The Bulwark

The Bulwark is a news and opinion website that is conservative in the best sense of that word. In 2018, Sarah Longwell, Bill Kristol and Charlie Sykes launched The Bulwark as a conservative, thoughtful and self-critical alternative to a Trump-dominated authoritarianism that claims to be “conservative.”

In their January 15 newsletter, themed “We Had a Good 50-Year Run, Folks,” Bill Kristol wrote that the second Trump term marks the end of an era that began with the resignation of Richard Nixon. His brief article provides a helpful context for understanding where we’ve been and where we’re headed.

Kristol wrote that “…the past half century, when compared with other 50-year stretches in American or world history, stands up well. Obviously progress is never linear or one-sided. Every achievement has its drawbacks, and every success leaves some problems unaddressed and creates others. Still, there was less war, more freedom, and greater prosperity. That’s not a bad record.”

The Bulwark is the successor to The Weekly Standard, which was founded in 1995 by Bill Kristol, Fred Barnes and John Podhoretz. See, “The Weekly Standard To Close; Anti-Trump Conservative Magazine Was Cable News Pipeline,” by Greg Evans, Deadline, December 17, 2018.

A Day of Remembrance

For me, this isn’t a Day of Mourning. November 25, 1963 was a Day of Mourning. Etched in my memory is John F. Kennedy’s riderless horse with boots facing backward. I remember older people describing their shock when Franklin D. Roosevelt died suddenly at 63. April 14, 1945 was a Day of Mourning.

Jimmy Carter was elected Governor of Georgia at 47 in 1971 and President at 52 in 1976. It’s sobering that I remember when Carter was young. I began seminary in Atlanta midway through his term as Governor. He was elected President five months after I graduated.

I cannot mourn his death because he made the most of his long life. Bob Costas delivered eulogies for Mickey Mantle (1931-1995) and Stan Musial (1920-2013). In a 5-minute video, Costas reflects on Mantle’s regret for missed opportunities and Mantle’s respect for Musial for making the most of his.

Carter’s family and friends said he was determined to accomplish in retirement what he was unable to do because he was denied a second term. Carter’s “second term” was better than his first, and longer. It was 12 times longer–48 years. He saw opportunities in defeat and made the most of them.

A Day of Remembrance