George Bush owes it to the other America (great Scottish article on America’s Scots-Irish)

The Scotsman ^ | 11/05/04 | GEORGE KEREVAN

[Just mythoughts]

My grandmother would be proud to read this.... My ancestors almost to a T.

[Redcloak]

Here in Scotland, where the mainstream view is anti-Bush, the instant reaction will be to dismiss this other America as redneck, racist, bigoted, gun-loving and ignorant. But hold a mirror to thyself: the part of America that doggedly voted Republican on Tuesday is its ethnic Scottish-Ulster heartland.

I wonder if anyone in Glasgow or London has bothered to venture out to the old Border regions to sample public opinions. Our Borderer cousins may be markedly less anti-bush than the urbanites with whom the media types usually mix. Those could be red counties along the Border!

[Just mythoughts]

"The whirlwind is in the thorn tree
The virgins are all trimming their wicks
The whirlwind is in the thorn tree
It's hard for thee to kicak against the pricks,


"In measured hundredweight and penny pound
WHEN THE MAN COMES AROUND."


I like it!

[FourPeas]

Interesting mix of understanding and dislike. I wonder if it's an explanation that the Euros will "get", or even if they'll care. I participate in a forum with lots of international members, especially from the UK and Oz. Over the past few days, the level of hatred and nastiness has grown exponentially. I fear that our former allies will reap the fruits of the Anti-American anger they've sown. They have an entire generation of America Haters who are vocal, angry and feel justified in any slur thrown at the USA. These are not the people who will replace Chirac or Schröder with someone friendly to America.

[eddie willers]

Bravo!

[dennisw]

true

[wideawake]

Johnny Cash - the Man in Black. Himself a Scots-Irish sharecropper from the Arkansas hills.

[WOSG]

You are right, it is one of these 'that explains it' articles, that really only explains part of it.

Bush won the catholic vote *and* evangelicals *and* orthodox Jews *and* married people *and* economic groups that made over the median family income *and* those who earned a college degree, *and* men overall. And 30 states.

In other words, Bush won the independent-minded cultural convervatives of appalachia, but he won a whole lot more.
This explains maybe 5% of his victory.

But there is a part of it that is true... America's political DNA has a lot to do with Scots intellectuals like David Hume and Adam Smith, and the communities that have thrown up populist anti-Government type politicians (think Andrew Jackson).

Some of what he said applies to my heritage -
part Irish Catholic, part German, part Scottish - even though my ancestry was not in the immigrant wave he speaks of. (my folks came in late 19th century and settled in New York).

[Just mythoughts]

This is an interesting read from over the sea.

[DmBarch]

MacArthur...sounds Scottish to me. Some of what the author touches on can be seen in this famous speech.

TO THE PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES:

I have returned. By the grace of Almighty God our forces stand again on Philippine soil -- soil consecrated in the blood of our two peoples. We have come, dedicated and committed, to the task of destroying every vestige of enemy control over your daily lives, and of restoring, upon a foundation of indestructible, strength, the liberties of your people.

At my side is your President, Sergio Osmena, worthy successor of that great patriot, Manuel Quezon, with members of his cabinet. The seat of your government is now therefore firmly re- established on Philippine soil.

The hour of your redemption is here. Your patriots have demonstrated an unswerving and resolute devotion to the principles of freedom that challenges the best that is written on the pages of human history. I now call upon your supreme effort that the enemy may know from the temper of an aroused and outraged people within that he has a force there to contend with no less violent than is the force committed from without.

Rally to me. Let the indomitable spirit of Bataan and Corregidor lead on. As the lines of battle roll forward to bring you within the zone of operations, rise and strike. Strike at every favorable opportunity. For your homes and hearths, strike! For future generations of your sons and daughters, strike! In the name of your sacred dead, strike! Let no heart be faint. Let every arm be steeled. The guidance of divine God points the way. Follow in His Name to the Holy Grail of righteous victory!

Douglas MacArthur

[dennisw]

The Scots settlers who first colonised America, and then illegally slipped across the Appalachians to live among the Indian tribes, were not out to found a new empire......


IOW lots of Indian blood in a lot of rednecks and they can brag about it these days. CHEROKEE!

[tallhappy]

Thanks for posting this interesting article. Is there a book about the history of this. There's a book called Albion's seed that relates to English, but I'm not sure how much of this Scottish-Irish settlement is covered.

[Just mythoughts]

I had no idea it came from Johnny Cash.

My Scot ancestors came over sometime prior to 1750, VA one group, then KY, Carolinas the other, on to TN, and some joined together when they stopped in MO.

The part about serving the military is correct, fight, win, and go home.

[Nosterrex]

Aye, it's a very good article. It explains why the
South of "the old confederacy" is more staunchly for Bush than the Midwest, which is far more German and Scandinavian than Scot-Irish (Celtic). I have thought for many years that there is actually a nationalistic personality that is rooted far more in our genes than by external or societal causations. If you took a bunch of Scots-Irish descendants and put them in the middle of the Congo, it wouldn't be long before it looked more like the "red states" than Africa.

[AuntB]

"When roused, usually by a wholly correct moral indignation, Scots-Irish America believes it is the agency for Divine retribution. Don’t snigger: you are here because of this gut reaction"

Damn straight! I am proud of my Scotch-Irish ancestry. I have a letter from an observer in the 1800's describing them as "too independent to be tamed."

One line in the article is not entirely correct , "... there are downsides to the Scots-Irish psyche in America. Historically, it has been prone to racism. "

My Scotch-Irish ancestry fought for the Union in the civil war and owned no slaves...however....a few married into the Cherokees and the Cherokees did own slaves and fought for the confederacy under the promise to hold on to their land.

Good article, thanks.

[omega4412]

For the full version of this argument, see The Jacksonian Tradition by Walter Russell Mead. Long, but an interesting and serious discussion.

Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America by David Hackett Fischer is very interesting -- how the Puritans, Quakers, Virginians, and Scots-Irish brought their ways over to the colonies. 972 pages so plenty about the Scots-Irish and Borderers in Appalachia.

[Jimmy Valentine's brother]

You are of Scots-Irish decent. I'm surprised that you have to be reminded that scotch is distilled whiskey to be dunk neat.

[wtc911]

Jimmy Valentine's brother wrote: You are of Scots-Irish decent. I'm surprised that you have to be reminded that scotch is distilled whiskey to be dunk neat.

________________________________________________

With roots to Donegal, Mayo, Ulster and the Highlands I can avow that while blended whiskies may be taken neat the way to best explore the shifting levels of a single malt is over ice.

[wtc911]

Upstate understood. I mention the 500k plus LI Bush votes (47.5%) to pre-empt those south of the MDL who swear that there's is the only true America.