They called him silent Cal

Alas we have become a culture that no longer finds great value in history. The punch-line retort of a teenager speaking with parents about fashion: “that was oh so five minutes ago” seems to be the credo of many today. We have become a civilization of people who live in the here and the now; anything more distant than the immediate past or the very near future seems to be far too exhausting to contemplate.

Many will recognize this time worn but valuable advice, paying attention to what has happened in the past is highly instructive for those who wish to avoid the repetition of foolish mistakes. Remembering great people and moments from the past connects us to those people and helps remind us who we are. The world viewed through histories prism should also remind us to eschew today's critical reviews and look at the bigger picture.

They called him a Baboon, a gangly and ugly man, with less intellect than a stump. He barely won reelection and only won because the troops believed in him and voted for him in overwhelming numbers. Even though his popularity today is high back in his day his life was threatened daily and he eventually died at the hand of an assassin. Very few people today would speak ill of Abraham Lincoln. The great emancipator and savior of the union was not a popular man for most of his terms of office. Sarah Palin's line in her speech before the Republican National Committee would have been perfect for old Abe  "I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion - I'm going to Washington to serve the people of this country." 

If you are a conservative and over forty, you have grown up listening to liberals denigrate some of our countries most effective and inspiring leaders. It is therefore, worthy of reminiscing about the comments made about some of these men by their critics then, and juxtaposing those judgments against their achievements.

Described as an old warhorse, out of step with the younger generation, he is also saddled with the perception that his intellect is closer to the shallow end of the pool. Even with all the a fore mentioned handicaps, Ike's leadership helped win World War II and as president his administration guides our country into economic prosperity, helping heal the nation's wounds after a long and costly war.  

Throughout his campaigns it is suggested that he is a right-wing nut job it is even suggested that having this man in charge of the nuclear football is the fulfillment of biblical prophecy. Mushroom clouds were predicted to begin appearing in the sky as soon as the day of his inauguration. The critics are selling but the nation isn't buying and Ronald Reagan wins in a landslide.

During his presidency Ronald Reagan's intellect, coherence and grasp of big ideas is constantly the subject of snickering ridicule and unkind remarks. Yet his ability to rally people to his cause and clearly define and articulate issues based upon his core beliefs leads to an easy second term. During his administration his optimism and a firm commitment to lowering taxes, lifts a nation out of a deep recession and spurs one of the longest periods of economic growth and prosperity in our history. His philosophy of a strong national defense and no compromise with what he called the “Evil Empire” plays a crucial role in obtaining real reductions in nuclear weapons with the Soviets. It is the beginning of the end for the “Evil Empire”

For those of you to young to remember Reagan, Soviets are now simply called Russians.

Our current president is described by his critics as either an idiot or an evil genius capable of deceiving the entire nation.  He can't string three words together and when he does he pronounces them incorrectly.” He's so dumb he can only remember one initial.” Then there is the crowd of people who say, “He played upon our fears, “he deceived us”, they represent two groups that can't make up their mind about the whole idiot or evil thing.

With all due respect it's hard to see the logic in either of those positions. While history has not yet yielded its judgment on this president, here are just a few points to consider. Politically, he defeated two opponents that were supposed to be his intellectual superiors; he lifted the nations morale and economy from the ashes of fallen towers and past one of the blackest days in our nations history. In view of that attack his leadership should receive a large amount of credit for restoring confidence in the nations economy. It came roaring back undaunted and more importantly unafraid. Whether you agree with his policies or not he has remained steadfastly loyal to his beliefs and ideals and the nation has remained unmolested by terrorists for the last seven years.

Long forgotten, Calvin Coolidge is best known for his moniker “Silent Cal”. Reporters from his time alternately described him as simple, uninspiring and boring. When informed of the death of Calvin Coolidge columnist Dorothy Parker asked, “how can you tell?” 

Yet re-reading one of his old speeches the other day I came across this passage in his inaugural address, its clarity and meaning are as clear and obvious today as they were when he uttered these words “The encouraging feature of our country is not that it has reached its destination, but that it has overwhelmingly expressed its determination to proceed in the right direction. It is true that we could, with profit, be less sectional and more national in our thought. It would be well if we could replace much that is only a false and ignorant prejudice with a true and enlightened pride of race. But the last election showed that appeals to class and nationality had little effect. We were all found loyal to a common citizenship. The fundamental precept of liberty is toleration. We cannot permit any inquisition either within or without the law or apply any religious test to the holding of office. The mind of America must be forever free.”

Perhaps Silent Cal was one of those guys that didn't say much, but when he did it was worth paying attention to. His words then as now are an admonition to the country to think beyond the recent past or the immediate future and concentrate on those things that unite us rather than the issues that divide us.

Great leaders disregard the critics of their times because they are committed to big ideas, they are less concerned with what is said today because they are focused on what they dream will happen tomorrow.