Honest Abe?
Back in the day, American Presidents were held to a different standard than they are today. Patriotism was required. Draft dodging individuals like Bill Clinton would never have found themselves in the Oval Office. Love of country was de rigueur. Anti American zealots like Barack Obama wouldn’t have stood a chance. A healthy dose of common sense was also mandatory. Pie in the sky, overidealistic pollyannas like Jimmy Carter wouldn’t have gotten past the Iowa caucuses.
But aside from these, there was one presidential trait that was extolled again and again. In addition to all of the above, Americans wanted their Presidents to be… HONEST. No, seriously! HONEST. Not only was presidential honesty expected, but legends were built upon it. Instead of, say, “Teflon Bill” Clinton (who, under oath, stated “I did not have sex with that woman” but, subsequently was forced to admit that he didn’t consider “oral SEX” to be “SEX”!), Americans, historically, preferred “Honest Abe.”
Now, Abraham Lincoln was actually given the “Honest Abe” nickname long before he became president. The story goes that Lincoln, as a teenager, was working as a sales clerk in a small store. On one occasion he inadvertently gave a customer the wrong change after a purchase. Later that day, when he went to reconcile the daily register, he realized his error. To correct the situation he walked many miles to return the proper change to the customer, who lived on a farm quite some distance away. His manager was so impressed by this gesture that he called Lincoln “honest Abe”. The name stuck. In fact, Lincoln used that moniker as his campaign slogan when running for president.
Even better than that was the legend of George Washington and the cherry tree. Recall that as a young man, Washington is said to have impetuously chopped down his family’s cherry tree. As the story goes, a six year old Washington was given a hatchet as a gift (this was before the days of Playstations and iPods). Like many a youngster, he was anxious to try out his new “toy.” After chopping down a bean stalk or two and an arbor vine, he decided to “try the hatchet out”, on his family’s cherry tree. Bad decision! The tree was not only beautiful and expected to yield a yearly harvest of delicious cherries, it cost a pretty penny to boot! When a perturbed elder Washington asked George if he had done the deed, George hesitated for a moment, but then said the famous: “I can not tell a lie! It was I who cut down the tree!” Not only was the elder Washington pleased with his son’s good grammar, he was also proud of his son’s honesty, and decided, therefore, to spare him punishment. And the legend lives on to this day. Now, some historians (killjoys!) dispute the veracity of this story. That isn’t important, however. What IS important is that the value of the virtue of honesty is what made the story so enduring and endearing.
Which brings me to the point of this essay. Although he gets absolutely no credit for it, President Trump is, arguably, the most honest president in recent times. Honest to a fault. (Literally!) He tells you exactly what he thinks and how he feels with a candor that is rarely seen in public office today. He is unafraid to speak his mind. If he doesn’t like you, he will SAY SO. If anything piques his ire, he will not pussy foot around; he will explain exactly what he is unhappy with and why. And woe be to the person that criticizes him! Trump will respond with with a rejoinder that is both pithy and nasty. Whether negotiating international accords or even promoting domestic legislation, he unabashedly starts with bombast, which he can subsequently soften or modify as need be. He is also unapologetic about success, whether it be his own personal success or the success of our Nation. As Dinesh D’Souza put it, if you try to make him feel embarrassed or guilty about his wealth, he will “take you aside and explain that he is really MORE wealthy than you had previously thought.” He remains generally un remorseful, also, for his many foibles. Again, as Dinesh D’Souza put it, if you say that you’re going to ruin him with allegations made by, say, Stormy Daniels, he’ll turn to you and say, “Is that ALL you’ve got?” If you question his financial wherewithal because of bankruptcies in the past, he won’t deny it, but will simply explain that it’s a “normal part of business.” In short, the man is honest, plain and simple. A modern day “Honest Abe”, if you will. It’s about time.