Terrific summation of our two greatest presidents, each singular in certain own ways. Both possessed humility, something utterly absence from the current occupant of the White House and his "special employee."
The office is important, but as Jen laid out here, it's the occupant which is most important.
How do we sign up? I love this column, but boy it’s been frustrating to not be able to find the right information about this call today. And I sure wish it were a bit later in the afternoon so it doesn’t conflict with all the rallies.
I agree there needs to be more info. I also don't understand why there is no audio through Substack on these posts. Everyone else you can listen to it being read.
Joined the 50501 movement's protest today with over 100 others in Keene, NH. So great to be out there! My favorite sign: Fire the FELON (with the F in felon in blue and the ELON in red).
Yes! I'm so old I remember the Washington and Lincoln birthdays as separate observances. Importantly, in elementary school each year on both birthdays we LEARNED about those presidents as both men and as presidents. It was important stuff, taught about people who were important, indeed, essential people. How far we have fallen. How tragic to compare those office holders with today's White House occupant. We know America can do better. What we don't know, on this President's Day, is if we have the will to do better once again.
I grew up in a Navy family, which meant that we moved a lot. While everyone had Washington's birthday as a holiday, not all states had Lincoln's birthday. When I took a job at a university in Texas in the late 1990s, I made the mistake on my syllabus of assuming that President's Day was a holiday on the academic calendar. It wasn't, although the state did take the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. Although it was explained as not being able to have two holidays so close together, as well as mucking up the syllabi for Monday classes, I always thought it strange that Washington and Lincoln did not get their due.
On a scale of 1-100, over 150 Presidential Historians ranked our Presidents again last year. Lincoln scored at 94, Trump was last with a score of 10.6 I believe. Based on his first month of his 2nd term it looks like he could go lower next time they rank. He has made unqualified administration appointments and 0ver 90% of his decisions so far have been petty, pointless, stupid or dangerous.
I grew up in NY State where Lincoln's birthday was celebrated but that was not the case for the states down South where Abe was considered a traitor to his race. So I got 2 days for my entire public school attendance in 4 different systems.
This would be great Jen if we can have simple 1-3 minute videos on civics to understand how government works. For those who don’t remember or never had it in high school. One thought if people are misinformed. Then educate the masses. Thank you guys for all you do. What a wonderful way to celebrate President day. ❤️
How a society works. How reciprocal social interactions work and strategies that serve needs which minimizing impasses and conflicts. Genuine liberty is dependent on individual engagement in a responsible society. We protect our own freedom by protecting that of others.
Those of us who went through school having Lincoln's birthday (February 12) and Washington's birthday (February 22) as holidays remember those dates and why those two presidents were important in our history. I remember cutting out silhouettes of the two presidents while our teacher explained the importance of those two men. We taped the silhouettes up in the window panes of the school, so you could see them from the outside. We didn't get the day off if one of those dates fell on a Saturday or a Sunday, of course, but its significance wasn't obscured by big sales or a three-day trip out-of-town. Years later, I remember an exam question in a college history class about Washington's Farewell Address. I made the comment in my response that Washington didn't write that address sitting in an aircraft on its way across the ocean, and something to the effect of his views of isolationism were right for his time, and he undoubtedly would have adjusted his thinking if he could have lived to experience our relatively quick world travel. My prof liked it. Maybe that's why I remember it.
Yes! I recall similar silhouettes, not that they likely taught us much, but they marked the occasion. What those occasions did teach is that the thoughts of those presidents and their times were worthy of attention. I see Lincoln as thoughtful and humble enough to have updated some of his thinking had he lived for generations, but of course there is no real way to know. Certain principle may stay constant but circumstances change, and ideally our understandings with them.
I see musical variations and biological evolution as examples of how that which remains unified may present itself in substantially different ways. Historical and literate glimpses of human nature and societies seems like this. Seeing both the critical differences and significant connections to current constellation, differences and connections that most matter, seems to offer the best degree of purchase on our understandings and our fate.
I was so looking forward to the substack today, Contrarians' Day. But I can't figure out how to access it on my computer. Even following the directions to go to the App Store and search for substack or substack app doesn't work. Keep up the good work. Maybe you'll post i later.
It pained me when "Presidents Day" replaced Lincoln's and Washington's birthdays as national holidays. Perhaps the significance is largely superficial, but I recall with some degree of clarity discussion of Lincoln's upbringing, deeds and values in some of the elementary grades of my public school education, occasioned by the holiday. While much of the US history I learned in those grades was literally fictionalized, our memorized readings of the preamble of the Constitution and the Gettysburg Address stayed with me (to the point that I think I could sort of recite them today, and think of them often.
Lincoln may have been fairly ignorant and phobic about black people, but he substantially reconciled US law with the stated aspirational goals of our two most fundamental founding document in historical ways. He was also an eloquent champion of government of, by and for the people, which has a powerful and ironic bearing on events emerging today. Much of Lincoln's thoughts about liberty and justice remain relevant to our current struggles, and the withdrawal of the spotlight from Lincoln's accomplishments on a reoccurring basis was, I think, a significant societal error.
Instead of putting Trump on Rushmore, which really is a lot of work, I suggest a crude sketch above a urinal in the gift-shop men's room.
Urinal cakes is the way to go
That would keep us right on target!!!
I had this idea just after posting. Great minds.
Agreed
Thanks for the history lesson! I learn so much from being here.
