BSE standing for Big Scary Election, of course; though not as scary as Hurricane Sandy which slammed into the coast last weekend. For those who were caught in the path of the storm and are still being affected by it, to those who have had their world's flipped upside down by nature's destruction: our prayers are with you, for whatever that is worth. Though it must be said that perhaps money and food may be worth more than the prayers of thousands.
More about prayer, perhaps, some other time, and more about the election in a moment. First, the book I just finished this week: John Adams by David McCullough. It was rather interesting to read a biogrpahy of one of our founding fathers at the tail end of a presidential election, but the book is good enough that it would be interesting at any time. McCullough is an very good writer, and time seems to have made him better. This book has little of the monotony that his biography of Truman (published in 1992) was sometimes plagued with, and McCullough has actually managed to make his biography of Adams almost a page turner, which for any history book is high praise indeed.
It's a page turner because the life of Adams was so interesting, even if the man himself was not -- and by that I mean there were no French Mistresses, he didn't kill anyone in a duel, he didn't play Mid-Wicket for Kerry County Cricket Club. Good character may make for a great man, but sadly not always a great character.
But as I noted: Adams led an interesting life. Coming from farmers stock out of Braintree, Massachusetts, law his chosen profession, he spent many years abroad as an ambassador in France and Holland during the Revolutionary War, and was the first diplomat from the new nation to meet with King George III after the country had won its independence. He was key in securing credit for the new nation, and helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris. He was the first to experience the frustrating futility of the vice-presidency, and the first one term president. His biggest achievement as president, in his eyes, was avoiding all-out war with France, the possibility of which clouded his presidency and contributed to highlighting bitter partisan divisions.
Particularly interesting is the take McCullough has on Thomas Jefferson: he seems almost to disdain him. Jefferson figures largely in the work, and I believe it was McCullough's original intent to do a sort of join s biography on both men, but he found Adams to be more compelling. Perhaps it is because Adam lives his values; he his hard working, honest, and no friend to slavery. Jefferson, the radical republican, half endorses the slaughter of the French Aristocracy even as he strives to live in grand style. Jefferson, lover of freedom, never confronts slavery and never frees his own slaves. Jefferson, always yearning for retirement and Monticello, is adept at leading a political opposition that propels him to the Presidency.
What does this have to do with the election? Simply that when you read this you see how much things have changed, and yet how much they have stayed the same. Party politics divides us today, and divided us then (the election between Adams and Jefferson in 1800 was particularly rancorous). We've never been able to, as a country, find a consensus on what America means and on what it is; competing visions of America have existed since its founding.
Is that comforting? Not really. Back in the day we had men like Adams and Washington and even Jefferson who could somehow find a way to pull the disparate sides together and move the country forward? Now? Well, let me ask you this: can you think of a leader in congress who would willingly sail across the ocean to Europe and spend years away from home and family working tirelessly for their nation? Considering the typical "work week" of congress (fly into Washington on Tuesday, work on Wednesday, Thursday, and then its a long, hard flight back home on Friday to Anytown USA), I would say the answer is that there are not many.
In Conclusion: Good Book. Poor Leaders. But everyone loves pie.
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