When George Washington left office he delivered a prophetic farewell address. Once revered as civic scripture, it is now almost forgotten. In it, Washington called for unity among “citizens by birth or choice,” defended religious pluralism, and proposed that education is essential to democracy. He also expressed fear that hyper-partisanship, excessive debt, and foreign wars could destroy the country. Journalist John Avlon has written a book about Washington’s Farewell, and he joins us Monday to talk about it.
John Avlon is the Editor-in-Chief and Managing Director of The Daily Beast and a CNN political analyst. He is the author of Independent Nation: How Centrists Can Change American Politics, Wingnuts: How the Lunatic Fringe is Hijacking America, and the editor of the anthology Deadline Artists: America’s Greatest Newspaper Columns. His new book is called Washington’s Farewell: The Founding Father’s Warning to Future Generations [Independent bookstores|Amazon].
