The president seems to have a the center of his rhetoric. For 240 years now we have had a very unique tradition in america. We are the only country that was built specifically and explicitly on political ideals and universal political ideals at that. That is really the core root of andidentity, and unlike more so than any country in the world, we are based on that rather than a purely tribal or blood link cultural, historical identity that most of the countries are based on. That has given us a unique identity and also a unique mission and unique sense of greatness. You look at our tradition has not been what is generally considered great in the nation, wealth, power, glory over others, but the ideals that we were founded on. About what theg president has put at the center of much of his rhetoric is that we should stay true to those positions, finding our greatness by fulfilling our ideals rather than choosing to abandon them, adopting a sense of greatness that frankly is much more common and unremarkable in the world. Host we have a guest. Based in san francisco, joining us from las vegas, graduate of harvard university, studied at oxford and stanford. Let me put on the screen and also read to the Radio Audience an excerpt of what he wrote. The excerpt is Available Online at weeklystandard. Com. What is it that makes America Great . Winning. That was his Campaign Based upon. His language is never about political ideals. It is about defeating opponents, being better than the other guys. Greatnessof natural seems to be transferred from his views of what makes a business or individual, himself, great. Wealth, power, status, dealmaking. Can you elaborate . Daniel krauthammer the president s rhetoric is very different from almost any of president in our lifetime. Dont hear the president talk about things like the declaration of independence, of inalienable rights, the ,onstitution, freedom, liberty democracy. It are not his cash words for defining what makes America Great. They are things based on competition. That is where i get the central idea of winning as being at the center of his campaign and presidency. It is different than succeeding, which is something important. It is quite legitimate and important, the government does need to deliver for the American People and to succeed materially. The government owes their people. But the way he has framed the. Ntire argument is adversarial it is russ to win, others to lose. The fact other countries have torn apart and grow wealthy, that means we are losing by default. Think what is important is to push back against this idea the world is a zerosum competitive landscape, that we can only win if we blame others and push them down. ,hat is not how the world works particularly in the realm of economics, or in national security, but it also goes against the core ideals we have had the founding of our nation. For 202 7488000 democrats. 202 7488001 for republicans. 202 7488002. Excerpt from your essay. You have used the following, the nor theonal history connection between political ideals and love of country. Then have drawn a caricature of the other side of the debate. Is that what we saw in Great Britain with the vote of brexit . I think thatammer was a debate of a lot of relationships, and we go on to make the comparison that many of the proponents of this new nationalism or support or those arguments would actually be better employed in a situation like brexit. That was a situation where the country of the United Kingdom had given up lawmaking ability and Law Enforcement to a supranational entity. It was largely run by unelected bureaucrats. There is a second argument to be the arguments that these new nationalists deployed in an american sense, will work there. But we have not seated any authorities, and a supranational organizations to take away our lawmaking ability or enforce our own laws. There is no citizenship americans having any supernatural organization. America itself is a nation in nato, in the wto, in others, and that is a strategic choice, not a choice of political philosophy , whether america is part of a great world entity or not. Degree, that argument made in the United States of a caricature of the other side as distraction and implies the only answer to a very outofcontrol problem is this strong, trumpian nationalism. America has always upheld the principles of National Sovereignty and putting american secularists citizens interests first. Host as a regular contributor to the weekly standard, what kind of feedback do you get from your father, Charles Kraut hammer . He is a fox news contributor. Daniel krauthammer a little hard to avoid a connection with the last name. Not exactly smith or jones, so charles is my father. Time et this a long been at this a long time. We talk about politics time to time, but he has his views and i have mine. Host we will go to bill. Independent line. Caller good morning. I was wondering, just so happens i am looking at it now, not necessarily a proponent of his, but there was a column in the newspapers saying trump doesnt know what it is to know, very interesting article. ,hen talk to people about trump i recently retired, and from what point of view i did something you are supposed to do as an american. Im fairly good shape financially, healthwise and such, but i am afraid his lack of true knowledge about how to grow government could run the wheels off the bus. That is what frightens me. I know he does stuff i dont like, but is there a possibility he could do that . Host thank you. Daniel krauthammer thank you, bill, for the question. I read that calling your to referring to you are referring to. I am not as much a student of history as most we have had nor lifetime. Famously he is the first president never to have Held Elected Office or military office before taking the presidency. The experience had always been for his opponents, those that were more worried about him. View. A somewhat balanced someone who is certainly not one of the president s biggest fans when he came in office, i was more worried he could make andgs more unconventional pick a more inexperienced team. Looking at the people he surrounded himself with, there was a lot more return to convention and keeping within the bounds of traditionally defined how the American Government is run. The particularly in the president s speech and rhetoric, which is what i focus on in the piece, i am worried. I do think he is doing real havee to americas