Alan Lessoff | Note from the Editor | Journal of Gilded Age and Progressive era, 7.1

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Alan Lessoff | Note from the Editor | Journal of Gilded Age and Progressive era, 7.1 | The History Cooperative

Note from the Editor

In contemplating the inglorious departures last year of Jacques Chirac and Tony Blair, commentators turned to versions of the aphorism coined by the nationalistic British politician, Enoch Powell, in his 1977 biography of Joseph Chamberlain: "All political lives, unless they are cut off in midstream at a happy juncture, end in failure, because that is the nature of politics and of human affairs." The ready resort to versions of Powell's remark inspired an essayist for the British newspaper, the Guardian, to reflect that a "successful aphorism" has the "power to provoke an interpretation," even when, as in this case, it is empirically untrue. (We can all cite examples of politicians who retired voluntarily accompanied by widespread praise.) At the start of this election year—with much about our nation that needs transforming and with people yearning for a transformative politician—it behooves us to recall how often politicians disappoint themselves and others. Especially after the accession of Theodore Roosevelt in 1901, as readers of this journal know, the tendency accelerated to look toward the presidency for inspiration and guidance. And readers of this journal also know how difficult it was even before 1901 for a mortal president to perform satisfactorily in a job that was still in the main political and administrative, with little expectation of Weberian charisma.

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