Two Novembers in America

Shortly after the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963, two former presidents, Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower, traveled back to Washington for the funeral. There had been bad feelings between the two men over political differences and perceived slights since they left office.Both presidents and their wives, though, stayed together at Blair House, the official guest house across the street from the White House. Perhaps because of the circumstances, and the fact that enough time had passed, the two elderly men put aside their squabbles and got along well. The television networks, which had stopped all regular programming during that weekend in November, were desperate for any fillers, and a group of reporters stopped Eisenhower at one point and asked for his thoughts. He had been out of office for just three years and obliged the newsmen in an unusually candid way.Ike told them how he first heard the news of the assassination (he was at a meeting at the United Nations), his reaction (shock), and how foreign countries might be reacting to this news (with shock as well). One reporter asked Eisenhower a question that caused him to ponder it for a moment: “Will the nation be all right in the few months ahead?” Readers under age 70, who have no memory of this event, might not understand the absolute dismay over the very idea of an assassination in America. The last president shot and killed was, in 1901, William McKinley, which seemed like ancient history. These things, we naively thought, just didn’t happen here. Since Kennedy’s death, there have been multiple attempts on a president’s life, two just in recent months. So Ike, who had led the Allied armies through the war in Europe and served as the country’s commander-in-chief for two full terms, may have realized his answer could have some impact on a country in terrible distress. So, before answering, he seemed to think it through for a moment.“Oh, I’m not going to predict anything,” Eisenhower began slowly, but then he continued, “I’ll just say this. … The American nation is a people of great common sense … and they are NOT going to be stampeded and bewildered.”That answer has stayed with me for the past 61 years, and it has provided comfort in challenging times, perhaps because I always wanted to believe it. I certainly saw that common sense constantly on display growing up in the Midwest in the 1950s and 1960s. It came from all the adults around me — parents, grandparents, teachers, and, this may surprise you, many of our political leaders. I say surprise because over the past decade and especially the past four years, we have witnessed anything but common sense coming from our leaders. Beyond the bizarre proclamations that defy any kind of logic, it’s as if a sub-par group of people descended on Washington and local governments, intent on promoting and benefiting themselves, rather than the citizens they serve. On a personal note, much of what I considered nonsense wasn’t just theory. It became an everyday reality, witnessing the constant breakdown of laws all around me — from little things like turnstile jumping in the subways; traffic rules ignored, making a simple thing like crossing the street a dangerous endeavor; and increasingly bold shoplifters at my local drugstore.I was thankful that I never ran into any of the violent mentally ill persons that now sleep on sidewalks, or the criminals immediately let back out on the street with no bail. This was also evident on a larger, geopolitical scale, with immigration laws ignored, totalitarian governments that killed Americans appeased, and all the political correctness that controlled our lives. If anyone questioned this, they were attacked and ultimately shunned. So, by this past Election Day, I seriously wondered if that great common sense that Eisenhower talked about had passed us by as a nation and we were, indeed, spiraling into decline. It turns out I was not alone. There has been a great deal of analysis over the startling turn Americans took on November 5.Inflation, a weak Democratic candidate, and wide-open borders topped the list of reasons that led to President Trump’s election. My answer is less complicated. American voters rejected the absurdities and irrationalities they saw right in front of their eyes, and I was greatly relieved to see Ike’s words come true.It turns out we are, after all, a people of great common sense running across all races, religions, and genders. It was that old-fashioned common sense that won the day on November 5. Americans refused to be stampeded or bewildered. I would add an antiquated word, bamboozled. I’m guessing our 34th president would have liked his country’s response.

Two Novembers in America

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