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George Washington's Farewell Address - Why Democrats Should Weaponize His Words Against Trump / MAGA [1]
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Date: 2025-03-19
Why aren’t Democrats weaponizing George Washington’s Farewell Address against Trump and MAGA?
President George Washington is highly revered among the Right, which often likes to claim to be originalists as an appeal to authoritarianism. (Yet doesn’t actually practice originalism as we already know).
Even the German American Bund infamously tried to co-opt the image of George Washington by portraying him as the symbol of American Nazim. The Bund famously displayed a giant portrait of Washington behind the stage surrounded by Nazi swastikas.
As we all know, the Right Wing in general has an extremely selective world view, and that includes a selective reading of history, as well as their own religion that is distorted to serve their own interests. That’s why they always tell us they never read history or their Bibles without actually telling us they never read history or their Bibles.
If they actually read George Washington’s Farewell Address, they would know that George Washington’s world view is anathema to the Right Wing vision of a democratic republic and national governance.
In his farewell address, George Washington is quite explicit and frankly prescient in conveying his great disdain for the concept of the Political Parties, and how they lead to corruption and despotism. It is full of gems that are relevant today, as it aptly describes Trump and the Republican Party as well as the direct consequences of their agenda in depth.
Most Americans have never read George Washington’s farewell address — the fact that it is a mind numbingly lengthy read to get to the meaty parts may contribute to this — but I believe many reasonable minded Americans would be shocked to hear excerpts and quotes from Washington’s speech given the current state of our country.
I believe it would have the exact same effect as how the Left has used memes of Jesus’ actual quotes to expose the hypocrisy of Right Wing Christianity to great effect — the Left needs to utilize this strategy using one of the Right’s revered founders, George Washington, as a cudgel to the same effect to expose the hypocrisy of Trump and the MAGA cult.
This is how we reach reasonable minded Americans and get them to wake up to the fact that what Trump and MAGA is doing is unAmerican by appealing to authority.
Everyone on Daily Kos should read Washington’s Farewell Address in its entirety and run a meme campaign on it.
For brevity I will post the meaty excerpts of the Farewell Address below. There is a lot more useful in the Farewell Address not posted below — namely Washington warning Americans about loyalty to foreign nations. Enjoy!
"In contemplating the causes which may disturb our Union, it occurs as matter of serious concern, that any ground should have been furnished for characterizing parties by Geographical discriminations—Northern and Southern—Atlantic and Western;13 whence designing men may endeavour to excite a belief that there is a real difference of local interests and views. One of the expedients of party to acquire influence, within particular districts, is to misrepresent the opinions & aims of other Districts. You cannot shield yourselves too much against the jealousies and heart burnings which spring from these misrepresentations. They tend to render alien to each other those who ought to be bound together by fraternal affection. "
"I have already intimated to you the danger of Parties in the State, with particular reference to the founding of them on Geographical discriminations. Let me now take a more comprehensive view, & warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the Spirit of Party, generally. This spirit, unfortunately, is inseperable from our nature, having its root in the strongest passions of the human Mind. It exists under different shapes in all Governments, more or less stifled, controuled, or repressed; but in those of the popular form it is seen in its greatest rankness and is truly their worst enemy.
“The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge natural to party dissention, which in different ages & countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders & miseries, which result, gradually incline the minds of men to seek security & repose in the absolute power of an Individual: and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of Public Liberty.”
“Without looking forward to an extremity of this kind (which nevertheless ought not to be entirely out of sight) the common & continual mischiefs of the spirit of Party are sufficient to make it the interest and the duty of a wise People to discourage and restrain it.”
“It serves always to distract the Public Councils and enfeeble the Public Administration. It agitates the Community with ill founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot & insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence & corruption, which find a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions. Thus the policy and the will of one country, are subjected to the policy and will of another. There is an opinion that parties in free countries are useful checks upon the Administration of the Government and serve to keep alive the spirit of Liberty. This within certain limits is probably true—and in Governments of a Monarchical cast Patriotism may look with endulgence, if not with favour, upon the spirit of party. But in those of the popular character, in Governments purely elective, it is a spirit not to be encouraged. From their natural tendency, it is certain there will always be enough of that spirit for every salutary purpose. And there being constant danger of excess, the effort ought to be, by force of public opinion, to mitigate & assuage it. A fire not to be quenched; it demands a uniform vigilance to prevent its bursting into a flame, lest instead of warming it should consume."
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