IN DEFIANCE WE TRUST

By Edwin Cooney

In 1792, President George Washington, with the assistance of James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, composed a letter announcing that he would not stand for election to a second presidential term.  However, in view of rapidly changing domestic and foreign affairs he shortly changed his mind.

Four years later, he decided it was time to retire and prepared a second and final farewell message. Thus, on Monday, September 19th, 1796, nine years and two days following his signing of the Constitution, the president's farewell address was published in the Philadelphia Daily Advertiser.

As a good and wise leader, Washington's letter spanned a wide variety of public issues explaining and defending his administration's decisions and actions.

One matter Father George didn't have to explain or defend was his leadership of an established political party. Although he was labeled as a “Federalist," that term merely defended or explained his insistence that a strong and reliable federal government was needed to provide for the needs and demands of a free people in view of the failure of the nation's original dependence under the  Articles of Confederation.

As early as 1793, those who had come to oppose too much reliance on the federal government began to establish a political party called the  Democratic Republican Party. It was led by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson. Simultaneously, men such as Alexander Hamilton, John Jay  and John Adams began forming what was called the Federalist Party. 

By the time of his farewell letter, the retiring president saw serious flaws in the creation of political parties.

He feared that political parties, sooner or later, would bring about fundamental divisions amongst this free people that could bring damage to their well-being. Beyond regional conflicts, there could be ideological, social, economic  and even religious conflicts that would obscure the natural affection these free peoples had for one another. The establishment of political parties could serve to institutionalize rather than merely emphasize temporarily contentious public issues.

Then there was the question of who would be empowered to choose candidates for high office. Might state legislatures elect a president? Might Congress within their political caucuses nominate and even select presidential candidates?

Sadly, President Washington lacked the ideas or even perhaps the time necessary to anticipate and guide us through a nonpolitical but workable free selection of presidential candidates. Everything would be left to the Electoral College already established in Article II of the Constitution.

Now here we are in 2023, enfolded in a self-created system of dislike for and mistrust of others. Even worse, there is repulsion of others for racial, gender and even marital lifestyles.

I'm sure that most people are free of hatred for others. However, a clear majority of Americans have come to distrust and even abhor the tone and the thrust of 21st Century politics. Clearly, our imperfections have come to dominate our opinion of our very selves.

Both law and order have always rested in the hands of the wealthiest and most influential among us. Even worse, successful politicians achieve office by denigrating political incumbents. Hence, the most dangerous  aspect of the political process is that it has come to depend on government's imperfections rather than being achieved through the glory of its accomplishments. Historic figures have increasingly been known for their imperfections as much as they have been remembered for their individual assets. Thus, Washington was “arrogant,” Jefferson was a “slave debaucher,” Lincoln was an “ugly baboon,” Grant was a “lush,” Wilson was a “racist,” FDR was a “closet Communist,”  Truman was “a gangster’s henchman,” Nixon was a “liar,” Clinton was “amoral,” Obama was an “Arab,” and Trump was all about himself in defiance of all decency.

As true or false as the above may be, how can we reasonably respect, let alone love, a society dependent on 2023's electoral flavor?

We may not love America anymore, but its many benefits constitute our personal rights of which we are very righteously jealous!

It's past time to begin regretting our defiance of our first and perhaps greatest President! 

RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED,

EDWIN COONEY