Terrific summation of our two greatest presidents, each singular in certain own ways. Both possessed humility, something utterly absence from the current occupant of the White House and his "special employee."
The office is important, but as Jen laid out here, it's the occupant which is most important.
How do we sign up? I love this column, but boy it’s been frustrating to not be able to find the right information about this call today. And I sure wish it were a bit later in the afternoon so it doesn’t conflict with all the rallies.
I agree there needs to be more info. I also don't understand why there is no audio through Substack on these posts. Everyone else you can listen to it being read.
Joined the 50501 movement's protest today with over 100 others in Keene, NH. So great to be out there! My favorite sign: Fire the FELON (with the F in felon in blue and the ELON in red).
Yes! I'm so old I remember the Washington and Lincoln birthdays as separate observances. Importantly, in elementary school each year on both birthdays we LEARNED about those presidents as both men and as presidents. It was important stuff, taught about people who were important, indeed, essential people. How far we have fallen. How tragic to compare those office holders with today's White House occupant. We know America can do better. What we don't know, on this President's Day, is if we have the will to do better once again.
I grew up in a Navy family, which meant that we moved a lot. While everyone had Washington's birthday as a holiday, not all states had Lincoln's birthday. When I took a job at a university in Texas in the late 1990s, I made the mistake on my syllabus of assuming that President's Day was a holiday on the academic calendar. It wasn't, although the state did take the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. Although it was explained as not being able to have two holidays so close together, as well as mucking up the syllabi for Monday classes, I always thought it strange that Washington and Lincoln did not get their due.
Since we have one already, wouldn't be smart to start celebrating a " Co President Day "? 🙄. Yeah, I'm rolling my eyes myself.
On a scale of 1-100, over 150 Presidential Historians ranked our Presidents again last year. Lincoln scored at 94, Trump was last with a score of 10.6 I believe. Based on his first month of his 2nd term it looks like he could go lower next time they rank. He has made unqualified administration appointments and 0ver 90% of his decisions so far have been petty, pointless, stupid or dangerous.
Imagine Mt. Rushmore contaminated with Trump’s sneering visage. Yuck!
His giant keister on the backside of the mountain might work.
I grew up in NY State where Lincoln's birthday was celebrated but that was not the case for the states down South where Abe was considered a traitor to his race. So I got 2 days for my entire public school attendance in 4 different systems.
This would be great Jen if we can have simple 1-3 minute videos on civics to understand how government works. For those who don’t remember or never had it in high school. One thought if people are misinformed. Then educate the masses. Thank you guys for all you do. What a wonderful way to celebrate President day. ❤️
How a society works. How reciprocal social interactions work and strategies that serve needs which minimizing impasses and conflicts. Genuine liberty is dependent on individual engagement in a responsible society. We protect our own freedom by protecting that of others.
Those of us who went through school having Lincoln's birthday (February 12) and Washington's birthday (February 22) as holidays remember those dates and why those two presidents were important in our history. I remember cutting out silhouettes of the two presidents while our teacher explained the importance of those two men. We taped the silhouettes up in the window panes of the school, so you could see them from the outside. We didn't get the day off if one of those dates fell on a Saturday or a Sunday, of course, but its significance wasn't obscured by big sales or a three-day trip out-of-town. Years later, I remember an exam question in a college history class about Washington's Farewell Address. I made the comment in my response that Washington didn't write that address sitting in an aircraft on its way across the ocean, and something to the effect of his views of isolationism were right for his time, and he undoubtedly would have adjusted his thinking if he could have lived to experience our relatively quick world travel. My prof liked it. Maybe that's why I remember it.
Yes! I recall similar silhouettes, not that they likely taught us much, but they marked the occasion. What those occasions did teach is that the thoughts of those presidents and their times were worthy of attention. I see Lincoln as thoughtful and humble enough to have updated some of his thinking had he lived for generations, but of course there is no real way to know. Certain principle may stay constant but circumstances change, and ideally our understandings with them.
I see musical variations and biological evolution as examples of how that which remains unified may present itself in substantially different ways. Historical and literate glimpses of human nature and societies seems like this. Seeing both the critical differences and significant connections to current constellation, differences and connections that most matter, seems to offer the best degree of purchase on our understandings and our fate.
I was so looking forward to the substack today, Contrarians' Day. But I can't figure out how to access it on my computer. Even following the directions to go to the App Store and search for substack or substack app doesn't work. Keep up the good work. Maybe you'll post i later.
Look in your email if you can’t find it. It’s easier sometime to access then on substack.
It pained me when "Presidents Day" replaced Lincoln's and Washington's birthdays as national holidays. Perhaps the significance is largely superficial, but I recall with some degree of clarity discussion of Lincoln's upbringing, deeds and values in some of the elementary grades of my public school education, occasioned by the holiday. While much of the US history I learned in those grades was literally fictionalized, our memorized readings of the preamble of the Constitution and the Gettysburg Address stayed with me (to the point that I think I could sort of recite them today, and think of them often.
Lincoln may have been fairly ignorant and phobic about black people, but he substantially reconciled US law with the stated aspirational goals of our two most fundamental founding document in historical ways. He was also an eloquent champion of government of, by and for the people, which has a powerful and ironic bearing on events emerging today. Much of Lincoln's thoughts about liberty and justice remain relevant to our current struggles, and the withdrawal of the spotlight from Lincoln's accomplishments on a reoccurring basis was, I think, a significant societal error.
The Felon President of the United States never will be