Future generations will judge us.
Even at age 11, in 1961, I understood that I was hearing something special in President John Kennedy's inauguration speech. I was a young American, and I realized I was part of something very, very big. Our lives meant something.
I heard people on Fox this morning scoffing at Liz Cheney. I don't scoff. I remain moved by Liz Cheney's words:
At the heart of our republic is a commitment to the peaceful transfer of power among political rivals in accordance with law. President Ronald Reagan described this as our American “miracle.” . . .
History is watching. Our children are watching. We must be brave enough to defend the basic principles that underpin and protect our freedom and our democratic process. I am committed to doing that, no matter what the short-term political consequences might be.
In the late 1960s I protested the War in Vietnam out of a sense of patriotism. I thought America was letting itself down. We were better than this, I thought. My dismay today comes because so many Americans are willing to excuse, or overlook, or even actively participate in finagling to overthrow elections. We are letting ourselves down. History is watching.
I don't consider people who sacrifice for their community and country to be losers. They aren't suckers who fail to understand that history is written by the winners. They are heroes who are part of something important. Given this era of political performance and gamesmanship, I suppose I need to tell young readers that JFK is not speaking ironically. There is no barely-hidden smirk. No knowing glance. No sense that it is over-the-top big-gesture performance. JFK isn't holding up a Bible nor is he clutching and hugging a flag for the cameras. He is dead serious:
In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course. Since this country was founded, each generation of Americans has been summoned to give testimony to its national loyalty. The graves of young Americans who answered the call to service surround the globe. . . .
In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility--I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it--and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.
And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. . . .
Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us here the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own.
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10 comments:
Wow, Cheney and JFK in the same context? I guess...
It's pretty easy to see the reps agenda given her familial ties and voting record, so let's back off the adulation a tad. I will say her position does shine a very bright light on the fecklessness and venality of the rest of her party, so I suppose we should be grateful for that.
Powell, Wyoming is home to one of the concentration camps where thousands of Japanese Americans were confined during WWII. At that time, two young boys formed an unlikely friendship, one a Caucasian named Alan Simpson and the other a detainee named Norman Mineta. Later they became politicians, one a Republican and the other a Democrat, who worked together across the aisle to secure reparations for Japanese Americans.
The Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation recently broke ground on the Mineta-Simpson Institute, which will provide a forum for talks, workshops and other events to address today’s resurgent tribalism. Liz Cheney attended the groundbreaking and said, “The friendship of Norm and Al really represents what this nation can be, and what this nation should be.” She added that their friendship “demonstrated what can be accomplished when we come together and we put the good of our country ahead of any politics or partisanship.”
Cheney and I may have differences of opinion about many things (don’t we all) but unlike the vast majority of her Republican colleagues, she has a sense of honor, integrity and takes her oath of office seriously. Nor is it sacrilegious to mention her in the same breath with JFK. Let’s not forget, he fully subscribed to the “Domino Theory” used as a pretext for our involvement in Vietnam and was instrumental in making it so FUBAR.
Like you, Peter, I was inspired by Kennedy's inaugural, even if I was not so young as you were. He spoke to me and two years later I was applying to the Peace Corps. Kennedy's flaws have been written about a lot since that day in 1961, yet, I remain inspired by him.
Because of my views about how to obtain social justice, Ms. Cheney's "flaws" have been obvious to me. Today, however, I am inspired by her.
If flawed people were incapable of performing noble acts, we would have no noble acts.
Principles over personalities. Liz staked her career on democratic principles while Democratic candidates equivocate or remain silent. “the average life of a democracy in history is about 300 years.” The clock is ticking. Wake up, people.
Addendum. Source: https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/08/21/democrats-democracy-danger-midterms-00052748
To no one’s surprise my take on any Cheney-JFK linkage diverges from that of most regulars, especially as the appraisals of both now veer into hagiography. Once we mention e.g. the Bay of Pigs, trusting the likes of McNamara to justify the Vietnam War, and along with his McCarthy-trained brother turning Hoover loose on MLK Jr, and other civil rights leaders, it should in my opinion be clear that the bulk of this otherwise middling-at-best president’s reputation rests upon youthful martyrs’s weeds. Cheney’s full story is not necessarily written.
Peter, from what I can see, you admire Cheney’s character, even if you disagree with her politics, because it reflects your values that integrity is more important for good leadership than policy. At least in a democracy. It certainly must have been encoded into you when you were a financial advisor. I appreciate that you acknowledge she's possibly shrewdly playing multi-level chess.
Today’s post reminded me of this article from 30 years ago in HBR Why Be Honest If Honesty Doesn’t Pay about how personal integrity was mostly irrelevant in business. The article explores why solid, logical businesspeople would do repeated business with people who they knew where dishonest. I was astonished then, but not so much anymore. Winning at all costs seems to be the rule of the day.
It turns out that not just businesspeople are afflicted with this. It seems that nearly half the voting public does not value personal integrity in their leader, and they are also fine with voting for legislators who share that moral view. Why would that be?
At a social and philosophical level, our current moment is a good use case for Jonathan Haidt’s Moral Foundation Theory (Google it). This theory says that there really is no absolute right or wrong, but human morals evolve as a necessary lever for supporting a cohesive society. In this theory, if we fail to develop shared morals, our society will not survive, at least as we know it. Perhaps we are seeing the evolutionary change of a Post-Truth era.
Given the way many of the current young generation are judging the Founding Fathers, future generations can get the f*** off of my lawn.
To expand briefly on my previous terse remark, I revere our Founding Fathers. They created a nation which is still the envy of the world in many ways and a beacon of freedom. Watching the current generation trash them for not living up to moral standards from the present, which were not available to them 250 years ago, strikes me as an unconscionable level of obtuse ingratitude.
Which is why they can get the f*** off my lawn.
Threats to democracy now the number one issue for Americans. This is a replacement of cost of living being the most important. A Wall Street journal person spoke of Chaney hurting republicans and that she should consider that. What the commentator didn’t say was that the threat of democracy is greater in importance. 57% of Americans think investigations into Trump should continue. I’m guessing 57% of Americans think democracy must be saved. There is hope America will come out of this.
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