GEORGE BUSH – QUIET BRILLANCE

THIS WILL APPEAR IN THE FARMERVILLE GAZETTE THE WEEK OF 12/9/2018
Last week a grateful country buried a noble president. I do not recall the genuine outpouring of love and respect for any presidential funeral as we witnessed over the national period of mourning as we saw for President George H.W. Bush. Yes there were some that took the opportunity of the moment to bring up and benefit their own personal political agendas instead of holding the moment respectful. Despite feuds on the “View” and derogatory comments from liberal Northwest press, America took such bold moves as to shut down the American stock markets and mail delivery in honor of George H.W. Bush.
Bush felt that a person should take whatever they are doing very seriously but do not take themselves so serious. The goal is the important aspect and the leader should reside in the background while giving credit to those that performed the day to day tasks. This characteristic of President Bush was apparent in his term as the 41st President of the United States.
In 1989 Bush took the oath of office for the presidency. That same year the Berlin wall came tumbling down as the Soviet Union dissolved. Two years later the Soviet Union formally disbanded, the flag of the USSR was lowered over the Kremlin to be replaced with the flag of Russia and the Cold War was over. At that time a leader of the United States had two options to publicly portray. He could have thrown out his chest, extoled the superiority of the United States and degraded the ability of the USSR to survive. No better way to alienate the former USSR and make it question its’ decision to break apart. In contrasts, the president could have taken a more philosophical and respectful approach to the Soviet Union. This would allow bridge building and instead of humiliating a proud people, America could build a strong ally to move the world into a better place to live. This was the approach that Bush took. There was no gloating and America reached out with aid and education to help the former Soviet Union. Countries such as Poland flourished and are now strong allies of the United States, great trade partners and appreciate the ability to live free.
President Bush’s biggest international accomplishment was the coalition he built to oust Iraq from the country it invaded, Kuwait. It was enormous to build this army from improbable allies. A coalition of thirty-three countries; many from unlikely allies that saw diverse armies such as Syria, former communist Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland, and tiny Senegal; all fought together to free Kuwait. Not only did the formation of this massive army require great leadership and fortitude but the brinkmanship to solidify this alliance prior to and during the Gulf War was nothing short of amazing. This is testament to Bush’s earlier experience as a Navy pilot, United Nations Ambassador, de facto Ambassador to China and then director of the Central Intelligence Agency. It is unclear if any other President could have pulled off such an extraordinary feat in such a short amount of time. Even Bush had reservations as the clock ticked toward military action. It was his close friend and military ally, the iron lady of England, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher that brought him back into focus and provided words of wisdom; “Now George, don’t go wobbly kneed on me”. The most amazing war effort since World War II took place and the president quietly stood in the background and allowed his generals to receive the lion’s share of the spotlight.
Next week we will look at the details of what President Bush did to insure Saddam did not walk out of Kuwait unscathed and how he held the coalition together during the war. Then we look at what beat this noble gentleman in his re-election bid.

LOUISIANA’S INFLUENCE IN DEMOCRATIC CONVENTIONS

 

Today there is much discussion about the use of the Brokered Convention and some see it as a way to steal a nomination from a person that the political party feels is unworthy to represent the party.  In fact, the rules are clear as to what actually constitutes a brokered convention.  In the early years of the conventions the many states sent their delegates “uninstructed” to the conventions.  This meant that they were free to vote for whomever they felt would be the best candidate.  The United States has come a long way since those early days and rules are in place to help to identify how to select a candidate if a certain percentage of delegates do not cast votes for a specific candidate.  Then the selection of the candidate is brokered.  In the early Democratic conventions a candidate had to receive a 2/3 majority of votes from the convention delegates to be considered the winner of the nomination.  This changed in 1936 with the number of candidates becoming a simple majority.

While a brokered selection of a candidate is not liked by a party due the negative impact to the election process, it is a method to select the presidential candidate.  It has been a while since this was required; however, America did come close.  In 1968 Bobby Kennedy had won most of the primaries but did not have enough delegates.  An assassin’s bullet eliminated the need for a brokered selection.  The Democratic Party came close again in 2008 with the  race between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.  A last minute delegate vote sent Hillary to the side lines and Barak Obama to the White House without a brokered selection.

The Republicans have not been immune to close calls either.  John McCain and Mitt Romney were headed for a brokered convention until Romney dropped from the race.  Gerald Ford and Ronald Regan also were near a brokered selection.

This is not a normal political year and as messed up as this seems it is slightly refreshing to see something new going on in American politics.  The one thing that is mandatory is that whoever is selected to run for office must be selected in a manner that is legitimate and with the least indication of a rigged process.

2016 displays how the nomination for the president of the United States is made.  Each state either holds a caucus or selection vote that determines which candidate will receive delegate votes at the national convention.  The delegate votes from a specific state can be either divided among candidates based on the number of votes casts by the state voters or it can be a winner take all state.  In a winner take all state the winner of the most votes will receive all of the delegate votes and not a proportion of the votes.  The state political party determines the method to use.

