US presidents received 'criticism from Confucius'

Confucius is not just an ancient Chinese philosopher in the eyes of U.S. media outlets, according to Zhang Tao's book, Confucius in the United States of America. The media have not only mentioned his name, but also used his teachings to comment on various domestic events.

Just as ancient Chinese emperors often had to endure the admonitions of imperial censors, U.S. presidents sometimes have to face "criticism from Confucius."

The New York Times, one of the most influential newspapers in the United States, once published an article criticizing George W. Bush for his malapropism. "Confucius said that if language is not correct, then what is said is not what is meant; if what is said is not what is meant, then what must be done remains undone; if this remains undone, morals and art will deteriorate; if justice goes astray, the people will stand about in helpless confusion," the newspaper said, asking Bush to learn the teachings of Confucius. The San Francisco Chronicle suggested that Bush should learn etiquette from a Confucianism expert.

His predecessor Bill Clinton did not escape "criticism from Confucius" either. The Washington Post wrote in a commentary about Clinton's sex scandal that Confucius said, "I have yet to meet anybody who is fonder of virtue than of sex," which accurately predicted the sex scandal in the late 20th century.

Zhang found that almost all modern U.S. presidents had received criticism from Confucius.

When the Johnson administration performed poorly in dealing with the financial crisis and strike movements, certain media outlets told the president that Confucius said, "If you are strict with yourself, your mistakes will be few," so he should not be overly scrupulous. However, the president's supporters said that the government's policies were in line with the principles of governance recommended by Confucius, such as "When a country is well governed, poverty is to be ashamed of. When a country is ill governed, riches are to be ashamed of."

After Richard Nixon's Watergate scandal was exposed, the Christian Science Monitor criticized the president by quoting Confucius, "From of old, death has always been the lot of men; but if the people have no faith in their rulers, there will be no standing for the state." After the Iran–Contra affair involving Ronald Reagan came to light in 1986, the Boston Globe reminded him that among "sufficient food," "sufficient military equipment," and "the public's trust," the trust is the most important thing for a ruler.

Zhang said that in domestic political discussions, Americans see Confucius as an intelligent and knowledgeable person who "stands out of the box and is good at capturing the essence of things."

Sometimes, the U.S. media outlets would even falsify or fabricate Confucius quotations. Chicago Tribune published a cartoon satirizing John F. Kennedy in 1951, with the caption saying, "Please allow me to quote from the Analects of Confucius: The ruler should not waste public tax revenue doing well."

By contrast, Dwight Eisenhower won much praise from the media. The Washington Post used a quote from Confucius, "Yao and Shun led the kingdom with benevolence, and the people followed them," to summarize Eisenhower's principles of governance, and even hailed his resourceful secretary as the "Confucius in the political field."

Even unemployed U.S. workers sometimes turn to the man who lived more than 2,000 years ago. "Confucius is an ancient sage, he says we need a living wage," they sang out a "battle song."