The Obsolete Man vs J.D. Vance

By David Bozeman

I'm not here to go on a political rant. I'm here neither to endorse nor condemn any candidate for political office. But with the nomination of Senator J.D. Vance for vice-president, Hillbilly Elegy, both the film and the book, are enjoying renewed attention.

With all due respect to J.D. "I never forget where I came from" Vance, there's nothing new here. Poor/working class Americans (mostly small-town and rural) stay forgotten by polite society - till election season rolls around and their latest champion arrives on the scene. The opinion makers, who thumb their noses at their white trash fellow citizens, breathlessly report that a significant swath of America has been ravaged by globalism and social decay. Who knew?!

Election hysteria always subsides, and our nation's forgotten retreat to the margins and toil away silently until their next eloquent speaker takes the stage. While I don't consider myself poor or a hillbilly, I am a blue-collar cousin. I speak not from Vance's perspective but largely from my own. I offer just a few pointers to the politicians and academics who step forward periodically to the ride the tattered coattails of America's forgotten.

1). We rarely identify ourselves collectively and do not necessarily see ourselves as victims. We don't actively shun politics and social activism, but it's not all gloom and doom out in the sticks. The savior trope and the idea that we define ourselves by our economic and financial disadvantages have grown tedious, at least to those of us of a certain age. We have exhausted our stores of gratitude for those who deign to recognize us when its beneficial to them. To be fair, a number of great authors deserve kudos for exposing the sad truths of America's underbelly, Nancy Isenberg (White Trash - The 400-year Untold History of Class in America) being one. Props as well to Senator Vance, who founded Ohio Renewal, aimed at raising expectations for disadvantaged youth. Nonetheless, we time-card punchers consider our calloused, underpaid hands a source of bragging rights. All we ask is to still matter in an ever-changing economic landscape without surrendering our individual and cultural identities. Reminder: those of us who live in trailer parks do not necessarily envy your gated communities.

2). The plight of the poor/working class is usually symbolized by gray depictions of boarded-up factories. But the other void swallowing our lives is one that politicians alone can't fill.

Aside from the shuttered businesses dotting rural America, empty churches represent the social decay of community and tradition. Bowling alleys, once staples of fun and fellowship, still exist, but they are few and far between (with no shortage of vape shops, tattoo parlors and, in lieu of family dinner time, fast food establishments). Over the decades, first-time marriages have been delayed into the 30s - and some shun marriage altogether. The experts mechanically recite numbers, but the relationship deficit is the hardest to measure. Our nation's forgotten, particularly males, toil away alone, with few friends or meaningful connections. Their unaddressed pain is a breeding ground for drug and alcohol addiction, homelessness, suicide and other social maladies.

To those of you who want to know what life is like for poor, working-class Americans - talk to one of us. Hillbilly Elegy is a great introduction, but let us talk to each other, even people we don't know. J.D. Vance may well inspire you, but YOU could be the inspiration and encouragement that someone needs. Instead of getting jazzed up every election cycle over the latest rags-to-riches rock star, be your own rock star. The forgotten American does not have to see himself as a blight on our nation's greatness but rather an untapped reservoir

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Comments welcome. davidbozeman63@gmail.com

The Obsolete President - What Calvin Coolidge Means to Me

 By David Bozeman

The only president born on the fourth of July, Calvin Coolidge is rated a mediocre-to-fair leader. Political bias among left-leaning historians is partly to blame - by today's standards, Coolidge is a conservative. Whatever his politics, he still matters.

Although his reputation is enjoying a slight revival, Coolidge, who served from 1923-29, lives on the sidelines of history also because he was never afforded the opportunity to shine in a crisis. Unlike the Lincoln and FDR eras, America saw few calamities and crises throughout his presidency. Coolidge actually limited his official duties to the vision of our founders and governed more as an administrator and less as a righter of all wrongs. In fact, he noted that the crowning achievement of his presidency was, "minding my own business."

But I'm not here to tout his political accomplishments (except to say that The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Presidents, published in 2012, rates him an A+). Like any leader, he wasn't perfect, and the limits of federal power are always open to debate. Still, his presidency is worth the research, and, like a treasure hunt, you will be rewarded with countless nuggets of wisdom. 

I'm more impressed that such a humble man became president at all (he assumed the office upon Warren Harding's death, then won a full term in 1924). A plain, quiet-natured country lawyer from Vermont, considered prim, unsophisticated and, unjustly, not very smart, he looked like he had been, "weaned on a pickle" (attributed to Alice Roosevelt Longworth). He was that rare leader not consumed with his own ego. Beyond managing the logistics of his duties, he spoke very little. A guest at a social gathering reportedly teased him by suggesting, "I bet I can get you to say more than two words." He replied, "You lose." Prim as a pickle but never without wit!

Coolidge was a product of a much simpler time, before the world became the morally incomprehensible, globally interconnected jumble that it is now. Quite popular in his day, voters embraced his simplicity, honesty and exaltation of persistence and positive thinking as the first solutions to most problems. Very soon voters would demand that presidents manage the economy and offer money, comfort and direction in times of need, often at the expense of their own fortitude and independence. It was never that Coolidge openly thumbed his nose at the fads and frivolities of the changing world, he was so grounded in his habits and core beliefs that these fads and frivolities never entered his vision.

Calvin Coolidge and Me

What does Calvin Coolidge teach this self-described obsolete man? That concepts such as faith, self-reliance and persistence may, at times, seem obsolete. Live by them anyway, even at the cost of personal gain and popularity. Strength does not require great titles and arrogance. It speaks for itself. Silence and determination offer far greater reward than yielding your individuality to self-serving politicians and other grifters. "Money," he once noted, "will not purchase character or good government."

Contrary to 'expert' opinion, Coolidge did not just sit on the sidelines and wait for history to happen. He considered the presidency not a career goal but a stint of public service. His actions gelled seamlessly with his worldview, making him predictable in the most positive sense. His public life testified that the virtue of goodwill is that it is voluntary. The limitations that he acknowledged were those on governmental power, not on the potential and generosity of the free American citizen.

If Calvin Coolidge does not receive the esteem of modern-day historians, he wouldn't care. His accomplishments and examples will resonate, whether football stadiums and public buildings bear his name or not. Likewise, the average citizen (and that is how he saw himself), will not live in infamy, but the sweat and virtue of good people build a great nation. I leave you with his words from a speech at the commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. "We live in an age of science and of abounding accumulation of material things. Those did not create our Declaration. Our Declaration created them. The things of the spirit come first. Unless we cling to that, all our material prosperity, overwhelming though it may appear, will turn into a barren scepter in our grasp."

--Thank you for reading. Please comment and drop me an email so you won't miss anything. davidbozeman63@gmail.com   Facebook and X: diary of an obsolete man