I have made two visits to the magnificent MCAAD, across from the White House.
When surveyed publicly, only 31% of Americans think the American Dream is real, but privately 70% do. The supermajority is proud to be American but won’t fly the flag. The disconnect is especially strong among young Democrats, a phenomenon Todd Rose wrote about in his book Collective Illusions. It is fostered on social media by campaigns funded by the CCP to undermine the West and drive election results such as in New York today. It is also fostered by campaigns to redefine the American Dream so that it rings hollow — as an equality of outcomes vs. opportunities.
While the unraveling of progress has been tragically easy for foreign influence to exploit, it also affords an opportunity to renew the American Dream by tapping into the latent, but silent beliefs of the supermajority. Expect a number of campaigns on that front connected to the 250th anniversary of America in 2026.
The Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream (MCAAD) aims to serve as a beacon to preserve the ideal that everyone, everywhere should have equal opportunity to pursue a life of meaning and fulfillment.
It has a number of interactive displays, such as the framed “paintings” of the Presidents speak to guests as they pass by, as in Harry Potter. An array of modern heroes of the American Dream abound, even in interactive holograms. I contributed a video interview too.
• MCAAD: milkeninstitute.org/milken-center-advancing-american-drea…
• Collective Illusions book: www.toddrose.com/collectiveillusions
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