Tiger, Tiger,BurningBright 239talenemyofsoundadministrationandfair judging.Jacksoniansseeit
as humannatureand,withincertainill-definedboundariesofreason
and moderation,an inevitableby-productofgovernment, evengood
government.
ThisJacksonianattitudetoward politicshasrootsinbothwingsof
today'sNorth-SouthJacksoniancoalition.ItwasJacksonwhointroduced
theprincipleofrotationinoffice-thespoilssystem,toitsenemies-
intothefederalservice.Southernpopulistgovernments,notexcluding
theLongdynastyinLouisiana,werefamouslycorrupt.Sotoowerethe
urbanpoliticalmachinesthatrepresentednorthernimmigrants.Tam-
manyHallvoterswereasonewithwhitesupremacistSouthCarolina
Senator"Pitchfork"BenTilman'ssouthernpopulistalliesonthisone.
Corruptionisinevitable,solet'smakeitworkforusratherthanforour
enemies.
ItisperversionratherthancorruptionthatmosttroublesJacksoni-
ans. Insteadoftrying,howeverineptly,toservethepeople, havethe
politiciansturnedthegovernmentagainstthepeople?Aretheyserving
largecommercialinterests, weird ideologicalpressuregroups,people
whoarenotmembersofthefolkcommunityor,worstcase,aretheyby
eitherineptitudeorwickednessservinghostileforeigninterests?Inthe
pastJ acksoniansasked:Aretheykeepinginterestrateshightoenrich
foreignbankers?AretheygivingallourindustrialmarketstotheJapa-
nese?Are theyallowingcommuniststostealournuclearsecretsand
handthemtotheSovietsandtheChinese?Aretheyfecklesslyfrittering
awayhugesumsofmoneyonworthlessforeignaidprogramsthattrans-
ferbillionstocorruptforeignleaders?AretheygivingthePanamaCanal
toatinhorndictator?
Jacksonianstoleratea certainamountofperversion,butwhengov-
ernmentalperversionbecomesunbearable,theylooktoapopularheroto
restoregovernmenttoitsproperfunctions.Itwasinthiscapacitythat
Jacksonwaselectedtothepresidency;therolehassincebeenreprisedby
anynumberofpoliticiansonboththelocalandnationalstages.Recent
decadeshaveseenReaganmastertherole,whilePerot,Ventura,Wallace,
Buchanan,andMcCainhaveauditionedforit.TheJacksonianherodares
tosaywhatthepeoplefeelanddefiestheentrenchedelites."Iwelcome
theirhatred,"saidFranklinRoosevelt,oneofmanyAmericanpatricians
who wonthetrustoftheJacksonianmasses.Theheromaymakemis-
takesbutwillcommandtheunswervingloyaltyofJacksonianAmerica
so longas his heartis perceived tobe inthe rightplace. Itis not
absolutelynecessarytobea militaryhero,butithelps.