The Loss of Trust

When I was a kid I paid no attention to politics in general and presidents in particular. I was too busy digging in dirt and climbing trees. My family was very vocal about presidential politics, so I learned about FDR, Harry Truman, and Ike from my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles.



In Pop Hayes' house a picture of FDR hung in the bedroom. He lived through the Great Depression and World War II with FDR and idolized him, not unlike many of your family members. He was a yellow dog Democrat in the truest sense of the term. The story is told that stayed up all night agonizing about voting for Kennedy because he was Catholic and was convinced, like most of the adults in my life, that JFK would run the country as directed by the Pope. On the other hand, voting Republican would mean disrespecting the legacy of FDR. That was the irrational fear of the time, but it was palpable in my world. I still don't know what he decided to do, but I suspect he swallowed hard and voted for Kennedy. Near the end of his life, while visiting him in the hospital, he told me, "Never vote Republican. Lincoln was he last good one and it's been downhill ever since." Opinions vary as to whether it was dementia or a moment of clarity. He'd be disappointed to know that I have ignored his advice on numerous occasions, but affirmed that I have regretted it at least some of the time.



They all loved Harry Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Truman was honest as the day is long, and he brought a swift and decisive conclusion to World War II. They knew then what we know now - without Truman's use of the A Bomb, countless more American lives would be lost invading Japan. They didn't like that he dismissed General McArthur when he got too big for his britches, and they disapproved of his cussing. At the end of the day, they trusted his judgement and his motives.



The same for Eisenhower. Being a war hero didn't hurt, and he brought a sense of stability to a nation weary of war. He was the perfect man for the Cold War at that time. He built roads and kept us out of war with Russia. Like many of his WWII counterparts, he simply came home, built a life, and built a nation. It's been said that Ike would have made a great Democrat and that Kennedy would have made a great Republican. I think our current loss of trust and confidence in the Presidency began to some degree after Eisenhower, came to full bloom with Nixon, and has evolved to the point that we don't trust anyone. More about that in the next blog.