Posted on 04/21/2016 1:05:13 PM PDT by Kaslin
It’s not often that one can take issue with the argument that Barack Obama is needlessly dividing the country, but this might be the exception. The US Treasury has decided to honor Harriet Tubman, the woman who helped innumerable slaves escape to freedom, by putting her face on the $20 bill, replacing President Andrew Jackson. Right now, more people are concerned about finding their next $20 bill than are emotionally invested on whose face will be peering back at them when they get it. Greta van Susteren, however, argues that Obama and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew are dividing the country between … whom, exactly? The legions of Tubman and Jackson fans?
Greta: The Gov’t Is Needlessly ‘Dividing the Country’ with Harriet Tubman $20
Fox’s Greta Van Susteren ended her show tonight by going on a mini-rant about how the government is “dividing the country” by putting Harriet Tubman on the $20.
Wait, what?
Yes, Van Susteren tonight said the Obama administration “went stupid” by creating a “completely unnecessary fight” by kicking Andrew Jackson off the bill.
For my money (heh), the decision to put Tubman on the $20 made a lot more sense than kicking Alexander Hamilton off of the $10, although he may end up sharing that denomination in the future. Hamilton founded the US financial system and belongs on our currency more than most. George Washington and Abraham Lincoln tower over the rest of America’s presidents in history, and speak to the character of this nation. Benjamin Franklin was our founding philosopher and foreign-affairs genius who helped secure our independence. Everyone else is negotiable, including Jackson and Tubman.
Besides, we’ve honored Jackson for many years on the currency. Why should allowing others to share some honor be controversial, especially someone as storied and inspirational as Tubman? Don’t forget that Jackson’s image wasn’t the first to grace the $20, as David Frum reminded us today:
Not to draw invidious contrasts, but Buffalonians took it like men when Cleveland came off the 20 pic.twitter.com/GLSVbD7fEE
— David Frum (@davidfrum) April 21, 2016
Van Susteren had a suggestion as to how the Obama administration could have avoided “dividing the country”:
Give Tubman her own bill. Like a $25 bill. We could use a $25 bill. Put her picture on that and we could all celebrate. That’s the smart and easy thing to do. But no, some people don’t think and would gratuitously stir up conflict in the nation. That is so awful, and yes, dumb.
Well, that’s been tried — remember the Susan B. Anthony $1 coin? It flopped, as people couldn’t easily distinguish it from quarters and thought it was contrived. That cost the Treasury a lot of Jacksons, as they ended up with 520 million surplus coins after halting production in 1981. A $25 bill would be even more contrived, and it would end up creating more work in retail stores, banks, and so on in separate handling of the currency from $20s and $50s.
Some may object to the change and defend Jackson, and some others may argue that Jackson didn’t deserve the honor in the first place too. It’s an interesting, if esoteric, argument. Most of the country will remain much more interested in their ability to acquire $20s and keep the government from getting them back. On that score, the Obama administration’s class-warfare policies have certainly divided the country, and Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton promise more of the same. Maybe we should save the outrage for where it actually matters.
Addendum: For what it’s worth, I haven’t heard any complaints from conservatives about this change yet, although I’ve been traveling a lot the last two weeks. I heard more when it came to the question of replacing Hamilton.
I say put Aunt Jemima on there. Everybody wins.
You are disrespecting Der Scheissmeister, Der Halbeschwarzefuhrer!
Yer prolly right...
There is so much that secular humanists, Democrats and President Obama have done that has disturbed and outraged me. That includes a lot that they have said and done on race, although I also do see racism against black people and discrimination as issues. I just don’t see them as the left describes them. On this matter, I think it’s fine to have Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill. Whether it’s an in-your-face move by Obama or not, I don’t know, but I don’t believe for a second that most black people will see it that way.
________
Cleveland was only on the $20 for about a year or so (1914-1915).
Could Ted Cruz please take David Frum with him when he goes back to Canada?
It is divisive, but it’s something small and symbolic rather than something big and substantive. Racial conflicts go on. This certainly isn’t going to make them die down, but it’s probably intended more to let the administration pretend that they’re doing something, rather than to cause a flare-up.
$2 paper money might be.
I’m all for coinage.
Oh, please - needlessly dividing the country is obama’s stock in trade.
“Barack Obama is needlessly dividing the country”
Isn’t that his main goal?
He’s done it from the first day he came in office
Just another “in your face” insult to Americans? What else is new from this POS president?
It’s more than that
It’s political power being enforced over the will of what is likely a majority
It’s not freedom it’s compulsion
(Hat tip Laura Ingraham)
There is no doubt to those of us considered the Jews of totalitarian Liberalism.....white males....what this is about
It’s deconstruction of the culture just like all the rest of it
I suspect in this particular instance you support
X you’re the Juan Williams of the forum
That’s a compliment
You comport well and are rarely nasty but you know you stand on the periphery here looking in poking
And have done so successfully a long time
Stormer should study how you do it
Exactly
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