In a few minutes, Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg will be on a Fox News town hall moderated by Chris Wallace.
He will very likely have to explain why he thinks expunging Thomas Jefferson from American history is a good idea. In an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on Friday, Buttigieg said, “Yeah, we’re doing that in Indiana. I think it’s the right thing to do.” Buttigieg went on to state, “There’s a lot, of course, to admire in his thinking and his philosophy. But then again, if you plunge into his writings, especially the ‘Notes on the State of Virginia,’ you know that he knew slavery was wrong. And yet he did it.”
By this reasoning one could also expunge FDR from the public space for his policy of interning Japanese Americans.
Thomas Jefferson was the author of the Declaration of Independence and the third President of the United States. One can certainly honor Jefferson while acknowledging his shortcomings. To have a presidential candidate running on a platform that would dismantle the Jefferson Memorial strikes me as most unwise. While it is important to acknowledge the mistakes of the past, a presidential candidate ought to be looking ahead and telling people what mark he or she will leave on the presidency. Buttigieg would be wise to steer clear of these matters and focus on issues which resonate with people. He can do this by getting on track at the Fox Town Hall.
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