Four Former Presidents on America at 250

In my post on Independence Day, I offered some thoughts on our country's semiquincentennial; here's a snippet.

I believe in our founding principles of equality and the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness. I believe we are a nation of immigrants. That includes my ancestor who came over on the Mayflower and the rest who started our various family lines here, and in my opinion, we need to remain one going forward. We are a nation of resisters, too, and need to remain one.

I believe we can continue our experiment and grow our nation, and that someone, somehow, will rise to the occasion, motivate all of us to become better Americans, and bring us back from what so often feels like the brink of disaster, if "man is indeed the rational, moral creature, capable of self-control for the greater good," as most thought in 1776, and as I remember most did in 1976 when I graduated high school.

In today's post, I've pulled together excerpts from the statements shared by our four former presidents, folks who fought for and gained the Oval Office, and who tried to lead us forward to what our founders envisioned - a more perfect union. I've linked their full statements as well, and yes, I'll do a deeper dive into the current president's thoughts in a separate post. 

First up? Bill Clinton. This excerpt follows comments on some of the day's hot topics, including ICE, war, the weaponization of the government, our history being rewritten, and what he calls "socialism for the super-rich."

Our Founders were wise when they gave us our mission to form a more perfect union.  They knew America would never be perfect but could always be better. That’s what they meant by “more perfect.”  We’ve done that by being courageous enough to acknowledge our flaws and missteps—and then bold enough to leave them behind for brighter tomorrows.

That’s the lesson of our first 250 years: we can always do better. In how we treat one another, in person and online; in building a better future for ourselves, our families, and our communities; and in standing up, showing up, and speaking out for our democracy.

There is still nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what’s right with America. We see it in the people lining up to vote, no matter how hard some may try to prevent them. We see it in those bringing groceries to their neighbors, donating to charities in record numbers, and serving their country and communities in countless ways. And we see it in the immigrants eager to bring their talents, hard work, and dreams to our country.

So today, celebrate the miracle that has brought us this far. I know I will, because I love my country so much. Then tomorrow, wake up, and ask yourself what part you will play to keep making our union more perfect by keeping our country in the future business. We owe that much to those who struggled and sacrificed to bring us this far, and to our children and grandchildren who soon will inherit that future.

Next? George W. Bush. His thoughts were released in a question-and-answer form, with the questions designed to elicit positive responses - and there is nothing wrong with taking a purely optimistic outlook on where we are today. 

What unites our country as we celebrate 250 years?  I view the freedoms that we cherish, the freedom to worship the way you want to worship, the freedom for the press to hold the powerful to account, the freedom to vote, the freedom to realize dreams as values that can unite us as we head for the next 250 years.

What gives you hope for our next 250 years? One of the facets of our society that is overlooked too often is the fact that there are many people, particularly the young, who are willing to help a neighbor in need, who man homeless shelters or help with soup kitchens without the government telling them to do so. They’re motivated by love of their fellow citizens. It is what I call the “armies of compassion.” I’m pleased to report the “armies of compassion” remain strong today, and so long as they do remain strong, I’m very optimistic about the future of the next generation.

What will our future success require? The next 250 years require Americans to be citizens, not spectators. [It] requires Americans to take an active interest in the health and welfare of our country and the communities in which they live, the schools, and the churches. It requires Americans to vote, to be involved in the democratic process. You may not like the outcomes of the elections, but one should focus on the fact that the capacity to vote to determine our country’s future is a powerful freedom, which we should honor.

Next? Barack Obama. This excerpt followed his thoughts on the Declaration of Independence, born of revolution, and its promises to the people of equality, freedom, and our rights.

It had not been done before, and the success of this experiment was never a given. In forming our union, the founders fell terribly short of the Declaration's promise, leaving slavery intact, allowing states to restrict the franchise to white men who owned property, but in drafting a constitution and a bill of rights, they did have the foresight to provide us with a framework that allows each generation to make our union more perfect.

And over more than two centuries, through petitions and protests, marches and strikes, moral appeals from the pulpit and conversations at the family dinner table, men and women from all walks of life of every color, every faith, and every region took up the cause of democracy and made it their own, until "We the people" came to include not just some of us, but all of us.

