’d love to change this newsletter’s name someday from American Crisis to American Comeback. You can help.
My background: I am a Lackawanna, NY native who started my career as a summer intern at the Buffalo News, my hometown daily. After years as a reporter and editor, I was named the paper’s first woman editor in chief in 1999, and ran the 200-person newsroom for almost 13 years. Starting in 2012, I served as the first woman “public editor” of the New York Times — an internal media critic and reader representative — and later was the media columnist for the Washington Post. These days, I write here on Substack, as well as for the Guardian US. I’ve also written two books, taught journalism ethics, and won a few awards, including three for defending First Amendment principles.
The purpose of ‘American Crisis’: My aim is to use this newsletter (it started as a podcast in 2023) to push for the kind of journalism we need for our democracy to function — journalism that is accurate, fair, mission-driven and public-spirited. That means that I point out the media’s flaws and failures when necessary.
What I ask of you: Shortly after Trump’s election in November of 2024, I removed the paywall so that everyone could read and comment. I thought it was important in this dire moment and might be helpful. If you are able to subscribe at $50 a year or $8 a month, or upgrade your unpaid subscription, that will help to support this venture — and keep it going for all. Thank you!