Jon Meacham: We Could Learn a Lot from the Dwight Eisenhower Era

GEIST Hey Jon your ░░░░░░░░ Soul of America which ░░░░░░░░ pains me to remind ░░░░░░░░ because of our personal ░░░░░░░░ towards each other is ░░░░░░░░ runaway best seller and ░░░░░░░░ on the list made ░░░░░░░░ point very well I ░░░░░░░░ to a lot of ░░░░░░░░ that we re no ░░░░░░░░ great times right now ░░░░░░░░ man we ve had ░░░░░░░░ times And I think ░░░░░░░░ s an important thing ░░░░░░░░ say on the Fourth ░░░░░░░░ July which is that ░░░░░░░░ you live in the ░░░░░░░░ and in the crucible ░░░░░░░░ looking at Twitter every ░░░░░░░░ seconds or watching the ░░░░░░░░ it feels like we ░░░░░░░░ in as bad a ░░░░░░░░ as we ve been ░░░░░░░░ I can t imagine ░░░░░░░░ way out of it ░░░░░░░░ what are some of ░░░░░░░░ lessons that you think ░░░░░░░░ the Soul of America ░░░░░░░░ we can apply today ░░░░░░░░ give a little hope ░░░░░░░░ the Fourth of July ░░░░░░░░ I think that basically ░░░░░░░░ has always kept us ░░░░░░░░ is the sense that ░░░░░░░░ is not just a ░░░░░░░░ virtue it s a ░░░░░░░░ necessity The idea that ░░░░░░░░ would reach out and ░░░░░░░░ somebody else is in ░░░░░░░░ self interest And that ░░░░░░░░ one of the fundamental ░░░░░░░░ of a republican lower ░░░░░░░░ r government is that ░░░░░░░░ pay taxes for you ░░░░░░░░ you pay them for ░░░░░░░░ tomorrow We make what ░░░░░░░░ called mutual concessions of ░░░░░░░░ Because I may need ░░░░░░░░ tomorrow Winston Churchill always ░░░░░░░░ to carry lifelong grudges ░░░░░░░░ a parliamentarian because this ░░░░░░░░ s enemy might be ░░░░░░░░ afternoon s ally That ░░░░░░░░ fundamental in the life ░░░░░░░░ a republic which is ░░░░░░░░ was established today in ░░░░░░░░ in 1776 was this ░░░░░░░░ that in fact if ░░░░░░░░ were going to amongst ░░░░░░░░ powers of the Earth ░░░░░░░░ had the capacity to ░░░░░░░░ these rights And to ░░░░░░░░ happiness And what happiness ░░░░░░░░ in when Jefferson wrote ░░░░░░░░ wasn t just let ░░░░░░░░ pall be cheerful although ░░░░░░░░ s great but it ░░░░░░░░ a civic idea of ░░░░░░░░ it was a civic ░░░░░░░░ that in fact it ░░░░░░░░ in our mutual self ░░░░░░░░ to be about the ░░░░░░░░ interest And I think ░░░░░░░░ you look back to ░░░░░░░░ directly to your question ░░░░░░░░ you look back at ░░░░░░░░ that we want to ░░░░░░░░ and that we tend ░░░░░░░░ commemorate you find that ░░░░░░░░ were moments where people ░░░░░░░░ willing to change their ░░░░░░░░ if the facts warranted ░░░░░░░░ So you have a ░░░░░░░░ Eisenhower in 1953 saying ░░░░░░░░ m not going to ░░░░░░░░ up the New Deal ░░░░░░░░ s part of the ░░░░░░░░ of the country That ░░░░░░░░ up an amazing run ░░░░░░░░ prosperity it helps set ░░░░░░░░ the work of the ░░░░░░░░ rights movement It helps ░░░░░░░░ up our posture in ░░░░░░░░ Cold War And a ░░░░░░░░ posture Not a single ░░░░░░░░ died in combat under ░░░░░░░░ Eisenhower And that is ░░░░░░░░ he was asking a ░░░░░░░░ Party to change its ░░░░░░░░ And they didn t ░░░░░░░░ it but they did ░░░░░░░░ And that s an ░░░░░░░░ we could go back ░░░░░░░░ that we can learn ░░░░░░░░ lot from.”