When historians rank our presidents, there is little doubt who will be number one: George Washington. When asked about his most outstanding contribution, the fact that he stepped away from the presidency and power is often cited.
Washington came to the presidency reluctantly. He then diligently gave eight years when he could have been at his beloved Mount Vernon. He endured the slings and arrows of his opponent and stood up for the principles of our democracy, and for that, we revere him. Washington is a hero for the sacrifices he made for us.
On a less grand scale, we have thousands of Americans who have acted similarly. We need to recognize the political heroes of our time who are due our praise. They stood up against an attempt to take away George Washington’s greatest gift.
At a time of great political angst, we must not miss a valuable positive emotion: gratefulness. We must appreciate the actions, indeed the heroism, of some Republicans and Democrats nationwide who stood up for our Constitution and the values that make this country great. To be blind to the good while focusing on pessimism and hopelessness serves only to drag us down.
It is not luck that we are a country based on values of universal fairness and honesty. It takes work to maintain these values. My favorite quote from Thomas Jefferson is, “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.” We are fortunate to have men and women who work diligently to adhere to these principles, and we owe our gratitude to them. In time, historians will write of their actions as heroic. They were, and they are, heroes.
The list of stalwarts is long: Republicans in office essentially drummed out of their party. Democratic governors harassed and their families threatened, even poll workers forced to hide for personal and family safety. We have judges and jurors who have steadfastly and honorably done their jobs under a barrage of abuse. We have military men and women who faithfully resisted breaking their solemn pledge to our Constitution.
These courageous Americans did not endure a minor inconvenience. To leave your family and loved ones under threat and steadfastly continue to do your job under the shadow of such menace requires commitment and dedication.
Consider, for a moment, what their acts of courage would have meant if they had taken place in North Korea, China, Russia or any authoritarian country.
Detractors of the former president would have been killed or jailed, and their words erased. We live in a country where, for centuries, power has been passed peacefully from one party to another. Yet, in the most recent presidential election, that legacy was threatened. If not for the actions of thousands of Americans, our democracy could have been mortally wounded.
We aspire to a challenging standard in our justice system: no man or woman is above the law. While we recognize that this measure is flawed, we continue pursuing the goal. We are now prosecuting a former president with great wealth and a large following for crimes against the State. We do this not by force but by the systematic and painfully slow process of obtaining evidence to secure justice.
Future historians will continue to rank George Washington number one. They will likely continue to consider his willingness to give up power as his greatest legacy. At the bottom of that presidential ranking will be another man who attempted to take away that treasure.
Washington should be considered a hero, and all those men and women who sacrificed for that principle should be standing beside him. And to them, we should be eternally grateful.
