“Greatness, once fall'n out with fortune,
Must fall out with men too”
Ever since Donald Trump unveiled his 2016 campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again,” American liberals have fixated on that final word, “again.”
“Again?” the liberal wonders to himself, suspecting the worst reactionary motivations lurking beneath the plain meaning of the phrase.
“When was America ever great for women and minorities?” the liberal bays at the moon, pretending he is a dog able to hear the MAGA dog whistles. “WHAT A RACIST AND PRIVILEGED SLOGAN! AHH-WOOOOO!”
If you think I exaggerate, I do. But not by much.
For instance, here’s a recently unearthed interview with Hollywood actor Bryan Cranston.
“When I see the ‘Make America Great Again’ my comment is, do you accept that that could possibly be construed as a racist remark?” Cranston mused self-assuredly, “So, just ask yourself from an African American experience, when was it ever great in America for the African-American? When was it great? So, if you’re making it great again, it’s not including them.”
To answer Cranston’s initial question: Yes, the MAGA slogan, just like anything else, can be construed as racist.
But presuming, construing, twisting or torturing something to be racist does not necessarily make it so, just as viewing history through the fashionable moral squint of the present-day does not strip the flawed men of history of their greatness.
Though I believe Lord Acton was correct to suggest, “Great men are almost always bad men,” I also believe it’s absurd to then say that badness necessarily robs men of their greatness. Such a position makes the perfect the enemy of the good (and the great!). If great men past, present and future are stripped of their honors because of their sins – judged for failing to meet the universal moral standards of always shifting present opinion – then no mere man will ever wear the mantle of greatness again.
Men often mistake greatness for fortune and misfortune, good and evil, as though it is some kind of simple binary switch — turned on when things are good and going well and turned off when things are bad and going poorly.
But greatness isn't merely a flat function of fate and fortune, nor is it necessarily a moral question alone.
Greatness is more a fire that men discover through adversity despite their faults, a fickle flame men attempt to spark within to brave the way through the pain, ignorance, injustice, suffering and sin they forever find on this side of Paradise.
This gift of fire – a longing for greatness of soul – may bring warmth and light, but it can also blind and burn, proving difficult to neatly define, confine and contain. Greatness may be to the benefit of all or the exclusive property of a select few. Greatness may be found in the saints’ alignment with the Divine or ignited by sinners’ skilled and clever displays of excellence and virtue. Greatness may be discovered in the triumphs of war or revealed by those who fight honorably only to honorably lose.
As for making America great again, the attempt may fall through, but to say America was never great because of injustice and misfortune is the stuff of moralizing fools. Black Americans, in particular, have achieved greatness time and again for themselves and the American nation — even when their nation did not wish to honor their greatness.
In my book, the Harlem Hellfighters achieved greatness in WWI even if most of America wasn’t ready to receive them as heroes, let alone equal citizens. Yet, also in my book, many classic American heroes achieved greatness despite their sins: George Washington achieved greatness fighting for the winning side, as did Robert E. Lee in his fight for the losing side.
A list of Americans who achieved greatness – whether or not they were on “the right side of history,” hewed to today’s moral line, or had a falling out with fortune over time – could be nearly endless. So many stories and personalities that defy categories. American freedom, most fundamentally the freedom of conscience, has unleashed man’s attempts at greatness a million-fold, manifested in countless complex ways, birthing the most dynamic, prosperous, preposterous and spectacular society known in all recorded human history.
But beyond the greatness of Americans, what makes a nation great? When does Trump think America was so great?
Fairly consistently, Trump alludes to two periods of American history — the industrial expansion of the late 19th into the early 20th century and the early years following World War II. Both eras marked significant post-war economic expansion and growth while bringing about remarkable technological innovations that fundamentally improved the quality of life for all Americans beyond dollars and cents. Without such technological and economic advancement, many progressive social and cultural achievements may never have followed.
Trump’s promise to usher in a similar wave of prosperity and innovation is no easy task. Greatness is never a sure thing. Indeed, Trump’s greatness may or may not fall out with fortune, but if he does manage to reignite a booming economy as well as a resurgence of innovation and patriotism by July 4, 2026 – America’s 250th birthday – then I suspect he will have no falling out with the American people.
Joey Clark is a native Alabamian and is currently the host of the radio program News and Views on News Talk 93.1 FM WACV out of Montgomery, AL M-F 12 p.m. - 3 p.m. His column appears every Tuesday in 1819 News. To contact Joey for media or speaking appearances as well as any feedback, please email [email protected]. Follow him on X @TheJoeyClark or watch the radio show livestream.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to [email protected].
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