Patrick Henry for President

Patrick Henry, a politician and planter from Virginia, is my favorite Founding Father, bar none. Why, at least in my estimation, does he trump such luminaries as John Adams, John Hancock, John Jay, and John Marshall? Simply because he – along with Thomas Paine, the author of Common Sense – provided the sparks that ignited the American Revolution.

Sure, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin contributed more to the colonial cause as well to the establishment of the United States of America. However, I tend to favor the men who were the true instigators: who wore their hearts on their sleeves and who voiced their revolutionary beliefs for all to hear.

Men like Sam Adams and the aforementioned Patrick Henry.

“Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?” Henry asked rhetorically at the Second Virginia Convention in 1775. Henry then answered his own question. “Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!" he thundered.

Henry, who had served as a delegate to the First Continental Congress in 1774, also served as Governor of Virginia from 1776 to 1779 and again from 1784 to 1786... as well as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1779 to 1784.

One of the most powerful orators of his day, Henry was also a respected statesman who was held in high regard by his peers and revered by his constituents. He also managed to combat his critics without resorting to negative name-calling, which brings me to the point of today’s blog post.

Patrick Henry proved, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that it is possible to be a radical reformer, a prominent politician, and a dignified delegate all at the same time. In the days before smart phones and social media, he spoke directly to the hearts of his fellow Americans with wit and wisdom… and without nasty tweets or disparaging comments reminiscent of third grade recess.

You probably know where I am going, but let me state it loudly and clearly so there is no room for misunderstanding. I want a radical reformer as President of the United States, but also one who acts like an adult and has the statesmanlike qualities of Patrick Henry and so many of our Founders.

It isn’t a question of either/or. Dwight Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy held the Soviet Union at bay with both rhetoric and resolve. And Ronald Reagan defeated and dismantled the Evil Empire with a smile, a tilt of his head, and a backbone of steel. He didn’t diminish or demean his opponents; he simply outsmarted, outmaneuvered, and outlasted them.

I see those qualities in both Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley. However, it remains to be seen whether Donald Trump can exercise the necessary self-discipline to become a true statesman, cut from the same cloth as Patrick Henry, Sam Adams, and other great American patriots.