Today’s election displays an ire by the voters that have a problem with the centralized ole boy club in Washington.  It is felt that the direction of the country comes from a few power brokers that are directing how the company will be run.  Whether true or not the perception is there. In Louisiana in 1928, it was definitely there and it took a floor fight on the Democratic convention floor to determine who would represent Louisiana at the convention.

In 1928 Huey Long was the new governor and was not taken seriously by the political power brokers in New Orleans, the Ole Regulars.   At that time some delegates were selected by vote but a large number were selected by the strength of the state political party.  The Ole Regulars was the key party, was newly elected governor Huey Long’s adversary, and thought they had bought him off two weeks earlier.  Normally the delegate list is delivered to the governor and the governor would sign the list approving the delegates.  Long had his aide and head of the Louisiana Democratic Party investigate this.  The law did not identify how delegates were to be selected so Long selected his own delegation based on state law.  The Long delegation went to the convention as did the delegation that had been selected by the New Orleans Ole Regulars.  After a fight on the floor of the convention between Carter Glass and the Long aide, Long’s delegation was seated.  Part of this was the result of a deal between Long’s aide and the political activist from New York, Franklin Roosevelt.

One of the reasons for the seating of the Long delegation was to wrestle control away from the power brokers and place it more into the hands of the citizens.  Only in this case it changed ownership from the Ole Regulars to the Long political machine.

THE KKK IN POLITICS

 

On an early Friday morning in the fall of 1991 I was in my hotel room in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Fridays are like Sunday in the Middle East and I had awakened following the winning of the Mid-East Championship at the Dubai Softball Complex at the International Hotel.  The world was changing at an alarming pace.  The Soviet Union and the communist party had fallen apart and dissolved almost overnight.  Images of the Berlin wall being torn down by citizens of Berlin are etched in the minds of freedom loving humans throughout the world. A world coalition had come to the aid of tiny Kuwait and six months earlier had thrown out the Iraq forces in a surgical military operation that will be studied in military academies around the world for generations to come.  The world could finally see a short glimmer of what world peace could really look like.  A world was changing and Dubai was beginning to realize what could be done within the borders of this desert sheikdom. As much as I love and cherish my home state, Louisiana was seen as an insignificant state in America that was twelve thousand miles from Dubai.  In a world view, it pales in comparison to the likes of New York, California and Florida and I hope it remains that way. Yet, on this one day in November, as I awoke to the local radio station broadcasting in English the number one news story flashing across the air waves was that Edwin Edwards had defeated former KKK leader David Duke for the governorship of the state of Louisiana.  This is not the first time that the Ku Klux Klan had taken a prominent position in state or national politics.  Apparently after recent comments pertaining to Duke and the Republican race for president and the endorsement given to Donald Trump, the Klan still has some influence in the political debate.

In 1924 the KKK had strong bonds with the Democratic Party.  Tammany Hall, a political power house for the Democratic Party was headquartered in New York.  Political leaders such as Al Smith, Jim Farley and Franklin Roosevelt came from Tammany Hall politics.  Tammany Hall was anti-Klan and wanted the Klan to be written out of the party in the 1924 Democratic convention.  The Democratic South had a loyal following from the Klan and the Democratic delegation to the convention was estimated to be composed of over 25% members of the Klan.

William Jennings Bryant had at one time been the youngest nominated candidate for president.  He was from Nebraska and at an old age when the 24 convention was held was not a supporter of the KKK.   Bryant was a huge supporter of the Democratic Party and he knew that if the proposal to write out the Klan from the party was brought to the floor of the convention it would tear the party apart.  He came forward to speak and try to persuade the delegation to not bring the Klan issue to the floor of the convention.  For 30 minutes the Tammany Hall delegation jeered him so badly that he unable to address the convention.  The proposal to write the KKK out of the Democratic Party did eventually come to a vote, was barely defeated and the damage was done.  The press of the day built on convention and referred to the gathering as the “Klan Bake”.  It ultimately took two weeks and over a hundred different votes to select a candidate to run for president.

The Republicans won the election in 1924.  Jennings went on be on the prosecution team at the Scopes Monkey trial in Tennessee and eventually the Klan lost control in the Democratic party and its’ strength grew in the Republican party.  When Duke was defeated for the governorship of Louisiana he was running as the Republican representative.

While the Klan has lost most of the power it once had, the mere mention of the KKK can have a strong effect on a political race for both the candidate and the political party.

THE UNCOMMON MAN

 

America was founded and built by a unique set of individuals. This set of individuals packed up everything they owned and set sail to a new country and new home with the knowledge that they would never return to the place that they were raised and would never see their friends or family again.  These people arrived with a spirit of individualism that was manifested in the majority of immigrants to our great nation.  Natural selection occurred and a breed of human occupied a new country.

This spirit was captured in a writing authored by Dean Alfrange.  Alfrange was born of Greek parents living in Turkey.  A Greek living in Turkey in the 1880s was not a desirable life as Turkey had been at war with Greece since the Persians invaded Greece in 490 BC.  Alfrange came to America as an infant and like many appreciative immigrants he joined the Army and went off to World War I.  Alfrange went to college following the war and eventually received a law degree from Columbia.

