Today he probably wouldn’t win, but in 1801 Jefferson carried the day. We wonder why we don’t have candidates like him any more. It’s because of the advances in technology, especially TV. Tom wouldn’t be very good, he wouldn’t come across very well on television. He had a high kind of squeaky voice, a funny looking complexion, and red hair. He was a wise man and an outstanding writer, but . . . .

Jefferson was the first President to reside in the new capitol at Washington, D.C. He was a widower in the White House, but was very well received by the people. And they approved his policies:

“Internal taxes were reduced; the military budget was cut (at least until the war with the Barbary Pirates); . . . plans were made to extinguish the public debt. Simplicity and frugality became the hallmarks of Jefferson’s administration. The Louisiana Purchase (1803) capped his achievements . . . The purchase was received with popular enthusiasm. In the election of 1804, Jefferson swept every state except two. . . .The following year the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which the president had dispatched to explore the Louisiana Territory, returned triumphantly after crossing the continent.” (Biography, President Thomas Jefferson, April, 2002, as quoted in Founding Fathers—Uncommon Heroes, by Steven W. Allen, 2003, p. 167).

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I think we should look for learned and wise men with squeaky voices and red hair to lead our country again today!