MY (NOT SO) FUNNY VALENTINE

At the close of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, a Mrs. Powel from Philadelphia asked Benjamin Franklin what he thought he and his fellow delegates had accomplished.

"Well, Doctor, what have we got — a Republic or a Monarchy?" she asked.

Dr. Franklin replied, "A Republic, if you can keep it."   

Another Ben, this one Ben Rhodes, appears to agree.  He was in Berlin on Valentine’s Day  to promote his book, The World as It Is and to speak to an SRO audience at the American Academy in Berlin about his White House years.  Rhodes was Obama‘s deputy national security advisor and speech writer for both terms.  Sigh.  Once upon a time there was longevity in Washington. 

Rear facade of the American Academy in Berlin

The American Academy in Berlin was founded in 1994 at the initiative of Richard Holbrooke, then the American Ambassador to Germany.  According to its website, the Academy’s mission is “to enhance the long-term intellectual, cultural, and political ties between the United States and Germany.”  The Academy resides in a stately, neoclassical villa on the edge of Grosser Wannsee lake.  It’s an understated, but decidedly upper bourgeoisie, building whose rear façade fenestration looks out over the lake and across to the opposite shore.  

Cottage Garden at the Villa Liebermann

Over there one finds the Villa Liebermann, the summer home and studio of Germany‘s most famous Impressionist, Max Liebermann, an Ashkenazi Jew who died (of natural causes) in February, 1935.  Despite Liebermann’s fame, his death was not reported in the Nazi-controlled media, and there were no representatives of the Academy of the Arts or the city of Berlin at his funeral.  The Villa Liebermann has a meticulously landscaped rear garden that slopes down to the lake and a front cottage garden planted in beds of seasonal flowers. The villa now houses Liebermann’s paintings and works on paper and is open to the public. On a sunny day, the outdoor cafe facing the lake is a beautiful spot for Kaffee und Kuchen. 

Haus der Wannseekonferenz

Perversely, or perhaps prophetically, the Villa Liebermann is located just a hop, skip, and a jump from the Haus der Wannseekonferenz, another stately villa also repurposed as a museum.  This villa, however, exposes a much darker collection. The Wannsee Conference House is the site of the infamous breakfast (!) meeting of senior Nazi government officials and regional SS officers on January 20, 1942.   It was really just a housekeeping meeting to work out the kinks of the Final Solution.  The decision to concentrate and exterminate the Jews then living in Nazi-controlled lands had already been made by those higher up.  I imagine the meeting going something like this:  Eichmann’s list of how many existed and where was passed around the breakfast table and assignments were made.   While the logistical problems were being sorted, rolls and butter, meats and cheeses, and coffee were consumed:  “Bitte, would you pass the strawberry jam?”  Reportedly, the meeting wrapped up after only 90 minutes.

Eichmann's List

But Grosser Wannsee isn’t all darkness, death, and destruction.  Back on the eastern side of the lake is the Strandbad Wannsee, a Hansel and Gretel-looking bathing establishment that opened in 1907, replete with sand imported from the Baltic all the way up north.  Also to be found lakeside is the rambling, white clapboard, many-gabled, red-roofed mansion owned by Branjolina (or what’s left of them).

Against this historical background of darkness and light, the title of Rhodes book, The World as It Is, seemed more than appropriate.  His talk was formatted as an interview with follow-up questions from the audience.  Most of the conversation recounted key moments in the Obama presidency, including the capture and killing of Osama bin Laden, Obama's last meeting with Chancellor Merkel, and his decision not to bomb Syria after Assad crossed a red line and used chemical weapons.  You can copy and paste a summary of his talk into your browser :  https://www.americanacademy.de/ben-rhodes-on-the-two-american-stories/ 

I find a mix of optimism and deep concern in Rhodes’ vision.  That seems understandable at this historical inflection point of uncertainty.  Rhodes claims he's glad Trump rattled us out of our complacency, and he believes Trump will galvanize Americans into action.  And he’s optimistic that the US will bounce back.

On the deep concern side, though, there were two things Rhodes said on Valentine’s Day that gave me pause, one of which is not mentioned in the summary.  In answer to a question from the audience about whether American institutions can withstand Trump, he confidently answered, “Yes, for one term.”  But he voiced significant doubts about whether they could withstand a second.  

Even more chilling was Rhodes’ ominous prediction for the future.  Addressing the subject of the rise of populism, nationalism, and ultra-right extremism worldwide, he warned, “This brand of politics and populists only ends in one place—there will be a war—we need citizens to fight back to preserve their values.” 

... a dark red valentine to Ben Franklin's Republic from Ben Rhodes, with love.

Keep it real!

Marilyn