All we have to fear is fear itself
Lead Summary
By
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By Jim Thompson
HCP columnist
(The president) is “a barbarian, Scythian, yahoo or gorilla.” (The president) is “a ‘coward’, ‘idiot’, the original gorilla.’” (The president’s administration) is one of “incapacity and rottenness. (If he) is re-elected I shall immediately leave the country for the Fijee (sic)Islands.”
After this president was assassinated, William Lloyd Garrison, Jr. described the event as “providential.”
I have been talking, of course, about President Abraham Lincoln.
The quotes are not from Southerners, but Northerners allegedly on the same side of the Civil War as the president.
Senator Zachariah Chandler of Michigan called Lincoln “timid, vacillating and inefficient.” Ohio Republican William M. Dickson wrote in 1861 that Lincoln “is universally an admitted failure, has no will, no courage, no executive capacity and his spirit necessarily infuses itself downward through all departments.”
Howard Stern, interviewing Hillary Clinton, asked, “Who is the best president who ever served?”
“Lincoln,” Clinton replied.
“We all remember Abraham Lincoln as the leader who saved our Union and was the founder of the Republican Party,” President Barack Obama said.
Up until the evening of March 11, the know-it-alls were blaming President Trump for being ineffectual and feckless in his handling of the coronavirus. Words like “no leadership," "incompetent" and "panicky” dotted the commentaries.
In a speech that evening, President Trump outlined some specific steps taken to address the virus, the most startling of which seemed to be banning incoming people from Europe. Well, that got some people’s attention.
To save straining the gray matter too much, I suggest the pundits check out some old quotes about Lincoln as I mentioned above. They seem to be just as relevant now as they were in Lincoln’s day.
What saddens me is that I will not be around in 100 years when prominent members of the opposition party sing the praises of “the magnificent leader, President Trump, who steered the nation through a false health crisis and hysteria generated by his opponents.”
For that is what it is, a manufactured crisis, created largely by a media hellbent on destroying President Trump by any means.
Someone recently accused me of not caring about the coronavirus, it doesn’t affect me. I reminded this person that I am considered old (almost 70) and my immune system is about 10% that of a person who hasn’t been through what I have been through in my cancer adventure. As I think everyone should for all infectious diseases at all times, I am following my doctor’s orders, which are: wash hands, wash hands and stay three feet away from people. I have also been told to stay away from public transportation (airplanes and so forth).
Hysteria or not, a good thing coming out of this, I think, is that more people, when they can, will be working from home. I have been working from home since January 2001 and so do my colleagues. Many people I read about are just now discovering the flexibility of working at home.
My wife works at home, too. For many years, her employer was in Pittsburgh. Now, her employer is in Houston. I always tell her she has a shorter commute than I do, for her office is a converted bedroom on the second floor where our master bedroom is. My office is in the basement, so I have to walk down two flights of stairs to get to it.
What is striking to me is how upset people can become because of a little change in their routine. There is little to be concerned about here, in my opinion. To quote another president, FDR, “all we have to fear is fear itself.”
Jim Thompson, formerly of Marshall, is a graduate of Hillsboro High School and the University of Cincinnati. He resides in Duluth, Ga. and is a columnist for The Highland County Press. He may be reached at jthompson@taii.com.
HCP columnist
(The president) is “a barbarian, Scythian, yahoo or gorilla.” (The president) is “a ‘coward’, ‘idiot’, the original gorilla.’” (The president’s administration) is one of “incapacity and rottenness. (If he) is re-elected I shall immediately leave the country for the Fijee (sic)Islands.”
After this president was assassinated, William Lloyd Garrison, Jr. described the event as “providential.”
I have been talking, of course, about President Abraham Lincoln.
The quotes are not from Southerners, but Northerners allegedly on the same side of the Civil War as the president.
Senator Zachariah Chandler of Michigan called Lincoln “timid, vacillating and inefficient.” Ohio Republican William M. Dickson wrote in 1861 that Lincoln “is universally an admitted failure, has no will, no courage, no executive capacity and his spirit necessarily infuses itself downward through all departments.”
Howard Stern, interviewing Hillary Clinton, asked, “Who is the best president who ever served?”
“Lincoln,” Clinton replied.
“We all remember Abraham Lincoln as the leader who saved our Union and was the founder of the Republican Party,” President Barack Obama said.
Up until the evening of March 11, the know-it-alls were blaming President Trump for being ineffectual and feckless in his handling of the coronavirus. Words like “no leadership," "incompetent" and "panicky” dotted the commentaries.
In a speech that evening, President Trump outlined some specific steps taken to address the virus, the most startling of which seemed to be banning incoming people from Europe. Well, that got some people’s attention.
To save straining the gray matter too much, I suggest the pundits check out some old quotes about Lincoln as I mentioned above. They seem to be just as relevant now as they were in Lincoln’s day.
What saddens me is that I will not be around in 100 years when prominent members of the opposition party sing the praises of “the magnificent leader, President Trump, who steered the nation through a false health crisis and hysteria generated by his opponents.”
For that is what it is, a manufactured crisis, created largely by a media hellbent on destroying President Trump by any means.
Someone recently accused me of not caring about the coronavirus, it doesn’t affect me. I reminded this person that I am considered old (almost 70) and my immune system is about 10% that of a person who hasn’t been through what I have been through in my cancer adventure. As I think everyone should for all infectious diseases at all times, I am following my doctor’s orders, which are: wash hands, wash hands and stay three feet away from people. I have also been told to stay away from public transportation (airplanes and so forth).
Hysteria or not, a good thing coming out of this, I think, is that more people, when they can, will be working from home. I have been working from home since January 2001 and so do my colleagues. Many people I read about are just now discovering the flexibility of working at home.
My wife works at home, too. For many years, her employer was in Pittsburgh. Now, her employer is in Houston. I always tell her she has a shorter commute than I do, for her office is a converted bedroom on the second floor where our master bedroom is. My office is in the basement, so I have to walk down two flights of stairs to get to it.
What is striking to me is how upset people can become because of a little change in their routine. There is little to be concerned about here, in my opinion. To quote another president, FDR, “all we have to fear is fear itself.”
Jim Thompson, formerly of Marshall, is a graduate of Hillsboro High School and the University of Cincinnati. He resides in Duluth, Ga. and is a columnist for The Highland County Press. He may be reached at jthompson@taii.com.