ideals some of the most important things the country is based on. At sign worried but helpful hopeful that president ran on being a friend of cyst and businessmen, and if he wants to succeed a pragmatist and businessmen, and if he wants to succeed, he will realize there is great wisdom and how the country has been run and how our ideals have been upheld for 240 years and move back to protecting those, safeguarding those. Host what makes America Great . The essay by our guest, daniel krauthammer. He writes the following. Deborah into manassas, virginia. Independent line. Caller that was a lot of words that really mean absolutely nothing. Host explain what you mean by that, deborah. Caller what are you saying . Sure thing,hammer deborah. I take it from your question you are making a point that the great ideals dont deliver for the American People, then what are they worth . That is feedback i have gotten, and largely that is the argument of a lot of i would say Trump Supporters on the other side, that you have to get down and actually deliver. That is absolutely true. I think one of the reasons the president was successful in his campaign against all expectations and won the presidency is that he called out really how much for the last 20 odd years the government has not delivered to the American People, particularly working classes in terms of showing the country a way to adapt to the 21st century, stagnating wages with all kinds of social problems. I think both parties have gotten lazy and not really did forward thinking possibilities to help americans the seed. Succeed. , i dont believe his agenda or the focus of his agenda will solve the question. The undue focus of blaming other countries for them it for manipulating us on trade, Illegal Immigrants, abusing us, while there are debates, generally speaking no one who studied the issue can argue that is what is Holding Americans back. If you look at what economists say, 80 of job losses in the Manufacturing Sector are from technological change, not from trade. Crime costs by Illegal Immigrants cannot be much over 5 or 6 of the total, and they commit crimes at later lower rates. That is not to say it is a problem, but fixing those the realwill solve challenges facing americans is not true. Argument would be we need to figure out actual policies that will help people but state road to the underlying stay true to the underlying principles. Abandoning them will not help anyone materially, but it will help us, which is far more valuable. Host which leads us to another excerpt. Let me share with the audience part of what he wrote again, what makes America Great . Do you want to elaborate . Daniel krauthammer i touched on this a bit going through, but that will always be a thing that made me wary the way the president was campaigning . It was something we lose. Are all around winning and beating the other guy, very much the competitive zerosum, nationalistic aspect. What he leaves behind is what has made is different. You look across the world, most based on historically a sense of nationhood not based on the go ideals, universal truths, the fact that this tribe grew up in this area, they have the same ethnicity, and that is what defines them of being a member of that nation. Our ideals have become more and more a part of other countries as well, but what always made us unique is not to fall back on that more try ballistic tribalistic sense. The ideals that bring us together, not just members born into a nation but citizens of a democratic public who Work Together to fulfill the mission. Host next is joe joining us from somerset, new jersey. Caller good morning, cspan does a great job. You, haveammer, did you ever met the president even before he ran or before he got into politics at all, had dinner or talked with them . Daniel krauthammer i have not. Caller so that is number one. In one of your points you are way off basis. I believe he is talking about what you are talking about in nationalism. How i look at it, how he is talking about it and how he is right on with everything he says is to first all the miners and coal. We should never give up our advantages as a nation. Our nation was founded why did we take the at lets go the alaska purchase . If we threw that away, the leaders decided you cant touch the caribou, cant do this. If we give up the advantages you mentioned is is important. Race is important. Think, iok at what i see it every day, there are groups of people who stand on corners waiting for work that dont claim the honest government the unemployment insurance, that dont do the same jobs. That is not what america is about. We dont want these type of their, and we dont want language. They dont adapt to us. Host we will get a response. Daniel krauthammer thank you for the response. I would say to that which i think our arguments, counter arguments i have run into, many points you are making are not about the nationalism versus american exceptionalism debate if you are talking about Environmental Policies or call our natural resources. Resources. Natural it has nothing to do with the rest of the world, deciding that we either want to protect some areas from exploitation or we want to maximize our resource extraction. That is a debate to be had. But not quite on this issue, same for many issues i think conservatives of whom i am one take issue with the law on the other side and maybe agree with the president on policies, but that does not align with the adoption of a Different National outlook and idea of what makes americans americans. That connects to the second part. Bout immigration i think the president has adopted a line that is certainly i am of the opinion that taking control of our borders and making sure laws are obeyed, ilLegal Immigration does not outweigh Legal Immigration the way it does now. It does not mean we should have a hostility to immigration in general. There is debate to be held on , what percentage of the population we can take in your at it by year at a time. We have had high grip high rates by american standards. That debate aside, we should recognize what makes as americans as being citizens not having been born here or having generations back to the country. The fact we are citizens here together, a part of the same fabric. Brid we are a part of the neighborhood and serve each other and believe in the same fundamental rights we are endowed with. President s the rhetoric departs from that in a way we have not seen from president s in our lifetime. Host coasttocoast on sirius xm and the potus channel. 