THE PSYCHOLOGY – AT 8:21 A.M. ET:  One thing I've noticed over the last week is a sudden increase in gloom in the United States.  You sense it all over the internet, in news reports, in columns, in polls.  I thought it might last a few days, but now I'm guessing this is a major psychological change, brought about by a growing belief that things are getting worse, not better, and that our leaders are inadequate to fix what's wrong.

I also sense a growing fear.  And reports of flash-mob attacks across the country, the latest in Chicago, can have a devastating impact on the national psyche, especially if they lead to a sixties-style "long hot summer." 

The bin Laden raid reminded us of what we could be when we're at our best.  But nothing else seems to be the best these days.  The last time I sensed this change was during the Carter administration, after the failed attempt to rescue American hostages in Tehran.  I recall the leader of my daughter's Girl Scout group wondering out loud why we couldn't do things right any longer.  Having a weak, sneering president didn't help, of course.  We have a weak, sneering president again, although this one delivers better speeches.

The national gloom doesn't mean that Obama will be defeated.   Things were pretty gloomy in 1936, when FDR ran for a second term.  The Depression was still on, and it was deep.  But Roosevelt was a natural leader, and the Republicans didn't offer either a great candidate or a great platform, so FDR was reelected in a landslide.  A good thing to remember for the GOP today.

Many people today don't realize that the Depression was one of the major causes of World War II.  The free nations, trapped in their own economic problems, looked inward, and were in no mood to spend billions on armaments when people were starving.  That set the stage for the temptations that overwhelmed Nazi Germany and imperial Japan, and was one of the factors that led to their aggression. 

I fear the same thing is happening now.  There is a growing isolationism, a sense that we do too much abroad and not enough at home.  That may be true, but other nations will be watching closely if we start to retrench, and they will gladly fill the vacuum we leave, even if it means depriving their own people.

The imperative is to change the national leadership in November, 2012.  I don't think the need has ever been greater.  What a chance for a great Republican candidate.

June 8, 2011