Why I'm Glad Thomas Jefferson Isn't Running For President

Why I’m Glad Thomas Jefferson Isn’t Running For President

A Thomas Jefferson presidency would be disastrous for our current American system. It would run counter to everything we have grown to accept as normal over the last century. There are several reasons why a Thomas Jefferson campaign and presidency would not be good for us.

One, his debating style would be boring. Rather than mud-slinging with his fellow campaigners, Jefferson would be clearly articulating his positions. That’s not to say he wouldn’t point out discrepancies in his opponents positions, or identify how their personal ambitions were cloaked in noble sounding political double-talk, but his greatest energies would be spent making sure the voters knew the issues at stake. In short, Jefferson would seek to educate the voting public, not just on the publicized and sensational issues of the moment, but on the larger issues that span generations and are critical for the healthy functioning of a society, such as debt and finance, genuine wealth production, republicanism (not the party, but populist principles), and the dangers of foreign entanglements. Jefferson would bog the debates down in education, leaving little time or energy for the more exciting stuff.

Thomas Jefferson by Rembrandt Peale, 1800 (Wikipedia)

Two, Jefferson would be the dog that bites the hand of the master that feeds it: Big Government. Jefferson made it abundantly clear that Big Government was and is the enemy of a free and prosperous people. Big Government centralizes power, limiting freedom for the citizens. A populist government decentralizes power, meaning it disperses it to the people, limiting the freedom of the government to exert it’s own will. Jefferson’s theory was that government should be dependent on the people rather than the people being dependent on the government.

Three, as a specific measure related to the second point, Jefferson would weaken the central power (federal government) and would empower the states more. Since 1860 America has operated on the perspective that the federal government has authority to impose it’s will on the states. That perspective became authoritative after a costly war (in financial and human terms, with 1,000,000 casualties), and state government was relegated to secondary status. As a consequence, decisions about abortion, prayer in schools, income taxes, borrowing money in our names and a host of other measures are made by men and women far removed from us, geographically, politically, socially, economically, theologically and morally. Jefferson felt that county and state leaders were closer to the concerns felt by their constituents, and were better positioned to legislate wisely on them.

Four, Jefferson would pay off, or at least pay down, the national debt, while simultaneously not only lessening, but eliminating, a direct income tax on the people. That is so ridiculous I won’t even comment on it more, except to say that when he was president, Jefferson actually did just that. To believe we have to have higher taxes to pay down the debt is simply not true, but it is a position most Americans hold today because it has been told to us so many times by the presidential candidates (other than Jefferson).

Finally, in a day and time when money is being reduced for education, Thomas Jefferson would insist that we provide adequately for the education of America’s youth. I think he would say, “If we can send billions of dollars every month to foreign countries, money that many times is raided by the elite and never reaches the people, then we can surely afford to keep good teachers in our classrooms.” Further, he would make sure that the curriculum included intense instruction in the original principles of the Founders, principles enunciated in such books as Jefferson: Magnificent Populist. Jefferson’s educational policies would have provisions for students who struggled and excelled, so that both would be equally challenged to progress academically and intellectually.

Surely you can see why I’m glad Thomas Jefferson is not running for president. The good news is, even if he was a presidential contender, several factors would combine to guarantee he wouldn’t win. One, the press would simply ignore him, marginalizing him with silence. Or, when they did speak of him, it would be in disparaging, ridiculing tones, thus character assassinating him. “He’s a nut. He’s so out of tune with how America is today. He’d turn back the clock.” Two, the other candidates would do the same as the press, treating him with silence, ridiculing him, and treating his positions with disdain. If the American people didn’t study on their own, they would conclude that the tv heads that did the most yapping must be right, so Jefferson would be summarily dismissed in their minds as a viable candidate.

Even if he was indeed the best candidate, we would opt to not vote for him, thinking he couldn’t win anyway. Thus, the candidate espousing genuine populist principles, the candidate who could indeed set the economic situation right, would be edged out of the campaign. A centrist would get elected, foreign entanglements would continue to consume us, debt would deepen, taxes would rise, education would be cut more, and we’d all be happy that we got the lesser of two evils. Good bye, Thomas.

Warren Baldwin