I Liked Ike Then... and Even More Now

Kudos to the Man from Kansas!

Having successfully led the Allied Forces in Europe to victory in World War II, Dwight David Eisenhower could have easily and happily retired to his farm in Gettysburg to live out the rest of his illustrious life. Instead, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force chose to continue serving his country as military governor of the American-occupied zone of Germany (1945), followed by stints as Army Chief of Staff (1945-1948), president of Columbia University (1948-1953), and the first supreme commander of NATO (1951-1952).

Then, in 1952, he defeated Sen. Robert A. Taft for the GOP presidential nomination and Sen. Adlai Stevenson II to become the 34th President of the United States. Four years later, “Ike” won a second term with yet another landslide victory over Stevenson.

The 1950s were prosperous years for most Americans. Eisenhower fulfilled his campaign promise to end the Korean Conflict and to bring our troops home. He also championed racial equality, signing landmark civil rights legislation in 1957 and sending federal troops to Little Rock to integrate their public schools. Other achievements of the Eisenhower administration included the Interstate Highway System and the creation of NASA.

After overseeing eight years of peace and prosperity with the same team-approach he employed with Operation Torch in North Africa and the Normandy Invasion, otherwise known as D-Day, Eisenhower prepared to hand over the reins of power to another WWII veteran, John F. Kennedy. On January 17, 1961, Ike addressed the American people live from the Oval Office. In typical Eisenhower style, he got right to the point and kept his remarks to under 10 minutes.

Here are some of the highlights, particularly the ones which affect us today…

Early in his address, Eisenhower spoke about the “mutually interdependent” relationship between the executive and legislative branches of government. Instead of one branch dominating the other or acting in a combative and adversarial manner, Eisenhower called on both branches “to serve the national good rather than mere partisanship.” Ike, forever the team player, praised Congress for its cooperation during his eight years in office, crediting that bipartisanship for enabling them “to do so much together.”

(For the record, Eisenhower had a Republican majority in both Houses during his first two years and a Democratic majority in both Houses for his remaining six years as president.)

Fast forward to 2023 and try to remember the last time a major piece of legislation wasn’t passed along party lines with the majority shoving it down the throats of the minority. Both parties are guilty of this all-or-nothing approach and the “art of compromise” – which once was the hallmark of congressional giants such as Daniel Webster and Henry Clay – has become as outdated and obsolete as rotary phones, dial-up internet, and the Ford Edsel.

Building consensus, historically the mark of a true statesman, is now perceived as weakness… and America is worse off because of it. In today’s dysfunctional Congress, the ability – let alone the willingness – to reach across the aisle will get you labeled a traitor to your party and virtually guarantee you a primary challenger from the left for Democrats and from the right for Republicans.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not advocating compromising one’s principles. However, I am calling for our elected officials to set their egos and political ambitions aside and to try to find and forge some common ground whenever possible.

Enough of the gridlock and grandstanding. It’s time to start governing!

As one might imagine, Eisenhower also called for balance in government. Between the private and public economies… between program costs and projected benefits… and between short-term progress and long-term sustainability. Sounds like the logic employed by a victorious five-star general to me!

Famously, Eisenhower also warned about the growing military-industrial complex. Ike readily conceded that it was no longer feasible to rely on “American makers of plowshares” to switch over to manufacturing “swords as well.” He also admitted the necessity of creating “a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions.” However, Eisenhower cautioned against allowing this new national defense industry to acquire “unwarranted influence.”

Sounds eerily similar to some of the debates in Congress today… as well as within the two major political parties, both of whom are in the pockets of large defense contractors to one degree or another.

Support a strong national defense and you are considered a patriot. Try to be pro-active by supporting like-minded regimes around the world and you risk being labeled a warmonger by the left and a neo-con by the right.

Another aspect of society that concerned Eisenhower was science and academia. The former Ivy League college president lamented the disadvantage facing “the solitary inventor, tinkering in his shop” because of the massive amounts of government funding being poured into research and development. Admittedly “old school,” Ike decried that “for every old blackboard there are now hundreds of new electronic computers”… and that was 62 years ago!

Eisenhower’s main concern in this area was that government dollars might dictate what scientific research was conducted and also, what the results of that research might be. Remember, researchers require funding… and funding is often tied to results. Likewise, Ike foresaw a day when the nation’s scholars – a polite way of saying “egotistical eggheads” – might try to dominate government policy.

“We must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that public policy could itself become captive of a scientific-technological elite,” Eisenhower warned. Something tells me that Eisenhower looked into his crystal ball and saw the pompous face of Dr. Anthony Fauci staring back at him as well as the ugly mugs of Al Gore, John Kerry, and a few “the sky is falling” climatologists.

Speaking of crystal balls, Ike insisted that individual citizens and the federal government alike “must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering, for our own ease and convenience, the precious resources of tomorrow.”

“We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without risking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage,” Eisenhower added.

BINGO!!!

When Eisenhower assumed the presidency, the National Debt stood at $266 billion or 68% of our Gross Domestic Product. When he left office eight years later, the Debt was $289 billion or just 52% of GDP. Nicely done, Ike!

Today, because of the short-sightedness and political cowardice of career officeholders in both parties, the United States now owes more than $33 trillion to its creditors, a whopping 130% of GDP. Meanwhile, Americans currently carry $17.29 trillion in personal debt including $12.14 trillion in mortgages; $1.6 trillion in auto loans; and $1.08 trillion in credit card debt.

The average American household debt has increased 11% since 2020, from $92,800 to $103,400. If only we – and Uncle Sam – had listened to Ike!

Finally, in his abbreviated address, Eisenhower used terms such as God and Godspeed (2 times); blessed or blessings (2); spiritual (2); faith (2); and pray or prayerful (2). The President who signed the bill adding the words “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance on June 14, 1954, also referred to Americans as a “free and religious people” in his farewell address.

In similar fashion, Ike gave his reasons for supporting the change to the Pledge, declaring that “From this day forward, the millions of our school children will daily proclaim in every city and town, every village and rural schoolhouse, the dedication of our nation and our people to the Almighty.... In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America's heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country's most powerful resource, in peace or in war.”

Compare that scenario to today's public educational system, where the mere mention of God's name is purported to inflict deep psychological pain and to cause irreparable damage to our impressionable young schoolchildren. And heaven forbid that someone uses the J-word.

Oops, I just said heaven!

It’s no wonder why historians consistently rank Dwight David Eisenhower in the upper echelon of American presidents. Personally, I award him a well-deserved Top 10 ranking.