Lafayette

On my vacation I read an autobiography of the famous Marquis, who turned out to be more than the absurdly young general who once led the charge at Yorktown. Lafayette grew up with a famous name but not much money, spending much of his time running through the woods with peasant children. Unlike most noblemen he was used to physical hardship. As a teenager he inherited a gigantic fortune and went to court (he was apparently tall and likable and welcome everywhere). He joined the French army. Believing that all men (including slaves) should be free, when the King refused permission for Lafayette to join the American Revolution, he bought a boat, loaded it with his friends and followers, and sailed anyway. The American rebels, who had no chance without French cannon, ammunition and soldiers, welcomed him.

Lafayette was not one of the foreign experts who came to train the provincial Americans. He had come, he kept saying, to learn. The Americans, mostly, loved him.

In France after the American Revolution, Lafayette was a hugely popular figure who went on to help dethrone several kings and a dictator (Napoleon). In the French revolution, Lafayette commanded the people's army and worked to set up a constitutional government. His views gradually lost out to the Terror, which Lafayette survived only by crossing the border into Austria, where he was imprisoned in foul conditions for five years until President Washington secured his release. America did not forget Lafayette, and he came back to visit twice. At the time of his death Lafayette was probably the most beloved figure in France and in America.

I came away with this thought. When you look at the popularity of successful progressive leaders, you may detect a pattern: they are hated (as Lafayette was) by the Right and attacked by Far Left (who find them too pragmatic). The most passionate on both sides go after them. That comes with the job. No wonder so few apply for it.

--Gary Goss