Carl Cannon’s Morning Note |
Good morning. It’s Tuesday, Dec. 19, a notable date in history for those of us who write for a living, whether one covers politics, dabbles in magical realism, or is merely trying to make ends meet.
As I’ve noted before in this space, it was Dec. 19, 1732, when an entrepreneurial young man in Philadelphia published the first edition of what would become a wildly successful enterprise. It was called “Poor Richard’s Almanack,” after a title that was borrowed in two ways: First, it copied another almanac, “Poor Robin’s.” Second, it appropriated the name of a man, Richard Saunders, who actually existed.
“Poor Richard’s Almanack” was penned, of course, by Benjamin Franklin, who would write and publish many memorable essays in his long and distinguished career. His most important literary contribution was his editing of the Declaration of Independence.
Two other literary blockbusters made their debut on Nineteenths of December Past (that’s a partial hint), and I’ll return to them in a moment. First, I’d direct you to RCP’s front page, which contains the latest poll averages, political news and video, and aggregated opinion pieces ranging across the ideological spectrum. We also offer the usual complement of original material from our stable of columnists and contributors:
Injecting Some Joy Into Our Chicken Little Politics. In this joyous season, I have some fun wondering why we can’t have a little more levity and goodwill in our national discourse.
Yes, Talking Heads, We ARE Paying Attention. Frank Miele rebuts the pundits who rationalize away current polls by claiming that voters aren’t focused on the issues.
Princeton Conference Celebrates UDHR’s 75th Birthday. Peter Berkowitz highlights both the positive developments and the troubling violations of human rights and religious freedom around the world.
Our First Insurrection? Boston Tea Party at 250. Richard Samuelson looks back at how this important colonial event helped set the stage for the American Revolution.
On Abortion, One Size Won’t Fit All. Tom Smith points out the difficulty in ironing out political compromises in an age of ideological absolutism.
Word of the Year Is CONTEXT. Peder Zane peels back the rhetoric to reveal Ivy League presidents falling back on First Amendment rights when convenient to their cause.
Three Reasons Joe Biden Is Losing Support. Carolyn Phippen details the main factors the president’s job approval ratings drop, and why many Americans can no longer get behind him.
Five Facts on Young Voters. At RealClearPolicy, No Labels offers some surprising and helpful demographic information on the newest election participants.
Credit Card Swipe Fees Are Driving Up Holiday Prices. At RealClearMarkets, Christopher Jones writes that MasterCard and Visa’s stranglehold on businesses means that high processing costs are passed to consumers.
Public Sector Unions Are a Growing Threat to Taxpayers. Also at RealClearMarkets, Russ Brown warns that collective bargaining in government jobs will cost Americans even more in the coming years.
Rethinking College Orientation. At RealClearEducation, Alexandra Schimmer suggests a better way for universities to prepare students for tolerance of, and engagement with, differing perspectives.
The Kids Are Not Alright and We Must Change Course Now. Again at RealClearEducation, Robin Lake and Michael Petrilli urge parents and educators to push for a comprehensive overhaul of the U.S. school system.
Act Locally To Protect Americans From Global Menace of Fentanyl. At RealClearHealth, Jon Caulkins and Keith Humphreys make the case for a holistic approach to the scourge of chemical dependency.
Top Websites for Science in 2023. At RealClearScience, Ross Pomeroy shares his annual roundup of the most trusted sources for news of nature, space, climate, medicine, AI, and more.
The “Risky” Business of Showing All Sides. And finally, RealClearFoundation president David DesRosiers describes the challenges and hurdles for a news organization that dares to serve as the “straw that stirs the drink.”
On Dec. 19, 1776, the revolution that Ben Franklin helped get started was bogged down in winter camp at Valley Forge. As George Washington effected a strategic retreat across the Delaware River, the Philadelphia Journal published an essay by fiery patriot Thomas Paine called “The American Crisis.”
“These are the times that try men’s souls,” it began. “The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.”
“Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered,” Paine continued. “Yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.”
Gen. Washington was so taken with Paine’s prose that he had it read aloud to his men. His army had been beset by desertions, and many of the contracts that the men had signed were set to expire on Dec. 31. Instead, Washington’s re-energized force crossed the Delaware on Christmas night, surprising the Hessians at Trenton, and on Jan. 2, the Continental Army bested Lord Cornwallis at Princeton. The American Revolution continued.
Sixty-seven years later, on Dec. 19, 1843, another writer opened a revolutionary tale of his own with a simple, yet arresting sentence: “Marley was dead to begin with.”
Charles Dickens, who had an uneasy relationship with organized religion, had been inspired during a trip to the United States by the works-based faith of America’s Unitarians. Although “A Christmas Carol” is hardly a secular story, Ebenezer Scrooge’s conversion is not brought about by a confrontation with Christ, but with himself – a version of self that he realized was loathsome, thanks to the magic of the three spirits who visited him.
To the first of them, the ghost of his dead partner Jacob Marley, Scrooge initially protested, “But you were always a good man of business, Jacob.”
In reply, the specter spoke words as appropriate to our age as they were in the time of Dickens:
“Business! Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!”
Carl M. Cannon
Washington Bureau chief, RealClearPolitics
@CarlCannon (Twitter)
ccannon@realclearpolitics.com