Now we can't get complacent - we still have so much work to do to protect our democracy and build a future that is more equitable for all.

Finally, Joe Biden. After musing on founding the country on an idea, rather than things like geography or ethnicity - and how that's what makes America exceptional - he noted that over the course of our history, we've had to keep choosing the idea over all other options, and how that remains our obligation.

There’s nothing guaranteed about our democracy. We have to fight for it, defend it, and earn it. Over and over, year after year. That’s not a burden. That’s what it means to be an American. 

250 years in, we still haven’t fully lived up to those words in the Declaration. But we’ve never walked away from them, and this July 4, I hope all of us can commit to one thing: that we never will. I don’t believe we’re as divided as we’re told we are. I’ve bet my whole life on the American people, and I’m not stopping now.

Happy 250th birthday, America. Our story isn’t finished. Let’s keep writing it together.

In my opinion, each of the messages hit the mark; the former presidents all called on us to recognize where we started, where we are, what it took to get here, and that we can't stop trying to achieve what the founders envisioned when they declared our independence.

What do you think? Did they get it right? Drop a comment.

The Election Eve Post, 2021 Edition

It's that time again - the night before the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. That means it's Election Eve, and time for me to do my absolute best to encourage you to vote.

Odd-year elections aren't usually as exciting as even-year ones, are they? Hardly any ads on local television, and we get a whole lot less political junk mail, right? Turnout is even lower than during the even years, when so many eligible voters don't bother to show up. 

And yet, there's still a lot going on. Some people are choosing governors - most notably Virginia, where it appears that Joe Biden is running against the Former Guy. Or maybe it's Critical Race Theory running against white parents - it's hard to tell, for sure. Most of what we know about that race is brought to us by a media horde desperate for relevance, without a care in the world about how their words influence elections. Or, maybe they've all bet on the race, who knows?

What shouldn't be as hard to figure out are the local races. Picking the people who will be making decisions that directly impact you are the races that are important. County supervisor races and mayoral races and town council races and school board races and the rest - even the race for dogcatcher, if there's such a thing anymore - matter. Those folks, who put their lives on hold, and in some cases these days put their lives in danger - deserve your attention, and your vote. You know what's important to you; find the candidate who also knows what's important to you, or who at least comes close. I hope you have the opportunity to vote for someone, rather than having to vote against someone else. 

If you're an early voter, and have already done your civic duty, thank you. If you're not going to be around and chose to vote by absentee ballot, thank you. And if you're planning on voting  the old-fashioned way - showing up at your polling place on Election Day - thank you. 

But if you didn't vote early, or by mail, and you're not a reliable in-person voter, what's your plan? I hope you're not thinking of doing nothing.

Are you so frustrated with the state of things that you just don't care? I sure hope not! Believe me, I'm frustrated too, with all of the efforts being made to poison the process, make it harder for eligible people to vote, to cast doubt on the process of casting our ballots, and all the rest. 

And here in New York, we've got a handful of ballot initiatives, including some related to how we vote and how our districts are drawn. To me, putting them on the ballot during an off-year is completely wrong - why let the smallest number of voters make the decision? Of course, that's probably why they're on the ballot this year.

Yes - I'm frustrated. I get it if you are too. I'd be surprised if you weren't. But the antidote to that frustration is voting, it's not staying home. 

Use your voice. I don't care if you and I don't agree on a single thing - I still want everyone who is eligible to vote to do just that. The thing that's most frustrating to me is that the people who don't show up are often the ones making the decisions for the rest of us. We can't continue to allow that to happen. 

Tomorrow, Election Day, I'll go do my civic duty. I'll make my Dad, the history teacher, proud. I voted with him as a child, and I've never missed an election. He's been gone since 2007, but I know he knows I'm still doing the right thing. 

As I do every year, I offer the following motivation, in case you're still on the fence. 

