Supporting the Democracy at Hand

Today is inauguration day and Washington D.C. is a military town.

This may seem like a terrible time in world history, and in many ways it is. But Americans have had other situations where a president came into office with terrible issues on the table. President Abraham Lincoln did it in 1861, knowing that Civil War was about to break out. And when it did erupt throughout America, Lincoln held firm to the belief that the preservation of the Union was paramount to all other activity. Although 600,000 citizens died in that needless and fratricidal war, we emerged stronger and better for it, more conscious of human rights and the need to preserve our democracy. 

Harry S. Truman came into office in 1945 upon the death of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and was quickly confronted and almost immediately had to decide whether he should unleash the atomic bomb. As any student of history will tell you, he decided to deploy them to save lives. As I have written in earlier posts, these bombs saved not only at least one million Allied military personnel, but they also saved millions of Japanese lives. Forcing an end to the Second World War was a brutal task. We conquered and divided Germany and occupied the country for two months, but it was only when Hitler put a bullet in his head, did Germany surrender. Given what it took to bring the Third Reich to its knees, what would have happened during an invasion of Japan? Truman’s decisions ended WWII in victory and launched us as the world power we are still today. 

When President Joe Biden takes the oath today, he faces one of the worse pandemics in history as well as nasty dictatorships in Russia, Iran, Korea and China. How he handles medical professionals, logistical networks and his subordinates in dealing with these issues will create the cornerstone of his legacy.

Universal popularity is not what makes for a great president. One need not forget many Americans did not support Lincoln throughout his tenure. In the 1864 Presidential election, he garnered 55 percent of the vote. It is mind numbing to think that General Robert McClellan, his opponent, got 45 percent of the vote, even though he wanted to allow the South to secede, split the Union and allow slavery to continue in half of America! Lincoln is one of our greatest presidents, but during his lifetime, he did not have the universal support many today think he had. Truman also had a tough political fight to stay in power when he ran for a second term. Although praised today for his vision and tough stance against Communism, he was not universally liked either. 

As President Biden comes into the White House, how should we look at our past to help us in the next four years? Well, we should do all we can to support OUR President. We should make our communities stronger by doing the “next right thing.” Bemoaning the fact that maybe the person who got elected was not our choice does not help us in the fight to make a better future. For the record, I think both the options we had this year were not the best America can offer, but historical wisdom tells me that instead of wishing for something different, we should embrace what is and do what we can to make it better. So, during this inauguration, let us hope that Biden rises to the occasion like Lincoln and Turman did in the past, and make American stronger and healthier. 

And we must do our part. In four years, let each one of us ask, “What did we do to make America better?” Does one make America better by trying to change something that cannot be changed—i.e., who is president? Or does one make America stronger by supporting the democracy at hand and helping those officials who are in power enact moral laws, good policies and strong visions? I think we all can agree that the latter is the better option. For shame if you think otherwise. 

For more about history, visit www.bryanmarkrigg.com.