I posted this:
I saw "Lincoln" the other night, and the more I think about it, the less I like it. On one hand it accurately represented the political situation, where Democrats were uniformly opposed to freeing the slaves, while the newly formed Republican party was specifically created as abolitionists.
However, Lincoln was depicted as wondering if he had the constitutional power to do what he was doing, and deciding it didn't matter because the cause was just. The character played by Tommy Lee Jones behaved simlilarly, making choices for the sake of expediency. I don't know if these things were historically accurate depictions, but it seems to me that in real life we want politicians who will follow the law, even if they disagree with them.
Oh, and there were no car crashes or big explosions.
B.R.: Non-rhetorical question: which presidents do you admire for making significant progress on the nation's problems, without ever overstepping their constitutional authority?
Me: I sincerely doubt that there has been a president who has not overstepped his constitutional authority in some way. One of my favorite presidents is probably Calvin Coolidge.
B.R.: Why?
J.L.: Abraham Lincoln's question concerning constitutionality was valid. And thus the movie's portrayal was accurate. From a constitutional standpoint President Lincoln did not have the authority to free the slaves through his emancipation decree. But of course the North wasn't going to call that into question. He did however understand that once the south was brought back into the fold he would have the fight of his life on his hands. That is why in the movie they show President Lincoln almost selling his soul to get the legislation that becomes the 13 amendment ratified in both houses. He knew the war was only days away from being over. The Emancipation Proclamation was wartime tactic in reality and little more. And President Lincoln knew it...
Me: Coolidge cut taxes and revenue exploded. He was the first president that didn't appoint KKK members to his cabinet, which essentially ended the political power of the KKK. He proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that conservative political and economic ideas work. He wan't a showboater or self-promoter. He knew the limits under which exercised his authority. One of the best presidents, and one of the most underrated.
J.L.: You are correct. And in this discussion lies one of my biggest pet peeves. In 1963 the patriarch of the democratic party John Fitzgerald Kennedy started the ball rolling on what would become the Revenue Act of 1964. It was a top down, across the board tax cut. For the express purpose of easing a recession. Otherwise referred to as STIMULUS!!! Have the mathematical properties of addition and subtraction somehow changed since then? No. The democrat leadership and ideology has changed. In my opinion Tip O'Neill would have nothing to do with this current band of fools. Even Bill Clinton wasn't this destructive. I remember in 2008 during the democratic primaries praying for Barack Obama. Just knowing in my heart he would be the lesser of two evils. Other than this last election I can say I have never been so wrong. I firmly believe if people actually turn over in their graves when disgusted or upset, JFK must feel like a pig on a rotisserie...
B.R.: So what's the solution here? Boost the economy through tax cuts?
J.L.: Rich, some friend you are getting me this riled up in the middle of the day...!!
Me: Jeff, Jeff, Jeff. Calm down, grab an adult beverage. You have to remember that a lot of people weren't around when JFK was president, and hardly anyone was when Coolidge was. Some things are intentionally forgotten, others are misconstrued, and still others are imputed where they didn't exist. That's the nature of political debate these days.
J.L.: Just for the record JFK preceded me by almost ten years. Just wanted that clear and in the official record!!
Me: B.R., I think the issue here for conservatives is the metaphysical certainty that government is too big, too intrusive, and too powerful. Tinkering with the tax code and deeming the results as cuts, targeted tax increases, or tax relief (or whatever fine-sounding moniker is in vogue) is good for little else than political sound bites.
Most of us on the right, as well as some on the left) recognize that fundamental restructuring of government is needed, including wholesale changes in the tax code, as well as the underlying philosophies that have gotten us into this mess. Unfortunately, that's a pipe dream. I am convinced that not only will we have to go over the fiscal cliff, we will ultimately end up in a Thelma and Louise. It require this kind of financial devastation to finally shake people of the notion that government can solve social problems.
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