More than 70 years after Winston Churchill delivered his historic “Iron Curtain” speech on the Westminster College campus in Missouri, it appears that we have reached, to quote Churchill, another “solemn moment for the American democracy.”
The Alexandria shooting last month, in which the majority whip of the U.S. House of Representatives was critically injured, was yet another reminder that America is abandoning civil discourse and turning dangerously divisive.
Which makes it more important than ever to celebrate those who are standing for what is right, regardless of the political consequences. In that vein, last month, Westminster honored former U.S. Sen. John C. “Jack” Danforth, R-Mo., with the Churchill Medal of Leadership, an award bestowed on individuals who have demonstrated civility and Churchillian leadership.
In 1946, Winston Churchill and President Harry S. Truman visited Westminster College, which the then-President famously called “a wonderful school in my home state.” Churchill’s visit to Westminster was fleeting, but forceful. The message he delivered to the world in his “Iron Curtain” speech heralded one of the 20th century’s most significant and enduring lessons: to remain steadfast in the face of adversity while staying true to our allies. The Great Orator reminded us that power’s true purpose is to create peace. In fact, the original title of Churchill’s famous 1946 speech was “Sinews of Peace”—the “iron curtain” label came later.
In today’s America, another “iron curtain” — the “iron curtain of intolerance” — has descended upon our country. This curtain separates us from the truth, and — more important — from each other.
In the times in which we live, the storm clouds of division and mistrust obstruct our view of the “broad sunlit uplands” and vital alliances that Winston Churchill described so famously in his war-time speeches.
Despite all of this, I remain hopelessly — perhaps foolishly, some might say — optimistic about the future of America, a country I fell in love with before ever setting foot on its soil. I’m hopeful because the high road of the future, to borrow a phrase from Churchill, is paved with the contributions of principled leaders like Jack Danforth. I believe Jack Danforth is richly deserving of the Churchill Medal for Leadership particularly at this pivotal moment in our country.
Jack Danforth believes that all citizens should heed the call of compromise and compassion. Jack Danforth not only follows that calling — he lives it.
In this era of polarized partisanship, running for office has become a zero-sum game in which candidates play exclusively to their ideological bases. I would suggest that most Americans on both sides of the political aisle are tiring of this extremism and hunger for a commitment to the common good. They innately understand that the trajectory we are on as a country is not sustainable and that these “United” States must be just that or they will be nothing at all. It is this purpose, a powerful purpose, that Jack Danforth has given the full measure of his energy and commitment. In fact, Jack’s life of singular service and substance personifies what we crave as a nation today.
With increasing frequency, visitors to the National Churchill Museum in Fulton ask, “Why don’t we have more leaders like Winston Churchill?” That question undoubtedly comes from a place of admiration and inspiration. And so, may I suggest that today we ask a different question: “Why don’t we have more leaders like Jack Danforth who recognize the power of compromise and appreciate that disagreement does not equal disrespect?”
America needs a Danforthian sense of duty at this critical juncture in our nation. A duty to truth, a duty to each other, and a duty to history.
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