The first one was the ”shining city on the hill” for religious dissenters. Next, it was the creation of an independent republic. This was followed by manifest destiny, and the growth of America as a world economic power. Then, America sought to make the world safe for democracy. It saved the world from fascism and communism, went to the moon, and tried to build a genuine multi-racial democracy. Finally, it attempted to use force to bring the blessings of democracy to Iraq and Afghanistan. That didn’t turn out too well.
The worldwide democracy project having failed with a thud, what project can we pursue that would unite the country, overcome our current divisions, and do everyone some good? The logical candidates are the decarbonization of our economy, the creation of the long-promised perfect union, and successful opposition to China’s ambitions to upset the current world order. The problem is that the right objects to the first two, and even a struggle with China will damage the interests of consumers and some businesses. As a result, it is not clear that any such unifying project can be found.