A Lack of “Ambition” and Congress’s Decline
The men and women of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives love their job so much they are afraid to do it; because if they do it, they may lose it.
The Stories of Betty Ford
Betty Ford wrote two autobiographies. One, The Times of My Life (1978), tells the story of a young girl from Grand Rapids, Michigan, who became—much to her surprise—the wife of the President of the United States.
The U.S. Constitution and Gerald R. Ford’s Virtues
One of the best presidential ranking polls is conducted from time to time by the Wall Street Journal, which strategically interviews a relatively small but ideologically balanced group of scholars.
Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” and Two Notions of the Good Life
Ernest Hemingway wrote “Hills Like White Elephants” while on his honeymoon with his second wife, Pauline Pfeiffer, a somewhat boyish looking woman (in the style of the day) and a Catholic, though not a very good one.
America’s Other Constitution: The Northwest Ordinance of 1787-A Birthday Appreciation
Today, July 13, we celebrate the 236th anniversary of the enactment of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787.
Thoughts on Patriotism
On this 247th birthday celebration of our nation, we might be forgiven if we indulge the impulse to feel good about ourselves.
Balancing Party with Collegiality: The Example of Gerald Ford
Many accounts of Gerald Ford’s service in Congress, where he served from 1949 until 1973, depict him as a moderate-minded lawmaker who was willing to work with members of the other party to pass legislation.
The Need for Political Humility: Gerald Ford and the Saving of the Presidency…and the Nation
As Charles Dickens wrote about Victorian England in A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”
Transparency and Illusion in the Acquisition of Power
The American founders were acutely aware that human beings desire power. Like Lord Acton, they believed that power tends to have a corrupting effect on those not only who attain it but those who reach for it.
A Way Forward in Civics Education
Over the past decades, the controversy over civics education in the United States has only gotten worse.
Democracy’s Interest in Kindness
During the bleakest days of the Covid pandemic and the shutdowns, numerous voices exhorted us to practice kindness.
Robert Frost’s “Mending Wall” and One Means of Ordered Civic Life
We do violence to a work of art by using it for our own ends, especially for our own ideological or political ends, which are time-bound and probably transient at best.
Golf and Manners
Professional golf may be the last sport to maintain a strong sense of manners.
Power Unbridled
David French in this essay places alongside each other two contrasting thoughts of two contrasting thinkers—first friends, then enemies, then friends again—who were central figures in our nation’s early history.