Posted on 03/05/2016 8:18:40 AM PST by RoosterRedux
You could say politics has reached a new low with the small hands remarks from the Republican debate.
But the exchange over the size of Donald Trumps, um, hands is merely the most recent vulgarity in American politics. The history of crude remarks goes back to the Founding Fathers.
In the 18th century, John Adams called Alexander Hamilton a bastard brat and wrote that Hamilton had a superabundance of secretions which he could not find whores enough to draw off, according to historian Ron Chernow.
One difference between then and now: These were words written or spoken in private, not in public, said Chernow, whose Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of Alexander Hamilton helped inspire the hit Broadway musical Hamilton. (Chernow says the comments were quoted in letters that survived the centuries.)
In the 1880s, rumors of Grover Clevelands out-of-wedlock child led to a song from his Republican opponents: Ma, ma, wheres my pa? When Cleveland won the presidency, the response came: Gone to the White House, ha ha ha!
Old-fashioned American politics was full of those kinds of vile comments, said Arnold Shober, who teaches government at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. Weve kind of lost that over the last 70 years, and I think its just coming back.
Not that 20th century politicians shied away from vulgarities. Heres President Bill Clinton describing his 1970s El Camino pickup truck: I had Astroturf in the back. You dont want to know why, but I did.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
Just because Washington was against profanity doesn't mean that he couldn't use it when the SHTF.
Washington's Order Against Profanity
The General is sorry to be informed that the foolish and wicked practice of profane cursing and swearing, a vice hitherto little known in our American Army is growing into fashion. He hopes that the officers will, by example as well as influence, endeavor to check it and that both they and the men will reflect that we can little hope of the blessing of Heaven on our army if we insult it by our impiety and folly. Added to this it is a vice so mean and low without any temptation that every man of sense and character detests and despises it.
(Signed,) George Washington
It is what it is. The founders had printing presses, we've got Twitter. It's all good.
If they had been spoken in public — and sometimes they were — you still had dueling. Witness Alex Hamilton v. Aaron Burr.
So Obama is a worthy man because he continues in his job because threats have been made against him.
The difference is, had the founding fathers lost, they would have all been hanged. If Trump loses, he is still worth $4 billion.
“1828, Jackson supporters accuse Adams of having premarital sex with his wife and being a pimp, claiming he arranged an American hooker for Czar Alexander I.”
In addition, Adams was also accused of being an elitist,a silk stocking, a tool of bankers, a snob, being a protectionist and being part of a dynasty.
Jackson in turn, was accused of being a bigamist, a murderer, a duelist, mistreating his slaves, executing deserters, crude, drunken, vulgar, often enraged. Jackson was also accused of mass murder of indians, insubordination and being a demagogue and a rabble rouser.
there was nothing private about this stuff.
It was on handbills posted all over the country.
Another thread rationalizing Trumps crude antics. Let’s do it better! Get Andrew Dice Clay promise to build a Yuuuuge wall and let’s nominate him. Maybe we could have Howard Stern as his running mate.
It's already been done.
Good thing for Jeb that duels were outlawed.
Obama is a true believer in his agenda, and at least in that regard, has put his money where his mouth is. It's not a matter of morality or immorality, right or wrong, but simply one of commitment to one's cause. Kamikaze pilots were no different.
"The difference is, had the founding fathers lost, they would have all been hanged. If Trump loses, he is still worth $4 billion."
Any candidate that loses goes back to where they were at the start of the campaign. Your heartburn with Trump sounds as though it's with the amount of his personal worth; perhaps there's a place in the Sander's campaign for you. But if Trump wins, he turns over his personal worth to a blind trust to be managed by a complete stranger. I ask again, would you be willing to do the same on behalf of your country?
Another thread rationalizing Trumps crude antics. Let’s do it better! Get Andrew Dice Clay promise to build a Yuuuuge wall and let’s nominate him. Maybe we could have Howard Stern as his running mate.
He wears a bullet proof vest under his jacket every day.
He has opened up himself and his family to incredible abuse but they agreed that it was worth it. Melania has spoken of this recently.
He has risked some depreciation of his business but it's so substantial that I think this is the least of the three.
Perhaps on his best day Donald Trump was worthy enough to wipe the manure off of George Washington’s riding boots. Bringing up the Founding Fathers only serves to emphasis Trump’s many deficiencies and personal failings.
He already has, something Cruz hasn't.
no need. that’s long known.
but he was essentially the first big liberal, so why would this be shocking?
I am beginning to doubt your steadfast devotion.
I think of old Ben Franklin and just how crude he was. He scandalized nearly everyone
Uh, no.
Since he is willing to self fund and to be paid only one dollar a year to be president you are obviously wrong
Another 'historian' full of baloney. Concerning Lord Coke's opinion in Calvin's Case, James Wilson wrote in his Lectures on Law -
The character of an opinion, like the character of a man, may be illustrated by tracing its history and pedigree. The opinion, that the common law of England, as such, has no allowance or authority in the American plantations, is the bastard child of this bastard mother, begotten on her body by the Commentaries on the laws of England.
The Works of the Honorable James Wilson, 1804, Volume II, Page 448
---
When they felt the situation justified it, the Founders seemed to have little problem with a well-placed profanity.
This is an ongoing list of historical, popular, and Biblical people, as well as fictional characters and animals, that Donald Trump has been compared to on FR:
Batman
Battlefield surgeon
The Blues Brothers (”We’re on a mission from God!”)
Asa Buchanan (One Life To Live)
...
Solomon
Truman
Darth Vader (Star Wars)
Sir William Wallace (real life subject of Braveheart)
Washington
what about Don Rickles and Triumph the insult dog !
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.