What Others Are Saying…
“What would the Founders do? How many times have we asked that very question? What would the likes of Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Franklin, Hamilton, and the Adams cousins say to our current problems, challenges and crises? Joe Connor—my good friend and a true patriot—along with Mike Duncan, have taken a great stab at unraveling the mystery. In their novel, The New Founders, Joe and Mike bring them back to life in modern day America and record their reactions as they address the growth of the federal government, our overly partisan political environment, and massive national debt and our economic malaise.”
—Dick Morris, New York Times Bestselling Author
“Sadly, our own Federal government systematically attacks our God-given natural rights of life, liberty, property and our pursuit of happiness as enumerated by the founders in the Declaration of Independence. Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Franklin, Hamilton and Adams are surely rolling over in their graves. And, if they happened to step into today, it would be most interesting to hear what they’d have to say about the sorry state of our union. Connor and Duncan lay out an interesting (although fictional) thesis for every American to consider.”
—Jerome (Jerry) Corsi, New York Times Bestselling Author
“Connor and Duncan’s The New Founders answers the question Americans have been asking themselves and each other recently: What would Washington and the Founders do? Joe and Mike’s answer is delivered in a uniquely entertaining, exciting, thoughtful and surprisingly emotional modern day tale. Well-done, guys. What’s next for the new founders?”
—David Bossie, Citizens United
“Connor and Duncan offer an imaginative and intriguing story that will help readers understand that many of the problems and challenges we are experiencing as a nation today were foreseen and addressed by our Founding Fathers over 200 years ago.”
—Joseph Farah, CEO, WorldNetDaily.com
“The New Founders brings the ideas of our Founding Fathers into the context of modern America. This is an exciting, entertaining, thought-provoking tale that will help educate people on what the Founders would do today. Connor and Duncan put together a compelling and educational thought experiment with this book. Great work.”
—Brian Darling, Senior Fellow for Government Studies, The Heritage Foundation
“The New Founders is a reminder of why the Revolution was fought, and a warning that a second one may become necessary.”
—Tim Sumner, U.S. Army (ret.), 911FamiliesForAmerica.org
The New Founders
The New Founders
What would George Washington think
of America if he were alive today?
Joseph F. Connor and Michael S. Duncan
Foreword by Dick Morris
The New Founders. Copyright © 2012 Joseph F. Connor and Michael S. Duncan
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by
any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, scanning, or otherwise, without
permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief
passages in a review. For information on licensing or special sales, please contact:
Dunham Books
63 Music Square East
Nashville, Tennessee 37203
Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-0-9855328-6-4
eBook ISBN: 978-0-9855328-7-1
www.TheNewFounders.net
www.WeWinAmerica.com
Printed in the United States of America
“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”
—President Ronald Reagan
“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”
—President Abraham Lincoln
Foreword
What would the Founders do? How many times have we asked that very question? What would the likes of Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Franklin, Hamilton, and the Adams cousins say to our current problems, challenges and crises? Joe Connor, my good friend and a true patriot, along with Mike Duncan, have taken a great stab at unraveling the mystery. In their novel, The New Founders, Joe and Mike bring them back to life in 2012 and record their reactions as they address the growth of the federal government, our overly partisan political environment, our massive national debt, and our economic malaise. How do Joe and Mike know what they would say were they here? They asked them! Each of these magnificent men left a lengthy written record of their opinions on almost everything. By rummaging around original historical sources—their letters (often to one another), documents, speeches, and writings—they provide the answer to the key question: What would they say?
As he surveys the delicate web of international relations with the U.S. at the center, would Washington stand on his warning against “entangling alliances?” When Jefferson and Madison see what the political party they spawned is advocating, would they remain on board? How would Hamilton—the apostle of a strong central government—react to the modern American nation with its Washington-centric system? And what would the first Secretary of the Treasury say about our staggering debt and the freedom with which we print money, debasing our currency?
No need to wonder. Just check it out. That’s what Connor and Duncan have done, and we all owe them a great debt for doing so.
I got to know Joe when terrorists who killed his father, Frank, in the Fraunces Tavern bombing were granted presidential clemency. Ever since, Joe has been a staunch crusader against terrorism and a stand-up advocate for American values and ideals. But, as an historian, he may have found his true calling. Joe and Mike have not merely written history, they invented a new genre. By bringing these great men back to life and re-writing their own words in the modern context, they have done a real service to our understanding of democracy.
I can only hope that this is the beginning of a type of historical writing which will catch on.
The Founders have so very much to teach us. If we but listen to them.
—Dick Morris (July 2012)
Prologue
George Washington stared blankly into the computer screen, apparently overwhelmed by the information he was still digesting. He pulled himself together and replied.
