Thomas Jefferson Quotes
This candid and liberal experiment having thus failed …
This noteworthy quotation illustrates a rarity in politics—a politician publicly admitting that his policy had failed. In this case it was the Embargo against England and France which cost American traders, merchants, and ship-owners a great deal, but never did have the desired effect on the target counties. See {32446} for another Jefferson quote on experimentation. He and FDR were the two presidents who admitted frankly that they were trying new unproven things. See {604829} for an FDR quotation. Also see {359804} for a general view of experimentation and {599787} for Disraeli’s disdain for political experimentation.
Thomas Jefferson, 1743-1826, 3rd President of the United States (Democratic Republican, VA), 8th Annual Message to Congress, November 8, 1808
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
1st Earl of Beaconsfield
This president served his terms as allowed by the Constitution but then moved to change the constitution so that he could be the dictator as perpetual president. The purpose of constitutions is to limit and control the day to day political process and processes of reform. This stands the purpose of a constitution on its head. Modern totalitarian states almost all have constitutions. However where they differ from democracies is that the dictatorships ignore their constitutions, constantly suspend them in “emergencies” or change them at will to serve the interests of the ruling authorities. See {622125} for a Supreme Court Justice’s view of this kind of situation.
Politics is peculiar in the sense that most things are seen as black or white. In most other areas of human endeavor, people change, not because the old way was incorrect, but because the new way might be better. Einstein’s Theory of Relativity did not totally invalidate the physics of Issac Newton; it just improved on it in some areas.
Vladimir Lenin
By the standards of the rest of the world the North Korean policies and actions were at the time irrational and inconsistent and explained in a manner which defied any norms that any other nation’s leaders could understand and explain.
The willingness to fail with a policy or program is very rare amongst politicians and almost nil with government bureaucrats. For the latter the main reason is Congress which pillories the Civil Servants or their and their political bosses for any failure. So nothing innovative gets tried in most administrations. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who went to the people with the intention to try. many different things and would fail with many, was tolerated by a Congress which he dominated and a public that was so desparate as a result of Hoover’s trying nothing to ameliorate the Great Depression that they were willing to accept some failures. And indeed there were a number of failures, some very large and significant. But there were also many successes and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, experiments, failures and all was the most popular President in American history and was elected to 4 terms before his death.
This was very consistent with the programmatic philosophy of his boss, FDR, who campaigned on no specific solutions to the Great Depression but promised to try things and of the did not work, try others. His predecessor, Hoover, would try nothing as most ideas contradicted his philosophy or was not favored by the wealthy business interests of the day.
Jefferson was referring to a plan then proposed and discussed to establish a colony in Africa which would be populated with free American Negroes and slaves when and if slavery could be ended. See Quotation xxx.
Huntington was not a great enthuiast about democracy--expecially activiist and otehr forms of direct democracy. Since the origin of democracy there has been a constant debate over the possiblity of an "degree of democracy".
- Born: April 13, 1743
- Died: July 4, 1826
- Nationality: American
- Profession: President
Thomas Jefferson was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He had previously served as the second vice president of the United States under John Adams between 1797 and 1801. The principal author of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson was a proponent of democracy, republicanism, and individual rights, motivating American colonists to break from the Kingdom of Great Britain and form a new nation; he produced formative documents and decisions at both the state and national levels.
