THE AGE OF TRUMAN AND THE AGE OF OBAMA : THE UNCOMMON COMMON MAN AND THE SHOWBIZ PRESIDENCY OF UNCOMMON INCOMPETENCE

THE MAN FROM MISSOURI

My first political memory is as a youngster listening to presidential election returns with my family, which was decidedly pro-Truman and Democratic to the core.  Later, as a freshman at William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, I was privileged to have been able to shake hands with former President Truman.

I also recollect two or three occasions in driving by the Truman home in Independence and seeing President and Mrs,. Truman puttering about in their yard, perhaps tending to their rose beds. The home was a simple white frame, two-story affair.   There were no Secret Service agents in view, and it was clear that the Trumans had returned to the simple life that they had earlier left for service in Washington.

TRUMAN HOME IN IDEPENDENCE

Harry S Truman was a very uncommon common man.  Despite not having an Ivy League diploma - or any college degree, for that matter - he was learned in many areas, owing to his life-long habit of reading, reading, reading.  His presidency was marked by some of the most significant events and developments of the 20th century, to name a few:  the atomic bomb and Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Marshall Plan, the Truman Doctrine, the onset of the Cold War, the Korean War, the Taft-Hartley Act, the recognition of Israel, the desegregation of the armed forces, the creation of NATO, the Berlin airlift and wage and price controls.

After the inauguration of President Eisenhower, the ex- president and Mrs. Truman traveled by rail back to Missouri.   Underscoring their lack of pretension,  without Secret Service protection and great fanfare,  the former president and his wife simply got into the family Chrysler in Independence in June of 1953 and drove to New York on a family vacation.

 I know it sounds very strange for many Americans in 2013, but President Truman took responsibility for his administration, having famously said, "The buck stops here!"  These days it is next to impossible to know where the buck originates, much less where it  stops. And, sometimes, it seems as though the blame-game will just never end.

FIRST FAMILY IN VACATION MODE

In marked contrast to Truman simplicity, in 2013 the Obama White House costs taxpayers more than 1.4 billion dollars annually, just for household expenses.  All those executive chefs, calligraphers and dog watchers at the White House are drawing some big bucks, and the bucks don't just stop there! It's a  tough life to stay home in the rugged conditions at the White House, but keep in mind that Air Force One requires more than $187,000 an hour to be air-loft.

FIRST LADY ON THE MOVE

It is hard to believe, but the First Lady's personal staff numbers 22, who together pull down in excess of 1.5 million dollars per year.  The members of that staff include a chief of staff, a deputy chief of staff, a press secretary, a director of policy and projects, a social secretary, an assistant to the social secretary, a deputy assistant social secretary, an executive assistant to the chief of staff and a special assistant for scheduling and traveling.  And a whole bunch of other assistants and their deputy assistants are included in the payroll. In addition,  not included in the 1.5 million annual support total are individuals such as makeup-artists and hair-stylists, who regularly accompany the First Lady.

"SCHMOZZIN WITH BEYONCE"

In a time of recession, most Americans cannot imagine living large.  After all that Obama talk about "spreading the wealth,"  one would think that there might be some consideration given to toning it down a bit.  Nevertheless, the news is full of the steady procession of celebrities that grace our White House; and the First Family, individually or separately, always seems to be jetting off to one high and mighty social event or another with the beautiful folks in various exclusive locations.

ACADEMY AWARDS!

. And now, from all appearances, we have a presidency in crisis.  As if Benghazi were not enough, there are indications that both the IRS and the Department of Justice have been used to harass and punish political opponents and to threaten the integrity of the fourth estate.  Could it be that our showbiz prez was not minding the shop?  Surely, with degrees from both Columbia and Harvard, we may not doubt that there is an ample of supply of competence at the helm!

If I could call on Harry S Truman for some words concerning where we find ourselves at this juncture of our history, I am certain that he would remind us that Americans have always been up for a crisis and have had a knack for pulling the political pendulum back to the center. And, having been a very uncommon common man, his continuing faith in the basic fiber of ordinary Americans that has enabled them to rise to the occasion would not falter.

Somehow, dear readers, I cannot believe that we will  allow this great Republic to be led by vain and  opportunistic power-seekers who live in a style smacking more of Oriental satraps than of leaders of a great and free people.  And, without equivocation, I can say that I long for a citizen-president in the style of Harry S Truman!