“I see, Mr. Jenson. How horrific that our generation left the next with such an insurmountable problem. We knew the injustice of slavery but could not abolish it in our time without tearing our infant nation apart. We established a time when the trade would end and believed it would result in the eventual demise of slavery itself. I even wrote in my own will that upon my death, slaves under my direction must be set free. Please assure me they were.” Shaken, Mr. Washington turned to Mr. Anders.
“We did. Did we not? We believed slavery would fade away once the trade was removed. How shameful that we failed, but you must understand we were of a just mind.”
For one of a handful of times in his life, Josh Anders was at a loss for words as he stared at the first president. The others remained silent while the father of our country endured a sudden moral crisis right before their eyes.
After a minute of solemn silence, a choked up Washington cleared his throat. “You all spoke of the president during this terrible war who would be assassinated. Please gentlemen, tell me about this extraordinary man.”
Historian Jack Murray moved toward the microphone. The Civil War discussion couldn’t wait. �
��Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth president of the United States. He was born to a poor family in the state of Kentucky, became a lawyer, and was eventually elected president of the United States in 1860 as the Civil War loomed.”
Mr. Washington peered into the sunken eyes and deep lines of the face on the five-dollar bill in his hand.
Murray reiterated that like the founders, Lincoln had been torn between abolishing slavery and the threat of the country being destroyed by war; ultimately, Lincoln knew that the country could not survive divided.
Murray felt his throat tighten and voice quiver. As he spoke he thought about the horrors of slavery and the thousands of young men who were killed defending and opposing the terrible institution. He looked over at his boy Todd sitting innocently next to his mother and momentarily felt a twinge of resentment that the problem of slavery, like so many today, was “kicked” to another generation to solve….
Since learning of the Civil War earlier in the day, Mr. Washington had been thinking about Lincoln. He was haunted by Lincoln’s weary and prematurely aged face. What kind of a man was he? Did Mr. Washington and his founding brothers fail? Lincoln was not a founder, but perhaps he was more of a founder than the revolutionaries themselves. Mr. Washington sensed Providence would reveal her intentions at the memorial to this great man.
Chapter 1
Congratulations, Mr. Murray, you are our winner! You and your family have won our trip to Philadelphia. Now hold on a minute while Mr. Keaton here confirms your information. This is talk radio WJMD 1220am Charlottesville. You are listening to the TJ Show and I am your host, Tim Jenson. It’s time to pay our sponsors but don’t go away; during our last segment, right after the break, we’ll be talking a little bit with Mr. Jack Murray the winner of our What would the Founders do? contest.”
As an advertisement for the Great Harvest Bread Company began to play in the background, Tim Jenson slowly backed his swivel chair away from the microphone and getting the thumbs up from his producer Keaton, carefully removed his headphones, placing them on the table just to his right. “So tell me about Mr. Murray.”
Jenson’s young producer, sitting behind the glass in the control room, replied, “Here’s the info. He’s from out in Clover Hill. Says here, he’s a high school American history teacher and teaches some classes over at James Madison University. He’ll be coming with this wife and their teenage son. His information is on your computer screen right now.”
Jenson, leaning back with his hands behind his head, turned toward the screen and did a quick read of the information. He bent his face toward the monitor. “Princeton, huh?” Jenson grinned. “Hope he’s not another stuck up Ivy Leaguer.” Jenson then tore off a couple of his familiar Post-Its, jotted down a few notes about Murray and slid the notes into his left sleeve for review after the show.
“He didn’t sound that way,” Keaton added with a smile. “I spoke to him a couple times already and he seemed like a pretty good guy. You can see from the contest that he has a lot of the same political views you do, maybe with more passion.”
Spinning in his chair to face Keaton, Jenson raised his voice, asking “Qu’ est-ce que c’est? More passionate than moi? You’d better be joking.” Keaton, arm outstretched holding the “on air” switch, spun his other hand and index finger in the air. Jenson looked up as the “on air” light illuminated.
“Hello, we’re back and with us on the line is the winner of our What would the Founders do? contest, Mr. Jack Murray of Clover Hill. Mr. Murray, congratulations. You really know your American history and have an appreciation of this country.”
“Thank you, Tim.” Pacing the kitchen barefoot wearing shorts and a tee shirt, Murray excitedly replied, “My wife and son and I are looking forward to meeting you and Skip, taking in the history, having a few cheesesteaks and celebrating our country’s independence. Maybe we’ll even learn a few things.”
“We have quite an agenda planned, Mr. Murray. It will be a great trip. You will get a ‘back stage’ tour of the Statehouse, we will visit the Franklin Institute and the Mint, and perhaps if time permits, the haunted Betsy Ross house. If we are lucky,” Jenson joked, “maybe we will even see a ghost or two. I think we have all the details. We’ll see you tomorrow. Stay on the line for my producer.”
With that the show went to its final commercial break of the day.
Now Jenson was even more enthused about the trip. He expected a broadcast from Independence Hall would boost his ratings but he was concerned that the winner, the person with whom he would be forced to spend the weekend and have on air may be a dolt.
Murray didn’t seem that way at all. He was a born Virginian. Jenson could tell by Murray’s accent. He displayed an intelligent, honest demeanor during those few minutes on the phone. He was obviously a knowledgeable patriot, shown in not only his thoughtful ideas on how the Founders would address today’s issues, but also in his knowledge of historical details.
Murray knew, for instance, that the building commonly referred to as Independence Hall in Philadelphia was actually called the Pennsylvania Statehouse. Perhaps this was a minor detail, but to Tim a very telling one. Tim thought he might even forgive the fact that Murray went to an Ivy League school north of the Mason Dixon line.
But there was something else about Murray that Tim could not put his finger on. Maybe it was the inflection in Murray’s voice that showed respect to him but also had a self-assuring quality. Whatever it was, Murray reminded Tim of someone. But who?
Jenson closed the show. “Just a reminder to the audience, we will be away from our regular schedule for the next couple of weeks. But don’t fret; we will be in Philadelphia for the Independence Day weekend, broadcasting live from the Pennsylvania Statehouse in Philly tomorrow, July 3. We’ll have some guests including our contest winner, Jack Murray, and hopefully the anchor of our little station and hundreds of others, the top dog, Josh Anders…. So we will see you tomorrow from Philly.”
With that, Tim switched off the air. Jenson and Keaton would arrive at the Murray home at 7:00am the following day in a large luxury conversion van for the five-hour drive to Philly. Tim thought the van perhaps a bit tacky, but it would be comfortable, and was a high-end expense for his, at times, chintzy little radio station.
Bottom line for Tim was that this Founders promotion needed to go well. It cost the station some bucks. He had pumped the idea up to management, and it was all his baby. Tim recalled that the idea for the promo came suddenly in the middle of the night. He thought it ironic because he’d always been kind of a dreamer.
Now fifty-two years old, the tall, slender Tim Jenson felt an urge from deep within to tackle a new dream. The contest would allow him to better connect with his listeners and broaden his exposure to a more national audience. He knew that larger than life Josh Anders, the most listened to man in America, would also be broadcasting on the third from Independence Hall. Jenson had sent Anders an invite to appear on his show, but as of yet, had not received a response. He really hoped to meet Anders (not in a confrontational sense) to possibly debate him on the air. His goal down the road was to one day whip the cocky Anders in the ratings. Anders, of course, was conservative talk show royalty and dominated the ratings even on Tim’s local station. Since his wife died, Tim focused on his career with the goal of one day hosting a national show like Anders.
After hanging up the phone, Jack Murray smiled. He thought he had really clicked with his favorite talk show host. He laughed to himself recognizing that it was only a quick conversation, but he felt Jenson’s respect for his knowledge and writing style in those brief moments on the phone. Jack deduced that this, combined with the content of the essay, was what won him and his family the trip to Philly.
This trip would be a great experience for the family but Jack knew it was mostly for himself. He had accomplished about all he could teaching high school and although he was well on his way to his goal of a full college professorship, he needed to “get out there” more.
> Over the past several months, Jack had grown restless and impatient. His life was missing something but he did not know what. He didn’t even have a clue where to begin looking. For the past few months, Jack Murray laid in bed, eyes wide, staring at the ceiling while the seconds crawled by on the clock on his night stand. Since he learned he had won the contest two days earlier, his anxiety had diminished, but the nights were still long. Murray joked to himself, “I’m going on a trip to a city whose football fans booed Santa Claus.
“If things are so bad that a trip to Philadelphia will cure what ails me, it’s even worse than I thought.”
Chapter 2
Although extremely focused during trading hours, Anthony Hahn tended to be drawn to debate toward the end of the workday. He loved a good argument and would spar with any person on any topic, at any time. It seemed the slightly built red haired young trader needed to continually prove that he was the smartest person in the room, despite no evidence to the contrary.
Possibly, it was because his position in the financial world started from such a humble and inauspicious beginning. But even being the head trader on one of the most prestigious currency trading desks in the world could not quench his desire to demonstrate, yet again, that he was superior. Or at least dislodge the chip on his shoulder that was so firmly set.
As he walked out of the elevator after another busy trading day, Hahn put his earphones over his head. He plugged the cord into his classic old am radio, and started toward Trinity Place restaurant for a quick drink and bite to eat before heading home. He fit right in with most Wall Street workers his age, in that once on the pavement, they seemed to be literally walking to the beat of their own drummer (or favorite band on their iPods).
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