Abraham Lincoln Speaks to Us Today

 

Abraham Lincoln Speaks to Us Today--The Greatest Threats to our Nation’s Long-term Health are Internally Imposed, not Externally

President Abraham Lincoln is often cited for his warning about the internal threats to American democracy. The most famous instance of this idea can be found in his Lyceum Address, delivered in Springfield, Illinois, on January 27, 1838. In this speech, Lincoln talked about the dangers that could bring about the downfall of the United States, arguing that these threats were more likely to come from within than from external enemies.

He stated:

"Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant, to step the Ocean, and crush us at a blow? Never! All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted) in their military chest; with a Buonaparte for a commander, could not by force, take a drink from the Ohio, or make a track on the Blue Ridge, in a trial of a thousand years. At what point, then, is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide."

More than ever, perhaps since the Civil War, those words serve as a warning and call to action for us today. 

In recent years, I have lamented how many adversaries we have turned into existential enemies rather than viewing them as competitors.  Today, our existential enemy list would be headed by Russia, China, Iran and North Korea.  Yet, while acknowledging the genuine and serious issues embodied in those threats, if we step back, do we seriously and objectively believe that any of these nations possess the resources, the global appeal, and even the intent, to deny the United States a pre-eminent, even if not unilateral, claim to global leadership?  

 

I don’t think so.

Think about it.  No other country in the world has the resources or power which America has today:  a currency that is convertible and has pride of place in the world's financial markets. Deep pools of capital readily available to stimulate innovation and the formation of new businesses.  The soft power stemming from a university system unmatched in the world.  The appeal, even if tarnished, of America’s culture, no better evidenced than the country’s unique attractiveness as a destination for immigrants.

 

I’m not suggesting we are living in a benign and friendly world, free of conflicts and competition.  We don't. We never have. There are military threats and actions that need to be confronted and economic policies that we need to pursue to ensure that our nation’s natural advantages which stem from the diversity of our people and richness of our resources are allowed to play out fairly.  And, there is one overriding external threat that must be confronted on a global basis:  climate change.  However, with all of that said,  I will argue that the greatest threat to this nation’s future is rooted in our internal governance structure and relationships with one another.  It flows from a number of factors, including: 

 

·       The corruption of our ability to govern effectively, to make happen those things most important to the future, culturally, economically and politically. 

 

Our system of government today is plagued by greater polarization than has existed since the Civil War.  It is fueled by many factors, including social media and fractured news channels that cater to deepening and individual points of view rather than encouraging with conversation.

 

The legitimacy of our government structure is undercut by gerrymandering and by the decline in both institutional and inter-personal trust.

 

·       We are continuing to fail to provide families with the support and implement educational policies and structures to close the long-standing and still-widening gap in work and life preparedness between people of wealth (largely inherited) and those of below-average income.

 

·       We continue to fail to implement an immigration policy that will continue to bring people of talent and ambition to this country as we have in the past.  This is going to be more important than ever in the future to compensate for the declining fertility rates impacting our nation and all of the developed world.

Obviously, confronting and addressing these gaps and challenges represent generational tasks.  They loom larger today than ever.  Above all else, they will call for strong, value-based, personal leadership at every level of government and public service, leadership directed not at bettering one’s personal position but selfless leadership dedicated to strengthening the fabric of this nation so that it will only endure but thrive in the pursuit of the vision which the founders of this nation embarked on 350 years ago.