I’m always thankful to be an American, but even more so now on this Independence Day . . .

Our people are watching our system under stress . . . but let’s remember what stress is.

Imagine for a second what the ragtag group of Founding Fathers were looking at back in 1776 as they attached their names to a possible death warrant in the name of liberty. The work wasn’t done as it took another 13 years to win independence and develop and implement the Constitution.

We had our Capitol burned to the ground in 1812, our country nearly cut in half by 1865, overcame two World Wars and a depression, and stood up to the existential threat of a nuclear Communist regime- all while dealing with the deepest national crisis of identity over Vietnam and slowly incorporating more people and ideas into country’s ethos and operating system in the last 140 years.

Is the United States perfect- no. Never has been, never will be.
Does it have ugly stains throughout out its history? Yes.
Do our processes look cumbersome and national discourse seem ridiculous? Of course.

However, the United States is still a beacon of hope and the first phone call when the world truly needs leadership.

Out of uncertainty and regret comes evolution.

The next few years look exhausting, but I view the post-election era as a time when new talent and ideas will come to the fore.

I’m as confident – perhaps even more confident- in the principles that built this country and the structures upon which it runs.

Happy Independence Day. 🇺🇸

(Check out this recent podcast with Richard Haass: https://frazerrice.com/richard-haass/)