Wiston Papers

Where is the America we were promised?

Two historical documents would serve us well as we approach election day 2012.  One was penned during the formative years of America--before the nation had made the critical decisions that were to shape her destiny.  The second--as seen through the eyes of a foreign visitor--evaluated the progress  of this bold democratic experiment by a young republic.

Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison collaborated on a series of 85 essays between 1787 and 1788 in which the three argued for establishment of a Republic.  They eloquently and passionately called for a strong central government to unite the original 13 British colonies.  The authors opposed the concept of a  Confederacy that would comprise loosely aligned independent sovereign states or nations.  These essays were later assembled as the Federalist Papers and remain today among the most erudite collection of political commentaries crafted by the leading scholars of the era.

Nearly half a century later the young French nobleman Alexis de Tocqueville traversed young America in search of what made this nation unique.  His one-year search beginning in 1831 resulted in the seminal analysis  Democracy in America, which continues as one of the classic descriptions of both the weakness and strength of a representative republic.

Were Hamilton, Jay, Madison and Tocqueville alive today, what would they write?  How would they evaluate the promise and potential of that young nation?  Would the  Federalist authors be pleased with the evolution of the then embryonic country  What would be Tocqueville’s reaction to how America has guarded the legacy of her forefathers and the function of the institutions which the young aristocrat so admired?

Next month the current United States presidential aspirants will engage in three televised debates about America.  Each candidate will pronounce the vision he sees for the republic and how his ideas are in keeping with the traditions of the nation’s greatness.  And each hopeful will claim that his opponent will pursue policies and programs contrary to the American dream---proposals that would erode those values and weaken the qualities and institutions that have made this country the envy of the world.

Despite the inevitable rhetoric, sadly today ours is not the America of the Federalists nor the republic witnessed by Tocqueville.  In 1787 the colonies comprised a largely racially and religiously homogeneous population who shared the common aspiration of independence from the yoke of British oppression and a passion to carve their own destiny.  Today’s America lacks a fundamental unifying goal or shared purpose.  And she is beset by often fractious religious, ethnic, and socio-politico differences that threaten to sever rather than forge a common spirit. 

Although our founding fathers engaged in occasional passionate debates over the best method to pursue the nation’s destiny, the goal itself was clearly perceived...a vision of what the young country could be.  Today’s America is mired in acrimonious partisan squabbling that puts the personal desires of individual politicians and political party aggrandisement before patriotism or common national interest.  

The trio of Hamilton, Jay and Madison would be dismayed by today’s leadership that is bereft of intellectual creativity, morally incapable of mustering the courage  to rescue the foundering nation, and is more committed to preserving partisan solidarity than promoting policies of national growth, security and equality.  

Absent in 2012 are representatives willing to sacrifice their political futures for the betterment of America.  Instead both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue are occupied by persons who have abandoned the needs of the nation in exchange for clinging to their undeserved tenure in office.

The public servants who inspired and shared the dreams of our founding ancestors  have been supplanted by a class of  pampered, lazy elite unwilling to frame an image of what America of tomorrow should be or how to get there.

We no longer are a nation of acclaim; we are a country of blame.  We point fingers not lift spirits.  We assign wrong rather than praise  right.  We protect incivility rather than demand responsibility.  We have replaced pride with perfidy.  We have betrayed our inheritance by electing mediocre politicians instead of choosing meritorious public servants.

This November Americans will elect their leaders for the near term.  Too few of us will cast votes to assure that the dream of the Federalists continues.  And too few of our candidates will attempt to uphold the vision that ignited the admiration of Alexis de Tocqueville.  

It’s too late this year to effect the critical changes required to turn the ship of state around and chart a more daring course worthy of the bold experiment that our founding fathers bequeathed to us.  

I know not how others will vote.  But for me I choose to reject every incumbent in favor of the possibility of meaningful change.  That is a risk I am willing to assume.  Because the persons who now represent us have proven their ineptitude.  They have demonstrated that they are incapable of guiding this nation. They no longer deserve our trust.  On that point there is no doubt.  And I am convinced  that Hamilton, Jay, Madison and Tocqueville would agree.

Steve Coon

September 23, 2012