1976 Revisited? Will There Be Something Left to Celebrate in 2076?

I find myself and many I know somewhat uninterested in what is a significant milestone in our country's history. A quarter of a millennium of existence is significant for a country in a world where the map of the planet is constantly changing. Like many in my generation, I remember the bicentennial celebrations in 1976, fueled by the optimism in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal and the Vietnam War. While there has always been friction between political parties, 1976 was a year of unity in celebrating one country. Gerald Ford, certainly not our greatest president, was a good man and the perfect leader for the bicentennial; he made the celebration about our country, its strengths, and hope for an even better future. We remember the many celebrations, the fireworks, and the Tall Ships that became a wonderful part of the festivities. There is no question that 1976 unified the country. Ford deserved so much credit for promoting the country while staying somewhat out of the limelight himself. In his July 4th speech in Philadelphia, he said,

It is fitting that we ask ourselves hard questions even on a glorious day like today. Are the institutions under which we live working the way they should? Are the foundations laid in 1776 and 1789 still strong enough and sound enough to resist the tremors of our times? Are our God-given rights secure, our hard-won liberties protected?

The very fact that we can ask these questions, that we can freely examine and criticize our society, is cause for confidence itself. Many of the voices raised in doubt 200 years ago served to strengthen and improve the decisions finally made.

He recognized and celebrated the democratic principles outlined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

 What a difference 50 years has made. Division rules the day, and the extreme elements of both political parties need binoculars to see each other. Our president seems to see the celebrations as more about his presidency than the country. Ford’s words united; Trump’s words divide. In the early 1970s, as today, we had a president who abused power. Richard Nixon, who did get us out of the Vietnam War and opened the door to relations with China, overlooked the law and the limits of the Constitution, but it was his own party that brought him to justice.  Members of his administration resigned over his actions, and Sen. Barry Goldwater led the group of Republicans that went to the White House to advise Nixon to resign. While Gerald Ford angered many by pardoning Nixon, he did so to put Watergate behind us and begin the healing process.

Last week, Donald Trump said there were “no limits” to his power, a comment that brought almost no reaction from his own party. He criticizes, insults, and, in some cases, has the Justice Department prosecute those who voice dissent. I didn’t vote for Gerald Ford in 1976, but I respected and admired him. He was a gentleman, one who placed our country before his own ambition. His pardon of Nixon may have cost him the 1976 election. Regardless of whether or not one agrees with Trump’s policy, he distorts the truth, frequently lies, is often vulgar, and refers to opponents as “crooked,” “braindead,” “low IQ,” “crazy,” and “losers,” while often making derogatory comments about their physical appearance. Some of his comments I have the decency not to quote.

Donald Trump recently showed two journalists a document where he compared himself to Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, Napoleon, Stalin, Mao, and Hitler. Powerful, yes, but are these individuals who represented the best of humanity? Stalin and Hitler both oversaw the deaths of millions in their countries. Is there any parent out there who would want Attila the Hun or Genghis Khan as a role model for their child?

For so many, the Statue of Liberty represents what is special about our country. We are all immigrants. Other than those brought here in bondage against their wishes, we came to this land with hope, the emotion that drives us on, even when life seems to have turned against us. The statue contains a sonnet by Emma Lazarus, entitled “The New Colossus.”

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

 As a child, I saw those words as symbolizing what was best about our country, what made us unique. Now so many of those “huddled masses” pass the statue going the other way. So many in the country, including our president, are focused on “me,” not “us.” Our president has made these immigrants out to be “murderers,” “rapists, discarded by other countries’ prisons, and, in Springfield, OH, individuals who are eating pets. How far some have moved from those words on the Statue. Have they also forgotten what many of our ancestors endured, uprooting and moving to this country?

For those of us who don’t want to view history through rose-colored glasses, this country has had more than its share of low points, most of which are forgotten (revisit the 1876 presidential election). Democracy is a remarkable system, but one that has created crisis after crisis. Throughout it all, our country has prevailed. We will again, given time for emotions to mellow and reason to return.

Many have heard the following description of how to tell an optimist from a pessimist. Two individuals are presented with a massive pile of horse manure. The pessimist walks away, disgusted. The optimist starts shoveling furiously, saying, “With all that manure, there must be a pony in there somewhere.” The current political chaos in our country certainly looks like that pile of manure. We can, like many, write off the nation as a lost cause and walk away, but in that mess lies a remarkable country … if we have the skills and courage to find it. We have to stop arguing and listen. We need to focus on what we have in common, not our differences. We must have the courage to each admit that we can be wrong and don’t have all the answers. We are not a nation of sheep; it is our duty always to question.

In 2076, this will all be history. Because we are human, that year will likely be mired in another crisis, yet unimagined.  Even if we don’t feel like celebrating this year, we have to believe that the experiment of 1776 was a good one. Let’s celebrate our failures as well as our strengths because those failures force us to be an even better country. Jefferson had his flaws like any of us, but that was a pretty good document he penned 250 years ago.