A Letter to the Presidents

by Celeste Barber

You should know that I had been a lifelong (and loyal) Democrat until just after the 2016 election, when – after a full personal examination of the vile campaign against Donald J. Trump – I quit the Party.

My political transformation, however, had begun earlier. It was a process that began with the 2000 election. That's when Hillary Clinton was carpetbagged into what was a wide open U.S. Senate seat for Democrats following the death of Daniel Patrick Moynihan. Several other resident politicians wanted to run, but the party elders had chosen non-resident (at the time) Hillary as its candidate.

That bothered me.

When Obama was termed out in 2016, they upped the game. This was an open primary. Democrats had been waiting eight years to run for president. Recall that the open primary was shut down and Hillary became the anointed one. Bernie Sanders was trashed by the Democrat Party, as Bobby Kennedy was this time. Remember, too, the GOP had as many as 17 contenders.

That, coupled with the disgraceful campaign against Trump ended it for me. I quit the Democrat Party on November 11, 2016. I tendered my "resignation" in a letter to each: DNC, Cali Dems, and the local SB Dems.

On June 14, 2017 (Flag Day), a madman opened fire on Republican congressmen playing a game of baseball at a public park in Alexandria, Virginia. Seriously wounded was Congressman Steve Scalise, House Majority Whip. Ironically, mass slaughter was only prevented due to the presence of Capitol police assigned to the Majority Whip, one officer among those wounded.

Incensed, I wrote the following letter to the five living ex-presidents the very next day, following attendance at a ceremony presented by the late Pierre Claeyssens at Santa Barbara Cemetery:

To:

President Jimmy Carter

President George H. W. Bush

President Bill Clinton

President George W. Bush

President Barack Obama

Dear Mr. Presidents:

(What a marvelous thing to do, to write a personal letter to each of the former presidents. I imagine that’s the point behind the idea of the American experiment in democracy!)

I am writing to you today, one day after the dreadful Alexandria attack directed against Republican congressmen. I’m asking you to stand together in solidarity in defense of the Executive Branch. Since January 20^th, the assault has been relentless, to obstruct and otherwise overturn the lawful election of Donald Trump to serve as our 45^th president. As former presidents, you share a unique place in our country. You can stand up to defend this man and his current administration. I hope and pray that you will. You are my “Hail Mary” pass.

I had intended to write this letter even before yesterday’s shooting in the ballpark. What’s at stake here goes far beyond salvaging one man’s presidency: Donald Trump’s. It’s about the Office of the Presidency itself. Of course, presidents are expected to take the heat; that’s politics, after all. But look at what is taking place. Most recently, Kathy Griffin and the Central Park production of Julius Caesar. The daily negative coverage of President Trump in virtually every notable newspaper as well as television news and political commentary. I subscribe to the Los Angeles Times, have for decades, and the assault is vicious and relentless.

I have a copy of an old LA Times from 40 years ago (July 12, 1977, the day my son was born). I’ve compared that one day to all these days of coverage going back one year to the presidential primaries. The difference in tone and objectivity is striking. I also located the Washington Post’s August 1974 front-page article reporting Richard Nixon’s resignation from the presidency. I was stunned! The entire story displayed a tone that was subdued, respectful, and even compassionate – this from the same newspaper that broke the original Watergate break-in and subsequent investigation.

We are living through a dangerous period now. Ordinary Americans use a rhetoric unfit for public discourse; yet they do so gleefully and with the authority of, I don’t know what. At times, the language is cruel. I see it on television from the news commentators. I hear it when I visit our Farmers Market on Saturday morning, between the berry farmer and a customer. This assumption that it’s okay to trash the 45^th president, his family, his administration, and yes, too, any ordinary citizen who supported Mr. Trump.

I was not surprised by yesterday’s shooting in Alexandria, Virginia. I expect there to be more of the same, an escalation, in fact.

Would you gentlemen consider making a public statement, preferably together in solidarity, defending the right of a lawfully chosen president to conduct the duties of the office? President Carter, I know you to be a man of God. Surely, you would honor my request. That is not to denigrate Presidents Bush, Clinton, Bush, and Obama. You share this unique experience, of having sat behind the desk in the Oval Office of the People’s House. How you must have felt humbled! At times, overwhelmed, but then stoic and solid. Fearful about the awesome responsibility, but then honored – honored to serve this nation’s people and to represent us as America’s face to the world.

I am including two things in addition to this plea. First, a short article that I wrote and then posted onto Facebook last week, “My Presidents.” Since right after the election, I have written numerous times to the newspapers and posted original articles online, all in an attempt to bring civility back to our country.

The second is a copy of the United States Constitution published by our government. I regularly order copies to give to folks. I have carried the little book in my purse for many years now. Even though you have no need of a physical copy, I want you to hold it in your hand. To feel the lightness of the paper upon which we commit our allegiance to this our republic, and to those who follow. Paper is fragile. It can be torn, ripped to shreds, and burned. It’s a suitable metaphor for the fragility of the Constitution.

The Constitution is constantly under assault. Always has been. Now, Article II – the Executive Power – is under threat. I know it and feel it to the marrow within my bones. I’m just an ordinary person. There’s virtually nothing I can do. That’s why I am writing to you gentlemen. You can make use of the “bully pulpit” again, and in service to our country.

I am 64 years old, a recently retired English teacher from Santa Barbara City College. I love my country.

Thank you. And respectfully yours,

Celeste Barber

•••

Only one man ever responded: Jimmy Carter.

Former President Jimmy Carter responded in his own hand. “To Celeste: I agree with your concern & wish you well.”

The 39th President of the United States, Jimmy Carter. Photo: White House