Move toward Alexis de Tocqueville’s vision
What would Alexis de Tocqueville think of President Barack Hussein Obama and modern America 2012
Alexis de Tocqueville was a French philosopher / writer who fell passionately in love with America in 1830. De Tocqueville, a member of the privileged Norman class of old France, spent two years exploring and researching the great American experiment of the 19th century. He was so smitten with America he wrote a brilliant two volume essay in 1835 entitled Democracy in America. The book is in every university and college library of America. I wonder what de Tocqueville would think if he visited the United States, today. Would it take him two years to assess how we have devolved to a level of corruption never before experienced? He might need only two hours, rather than two years to notice the bloated, inefficient Government monster which voraciously consumes hopes and dreams and defecates nightmares and despair? I doubt the intellectual giant who espoused his admiration for what he calls, “ the most enlightened free nation on Earth,” would think much of president Obama or his elitist barking seals of the Left. I believe the French intellectual would choke on his pomes frits when Obama crows about his Christian faith and admonishes Americans to give more to charity when he, himself, makes donations with an eye dropper.
I wonder what he would think of Obama Care. I speculate what he might reason as Obama runs up $5.5 trillion dollar deficit in three years in Office.
De Tocqueville, an ardent foe of slavery, spoke candidly when he articulated his disgust for the institution he labeled “un Christian.” He saw America as an equation that balanced liberty and equality and he observed America’s greatness as combining the culture’s Christian religion with American entrepreneurial spirit. That combination would allow all individuals, through hard work, to acquire prosperity, irrespective of background.
The America Alexis de Tocqueville would discover today would repulse and sicken him, for that I am certain.
De Tocqueville brought his research and thinking back to his native France in an attempt to teach the fading aristocratic order how to embrace this emerging democracy called the United States of America. It is not a certainty de Tocqueville was successful in changing the Franco mind; but it is for certain, America of 2012 bears no resemblance to de Tocqueville’s America of 182 years ago.
Democracy in America was required reading when I attended university. I would hope the intellectual champions of enlightenment and free speech who populate our universities would champion the return of this magnificent work and require its reading.
No, I am fairly certain de Tocqueville would not appreciate nor admire Barack Hussein Obama, nor would I expect he would vote for his re-election. I would surmise de Tocqueville would oppose this despotic regime and marginalize and discount this government and find comparison to an overly-protective parent who stubbornly refuses to let her child grow up.
At the end of the day (in this case, the beginning of the year 2013), it is my greatest hope the American ship of state will make a major regime change, reconfigure its sails, and move toward Alexis de Tocqueville’s vision.
| | Roger Gitlin
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Roger Gitlin can be reached at rogergitlin.com. He is a California-credentialed teacher and sits on the steering committee for the Del Norte Tea Party Patriots in Crescent City, California. Roger also founded the Santa Clarita Valley Independent Minutemen. Roger Gitlin is running for Del Norte County, Supervisor District I in Crescent City, California.
Roger can be reached at: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
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