"In this world of ours, in other lands, there are some people who, in times past, have lived and fought for freedom, and seem to have grown too weary to carry on the fight. They have sold their heritage of freedom for the illusion of a living. They have yielded their democracy."
Those words were spoken by Franklin D Roosevelt June 27, 1936. They can be found in his speech that is known as, the Rendezvous with destiny speech. Some list this speech among the greatest of his career, indeed one of the great speeches of all time in America, by an American politician. A staunch Democrat Roosevelt was not the Democrat of today. He recoiled at the suggestion he was a socialist! The truth is he supported capitalism. It was his feeling that it was the best method to preserve the nation, to honor the founding fathers and their ideals. I believe he was spot on in his assessment of what had transpired over the centuries. It was 1936 and WW2 was sitting on the horizon. Hitler had invaded the Rhineland in violation of the treaty of Versailles. The Olympics were being held in Berlin. And, in my opinion, Roosevelt, saw the German people surrendering their freedom to Hitler, for the illusion of a better life. Hitler promised them everything they wanted, said everything they wanted to hear. Jobs, restoration of their lands, and more importantly perhaps, prosperity. The farmers would have a market for their produce, the factories would be producing all matter of goods, the military restored to its' former glory! Yes, he just appealed to their baser desires to gain their support. Many of the German people had yielded their democracy in favor of an illusion.
I can see the same path being followed today. right here in America. Obama, no matter your personal feeling about the man, his moral character, or his politics, was a good orator. He wasn't great, I don't believe any of his speeches will be much remembered or quoted in the future, but he said what the people wanted to hear. Well, at least a certain block of people, those that had grown weary of protecting freedom, those willing to surrender that for an illusion of living. Fortunately his term was limited to eight years, it took ten years for Hitler to gain full control.
Now those people that supported Obama are claiming Trump is like a Hitler. I beg to differ. He isn't a great orator, he isn't even a good orator. He will certainly not be remembered for the speeches he made, but certainly remembered for the things he said! And, yes there is a difference. He isn't a politician and doesn't really play politics. His approach is as a business man. The object being, to get whatever it is you want. Almost always that is wealth, but in this instance I'm not certain of the goal. Perhaps it is solely his ego that will not allow him to quit or concede. It's still my belief he never really expected to win the Presidency in the first place. His appeal is to those people that wish to preserve the freedom we have in America. Those that have not grown weary of the struggle, those willing to fight, those that are unyielding in their desire for freedom, not some illusion of a utopian state. No those supporting Trump support reality, even when reality is harsh. Founding this nation was harsh, preserving it is also harsh.
Obama and his ilk appeal to those folks that, are willing, even eager, to surrender their heritage, their freedom, in exchange for promises. That is true even when they are faced with the realities of life. This promise of everyone gets the same, socialism is the real name for that, and it is an illusion. That system has never worked and will never work, still many are willing to embrace that, if it makes their life easier right now. Those people are weary or just plain lazy! There are unwilling to work, to sacrifice anything for the greater good, it's all about what they want, now. They are always talking about change! We need to change this or that. Well the truth is stability doesn't come from change, stability comes from consistency. What was wrong yesterday, is still wrong today!
Consider what Roosevelt was talking about. This speech was given at the 1936 Democratic National Convention. It was his acceptance speech to his party. He said, " this generation of Americans have a rendezvous with destiny." He spoke of faith, hope and charity. In speaking of charity he said, " charity, in the true spirit of that grand old word. For charity literally translated means love, the love that understands, that does not not merely share the wealth of the giver, but in true sympathy and wisdom helps men to help themselves. " What was he saying? He was saying what we all know to be true, true dignity, true worth comes from hard work, not from charity, charity as merely sharing the wealth, No, it is much more than that. Indeed Roosevelt was correct in saying that generation of American had a rendezvous with destiny. WW2 was that destiny, a destiny that defined a generation. Known today as the greatest generation. It was the generation of my father. It is my heritage! My heritage is not for sale, nor will I surrender that heritage for the sake of economic gain, or personal comfort. I am not weary, I will continue to fight for a way of life, a government of the people, by the people. A land where the dignity of man is recognized by his contributions to that society, not his rebellious nature against it!
In concluding his speech Roosevelt said, " We are fighting to save a great and precious form of government for ourselves and for the world." That was true then, and is certainly true today. We must not allow our Republic to fall. It truly is borne out by history, just as Aristotle said. Republics decline in Democracies and Democracies degenerate into Despotisms. " Do not allow our Republic to become a Democracy. That is the struggle we face today and everyday. It has been the struggle since that day in 1787 after which when asked, Dr. Franklin what kind of government have you given us? His response was, " A republic if you can but keep it. " Aristotle knew that as well. Below is the full quote Aristotle said:
Republics decline into democracies and democracies degenerate into despotisms. Democracy passes into despotism. There is one safeguard known generally to the wise, which is an advantage and security to all, but especially to democracies as against despots - suspicion.
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