124. Sirius xm we have david krauthammer, his piece is Available Online at weeklystandard. Com. Upler i wanted to bring what appears great is the apparent contradiction between the system and capitalism and the democracy has transformed that makes the system coherent to the people who are exploited in the fact that if one is a the strength of democracy belongs to its ability to create the illusion of freedom. People are deluded into believing they are free, that is a good way to help the capitalists continue their commerce, so is a great trance portion just information from the real. Steve your response. Daniel krauthammer i guess anthony is making a strong argument from a communist or marxist Historical Perspective there, which i certainly disagree with that outlook. I would say in response to historical setting, capitalism and the free pursuit of ones own interests as always been important. The government has no extent of that. We have seen the pursuit of happiness includes everyones rights to figure out and pursue goals in their own ways, to work to their own goals. While with the advance of history and technology and the changes of the economy we have gone through in two and four years, a debt that our system to be more supportive adapted our system to be more supportive and have economic ties between citizens, and the constitution has allowed us to adapt as history proceeds. Is something both parties need to do to figure out how to help the American People stay employed, have good jobs. Actually deliver for the American People. Steve we have a few remaining moments. Some reaction from california, mr. Krauthammer makes good points. The problem is we are dealing with a president who knows nothing from history. In this, has occurred to you he doesnt even know what those are . He is the most unstudied president ever. Daniel krauthammer we think there is a point in those tweets. The president on quite a few occasions especially recently has said some things about American History that dont make a lot of sense, do not line up with the facts, and heres the a student of much history he is, how much you appreciate how special the country is, and the flippancy that he sometimes evinces when talking about the most important events in American History and not understanding the point of the civil war and what the moral meaning of that was. ,t does reinforce this worry these same ideas i wrote in the piece that i hope the president comes to a greater understanding, greater appreciation of the uniqueness and specialness that we have in our history and not let it go to the wayside, not let it become just any old country that doesnt have that kind of incredible history. Steve jean, you get the last question from texas. Be brief. Caller thank you. In 2017, i was reading, i read new world speech from the 1930s. I was led there by a journalist article referred to a magazine and excerpt. Can you make parallels between nationalism today in the new world order speeches of the 1930s . Steve thank you, jane. Daniel krauthammer i am not entirely sure which speeches you are referring to to be honest, but i think you are drawing a parallel perhaps between the nationalism supported by President Trump and his supporters and perhaps the fascism of the 1930s. I would say i think that is definitely going much further than i am arguing. I am not worried about a fascist government in the United States, but fascism does grow on a nt culture ofvirule sorts, and focuses more so than what i am pointing out on nationalism. Findss very exclusive and greatness almost in excluding mastery over others. That is not certainly what im talking about here, but the core from are essentially drawn a similar sense of nationalism. While nationalism is not always evil, i think it could be hyperbolic to call everyone hiller as soon as they start saying something that supports anything nationalistic. We have to be careful about it. One of the things americans have done so remarkably and uniquely is to become the most powerful country the world has ever seen and retain an incredible sense of love for the country and patriotism. It is paradoxical. Military chauvinist, nationalism throughout the history. Should bemething we proud of as americans, something we should be fighting hard to and to keep america as great it has always been. Steve the debate over nationalism, the cover story last week, the weekly standard, what makes America Great, and the comments of damage david testing of krauthammer. Now we turn to the elections going on in france. What does that mean for that country, the u. S. . Is joining us, the director for the europe and eurasia program. You are watching cspans washington journal. We are back in a moment. Announcer 1 tonight on afterwords, the life and presidency of liberias first elected female president in her storymadam president , the of Ellen Johnson sirleaf. When did you first meet madame president . Known about her all my life. She became famous it she was minister of finance. Then i knew who the minister of parentswas, she knew my. She was somebody as a child growing up in liberia, she was always speaking truth to power, i was criticizing the state where she was born, always criticizing the state when she was born. Then i heard all about her in jail, and she became a political icon. Announcer 1 watch afterwords on book tv. He once called for the removal ,f pluto as a planet, and today author and physicist Neil Degrasse tyson will be our guest on in depth. Allow me to tell you that our moon, as small as it was compared to earth, is five times the mass of pluto. Some people over here, pluto lovers were never told that, were you . Welcome to the company of informed people regarding pluto. ,nnouncer 1 during the live threehour conversation, we will take questions for mr. Tyson and he is the director of the hayden planetarium. He is the author of several books. With neilepth Degrasse Tyson live from noon to 3 00 eastern on book tv on cspan 2. Journal continues. Alina polyakova is the Research Director for the atlantic council. The website is atlanticcouncil c org. What are the overriding issues . What are people deciding . It is alyakova watershed moment for france. Major parties have entered the second round of elections, so voters are being asked to choose between two very different candidates. The first candidate, emmanuel macron, is a