After some thought, “I have come to the conclusion that politics are too serious a matter to be left to the politicians." (1) Actually, “The idea of an election is much more interesting to me than the election itself…the act of voting is in itself the defining moment.”(2) And why is it that “When the political columnists say ‘every thinking man’ they mean themselves, and when candidates appeal to ‘every intelligent voter’ they mean everyone who is going to vote for them”?(3) 

We know it’s true that “Bad officials are elected by good citizens who didn’t vote”(4), and that “A citizen of America will cross the ocean to fight for democracy, but won’t cross the street to vote in a national election.”(5) Do we still not realize, after all these years, that “lower voter participation is a silent threat to our democracy… it under-represents young people, the poor, the disabled, those with little education, minorities and you and me”? (6) 

After all, “the vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men because they are different from other men” (7) and “to make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not just observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.” (8) 

And complain we do, after every election, when the wrong guy wins. If only people who actually voted complained, it’d likely be a lot less noisy, don't you think? 

Some folks may not vote because they don’t know how to pick the right person. There are a couple different schools of thought on that. On the one hand, some might think that “politics is the art of the possible” (9) while others may subscribe to the thinking that “politics is not the art of the possible, it consists in choosing between the disastrous and the unpalatable. And it is true that, the great thing about democracy is that it gives every voter the chance to do something stupid.” (10) 

Said another way, a “Vote (is) the instrument and symbol of a freeman’s power to make a fool of himself and a wreck of his country.” (11) But that’s OK – “personally, I believe that our American system works as long as you participate in it. You must vote and make your voice heard; otherwise you will be left out.” (12) 

It’s generally true that if you “ask a man which way he’s going to vote and he’ll probably tell you. Ask him, however, why – and vagueness is all.” (13) But voting’s really easy; and “all voting is a sort of gaming, like checkers or backgammon, with a slight moral tinge to it, a playing with right and wrong.” (14) And just about everyone likes to play a game every now and then, right? 

The bottom line is, “voting is simply a way of determining which side is the stronger without putting it to the test of fighting;”(15) “voting is a civic sacrament;”(16) and “the future of this republic is in the hands of the American voter.”(17) If all of that seems like too much pressure, you have an out: “Vote for the man who promises least. He’ll be the least disappointing.” (18) 

Please, vote. It really does matter, this year and every year. Honestly, "there is no such thing as a vote that doesn't matter."(19) Besides, "not voting is not a protest. It is a surrender." (20)  

My final pitch?  "Talk is cheap, voting is free; take it to the polls." (21)

If you need information on where to vote, help on 

your ballot, or any other assistance, visit Vote411.org 

or contact your local Board of Elections. 

Lots of people are out there, ready and willing to help. 

(Thanks to these folks for their words of wisdom: 1 - Charles De Gaulle; 2 – Jeff Melvoin; 3 – Franklin P Adams; 4 and 13 – Andrew Lack; 5 - Bill Vaughan; 6 - Nancy Neuman; 7 - Lyndon B Johnson; 8 - Louis L’Amour; 9 – Otto Von Bismarck; 10 – Art Spander; 11 – Ambrose Bierce; 12 - Mari-Luci Jaramillo; 14 – Henry David Thoreau; 15 – H.L. Mencken; 16—Theodore Hesburgh; 17 – Dwight D. Eisenhower; 18 – Bernard Baruch); 19 - Barack Obama; 20 - Keith Ellison; 21 - Nanette L. Avery

The Election Eve Post, 2020 Edition

It's that time again - the night before the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. That means it's Election Eve, and time for me to do my absolute best to encourage you to vote.

Many of you apparently don't need my encouragement; early voting numbers are through the roof, across the country. Between the early votes and mail-in votes, we're pushing record numbers, and there are still the traditionalists like me, who vote on Election Day, come hell, high water, or even a pandemic, who have yet to be counted. 

But for those of you who aren't among the early in-person or mail-in voters, or the rest of us with a plan, are you thinking that your vote is not important? Is that why you haven't voted yet, or don't have a plan to vote tomorrow? 

Let me tell you, your vote IS important. I know that, because I've been watching all of the activity under way to keep your vote from counting. Over 300 legal challenges to votes have already been seen, according to Stanford Law professor Nate Persily. And we're going to see more before the end of today, and before the end of tomorrow, and before the end of the week and the end of the month... In Texas and Pennsylvania and North Carolina and Wisconsin and Minnesota and more, Republicans are trying to keep you from having a say. That's wrong, plain and simple.

And, of course, in his rallies, in his tweets, in his constant feeding of his propaganda machine - the talk shows on Fox - the president is both complaining about the Supreme Court deciding in favor of voters, instead of in favor of voter suppression, and he is thanking the Supreme Court in advance for their anticipated rulings against voters - against you and me - and looking forward to them handing him the election. That's why, of course, it was so important to get Amy Coney Barrett on the Court before the election. 

Please, let it not be said of you that you sat back and waited for the Supremes to (again) pick the president for us. They have lifetime appointments, sure - but so you do you and I! We have a lifetime of opportunity to vote, to record our decisions. Don't give your voice, on purpose or out of neglect, to a group of political appointees.

As long ago as February, the president started talking about the 2020 election being rigged. Back then, he was trying to foment division among Democrats by saying That Guy from Vermont was 'again' facing a rigged system that would deny him the nomination. Since May, he's been talking about a rigged election more generally, complaining about mail-in ballots, and about drop-boxes where voters are allowed to return their ballots. As with everything that matters to the him, if he can cast aspersions and doubt, he will. He cares not at all what that means for voters - people like you and me - or for our country. He only cares what it means for him.

I care about the outcome of this election - I always care - but I care equally about having everyone vote. We can no longer let the people who don't participate make our choices for us. Tomorrow, Election Day, I'll put on my pearls (for RBG), and my 'resist' pin and my 'vote pin' and I'll go do my civic duty. I'll think of my late father, who unfortunately missed the election of Barack Obama, but fortunately did not have to witness the election after that, and how he taught me about voting when I was ten. 

Allegedly smart people, those experts we hear from all the time, are predicting as many as 150 million votes will be cast. Please - make one of those votes yours. 

As I do every year, I offer the following motivation, in case you're still on the fence. 

After some thought, “I have come to the conclusion that politics are too serious a matter to be left to the politicians." (1) Actually, “The idea of an election is much more interesting to me than the election itself…the act of voting is in itself the defining moment.”(2) And why is it that “When the political columnists say ‘every thinking man’ they mean themselves, and when candidates appeal to ‘every intelligent voter’ they mean everyone who is going to vote for them”?(3) 

We know it’s true that “Bad officials are elected by good citizens who didn’t vote”(4), and that “A citizen of America will cross the ocean to fight for democracy, but won’t cross the street to vote in a national election.”(5) Do we still not realize, after all these years, that “lower voter participation is a silent threat to our democracy… it under-represents young people, the poor, the disabled, those with little education, minorities and you and me”? (6) 

After all, “the vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men because they are different from other men” (7) and “to make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not just observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.” (8) 

And complain we do, after every election, when the wrong guy wins. If only people who actually voted complained, it’d likely be a lot less noisy, don't you think? 

Some folks may not vote because they don’t know how to pick the right person. There are a couple different schools of thought on that. On the one hand, some might think that “politics is the art of the possible” (9) while others may subscribe to the thinking that “politics is not the art of the possible, it consists in choosing between the disastrous and the unpalatable. And it is true that, the great thing about democracy is that it gives every voter the chance to do something stupid.” (10) 

Said another way, a “Vote (is) the instrument and symbol of a freeman’s power to make a fool of himself and a wreck of his country.” (11) But that’s OK – “personally, I believe that our American system works as long as you participate in it. You must vote and make your voice heard; otherwise you will be left out.” (12) 

It’s generally true that if you “ask a man which way he’s going to vote and he’ll probably tell you. Ask him, however, why – and vagueness is all.” (13) But voting’s really easy; and “all voting is a sort of gaming, like checkers or backgammon, with a slight moral tinge to it, a playing with right and wrong.” (14) And just about everyone likes to play a game every now and then, right? 

