We need another George Washington

This week we celebrated President’s Day. Most of us probably didn’t give it much thought beyond knowing that the mail wasn’t delivered, schools had a long weekend, government offices were closed, and there were sales at the malls. But it deserves more attention than that, especially in the contentious political times in which we live.

It originated in 1800, when Congress declared February 22 a day of remembrance for George Washington, the nation’s first president, who had passed away the year before. Since then, it has evolved into a federal holiday, which, interestingly, is still officially titled Washington’s Birthday in the federal code. Along the way, it was moved to the third Monday in February. And many state and local governments expanded it to include Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, and, in some cases, a loosely-framed recognition of all of the presidents.

So much has happened since then, that we tend to forget how fragile our country was in its infancy. Our Founding Fathers had carved out a brand new governmental framework. But because the very idea of freedom threatened to topple the entire world order in which royalty ruled, there were multiple forces, both from without and within, that sought to have this American “experiment” fail. And from the very start, there were many questions about what this new federal government would do; how much power it would have; and who would keep it in check. We would like to think that our Founding Fathers all got together and worked out the details peacefully. And it would be nice to say that things were smooth sailing after that. But, like today, there were vast philosophical disagreements between southern and northern states, between rural and urban communities, among conflicting religious factions, and competing needs of the poor and the well-to-do.

Americans by nature have always had a deep will to succeed, which was driving our nation forward. Nonetheless, there were multiple and incompatible directions in which the divided public wanted it to go. Left to chance, the whole framework could have imploded before it ever got off the ground. However, George Washington understood that if we were going to survive as a nation, we needed to rise above our regional and individual differences and come together with a uniform purpose. We are fortunate that citizens were willing to follow this storied war general, who proved to be a worthy leader. Without any blueprint whatsoever to follow, he brought dignity, civility, humility, and vision to the newly-created office. He made a point of keeping himself above partisanship. He didn’t care if people liked him; he insisted on earning their respect. Out of a profound sense of duty, Washington put his focus on the Office of Presidency and not on himself. We needed to find common ground as Americans - and he showed that finding common ground meant reaching compromises for the greater good.

Some of our Founders didn’t learn this lesson. Consider the tragic story of Vice-President Aaron Burr and Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton. They were each a patriotic public servant - but both were unwilling to back down from their conflicting points of view. They let political animosity deteriorate into personal hatred, even to the point where they shot out their differences in a duel, costing Hamilton his life, and Burr his career. They both lost. And this nation lost. It is a lesson worth remembering.

Fast forward to 2012. The election year is storming. It seems that we have lost sight of the common causes that should unite us into our American family. We are letting sidebar differences drive deep wedges between us. Political factions are becoming entrenched in the fringes, unwilling to reach for middle ground. Lines have been drawn and the bitter rhetoric is threatening to tear us down from within. Respect for each other has gone out the window and we should shudder at the name-calling muck being spewed at fellow Americans by our political parties, their candidates, and the nameless, faceless groups that underwrite them. In the months to come, we will be bombarded with their negative campaign ads that hurl vitriolic insults at each other. The publicity stunt-driven diatribe is drowning out common sense. Is it any wonder that we end up with federal, state, and local governments that don’t function?

Instead, we voters must hold the candidates accountable and tell them to show us solutions for going forward together instead of simply tearing each other down. We need people to serve who will talk to each other, focus on the big picture, and compromise for the greater good. We must demand federal, state, and local governments that work. Today, we need leaders like George Washington. As Americans, we deserve nothing less.