A Sputnik Moment versus American Exceptionalism

American exceptionalism" itself was first used by members of the American Communist Party(in a revisionist mood) in the 1920s, in reference to their belief that "thanks to its natural resources, industrial capacity, and absence of rigid class distinctions, America might for a long while avoid the crisis that must eventually befall every capitalist society. It was used last night by Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota.