Another Willkie please

The bitterness of this election, has once again exposed the open wounds our country has suffered, from the great political and social divisions that exist in our society. Regardless of who wins the election next Tuesday, we as a nation, must find a way to come together. What we might need is another Wendell Willkie type of person to help us out.

In 1940, the political climate in America was just as bad as it is today. The country had just been through the first of several years of the economic crisis that would come to be known as "The Great Depression."

The Republican Party was blamed by most Americans for the "Great Depression." Right or wrong, this sentiment had lead to Franklin Roosevelt being elected twice, in 1932 and 1936, as a New Deal Democrat.

One of his early supporters was a young attorney from Indiana, named Wendell Willkie. Willkie, the son of German immigrants, was a classic example of what America represented in opportunity. His mother was the first woman to ever receive a license to practice law in Indiana.

Willkie did not go directly to law school after college. Instead, he taught school for a year in Coffeyville, Kan.

Anyone who has been a teacher, always impresses me.

Early in Roosevelt's presidency, Willkie thought the changes that were being made were good for the country, but as time went by, he changed his outlook. A fight over the Tennessee Valley Authority with the government, led Wendell to believe that the TVA and several other New Deal programs were unconstitutional.

Willkie took his views to a famous nationwide radio program called "Town Hall." He was so popular and convincing, that the Republican Party began to woo him as a dark horse candidate for president in 1940.

Willkie became more than a dark horse, and he was picked to run against Roosevelt. Willkie ran on three issues. First, he accused FDR's administration of waste and mismanagement in the New Deal program. Second, he ran against the idea of FDR receiving a third term, which was a precedent established by George Washington. Third, he accused the Democrats of being unprepared for the upcoming and unavoidable war.

Willkie ran a good campaign, but in the end he lost to FDR. Roosevelt received 27 million votes to 22 million for Wendell. In the Electoral College it was a landslide of 449 to 82. Willkie did receive 6 million more votes than the previous GOP candidate four years before.

In defeat, Willkie was a gracious and supportive loser. He encouraged the rest of the country to get behind the unpopular Lend Lease program. He also was one of the most outspoken advocates of civil rights.

Wendell became one of America's best representatives overseas. Roosevelt asked Willkie to be his personal representative to areas like the Middle East, the USSR, and China, in 1942.

Willkie tried to run for president again in 1944, but lost in the primaries to Thomas Dewey. Just before the election in October of 1944, he died suddenly of a heart attack.

There is a lot of information on Wendell Willkie on the internet and in numerous books. What interests me the most about this unique political figure from that era, is how relevant his ideas are today.

Willkie was never a man to strap himself to one party or the other. Once a democrat, he later became a Republican candidate for President. On issues like racism and isolationism, he was often out of step with both parties.

The reason Wendell Willkie is so relevant today, is that he was an example of how someone works within the system even when their party does not win. If there was ever a time in our history when we need just such a mind set it is now.

The dislike between the two parties in this country has become so complete, that there seems to be no middle ground available. That is a serious problem for both of these parties.

I don't think that either of them realize, that there is a day of reckoning coming. A time when Americans will be fed up with them both completely. We have functioned with a two party system for most of our history. Unlike other countries where several parties have to form coalitions and share power, we usually have one party in power.

That is the point of this article and this election. Next Tuesday, we will have a new president and Congress. They will face some of the most challenging problems this country has faced in decades.

My advice to each and every American is simple. First, you need to vote on Tuesday. Second, you need to accept the result regardless of the outcome. Third, and perhaps most important, you need to take the same path that Wendell Willkie did. You need to work to make this country better. Even if your candidate does not win, this is no time to get mad and refuse to be supportive of the new president.

We are in a lot of trouble. It is important to do all we can do to save this country. We have no time for remorse and anger. If we don't do a "Wendell Willkie" and try and all work together to save this country, there many not be anything to save by the next election.