We Celebrate The Birthday of a President Whose Warning We Ignored

By Charles Karel Bouley II

As an entertainer, talk show host, columnist…ChatGPT is really a quite useful tool for research. I say this as if I just discovered it, because, well, I did. I’ve been AI averse, you see, I saw the “Terminator” and know about Elon Musk’s network of satellites and his love of AI and I know what’s coming. But, everyone keeps raving about how helpful it can be and how I’d better just get used to it, so, when I have a question I’d ask a reference librarian, I ask AI instead. And so far, it hasn’t disappointed.

So, I was preparing for my President’s Day podcast when I asked it for the history of President’s Day. Here’s what it had to say:

1. Washington’s Birthday (Original Holiday)

• In 1879, Congress established February 22 (Washington’s actual birthday) as a federal holiday, initially for government offices in D.C.

• In 1885, it expanded to all federal offices, becoming the first national holiday honoring an individual American.

2. Shift to President’s Day (Uniform Monday Holiday Act – 1971)

• In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, moving certain holidays to Mondays to create long weekends.

• Washington’s Birthday was moved to the third Monday of February, meaning it would never fall exactly on his birthday.

• Over time, retailers and the public began referring to it as “President’s Day”, and it became a day to honor both Washington and Abraham Lincoln (whose birthday is February 12).

3. Modern Interpretation

• The federal holiday is still officially called “Washington’s Birthday”, but most states and businesses recognize it as “President’s Day” to honor multiple presidents.

So, basically it’s Washington’s Birthday that gave rise to the day, and is still officially his day in some states like in Virginia, where it’s still called Washington’s Birthday or Alabama where they celebrate Washington and Jefferson, but not Lincoln (wonder why). 

Now, I know a good deal about George Washington, as my late partner Andrew Howard was working on a project when he died he had entitled “The Greatest Man” about Washington. He felt he was the greatest American to live thus far, mainly because he walked away from power when Congress offered him the Presidency for life and he was like, no, we just defeated a King, we must not make our own. This President’s day, we have a man that actually wants Congress to offer him that very right.

So, I wondered if Washington was a member of a political party and the answer is no, he was not. In fact, he had a very unfavorable view of them, ChatGPT told me. And yet, it went on, that he was like a Federalist, but never joined, but despite his neutrality his policies and cabinet choices led to the rise of the Federalists led by Alexander Hamilton, which favored a strong central government and commerce and The Democratic-Republicans led by Thomas Jefferson, which advocated for state’s rights and farming interests. Republicans didn’t start until 1854 in direct response to the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 which allowed territories to decide for themselves if they wanted slaves, and the Republican’s sole mission was to make sure slavery did not spread into Western Territories. 

Now, we know it wasn’t the condition of the slaves or the color of their skins that these Republicans cared about; they cared about slaves being free labor and companies that had to pay for labor in the North couldn’t compete with them. They also thought the Southern slave-owning elite had too much power in the federal government and that they wanted to expand slavery West so they could have even more leverage in Congress, or so says ChatGPT.

Now books have been written about how Republicans and Democrats basically switched value systems over time. That’s a whole other rabbit hole. 

Back to Washington and his views on political parties. I asked ChatGPT what was his biggest fear and found out that he feared what they would do to America so much that he centered his Farewell Address in 1796 on the dangers of politcal parties.

So what was the thrust?

1.Division & Factionalism

• Washington feared parties would turn Americans against each other, leading to conflict and weakening national unity.

• He warned that loyalty to a party over the country would create unnecessary rivalries.

2. Threat to Government Stability

• He believed political parties would seek power for themselves rather than serve the people.

• He worried that one party could dominate, leading to tyranny or government corruption.

3. Foreign Influence & Manipulation

• He cautioned that parties could make the U.S. vulnerable to foreign nations interfering in domestic affairs by exploiting political divisions.

4. Erosion of Public Trust

• Washington thought parties would encourage misinformation, deceit, and extreme partisanship, making it harder for citizens to trust their leaders.

Well color me Gobsmacked. And then as if to make my jaw drop even more ChatGPT had to throw in:

Did His Warning Come True?

Yes—soon after he left office, the U.S. became deeply divided along party lines, leading to intense rivalries, political feuds, and foreign interference (like in the War of 1812). His concerns remain relevant today, as partisanship continues to shape American politics.

Called out by the AI. 

So let me get this right, I’m writing this Sunday, February 16, 2025. Tomorrow is the day we celebrate Washington (and others, but let’s be real, it’s his day) a President we revere, one we put on currency, one we named a town and our capital after, called our current state of being to the letter 229 years ago and we ignored him, completely and instead embraced and turned our country over to the very things he knew would happen? 

We really shouldn’t be celebrating President’s Day at all. Lincoln would be seen as a progressive today, advocating for Black voting rights near the end of his life, believing in the use of federal power to build infrastructure, railroads and supported federal land for public universities and expanding education access. And Thomas Jefferson led the Democratic Party.

So is MAGA celebrating tomorrow? I mean, they’d HATE Washington, Lincoln and Jefferson if they knew them, and their policies. Why should they celebrate a holiday, a birthday celebration, for a man, or men, they would call vicious names and vilify? 

And how long before the current occupant of the White House declares a holiday in his honor? Or erases President’s Day and rebrands it for his purposes?

Washington called it perfectly. And smart people knew all along that this is the mess letting two political parties run rampant would create. Our founders would call upon us to abolish the parties as structured and move to a different method. Because this is not working for America. Washington knew it wouldn’t, and it doesn’t.

We throw around American Pride, wear it, market it, scream it, boast about it. #MAGA feels they own it. But America is the founders, our history, and the documents like the Constitution. And all of that, at this point, is in horrific danger of being forgotten. Because #MAGA , the current leader, the mainstream media and social media has robbed us of our most important possession, our attention. Most of you haven’t even read this far because the article is “wordy”. We wouldn’t pay attention to news stories about how, on President’s Day, we should remember the anti-political party message of Washington and examine if partisanism is destroying our nation; and if there’s a better way.

Nope, we’ll pay attention to sales on President’s Day, what’s opened and closed and how it effects our Monday schedule and some of us will even get it off as a Holiday for shopping or eating, which is what holidays are about these days. 

George Washington wasn’t the type to say “I told you so.” Instead, he’d feel vindicated in his beliefs but saddened that the result was exactly as he foresaw. But he’d also look for a way to save the Colonies, these United States, even if from themselves.

It’s a pity we have no President on this day, as I don’t consider the man occupying the space Presidential material. And what’s worse, it’s a real pity on this President’s Day we neither have any current politicians with those men’s conviction, Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson’s,  or their wisdom. 

We have what they feared most. 

And what’s worse, is that good people are sitting by and letting it happen.

Happy President’s Day. It could be the last if a crazed billionaire or convicted felon decide it doesn’t serve them.