While i was sitting out on the front porch yesterday morning, i was thinking about how much i miss Linda.  At the same time, I reminded myself how wonderful my life has been--despite the various turmoils that have disrupted it at times.  I thought about how lucky it was for me to born in America, the greatest country in the world, and raised by loving parents.  Life has been good to me and my life has been blessed.  

Then i began to wonder why others with similar backgrounds as mine are so down and pessimistic about everything, including America, itself.  Why, i kept asking myself.  Why is everyone in the United States so mad about having to live in the best country in the world?  Why do we hate each other so much? 

And i could come up with only one reason to those questions--messaging.

I have said time and time again that America does not have to make itself "great again".  The United States has been the greatest nation in the world for my entire life.  What is all this "again" stuff about?  

And again, i came up with only one reason--messaging.

Making America Great Again is absolutely the "wrong message".  America is great, we just have to keep working at making ourselves better.  That's the real message that we need to understand.  Being great does not mean we are perfect.  Instead being great means we are willing to do the hard work that it takes to make ourselves better and more perfect--knowing full well that perfection is an extremely difficult task to accomplish.  

So, i propose that in 2024 that the democratic party offers the American people a different perspective about our country.  A more real, thoughtful, and optimistic view regarding the United States of America.  People are thirsting for optimism.  We have lived in the desert of pessimism too long.  

America Is Great, We Just Want to Keep Getting Better Still.  That's the message.  Turn the pessimism into optimism.  And take the message to the highways and byways all across America--red and blue as they are.

We don't need to be arrogant about that message.  Instead, we need to deliver it with factual truths and with humility.  

It's simple, folks.  The facts and figures that prove the point of America's greatness are easily discernible.  And yes, the reverse is also true.  The facts and figures that show where we need to work to make America even better are also easily discernible.

We are the best in protecting freedom around the world with our defense department.  We are the best in technology.  We are the best in education.  We are the best in space.  We are the best in gdp/capita.  We are the best in business and new business development.  And low and behold, we are the best in the eyes of the rest of the world.  I could go on and on, but what the heck.

What we are not best in is--guns, health care, and abortion rights.  Our infrastructure needs to be upgraded, but we still have a pretty darn good set of highways, byways, airports, coastal facilities, etc. 

Optimism will always defeat pessimism.  Optimism spurs people forward, pessimism drives people backward. 

The free world is cheering for us to get out of our funk.  They don't want to see us go backward again.  They fear the pessimism of the U.S. MAGA crowd.

It's time we change our attitude--both red and blue.