Profiles in Courage

 "Profiles in Courage" (by JFK) was one of the first books I ever read. I understood the big words and comprehended the big ideas. I was a very early reader and exposed to the World at an early age. My parents gave me the book. They saw my early interest through my behavior at home. 

My parents had nine kids and they had an early mourning ritual that I copied. Everyday they would get up early, make coffee, and read the paper. It was funny how they would switch newspaper sections, without saying a word, and continue reading and drinking their coffee. I remember it vividly.

I was a nerdy kid. I got up before my parents, got myself dressed, got a glass of milk and grabbed the newspaper from the front door. I would put the newspaper on the coffee table just as my parents came out of their bedroom. Dad sat down and grabbed the front page section. Mom made the coffee. Mom served Dad coffee and both sat and read the paper. I was allowed to sit with them as long as I was quiet. I didn't have to be told to be quiet, I just understood that. Dad would throw me the comics and we all had quiet reading time before the other kids got up. When they were done reading the paper, Mom would go to the kitchen and start making breakfast for eleven. Dad would hit the shower and dress for the day. That was my time. I got to read the rest of the paper before Mom started waking up the rest of the house. 

I took an interest in the front page news. I didn't always understand the deep meanings, but I knew what was going on in the World and was getting to know the leaders of the World. I know my interest in history and current events came from those early days reading the newspaper with my parents. I was six years old then. Eisenhower was president. The space race was just getting underway. We had no manned vehicles, yet, but I was obsessed with all things space. 

"Profiles in Courage" taught me a lot about politics, the men in politics, the power of politics, and why politicians made the decisions they did. What was bravery in politics and what was fear in the face of political power. It also taught me no matter how many times we make the same mistake, we continue to make those same mistakes. Iraq was just as big a folly as Vietnam was and neither was as good a reason to send our young men to die as WW II. Scandals are just as common as they were 50 years ago. All politicians lie to grab power. Demagogues are not rare in politics. War is a beast that needs to be fed. 

Trump was not a surprise to me, just another sad event of history. I've given up on thinking the people will get smarter as they go through these episodes. Impeachment II is no different, we will soon move on to the next outrageous moment and still have Trump in our national politics. 

FDR was involved in some scurrilous events, but he pulled us through the depression and saved the world from fascism.  Ike was a grumpy old warrior, but he did create the International Highway system and oversaw the greatest growth period in American history (with taxes three times higher than we pay today). JFK slept with women, but he did push us to the Moon and all the technology we learned from that project. LBJ lied about Vietnam, but he did pass great legislation. One difference is, we no longer tackle great projects that truly progress the country for the good of all the people. If you think the Keystone pipeline is the greatest thing America has going for it, well, welcome to mediocre America. We are going to the Moon! Wait, we did that over 50 years ago. We did accomplish a 30 trillion dollar debt and a country at each others throats. 

If Biden can have a great two years, we may hold off Republicans regaining majority. But the deck is stacked against Joe for the next two years, so I really don't see some great change that will make things greatly different. It will take a lot more courage as a society than we have shown in the last 40 years to make a great change. After that, the chances that I will be around to see the future, is small. I don't believe in God, and if I did I would be convinced that God created this pandemic to cull the heard. 

Optimism is fleeting. Obama's first two years is proof of that. If you are more optimistic than me, good luck to you. The best thing you can do is fight to make sure Democrats keep majority after the midterms. Don't be looking for messiahs, or miracles, they don't exist. Just keeping the country from sinking lower will be a hard enough task.