Cool, Considerate Men
I watched the remastered version of 1776 a few days ago. As many of you will remember, 1776 was a play and movie from 1972 concerning the writing and passing of the Declaration of Independence. The movie received mixed reviews but did well at the box office. The public who saw the movie missed out on a musical number that was cut at Richard Nixon’s request to the film’s producer, Jack Warner. That musical number, Cool, Considerate Men, was included in the original musical on Broadway and recovered from archival copies of the film in the mid-1980s.
To be clear, the musical number doesn’t compliment political conservatives and depicts those who resisted the Independency Party at the 2nd Continental Congress as motivated largely by greed. Historically, it is an inaccurate portrayal and is unfair to the conservatives of that day and place and to too many conservative political figures in American History.
A colleague once proposed the difference between liberals and conservatives: Liberals believe ideas can trump blood and dirt; Conservatives would like a second opinion. At its best, American politics are a blend of both traditions, kept in balance by the inherent tension of both. Our greatest and our most effective political leaders have respected both traditions and feared neither. The men who debated the merits (and demerits) of independence during the hot summer in Philadelphia 246 years ago — particularly the hesitant — sought solutions that least disrupted the lives of of their fellow colonists and countrymen, yet granted them the freedoms they sought. After long discussions, they determined that freedom could not be theirs while they were yoked to the British Crown.
In our current politics, driven to a great extent by the media’s ‘horse-race’ coverage of campaigns, actual concepts of conservatism and liberalism are lost while the terms are relegated to personalities and their followers. “Conservatism” is the province of Trumpists and MAGA faithful, while “liberalism” belongs to those who support President Biden and — apparently — anyone the Trump and MAGA world disapprove of (including Liz Cheney, these days). Perhaps no race better illustrates the contemporary blight of radicalism masquerading as conservatism better than the runoff for Georgia’s senate seat between Senator Raphael Warnock and his challenger, former football player, Herschel Walker.
Senator Warnock exemplifies the values both conservatives and liberals have claimed to prize throughout our history; probity, civility, prudence, and readiness to work for constituents and with colleagues, regardless of party. Warnock’s life before politics reflects the same virtues; dedication to his congregation, to his community and state, and hard work furthering concepts of equality and dignity for all. In contrast, Herschel Walker’s resume has been whittled down to his career on the gridiron, as almost every other claim that might support a candidacy was revealed as a lie or gross exaggeration. Indeed, the only rationale his campaign has advanced to vote for him is Donald Trump’s endorsement.
Character matters. Were I a Georgian I would vote for the ‘“cool, considerate man” I see in Senator Warnock. He is a worthy successor to the men who deliberated on, then signed the Declaration of Independence; and in doing, pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.