…the murder of history. I just hate it. When history is murdered or corrupted for the purpose of demagoguery I find it all the more detestable. Newt is guilty as sin. In a court of law it would be like telling the truth without bothering to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. It wouldn’t pass muster in a courtroom and it shouldn’t pass muster in a Presidential contest.
Since Gingrich just used Andy Jackson’s name to raise cheers in South Carolina its worth noting a couple more ironies of omission.
State’s Rights wasn’t invented in the South. During the War of 1812 a lot of Federalists representing the business interests of New England objected to the war’s strangulation of Atlantic commerce which was very tough on New England traders. They started talking about “nullification” a legal theory by which states could ignore an objectionable national law.
Once out of the box it was free for any other state’s use and a generation later Senator John C. Calhoun of South Carolina waved it around. Andy Jackson, a Westerner and a fellow Democrat had no use for this theory or veiled threats of succession.
When Newt Gingrich leaves the SC GOP thinking Andy Jackson was one of their champions he’s guilty of historical cherry picking. If you read the fulll and real history you can be sure that the Hero of New Orleans would have been willing to kill more than just the Cherokee Indians. Backed by the the Force Bill he would have been willing to spill a little South Carolina blood too.
