MORE OF THE STRENGTHS, LESS OF THE WEAKNESSES …
The first two years of the Trump administration have resulted in numerous economic and geopolitical accomplishments, as well as, unfortunately, a coarsening of public dialogue and greater political division. We credit the administration for the former … and the latter.
As we head toward the 2020 election, we believe the President (and our country) would benefit by taking a momentary break from Twitter to reflect on the lessons of Cicero … an accomplished and influential statesman with relatively similar background, skills, personality traits and political philosophy to the president.
According to Wikipedia, “Cicero (3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, orator, lawyer and philosopher, who served as consul in the year 63 BC. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the Roman equestrian order. Considered one of Rome’s greatest orators and successful lawyers, Cicero believed his political career was his most important achievement. During the chaotic latter half of the 1st century BC marked by civil wars and the dictatorship of Julius Caesar, Cicero championed a return to the traditional republican government. Following Julius Caesar’s death, Cicero became an enemy of Mark Antony in the ensuing power struggle, attacking him in a series of speeches. He was proscribed as an enemy of the state by the Second Triumvirate and consequently executed by soldiers operating on their behalf in 43 BC after having been intercepted during an attempted flight from the Italian peninsula.”
The writings of the famous Greek historian Plutarch (c. 46 A.D. – 120 A.D.) include a biography of Cicero, detailing his strengths and weaknesses. It is here where we believe President Trump can learn valuable lessons for application in the second half of his first term.
We quote from Plutarch’s Lives below …
Cicero commanded the power of persuading and governing the people. He gave the most abundant proofs of his contempt of riches and of his humanity and good-nature. He attested the truth of Plato’s prediction, that the miseries of states would be at an end when, by a happy fortune, supreme power, wisdom and justice should be united in one.
Unlike many statesmen regularly accepting bribes, Cicero was honorable, ridding his country of such villains (i.e.,the swamp).
Cicero used sharp raillery against his opponents and antagonists. But he excited much ill feeling by his readiness to attack any one for the sake of a jest. By this habit he made himself odious with many people.
Cicero’s love of mockery often ran him into scurrility; and in his love of laughing away serious arguments by jests and facetious remarks, with a view to the advantage of his clients, he paid too little regard to what was decent.
Cicero’s immeasurable boasting of himself in his orations argues him guilty of an uncontrollable appetite for distinction; as if he were engaged in a boyish trial of skill, not as one who could claim the task to guide and instruct the Roman nation.
Cicero often desired his friends not to call him orator, but philosopher, because he had made philosophy his business, and had only used rhetoric as an instrument for attaining his objects in public life. But the desire of glory has great power in washing the tinctures of philosophy out of the souls of men, and in imprinting the passions of the common people, by custom and conversation, in the minds of those that take part in governing them, unless the politician be very careful so to engage in public affairs as to interest himself only in the affairs themselves, but not participate in the passions that are consequent to them.
President Trump has been a strong advocate for the common people, and his legislative, regulatory and foreign policy accomplishments over the past two years have made our country freer, wealthier and safer … a great start to his first term. But America badly needs a President to unite us, and that begins with the personal example he sets for us all.