by Joe Facinoli | Joe’s Corner |
Anyone who hates the idea of Donald Trump being our President, past or future, is simply not paying attention, while foolishly mixing their dislike of his personality and personal character traits, with his myriad of successful accomplishments, when he was the President.
These same people, who take issue with him because he was mean to folks on Twitter, or think he should be kinder to his adversaries, and not be so rough on everyone, also think that he was a “bad” President.
Saying constantly that he’s not very “Presidential”, and he should act like the good Presidents from our past. Well, to be historically honest, there weren’t that many of those, so that bar is pretty low.
Therefore, since so many of us think that The Donald ranks among the top five Presidents of all time, or at least way up there, let’s take a look at Four of the supposed best, and compare them with Trump.
How do the four guys carved onto Mt. Rushmore, stand up to the scrutiny of their personalities and important personal traits, and did these match their perceived Presidential greatness?
—George Washington: First President, and for many historians, also the best, when compared against all who followed.
He invented the Presidency, to be sure, and was diligent in making certain that the new U.S. Constitution was followed almost to the letter of which the Founders had wanted and written out. He declined to be King, as many of his fellow new citizens wanted him to be, and stepped down after only two terms as President, stating that eight years was long enough, starting a precedent which lasted for 143 years, until FDR.
But the Father of our country had another side to him, which lacked all of the integrity listed above. At the time of his death, in 1799, he owned or controlled 317 slaves, either at his Mount Vernon estate in Virginia, or on his nearby farms. And owned almost that many throughout his lauded Presidency.
In fact, Washington owned slaves for 56 of his 67 years on Earth, having inherited ten of them at age 11. He continued to buy and accumulate them all his life, and then took control of 153 more when he married Martha, who inherited those when her first husband died.
Although George came to realize that slavery was wrong, he never freed any during his lifetime, and in his will he allowed for their freedom only after Martha had died as well, not wanting her to have to live without them, after he was gone. Very hypocritical, to say the least.
And Ms. Martha, being the racist that her own writings have clearly shown her to be, certainly wasn’t going to do without.
Can we image this country today, having a First Lady who was an avowed and unapologetic racist? (or did we have one, recently?) And a President who owned hundreds of slaves?
George Washington was apparently a very good man, with a deserved high end legacy.
Unless one happened to be on the business end of one of his whips.
—Thomas Jefferson: Author of our Declaration of Independence from England, and heavy contributor to our U.S. Constitution, as well as our Bill of Rights.
As President, he shrunk the govt., lowered taxes significantly, while reducing the National Debt by one third, increased the size of our country by 50% with the shrewd Louisiana Purchase from France, and sent our Navy to beat back the pirates on the Barbary Coast of North Africa, insuring our trade with Europe.
However, as owner or his farm complex at Monticello, he bought and sold almost 700 slaves throughout his lifetime. It took 16 slaves just the take care of the interior of his mansion!
He also had six children with one of his slaves, Sally Hemings. Some have called this a sweet love story, while others disagree vehemently, saying he was technically, if not actually, …a rapist.
He may have spent decades with her, but in fact, he owned her, and never freed her, nor their kids, even after his death. Only left her a small slave house, which wasn’t exactly Monticello.
Again, can we imagine how the Media would play this today? I think we know.
—Abraham Lincoln: Author and advocate for the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed many slaves, but not all, and only in the southern states. He became a good war overlord, in gaining a victory for the North, and the U.S., in the “War Between the States”.
But in winning that terrible war, some 620,000 Americans lost their lives, and another 475K were injured non-fatally. Thus, over ONE MILLION Americans were killed or injured, to win a war that some insist was not inevitable, and could have been avoided, until Lincoln was elected, with his strong willed views being all but non-negotiable to anyone who disagreed.
During the War, he suspended the basic right of Habeas Corpus, a power he did not have, and which was in violation of a federal law. The Left today would be drooling if Trump ever did anything like that.
And Lincoln’s biggest legislative so-called achievement, the Emancipation Proclamation, was done only for military advantage, and not sent through until 1863.
Why did he wait so long, if he felt so strongly? And why weren’t ALL slaves freed? In all states?
A President like Lincoln could not exist today, for so many obvious reasons. And he wasn’t the saint that history has made him out to be.
—Teddy Roosevelt: He enforced the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, and made it work. A very good thing. But he also greatly increased the size of the Federal govt., which got far too involved in all business and industry. He increased the Power of the Presidency exponentially, but believed that “one man” making important decisions was preferable to larger groups, …like Congress. Also was in favor of, and created, much higher taxes.
He forced the Panama Canal to be built, increasing trade traffic and income for the whole country for decades since, and for the foreseeable future. And invented the amazing National Parks System.
But he incited, and caused, a rebellion in Panama to make this happen, and did everything regarding the Canal without the approval of Congress, which was needed, and was Federal law.
He was supposed to be a social “reformer”, but also an admitted white nationalist, and also, basically an Imperialist.
“Rough Rider” Teddy was highly liked by many for his personality, but was also highly overrated, for his integrity and character as President, and a person.
So we can see, that much is ignored by history, in regards to those who did great things for this country. And when their histories are fully written, and understood, their personal traits do not always (and almost never) measure up to their achievements.
Donald Trump is judged, unfortunately probably 90% of the time, for his disliked personality, and his “me first” personal traits, than by all the great and wonderful things he did for the U.S. during his Presidency.
And to demonstrate even more strongly how wrong this is, just look at what the Media is doing now, with a President who has neither any personal character, NOR any achievements while in office.
Make America Great Again, …PLEASE!
And who cares how nasty someone is to their opponents, as long as they make our country better, when they’re done being “mean”.
© Copyright Joe Facinoli, 12-3-2022
Intelligent Response Encouraged.
joefacinoli@yahoo.com