We just finished watching (on DVD) the John Adams miniseries. It won a lot of awards; it gets here a recommendation to watch. As a drama, it was flawed in structure, rambling (determined to rope in all the key elements of Adams’ adult life) and a little unfocused, but the history is mostly accurate, and the people and setting are a lot like what it must have been like: Difficult, messy, contentious and very human.

It turns out to be locally pertinent viewing. This morning an e-version of a new book out by Idaho Republican (this time around, and at the moment) gubernatorial candidate Rex Rammell, A Nation Divided: The War for America’s Soul (available via his web site), and quite a bit of it reaches back to that time. Sort of.

Here’s one summation, near the start of the book:

In the beginning there were socialists and capitalists. The socialists said “let us force our neighbors to be charitable that all mankind may be equal.” The capitalists said “let us give our neighbors freedom that they may choose to be charitable for charity freely given is true charity.” But the socialists disagreed that man could ever rise to be charitable; he must be forced. The capitalists disagreed. And henceforth the war for freedom began.
And men made themselves kings and rulers. And despotism and tyranny abounded. And man lost his freedom. And the capitalists fought back as blood covered the earth. And the great Father who sits on his throne in the heavens watched and wept as man fought for his freedom. But man was not worthy of freedom. And more blood covered the earth. Then a righteous people arose and the Father said it is time for man to be free. And the people fought against the King and the Father sent his angels. And the people won their freedom. And the people knew they must bind the ambitions of men. So they assembled their wisest and counseled together and asked the Father to help them create a Constitution. But men’s thirst for power continued. And the Constitution was argued and its meaning distorted. And men began again to lose their freedom…

To say that passage is representative of the whole book (upwards of a quarter of it is given to texts of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and an essay by Ezra Taft Benson; a lot of it goes to quotes) would be unfair, but it does indicate where Rammell is going. Here’s the way Rammell closes his take on America’s past, present and future:

“…And the capitalists fought back for their freedom and vowed to save the Constitution. And God was on their side. And the armies of socialism led by Satan began to fear. And good men and women rallied to the cause. And the Constitution’s original meaning was accepted. And America reset her course. And she returned to her glory. And freedom and happiness were once again found in America!”

Hard to say how even to describe something like that. But by way of putting it into context, a viewing of John Adams would be useful.

Comments are welcome.