The best of the American spirit?

[phantom power]

Michelle Obama's speech last night got rave reviews. (If you didn't see it, you can watch it here.) It was a very well written and well-delivered speech, personal and yet political, subtly showing the differences between the Obama worldview and the Romney worldview.

Sadly, they aren't that different in some respects:

Last night at the Democratic convention, Michelle Obama defined “the very best of the American spirit” as “teachers in a near-bankrupt school district who vowed to keep teaching without pay.”

That's actually not the best of America. It's desperation. I get what she was saying, but it's a sad comment on our time that (for different reasons) both parties embrace the "spirit" of teachers working for free.

...

The best of the human spirit is not being forced to work yourself into an early grave, whether it's here or in Greece. There was too much extolling of the American worker's willingness to work more hours for less pay in various speeches last night. As long as 1%ers like Mitt and Ann Romney are spending millions for dressage horses that's just not acceptable.

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-best-of-american-spirit.html