Thankful for Thomas Jefferson's Trust

Among other lessons, Thomas Jefferson taught that future leaders should trust the good judgment and common sense of the American people. He thought those qualities were the rudder that would keep the ship of state on its proper course. Of course he presumed our good judgment and common sense were underwritten by a press protected by the First Amendment that would do its job of informing the people about their public business and by elected officials committed to honesty and candor.

In the period between the spring of 2002 and sometime within the past year or so, some of us lost confidence in the good judgment and common sense of the American people when a majority re-elected a president who had either made a huge mistake in trusting massively faulty intelligence or had purposely and consciously misled us. For the first time in my life I began to question Jefferson's assurances and to fear that we were in the process of becoming a fundamentally different country.

But, true to his admonition, a very large majority of Americans have now passed judgment, good judgment, on this president and are demonstrating common sense in concluding we have been led badly off course at home and abroad.

This Thanksgiving Day, among many, many blessings, I am most grateful for the restoration of American good judgment and common sense. This gratitude is qualified only by the thought that it has taken more than 30,000 American casualties to restore our true character and by the sober realization that the Democratic party now must demonstrate courage and conviction in designing a better course for America.

Comments

[frank67]

The last time more than 50% of eligble voters voted for President was in 1960. About 50.5%.
Many presidents have been elected by plurality, Abe Lincoln among them. Try checking an Almanac or some such for election totals. Truman in 1948? At least four candidates that year; Truman, Dewey, Wallace, and Thurmond. Eugene Debs might still have been a candidate, too.

[dsigeorge]

It remains to be seen. It took our people a long time to analyze and dissect the B.S. the Bush administration was feeding us. And, yes, we finally woke up. But now what? A continuation of the Bush-Clint­on-Bush-Cl­inton cycle of divisiveness, corruption, lying and pandering or, another road seeking truth, inclusiveness, diplomacy and the rule of law? The wisdom of the American public is now on trial and the jury is out.

[progressiveevangelic]

Thank you, Mr. Hart.


I met you years ago in a Southern Illinois University event, where you spoke.

I appreciate your remarks here, since you have respected what is respectable, which is Jefferson's writings and courage.

Let us hope a few democrats can get some of his balls.

[plutorage]

Gary, you say the democratic party must "now"
design a better course for America.

I thought that was what we elected the dems to do over a year ago. It seems that Bush has been more active than the dems on this front, all with the wonderful help of Rahm Immanuel, Hilary Clinton, et al.

Aren't you getting that queasy, gnawing feeling that the dems have once again snatched defeat from the jaws of victory??

Let's see how things go at Annapolis, a story that seems to be missing on this web site.

Heck, Bush may yet wind up as the great peacemaker and victor over terrorism, all by the time November 08 rolls around while the dems sit around talking about how "now" is the time......­.....

[FirstForty]

I like Gary Hart's notion, but cant cheer until the public shows it can implement such intent in the next presidential election. Once the fear machine comes to town next summer, I can only hope the public can sustain its notion and vote for candidates who can look beyond 9-11 and address all the issue we face and not continue to wallow in fear and self-pitty.

[Sundialsvc4]

I share in your confidence that many of the present "civil officers" of our government have very seriously misjudged the strength and the determination of the People of this land.

There are, after all, well more than 320 million of us out here. And only a few thousand of them; much less than a thousand are the very-worst.

A nation whose people firmly demand of their leaders that those leaders must not only "obey" the law but "uphold" it ... as of course our nation on-paper does compel each leader to swear to do ... will find that their nation swiftly becomes what they want and expect.

I think that The People are realizing, "they are lying to us. They have been feeding us bald-faced lies for well more than six years. And they are shoveling more gold into their own greedy mouths than they can possibly choke down."

Justice may be blind, and therefore a little slow on the uptake, but she bears a terrible, swift sword.

[akhinaten]

To love America is to love an addict, destroying all that which is decent and loving about her.
To love America is to recognize that at her worst America is the sun, out shining all of the stars in the sky and at her best America is divine.

with from sweden God bless the US-stan

[union79]

Thanks for reminding me that good judgement and common sense were identified by Thomas Jefferson as the rudder we, the electorate bring to the task of keeping our ship of state on course. Thank you also for drawing the picture of the three legged stool: electorate, press(media) and elected officials.

One leg seems to get it.

Sadly, the press (now broadened to "Media") Jefferson saw as an essential ingredient no longer exists. Today most media conglomerates see no value in giving us what Jefferson envisioned. Profit over responsibility wins every time. As I write, certain images come to mind.... images of how CNN turned the "Democratic Debates" into a not so funny entertainment production. Jefferson would not have been very optimistic.

The third leg Jefferson isn't making it either. Most of the elected officials Jefferson presumed would exhibit honesty and candor just don't have the courage ~ so that leg of the stool is more than a little short.

Mr Hart, one of my Thanksgiving thank-you notes is to you. You have reminded me and your readers of the awesome responsibility we as members of the Democratic Party have to our country and to future generations.

[Pagon]

What we really have to be thankful for is the Constitutional Amendment that prevents us from making the same mistake three times.

[provgrays]

We can't trust the Democrats to do the right thing because every national politician is concerned only with holding on to his or her power.

The system is sick with money and there are very few independent voices in the press. Public financing of elections is the first step, but even that small start will not happen as long as it takes great fortunes to run for national office.

[iswearington]

i to...am thankful for thomas jeffersons lust. his lust for sally hemmings..­.one of his black slaves...p­roved beyond a shadow of a doubt..tha­t there was then in his times...an­d continues to be a hope..albe­it faint that while making little half black babies..th­at whites might accept at least their furtively and lustfully fathered children as coequal human beings and by extension.­..members of their extended familys.on­e need only witness the myriad complexioned negros in every state in america..w­hose black slave forebears that of a surety...c­ame from africa ebony hued.

[RogerHWerner]

Mr. Hart, I don't believe there was much the matter with the American electorate in 2000. If the media had done their job properly and didn't play favorites, my guess is that Al Gore would be serving out his second term and George Bush would be a historical footnote. The American electorate can only do its job when it receives honest data in which to make decisions. Many people are willing to dig for data but most have neither the time or the temperament; hence, they rely on the MSM--the so called 4th estate. The media must do its job or we are likely to end up with another Rudy Giuliani..­.I mean, George Bush.

[Yasmine]

I tend to believe that the POLITICIANS CLAIM PEOPLE HAVE COMMON SENSE IN ORDER TO PANDER TO THEM.
ANYWAY ,9/11 HAS DAMAGED THIS COMMON SENSE AND REPLACED IT WITH HATRED AND FEAR.

[Yasmine]

THANK YOU for this post. Indeed we are thankful that the people voted for a more Democratic Congress.
BUT i am not so sure about the future, because apparently many people are expresiing dissatisfaction with Congress.
According to the POLLS the CONGRESS has lower approval rating than the PREZ.
MY SUSPICION is that THE POLLOCRATS (pollsters with republican agenda) are trying to SWIFTBOAT the SLIM Democratic MAJORITY.
SO, WE SHALL SEE

[KnoxBlues1]

I'm thankful for these words which give me hope that maybe, just maybe, our country, the United States of America, has not be completely taken over by the military industrial congressional complex.
Happy Thanksgiving.