This Is What Being A Patriot Means

Bravo Romeo Delta

You may have seen the movie Patton, in which George C. Scott gives a rousing speech. This movie moment is based off of a speech given to the Third Army just before the invasion of Normandy. It is a stirring speech – the likes of which may have disappeared, unfortunately, from the American political scene. Below is an excerpt from that speech which bears consideration in this post election period:

”Americans love a winner and will not tolerate a loser. Americans despise cowards. Americans play to win - all the time. I wouldn't give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed. That's why Americans have never lost, nor ever will lose, a war. The very thought of losing is hateful to an American.”

It’s not entirely surprising that Bush supporters are a bit giddy after the election, while those who supported Kerry are a bit beside themselves. That’s natural in any election, but as Patton knew, Americans fight and fight hard when something serious is on the line, and unquestionably, regardless of your political persuasion, this election has been serious business indeed.

But this first pass misses some important points – General Patton’s grandfather fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War – hardly a shining example of victory. But if Americans hate losing, and hate losing wars, why is General Robert E. Lee so widely respected? He lost. Moreover, he lost a war that ravaged the south. But he is still one of the most respected and renowned general in the annals of American history – despite the fact that he was a rebel and lost his war. Americans traditionally don’t have a romantic soft-spot for losers, so why is General Lee praised?

Well, I don’t have all the answers, but perhaps a few clues can be found not in how he fought, but how he lost. Look first to his General Order No. 9, in which he instructs his army that the jig is up, the war is over, and they have lost:

” After four years of arduous service, marked by unsurpassed courage and fortitude, the Army of Northern Virginia has been compelled to yield to overwhelming numbers and resources.

I need not tell the brave survivors of so many hard fought battles who have remained steadfast to the last, that I have consented to this result from no distrust of them, But feeling that valor and devotion could accomplish nothing that could compensate for the loss that would have attended the continuance of the contest, I determined to avoid the useless sacrifice of those whose past services have endeared them to their countrymen.

By the terms of the agreement, Officers and men can return to their homes and remain until exchanged. You will take with you the satisfaction that proceeds from the consciousness of duty faithfully performed and I earnestly pray that a merciful God will extend to you His blessing and protection.

With an unceasing admiration of your constancy and devotion to your country, and a grateful remembrance of your kind and generous consideration of myself, I bid you all an affectionate farewell.”

Add to this, that the South was in very real danger of erupting into guerilla warfare, following the collapse of the CSA – and yet they did not. Johnny Reb did not stay his hand out of a lack of passion or conviction – certainly one only need review a few of the battles of the Civil War to put paid to that nonsense. But in addition to surrendering with dignity and grace, General Lee instructed his soldiers to go home and “be good Americans.” Not Union or Confederate Americans – but just plain, old, regular Americans.

This brings us to the so-called looming cultural civil war in this country and its most recent manifestation, the 2004 Presidential election and its aftermath. To wit, let me quote a few excerpts from Senator Kerry’s concession speech:

“But in an American election, there are no losers, because whether or not our candidates are successful, the next morning we all wake up as Americans. And that -- that is the greatest privilege and the most remarkable good fortune that can come to us on earth.

With that gift also comes obligation. We are required now to work together for the good of our country. In the days ahead, we must find common cause. We must join in common effort without remorse or recrimination, without anger or rancor. America is in need of unity and longing for a larger measure of compassion.

I hope President Bush will advance those values in the coming years. I pledge to do my part to try to bridge the partisan divide. I know this is a difficult time for my supporters, but I ask them, all of you, to join me in doing that.”

Senator Kerry may have missed his chance at a Sistah Souljah moment with Fahrenheit 9/11, but he is a statesman and a gentleman and he didn’t pass up his Robert E. Lee moment. As General Lee noted, regardless of whether or not our campaign or candidate won, we still are Americans on November 3rd, and that this blessing comes with it, an obligation to work together. So with this, I have two messages, one to those whose candidate won, and those whose candidate lost.

To those whose candidate won, I say congratulations, but remember that we won World War II, but some of our finest moments came with the Marshall Plan. Now is the time to reach out. While yes, the Republican party controls the Hill and the White House, this is a purple country. 51% percent of the popular vote is an accomplishment to be proud of – but it ain’t anywhere near everybody. Just remember that if you are talking to a married couple, convincing one spouse is a long, long way from convincing the couple. But there is a way to make this whole shindig work. The Democratic Party can give the Republican Party one thing above all else – a real, true, larger-than-life mandate, in which we have the cooperation of 80% of the Republic – not just 51%. And in order to do this, we need to stifle any temptation towards triumphalism and work together as one people, united.

And to those whose candidate lost, I extend my hand in sympathy. It’s been a long and hard election, and losing always hurts. I understand the temptation towards bitterness. But that’s not going to help you, me, or anyone in the nation. The Republican Party has substantial margins on the Hill, as well as a President who isn’t constrained by the politics associated with re-election. They can do any damn thing they want, with or without you. Furthermore, democracy demands participation, not obstructionism. So you have a choice – pout and let the other guys rule the day, or reach out and draw the other guys to the middle.

So, along these lines, I must tip my hat to the gentlemen of The Rant blog. Rick DeMint and Dietz Smith have extended their hand in the best and noblest tradition of cooperation that has made this country the closest thing we have to a shining city on the hill. This initiative, which I think of as the Deitz/DeMint Dialog on Democracy (4D), is an excellent starting point. You are all probably familiar with the practice of fisking. Fisking, while emotionally satisfying, is short on actual nutritional value. What is proposed here is a more mature and productive version of the same. Take an article on their blog, my blog, or any participating blog and tear it apart and disassemble it down to the last bit of punctuation (and do so in a reasonable and mature manner) and then provide your counterproposal. Deitz probably puts it best here:

”Ok, so here’ an offer to kick this off, take any one of my posts you disagree with from over the last several years, lord knows there’s enough of them to choose from. Pick it apart, shred it to pieces, but don’t just leave it at that, offer an alternative view. Don’t just tell me why I’m wrong, show me why you’re right. Then we can take this back and forth in the hopes of eventually convincing each other. This is not about winner-take-all. I want to do this with the goal of finding the middle ground.”

So with this post, I wish to offer my readers a similar pledge to help take this country forward and expend our energies on making it the best country it can be – rather than spending our thoughts and time on tearing each other apart. I know a lot of feelings have been hurt and egos damaged, but it's time to suck it up and act like Americans.

UPDATE: Rick DeMint has added this in the comments of other posts, and it bears inclusion here, as well:

There is also a good deal of aftermath history missing here. The newly minted republicans wanted to exact revenge, they felt their victory on the battle field gave them the god given right to come down head on the South. Lincoln though otherwise and outlined a reconstruction plan that was several degrees less punitive to the South then congressional republicans wanted. Johnson followed Lincoln’s plan and was impeached for it by the congressional republicans and avoided being ousted by one vote. So in the end the benevolent plan was put into place and this may have contributed to the healing as much as anything done by Lee. At the end of the day it took both the leadership of Lee and the wisdom of Lincoln\Johnson to make the peace a truly lasting one.

Do the Republicans have a Lee and do the Democrats have a Lincoln? (yes I realize that the parties are turned around but things change and neither parties are what they were 145 years ago).

(Simultaneously launched from Demosophia and Anticipatory Retaliation)

Launched by Bravo Romeo Delta at November 7, 2004 06:26 AM
» the RANT: Retaliates with: Bravo Romeo Delta Reaches Out
» CaptainNormal.org Retaliates with: Gimme an "F!"
» Demosophia Retaliates with: This Is What Being A Patriot Means