Washington was thoroughly republican; right down to his bones he hated aristocratic privilege, but he was exceedingly careful in how he approached public life. Aware of his role in the body politic as the man whom all of his fellow citizens admired, he sought to maintain a respectful distance in all his doings.
Falwell is right that America’s Founders worried in the early days about aristocracy or monarchy corrupting the republic, but that does not mean they wanted leaders to be profane or slovenly. Rather, they hoped that representatives would come from, in the words of James Madison, a subset of the citizenry, “whose wisdom may best discern the true interest of their country, and whose patriotism and love of justice will be least likely to sacrifice it to temporary or partial considerations.” In this way, they would not be removed from their fellow citizens, dictating terms to the people as a monarch does; they would be the best of the people, and thus be able to “refine and enlarge the public views,” just as Washington sought to do.
Even Andrew Jackson, arguably our first democratic president, and a predecessor Trump has frequently cited with admiration, was a war hero. He was seen as an example of the best of America. And Jackson, like Washington before him, had a bearing in public that reinforced this image.
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