Hi j-t,
I'm not fond of either statement. JFK's "Ask not" one is grammatically strange and sounds pseudo-archaic and pompous to me. Reagan's "shining city" is saccharine and smug: maybe it suited the times.
But Obama points towards a different model from either of these, and in my view a better one. One that encompasses both of these principles. Of individualism on the one hand, and collective action on the other.
An individual's purpose is not to serve his country. Nor is it to be an island. It is to survive. To the extent a country is a protective colony then it is worth working for. To the extent it is not, resistance and the demand for change make sense.
Countries generally serve a practical purpose for collections of individuals. The use of loyalty types of appeals such as JFK and Reagan employed is unnecessary.
An over-regulated country and an excessive government may also be harmful to its citizens. Individualism provides energy and opportunity to society. It is an essential feature of America.
Equally, the focus on individualism does not negate the requirement for altruism or beneficial organisation. Government is the right solution to some problems. Particularly in relation to common infrastructure (eg networks) and the management of negative externalities. Together people are more than the sum of their parts.
Obama makes JFK's and Reagan's ideas antique. There is no dichotomy. The optimal society synthesises these principles.
We don't choose between individualism and collective action. This is divisive. We create societies which use both of them. Absolutism is the problem. Compromise is the model that works best. It is what the Constitutional structure was intended to generate.
As to perfectibility - there's no such thing in Obama's model. We make our own reality around us, as we deal with the issues we face. There is never a right answer. We make choices to suit the times. Those choices will change with circumstances.
Liberals read too much into the government has value message. Yes it does. But so does individual initiative. We never stop seeking a balance. But perfection is not a goal. It cannot be in a changing world.
Did you mean pheasants?
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