Eisenhower

I'm watching Eisenhower give a speech at the 1956 Republican National Convention. I don't look on the 50s with fondness, I think of McCarthy, and Jim Crow laws, and war that was both hellish and ultimately useless. A lot like now actually, only without the crippled economy.

But Eisenhower is impressive. The man speaks with the full force of his education. He is eloquent and feels no need to assume the listener is too dumb to understand him. I listen as he describes a republican party controlled not by hate and superstition, but one that is taking the first steps in establishing civil rights. He is not confused between capitalism and corporatism, but speaks of a free market that has organized labor and small business owners. And Eisenhower, a man whose name is all but synonymous with war and military, speaks to me of achieving peace by talking to our enemies, and trying to achieve understanding. Never, not once, has it ever occurred to one of the people in charge to say that we can solve our problems with the middle east by inviting them to see our country, to talk to us and help them learn about us. Or to learn about them.

I cannot help but compare him to the current president the Republicans gave us. He seems to be the opposite of Bush in every way that matters. Nor can I help the knowledge that he could never win today, especially not as a republican. 50 years later and we have a president who can barely speak English, and whose idea of peace talks is to give ultimatums.

For every step forward this country took in the last 50 years, how many did we take backwards as well?