FOREWORD—2019
In the decade-plus since I gathered the hundreds of amusing and surprising facts for Oval Office Oddities there has been no lack the recent president generating equally entertaining stories. We have gone from a former Chicago Alderman with all the baggage and attitudes that implies to a colorful billionaire with all the complications and ego that accompanies that choice as well. As I write this introduction we are at the beginning of another new and already highly contested presidential election. The nation is busy taking sides or being annoyed at the constant stream of screaming headlines involving only the third presidential impeachment in our nation’s history.
So, what does the past say about all the POTUS related tensions and often promised national doom we see on the news every day? The lesson of history is to relax and enjoy the show. Yes, it is all important, and vital decisions on the economy, environment, and even war or peace are involved. But support your candidate and, just maybe, trust the system. It has worked surprisingly well so far.
If you want an eccentric President go back to John Adams, whose wife reported to Congress that he was likely insane and unable to function. Or perhaps some stories about one of the United States’ most unusual and yet successful populist presidents, Teddy Roosevelt, can assure you that whomever we elect, the U.S. democracy will survive.
Want to put current concerns for corruption in perspective? Read about how bad it got during the Grant administration. While he was innocent, it seemed then that every item or decision was for sale or simply stolen.
Concerned about rights? All the current debates pale compared to those surrounding slavery, and the Civil War they inspired. Even the current impeachment is less divisive and political than that of Andrew Johnson, Lincoln’s vice president and successor. The pressure politics, and even violence, surrounding Andrew Johnson’s impeachment in 1868 make both party’s current efforts seem mild.
Enjoy Oval Office Oddities for the fun of it or because it shows simply that even the most powerful men in the nation, and arguably the world, were still men. Each who had their own eccentricities and faults, yet the United States has survived and prospered. Or perhaps let it help you to view the current election from the perspective of history. Then go ahead and work hard for your favorite candidate, but also occasionally take the long view and maybe chuckle about what Oval Office Oddities 2050 Edition will be saying about today. It can be very reassuring.
—Bill Fawcett, December 2019