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Why Ross Douthat Has Become an Optimist About America’s Future

Michie

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The New York Times columnist, who previously has authored books highlighting negative U.S. trends, says America is poised to play its biggest role yet in the 21st century — in part because of what the rest of the world is facing.

America has had no shortage of pessimistic critiques in recent years.

And with titles like Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics and The Decadent Society: How We Became Victims of Our Own Success to his name, Ross Douthat has become something of a master of the genre.

But at a Sept. 6 talk at the University of Notre Dame, the conservative Catholic commentator and New York Times columnist sounded an uncharacteristically optimistic note regarding the United States’ prospects.

“There’s no better place to be for the rest of the 21st century than right here in America,” Douthat said to a full auditorium in Geddes Hall, answering in the affirmative the question posed by his talk’s title, “Is There Hope for America’s Future?”

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