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November 30, 2016 Page 7 Opinion articles do not necessarily represent the views of the Portland Observer. We welcome reader essays, photos and story ideas. Submit to news@portlandobserver.com. O PINION What Trump Could Learn from Alexander Hamilton J ill r iChardson By now you’ve probably heard that Vice President-elect Mike Pence was booed by fellow theater-go- ers at a performance of the musical Hamilton, an unlike- ly hip-hop sensation that tells the story of Alexander Hamilton and other founding fathers. Then, at the end of the show, the cast respectfully addressed Pence and asked him to protect the rights of all Americans — in all their diversity. Donald Trump immediately demanded that the cast of Ham- ilton apologize to Pence. Twit- ter responded with the hashtag #NameAPenceMusical, offering up suggestions such as “Oklaho- mophobia!” and “Rent: But Not to Those People.” To be fair, the latter belongs less to Pence than to Trump and his father, who faced numerous accusations of racial bias in their real estate business. Some Trump supporters used the incident to make a point of their own. Among them, one noted by that Hamilton was the cre- ator of the Electoral Col- lege, the system that gave Trump the presidency even though he lost the popular vote by a significant mar- gin. If Trump supporters are inter- ested in using this moment to dis- cuss Hamilton’s role in history, I think it’s a fine idea. Hamilton is one of the most influential interpreters of our Constitution, as well as one of its authors. And here’s what we can learn from him. First, Hamilton wanted a strong central government. He advocated taxation. He took these positions for practical reasons, not because he was a flaming liberal. Hamilton was George Wash- ington’s “right hand man” (to quote the musical) during the Rev- olutionary War. He saw the prob- lems our army had due to lack of funds and a weak central govern- ment and wanted to prevent such problems going forward. Second, Hamilton was the original opponent of the “strict constructionist” view of the Con- stitution. Strict constructionism is what Trump claims to look for in a Su- preme Court appointee. It’s a doc- trine that insists that we must only interpret the words of the Consti- tution literally, as they were writ- ten in the 18th century, and make no room for interpretation. Hamilton, who was in the room It’s not going out on a limb to guess that Hamilton wouldn’t like how modern-day Republicans play chicken with our nation’s credit rating every time we need to raise the debt ceiling. where the document was written, thought otherwise. Third, Hamilton saw the impor- tance of establishing the U.S. bank- ing system with strong credit. At our nation’s founding, we were mired in debt and our credit was worthless. He saw the need to turn that around, and turn it around he did. A Prayer to Stand Up for All Our Children by m arian W right e delman Lord I can’t preach like Martin Luther King, Jr. or turn a poetic phrase like Maya Angelou but I care and am willing to serve and stand with others to move our children forward in this time of Thanksgiving. I don’t have Harriet Tubman’s courage but I care and am willing to serve and stand with others until no child is hungry or homeless in rich America. God it is not as easy as the 60’s to frame an issue and forge a solution but we will keep trying until we succeed because we care and are willing to serve and stand togeth- er with others to protect our children. or Eleanor Roosevelt’s political skills My mind and body are not so swift as in youth and my energy comes in spurts but I care and am willing to serve and stand with others to save all our children no matter how hard the challenge. but I care and am willing to serve and stand with others and organize and do whatever is necessary to protect our children from gun violence. I cannot sing like Marian Anderson or Fannie Lou Hamer Some will think I’m so young nobody will listen or organize like Ella Baker and Bayard Rustin I feel invisible and hopeless and I’m not sure what to say or do but I care and am willing to serve and stand up with others until all our children get health care. but you can say I care and am willing to serve and I am not holy like Archbishop Tutu, forgiving like President Mandela work with others to break up the Cradle to Prison Pipeline. or disciplined like Mahatma Gandhi Some say we can’t see or hear well, don’t speak good English, stutter sometimes but I care and am willing to serve and stand with others until child poverty is abolished. and get real scared, standing up before others I am not brilliant like Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois or Eliza- beth Cady Stanton or as eloquent as Sojourner Truth and Booker T. Washington but I care and am willing to serve and stand with others until every child has an equal and quality education. I don’t have Mother Teresa’s saintliness or The Dalai Lama’s or Dorothy Day’s or Cesar Chavez’s gentle tough spirit It’s not going out on a limb to guess that Hamilton wouldn’t like how modern-day Republicans play chicken with our nation’s credit rating every time we need to raise the debt ceiling. Fourth, for his time, Hamilton had relatively progressive views on race relations. He opposed slavery, and thought blacks were as intelligent as whites — a view that many of our other founding fathers sadly didn’t share. Fifth, unlike the president-elect, Hamilton never used his position in government to enrich himself. He prided himself on his squeaky clean ethics and honesty and, when questioned, encouraged Providing Insurance and Financial Services Home Office, Bloomington, Illinois 61710 Ernest J. Hill, Jr. Agent 4946 N. Vancouver Avenue, Portland, OR 97217 503 286 1103 Fax 503 286 1146 ernie.hill.h5mb@statefarm.com 24 Hour Good Neighbor Service R State Farm R The Law Offices of Patrick John Sweeney, P.C. Patrick John Sweeney Attorney at Law but let’s take a stand and do whatever we can to organize with others to save all our children. God, in this time of Thanksgiving use me as you will to save your children today and tomorrow and to keep building a nation and world fit for children and where no child is left behind and every child is welcome and valued. Marian Wright Edelman is president of the Chil- dren’s Defense Fund. his enemies to investigate him as much as they liked. That’s in contrast to Trump, who’s positioning himself to make a fortune off his newfound power by keeping his business empire within the family while he serves as president (and who just had to settle a fraud case against his Trump University for $25 million). Sixth, Hamilton’s name was sullied in his lifetime by false accusations of everything from wanting to turn the U.S. into a monarchy to enriching himself from his government job. I can’t help but see a similarity to Hillary Clinton, who’s been accused of every crime in the book. Hamilton’s story shows that widespread allegations don’t equate to guilt. In the end, he was innocent of almost everything. Instead of an apology, I hope the cast of Hamilton gives Pence something else — like an encore performance. OtherWords columnist Jill Richardson is the author of Recipe for America: Why Our Food Sys- tem Is Broken and What We Can Do to Fix It. 1549 SE Ladd, Portland, Oregon Portland: Hillsoboro: Facsimile: Email: (503) 244-2080 (503) 244-2081 (503) 244-2084 Sweeney@PDXLawyer.com
