Dear George

Linda Lou Burton posting from Little Rock, Arkansas – Dear George, it’s been almost a year since I wrote a post about you. You were #1 in my quest to write about all the presidents of the United States. And remember the first thing I wrote about you? It endeared you to me the most of anything – the fact that underneath that powdered gray hair, you were a redhead! A redhead with blue eyes, no less, who loved to dance. I daresay the portrait painters of the day chose to depict your somber side because you were in charge of so many things at a young age – estates, family, and dealing with incredible change. You took the oath of office as the first president of the United States of America at Federal Hall in New York City on April 30, 1789. You were 57 then. Ten thousand people came to witness the event; important dignitaries, regular folks, people eager to be part of a new beginning. There was a marching band! You made a speech. You got a 13-gun salute. And the new “experiment” began.

Well George, a lot has happened since then. There have been 46 more inaugurations, and 37 states added under the “United” title. And our 50 states now house almost 400 million people, whereas you were dealing with a mere 4 million. So much has changed in 236 years! There have been 27 amendments to that original Constitution. We’ve had way too many wars – worldwide conflicts and inhouse breakdowns and squabbles. We’ve had times of great prosperity and times of great depression.

But we keep hanging in there, though not surprisingly everybody isn’t pleased with everything. We’re like a household of siblings fighting for attention, or even indulging in sneaky tricks. My Dad used to tell of sharing a bed in the middle room with older brother, and how they were supposed to take turns by the window on hot summer evenings. Yet no matter how they settled in for the night, he’d wake up every morning on the sweaty side of the bed. One night he pretended to be asleep and caught big brother sliding him out of the way so he could take the cool spot. Imagine people in a country, or nations in the world, doing that kind of stuff. Lots of pillowfights.

Believe it or not George, we have another red-headed president in office today. He is tall, like you; and he inherited a lot of privileges and responsibilities at an early age, like you. One of the major differences between the two of you is his lack of military or political experience; he’s the first person we’ve elected who has neither. He grew up in the business world, where the goal of the day is making a deal and making money. You experienced much of the business world as you were growing up too. But you had an amazing amount of public service under your belt by the time you became president, and once in office you began to set the tone; you insisted on the title “Mr President” rather than “His Majesty” or “His Highness the President.” You introduced the idea of an inaugural address, and regular messages to Congress. Good communications. You began the two-term tradition, and the notion of “peaceful transfer of power.”

We’re still doing inauguration ceremonies – over the years some have been a bit over-the-top, sort of a “show-off” tactic; you can read about them in my posts. Some have been tense – President Lincoln’s for instance, when the country was about to split. Andrew Johnson and Chester Arthur and Teddy Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson were inaugurated in secluded haste after an assassination. Yes, four of our presidents were flat-out murdered! A few died of health issues, one was forced to resign in a terrible scandal, and more than a few were notorious women-chasers. One or two were just plain skanky and mean. Out of the 45 men who have been president, five continually rank at the top for a “job well done”– Abraham Lincoln, both Roosevelts, your old buddy Thomas Jefferson, and you, George.

You set a high standard for the presidency. I read the letter you wrote to James Madison expressing a devout wish that the precedents set early on be fixed on “true principles.” So a question. Back then, when you guys were figuring out how this dramatic new idea of democracy could work, how did you imagine the electorate who would CHOOSE a new leader every four years? The original voters were white male landowners, whereas today we expect each citizen – whatever race, sex, or social position – to shoulder the responsibility of choosing our president. Over the years we’ve chosen some who did not ascribe to those “true principles” you hoped would be the norm.

Meanwhile, the “president’s job” has become immensely more difficult and complex (a hundred times more!) since you first took that oath. It costs billions of dollars to get elected these days but the bar for an applicant is surprisingly low; then popularity is the key to a win. And although a win means you’re a sitting target for criticism, anger, and blame, you’re also in reach of thousands of strings you can pull to impact the tiniest aspects of your constituent’s lives, a tantalizing prize. So you blaze your name across every breath of air nonstop for years before election day. It’s excruciating. For everyone.

Lots of people are angry with our current redhead, and frustrated with his buffoonery. But more people chose him than the other candidate. That’s the way our system works. Whether we choose a good person or a bad one – red headed or bald headed or empty headed – by our choice we literally “make our own bed.” And sometimes it’s a bummer. Reminds me of Dad’s story, waking up on the sweaty side and wondering what happened while he was sleeping.

I wish you’d come back for a look-round at the situation, and help us refresh the vision. Just be prepared for an endless media assault.