Thursday, December 24, 2015

The Jeffersonian Democrat: I Am One

 Jefferson 2


A Review of A Plague on Both Your Houses, by Robert W. Whitaker. New York: Robert B. Luce, 1976, 208 pages.

Hardly anyone has commented upon the seeming disappearance from American life of the Jeffersonian democrat. The Jeffersonian democrat was a hardy American breed, perhaps the only political type original to this continent. Outnumbering all other species between 1800 and 1861, he was a numerous beast long afterward and was spotted quite often even as late as the 1940’s. Since then he seems to have disappeared, if not into extinction at least out of the offi­cial catalogs. The disappearance is not surprising—Jeffersonian democrats, since their first discovery in colonial America, have never enjoyed academic or media respectability.

Mr. Whitaker is a keen observer. He has spotted them in the interior where they are alive and well (although restless) and number in the millions. He calls them populists. (“Jeffersonian democrat” is the reviewer’s gratuitous amendment of the author’s terminology, for reasons that will become apparent.) Mr. Whitaker speaks not only as a man of science, demonstrating the existence of the phe­nomenon. He is also an angry and eloquent advocate in behalf of an endangered species with which he is proud to identify himself.

8 comments:

  1. Afreakinmen. I would take the Democrats Jefferson, Jackson or even the Yankee Cleveland over anyone the Republicans have ever put into office.

    ReplyDelete
  2. OT:

    http://www.returnofkings.com/76104/how-the-christmas-truce-of-1914-shows-the-world-has-become-less-civil

    https://www.lewrockwell.com/2015/12/dan-phillips/better-strategy-rand-paul/

    http://www.thepoliticalcesspool.org/jamesedwards/christmas-truce-of-1914/

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you. The second one was penned by Red who posts at CHT (Conservative Heritage Times) where I am supposed to also.:)

    http://freenorthcarolina.blogspot.com/2015/12/how-christmas-truce-of-1914-shows-world.html

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Brock,
    I would like to think that the "Spirit" of Thomas Jefferson is alive in "Us!!"
    Just like the great words of our President Jefferson B. Davis (1808-1889) "Truth crushed to the earth is still truth still and like a seed will rise again."
    The "Spirit' of "Thomas Jefferson" and "Jefferson B. Davis" can never be "Crushed!!"
    Got Truth....OUTLAW!!!!,
    III%,
    skybill-out

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The "Spirit' of "Thomas Jefferson" and "Jefferson B. Davis" can never be "Crushed!!"

      Hear! Hear! Have an Eggnog and Bourbon on me, Sir. :)

      Delete
    2. Hi Brock,
      A Big "10-4" on that....'don't have any "eggnog" handy,.. but plenty of the Elixir of the God's,,"Bourbon" on hand...!!! and a bit of "Branch water"..as the old sayin' would go about offerin' a drink of "Bourbon and Branch water" the "Branch water bein' the water from the ""Branch stream" up from the "Main stream" for washin' clothes, cleanin' an' the like, "main stream water' was OK, but for "Serious Drinkin'" the "Man of the house" wanted "Branch water" for offerin' to his friends....as....Branch water was from a fresh close spring and had fewer "Impurities" so it tasted better!!
      'Just somethin' from bein' "Country!!"
      Got "Branch"....OUTLAW!!!!,
      III%,
      skybill-out
      BTW.. It is now "Christmas"....A great one to You and Your's!!

      Delete
    3. A Bourbon and Branch Water man, my friend until the end! :)

      http://freenorthcarolina.blogspot.com/2014/02/mint-juleps-general-buckner.html

      Delete