Alfrange put America above political affiliation, something that needs to be reinstated in our National Government political thinking.  In the 1930s he served as head of the American Labor Party.  Then in 1940 Franklin Roosevelt appointed him to a Democratic party and then was nominated to run as a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate. In 1944 his actions in the American Labor Party led to the formation of the Liberal Party. Then in 1970 Alfrange was appointed by Nelson Rockefeller to a position within the Republican Party.

As magnificent as his loyalty was to the country, the most memorable accomplishment of Alfrange was his writing known as the Uncommon Man.  In this writing he encapsulates the true beign of the men and women that built America.  Unfortunately much of this has been lost but it is within the reach of Americans to regain this level of integrity and individualism.  This writing follows:

“My Creed I do not choose to be a common man, It is my right to be uncommon … if I can, I seek opportunity … not security. I do not wish to be a kept citizen. Humbled and dulled by having the State look after me. I want to take the calculated risk; To dream and to build. To fail and to succeed.

I refuse to barter incentive for a dole; I prefer the challenges of life To the guaranteed existence; The thrill of fulfillment To the stale calm of Utopia.

I will not trade freedom for beneficence Nor my dignity for a handout I will never cower before any master Nor bend to any threat.

It is my heritage to stand erect. Proud and unafraid; To think and act for myself, To enjoy the benefit of my creations And to face the world boldly and say: This, with God’s help, I have done All this is what it means To be an Entrepreneur.” ― Dean Alfange

THE DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION of 28

This will appear in the Bernice Banner, Bernice, Louisiana, USA the week of July 27, 2015

The election season is upon us. I enjoy observing the actions that take place during this period. Swings of presidential polls and followed by the introduction of new campaign issues and how the candidates handle these are what makes the elections so interesting. This builds to a frenzy as potential presidential candidates vie to become the candidate of choice to represent their representative political party.
Today issues such as the economy and foreign relations are at the forefront while racism is simmering below the surface. By the time the conventions are held today it is fairly well known who the candidate will be and the date of the end of the convention is known before it begins. This has not always been the case. Even though the issues have remained the same over the years the method to select the presidential candidate has evolved to what we have today.
Today states hold caucuses and decide on which candidate the state will support for the candidacy of the president of the United State. The person the state will support at the convention is usually known prior to the convention is known before the convention is held. It has not all ways been this way.
In 1924 the Democratic National Convention was to be held in New York. Transportation to the convention was by rail and for many it would take days to arrive. Air conditioning was not available and the 24 convention was held in the middle of summer. Today we enjoy business casual dress wearing slacks and short sleeved shirts. In 24 gentlemen were expected to wear suits and ties.
The opening event of the convention was the banquet and this was probably the only civil part of the convention. A major issue of the convention was the Ku Klux Klan. The Roman Catholic delegates from the North would stand in the halls of the hotel and demand that the Klan be denounced by the National Convention.
William Jennings Bryan had dared to attempt to break up the large monopolies of the industrial giants such as Andrew Carnagie and JP Morgan in the early 1900s. They banded together and threw their financial backing to a rival candidate that would defeat Bryan. He was the Democratic candidate for president on several occasions but was unsuccessful in his run. In 1924 he would be the vice presidential candidate and the same year he would defend Tennessee law to not teach evolution in the public school system at the Scopes Monkey Trial.
Bryan realized that if the KKK issue was brought to the floor of the convention it would break up the party for the upcoming election. When he went to speak to the convention he was horribly jeered by the New York political machine known as Tammany Hall. After thirty minutes he was able to address the convention. When the vote was finally cast the recommendation to keep the KKK issue out of the convention failed by seven votes. It was reported that as many as twenty-five percent of the Democratic convention delegates were members of the Klan. The press referred to the convention at the “Klanbake”.
This was not the only crisis at the convention. Today we select the candidate on the first ballot of the convention. In 1924 the first ballot saw nineteen potential presidential candidates receiving votes. Al Smith received the second most votes of the first ballot. Fifteen days later the convention was not the glamorous event that it normally is. One hundred ballots had been voted on and there was still no candidate. Back office negotiations were going on while convention delegates were suffering in high temperature and patience was running thin. Some delegates were running out of money and they were telegraphing for funds so that they could pay their hotel bills.
At the one hundred ballot point in the convention the leader was Al Smith and William McAdoo was second. McAdoo was deemed to be unelectable as President due to his support of the Klan. Smith was not considered to be electable either as he was a Catholic. On the one hundred and third ballot a compromise candidate, John Davis was selected to represent the Democrats in the presidential elections. Ironically, a major critic of Al Smith was Joe Kennedy who said that a Catholic could not be elected. Kennedy was the father of John Kennedy who was eventually the first Catholic elected to the post of President of the United States.
Eventually Al Smith would become head of the corporation that would build and operate the Empire State Building while McAdoo would divorce his wife when he was seventy-one and marry his twenty-four year old secretary.
This convention has highlighted an important aspects of American politics. This facet is that a political party that is divided and contains infighting will not win the presidential election. We are at the beginning of the presidential election season. Enjoy the journey.