If you visit London today you will probably notice the statute of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square. He is widely regarded as the greatest Prime Minister in the history of Great Britain. But during the 1930s, Winston Churchill was scorned by members of his own party. His warnings about Nazi Germany were ignored. The political establishment in his own party thought that Winston Churchill was a joke. They humored him only because he did have what they perceived to be a small but dedicated political following.
Winston Churchill was loud, arrogant and stubborn. He often argue for his case long after it was clear that he had lost in the court of public opinion. No one in the cultured elite wanted him around. He simply never knew when to give up. He was on no one’s short list for the next Prime Minister.
But then things began to change. It became increasingly obvious that Winston Churchill had been right all along. When Britain finally declared War on Germany, Churchill was appointed to the cabinet as First Lord of the Admiralty. Ultimately, the situation got so bad that in absolute desperation, the British parliament turned over power to the man they despised.
Now, when we listen to a recording of Churchill speeches from the 1930s we are stunned by the eloquence and the insight. If only someone had listened, really listened to what he had to say. Perhaps at least some of the carnage of World War II could have been avoided. But, obviously, few people listened. Unfortunately, great leaders are seldom appreciated until the situation becomes more than desperate.
When Abraham Lincoln was elected President his own cabinet was appalled. They believed he was totally unqualified for the job and they determined to lead the government in spite of him. History now shows that it was Lincoln who was manipulating them. The scorn and ridicule lasted long after his leadership had been well established. Just recently a Pennsylvania Newspaper published a retraction of their contemporary report on the Gettysburg Address.
Here is what they wrote:
“We pass over the silly remarks of the President. For the credit of the nation we are willing that the veil of oblivion shall be dropped over them and that they shall be no more repeated or thought of.”
I must admit that this gives me no small amount of comfort. It is comforting to note that the editorial writers in 1863 were just as stupid and biased as the ones working at places like the Sacramento Bee or the San Francisco Chronicle today. We may think that bias in the media is worse than ever, but history shows us it has always been this way.
Things are very bad. They are going to get worse. ObamaCare is worse than you can imagine. The damage will be difficult to repair. Our foreign affairs are in shambles and our economy appears to be in permanent stagnation. We have a President who lies to the American people and then ignores the constitution. Many people wonder if our country will ever recover. It will. We have been in far worse shape than this. One could argue that it is a miracle this country even got started. In 1776 the Revolutionary War was not going well. The Continental Army had been driven out of New York and was retreating through New Jersey. Many of the troops were just deserting the cause and going home. Thomas Paine wrote “The Crisis” with the following lines:
These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country, but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.
Great leaders do not happen by accident, they are always the result of great crisis. None of our greatest President governed during good times. Look around you. There is a new breed of leader that is ready, willing and able to take on the political establishment in both parties. Like every great leader, these people can expect vicious resistance by the political establishment. They can expect nothing but scorn from the cultured elite and the main stream media. But all of us should remember the lesson of Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln. Great problems create great leaders. Sometimes, it really is darkest just before dawn.
TDM
Of course Hillary will be worse so things can get even darker yet!
We the People have been asleep while a disaster was in the making. Some of us who have been awake saw this happening but were powerless to convince liberal friends and neighbors we might be in for another revolution or civil war. The only real drawback now is that the younger generation still thinks it can’t happen here! They don’t think war or conflict will ever really happen here on our shores. They and the liberals stand by doing nothing while “Obie” and his masters try to disarm us so we will be powerless to stop any of their shenanigans! $#&$&%$&!!!