When presenting one’s views on big topics such as politics or economics, it’s always important to maintain a fine balance between idealism and realism. Too much idealism will cause a person to resort to abstractions, deprive him of workable points of action, and lead him into predicting implausible utopias or dystopias. On the other hand, too much realism will lead a person to sink into the weeds of policies and practices, offer practical but marginally effective solutions, and conclude that nothing much will change anyway.
If one maintains the balance, however, it’s possible to describe a situation fairly yet offer workable solutions while also inspiring an audience with the bigger picture. This virtue is on full display in Chris Buskirk’s recent book “America and the Art of the Possible: Restoring National Vitality in an Age of Decay.”
Although he’s a conservative writing about the future political and economic prospects of the United States, Buskirk resists the urge to rant about today’s dysfunctions and predict doom and gloom. He also doesn’t fall into the bad habit of spouting nostalgic platitudes of Americans returning to the land, internalizing the wisdom of America’s founding documents, and having bigger families.
Rather, in a surprisingly nonpartisan fashion, he recognizes the problems afflicting Americans today, places them in the proper context, and proposes concrete solutions to bring about an American Renaissance.
Lost Vitality
Before moving into his solutions, Buskirk takes time to discuss the problems. As he explains in the introduction and first chapter, these go
