Malaise redux

There seems to be a show called "Morning Joe" on a network called MSNBC, though I have no personal experience with either. It seems however that Zbigniew Brzezinski, who was Jimmy Carter's national security adviser, used a term from the 1970s to describe the nation’s current state:

"I think we’re now going through a phase in which there is a sense of pervasive malaise, which affects different groups in society in different ways. So people are dissatisfied; they’re slightly worried; they don’t see a good certain future for themselves or for the country.... And I have a sense that Obama, who started so well, and who really captivated people—he captivated me!—has not been able yet to generate some sort of organizing idea for an age which combines a malaise that’s pervasive and percolating, and complexity...."

If your memory goes not back to the 1970s, suffice it to say that the "malaise" of the Carter administration was replaced by "Morning in America"--and that wasn't a TV show, though it had a former actor presiding.

In the jollility afterward, Mr. Brzezinski can be heard saying: "There goes any further invitation to the White House!" Blue skies! -- Dan Ford