The bottom line is, “voting is simply a way of determining which side is the stronger without putting it to the test of fighting;”(15) “voting is a civic sacrament;”(16) and “the future of this republic is in the hands of the American voter.”(17) If all of that seems like too much pressure, you have an out: “Vote for the man who promises least. He’ll be the least disappointing.” (18) 

Please, vote. It really does matter, this year and every year. Honestly, "there is no such thing as a vote that doesn't matter."(19) Besides, "not voting is not a protest. It is a surrender." (20)  

My final pitch?  "Talk is cheap, voting is free; take it to the polls." (21)

If you need information on where to vote, help on your ballot, or any other assistance, visit Vote411.org or contact your local Board of Elections. Lots of people are out there, ready and willing to help. 

(Thanks to these folks for their words of wisdom: 1 - Charles De Gaulle; 2 – Jeff Melvoin; 3 – Franklin P Adams; 4 and 13 – Andrew Lack; 5 - Bill Vaughan; 6 - Nancy Neuman; 7 - Lyndon B Johnson; 8 - Louis L’Amour; 9 – Otto Von Bismarck; 10 – Art Spander; 11 – Ambrose Bierce; 12 - Mari-Luci Jaramillo; 14 – Henry David Thoreau; 15 – H.L. Mencken; 16—Theodore Hesburgh; 17 – Dwight D. Eisenhower; 18 – Bernard Baruch); 19 - Barack Obama; 20 - Keith Ellison; 21 - Nanette L. Avery

What Was She Thinking?

Statement from NBC News*

 Dr. Nancy Snyderman, the chief medical editor for NBC News, had been in Liberia covering the Ebola epidemic, and while there, worked with a free-lance cameraman who contracted the disease and is currently being treated.

popscreen.com photo

Snyderman and others of our team were brought home shortly after the cameraman was diagnosed, and were asked to honor a 'voluntary quarantine' lasting 21 days, during which they would be monitored for symptoms. 

As a "health professional" (which is how Dr. Snyderman refers to herself), she should have known better than to go out in public while under quarantine, and should have done everything in her power to prevent other members of the group from doing the same.

Sadly, that was not the case: multiple media outlets have reported that Snyderman and others were seen in a car outside a popular New Jersey restaurant, and that one of the people left the vehicle, went into the restaurant, and came back with soup. For that, we are deeply sorry. 

 In a statement that's being read on all of our broadcasts, Snyderman notes that she and others "remain healthy" and their "temperatures are normal" and that she  is "deeply sorry for the concerns this episode caused" but she does not state that she herself violated the quarantine, only that "members of our group" did. For her lack of candor at this time, we are deeply sorry. 

While we talked with Dr. Snyderman, and were happy to read her statement, we made no mention of the specific incident which led us to this point, instead generically mentioning that Snyderman has been in the news. We did not report on our own employee's ill-advised behavior, and for that we are deeply sorry. 

The strongest message that Dr. Snyderman could have delivered at this time was to obey the voluntary quarantine, and  follow the advice of those who are best equipped and experienced with combating something like Ebola, which Snyderman, a cardiologist, is less prepared to do.  Instead, she chose to ignore the request. For her ignorance, we are deeply sorry.

She and her team are now under mandatory quarantine for the remainder of the 21-day period.  Police are now patrolling the area where Snyderman and members of her group are staying, probably as much to protect them from potential threats from the angry, frightened, confused and disillusioned people of Princeton as to ensure that the group stays inside for the duration of the quarantine. For the extra costs and the disruption to the people of Princeton, we are deeply sorry. 

Whether or not you believe that Ebola is a threat to Americans at home, and whether or not you believe the quarantine was necessary, are not at issue here. What is at issue are the actions taken by Snyderman and others under her sphere of influence. We strongly believe that her actions were irresponsible, and that they have embarrassed all of us here at NBC. For that, we are deeply sorry. 

We also strongly believe that the best place for you to get the medical information you need is from your doctor, and from your local public health officials, not from our photogenic medical editor or from our broadcasts. 

*which we'll see maybe on the twelfth of never.