Tough Time for Everyone

"Although Ken stopped talking about it, the compiling of the list of Margaret's dislikes became an obcession with him. When she refused to patronize a Chinese laundry, he learned that she was against the Chinese and, it seemed, all Orientals. The Russians she hated with patriotic zeal. The English she thought snobbish, the French immoral, the Germans brutal, and all South Americans lazy. Category by category, she closed humanity out."
    --Sloan Wilson, in A Summer Place


I was struck by something Jimmy Carter said the other night. He was being interviewed by Larry King and he said he thought the mood of the country was as bad as it ever has been. And then he added, if I heard him right, including Abraham Lincoln’s time. Now this could just be an 85 year old talking but listening to his other comments—I have the feeling he still very sharp.

LINCOLN

The reason that this has jarred me so is because I have been reading Ronald White’s splendid biography of Abraham Lincoln entitled, A. Lincoln. I have been struck by the similarities between President Lincoln and our present leader. Lincoln was attacked because he was not a member of a Church and it was whispered, “He must not be a Christian.” They didn’t know the word, Muslim back then or they would have wrapped him in that cloth I am sure. Every epithet that could be hurled at any human being Lincoln endured. Natavism was sweeping the country. As immigration surged in the 1840’s brought many to this country especially from continental Europe. A famine in Ireland brought even more to our country and in protest to all these outsiders an anti-immigration movement sprung up. The largest group of immigrant happened to be Irish and brought their Catholicism with them. It was feared that these Catholics, in league with the Pope would furtively take over the country. We have not even mentioned the great divide that slavery brought. The old argument a bout states rights was being fought hard and fast because particularly because of slavery.

Lincoln as a lawyer and politician began to speak in public forums. People had a hard time with this man at first. They were used to vituperation and nastiness from their speakers. One newspaper reported, “His language is pure and respectful, he attacks no man’s character or motives, but fights with arguments.” He took the high road and it served him well. Even during the great divide of North and South he was a statesman and believed in the Constitution and the Union.

OBAMA

I don’t know if our age is as bad as the 1850’s. But I do know in my lifetime I do not remember any President being as vilified as has President Obama. Maybe Roosevelt came close. I grew up with George Washington and Abraham Lincoln’s pictures on the walls in our classrooms. The President was the president. We were taught to respect the office even when we disagreed with his decisions.

I still think that behind the rage toward our President and his policies is racism pure and simple. If he can be smeared, demeaned—called “not one of us”—maybe, they hope, his influence will be diminished. What these critics do not realize is that a crippled President means a crippled country.

Mr. Obama inherited a whole lot when he walked into office. And much, but not all of his headaches (and ours) can be laid at the feet of George Bush. Many of our troubles have been a long time coming though I think Mr. Bush did not help the matter. But we must remember that George Bush did serve at a terrible time in our history and that was not an easy task.

Bill Boyarsky has written a telling piece in Truthdig, “Don’t Write Off the Right”. In that article he warns that we must take this group of far righters seriously. He states that merely sneering at these people does no good. That rage they feel comes from somewhere deep.

Nevertheless, we have to find some ways to be civil to one another. Stephen Carter spoke at Baylor University at the Installation of their new president days ago. He said, “I worry deeply that we are losing the ability to debate” in meaningful ways. He went to say that Democracy demands that as citizens we “do the hard work of actually sitting, talking and working things out.” He laments that the great symbol of our collapse of dialogue is the bumper sticker. We cannot reduce, he says complex ideas to slogans and applause lines. There is something far more important at stake here than simply winning.

Eugene Robinson takes on waiting-in-the wings-to-be-President Newt Gingrich in his latest campaign to connect our President to Islam. Gingrich’s whole address on how somehow we are about to be besieged by Sharia law, which includes stoning, chopping heads off and returning to the Stone Age. Read Robinson’s response.

We’re all concerned about the future of our country. How we do what we do may determine the kind of people we really are. I do not know if this mood in our land is the worst we have ever had. I do know it is left to all of us to make sure that we do all we can to restore some civility and respect to one another and to those that lead us. Right, Left, Tea-Partiers—all.