March 03, 2026
Gorsuch: the Founders were Drunks
Timothy Birdnow
I hate to agree with Gorsuch after he screwed us on the tariff business but I do have to say he's right; the Founding Fathers WERE a bunch of drunks!
He observes:
"John Adams took a drink of hard cider with his breakfast every day,” Gorsuch added. "James Madison reportedly drank a pint of whiskey every day. Thomas Jefferson said he wasn’t much of a user of alcohol; he only had three or four glasses of wine a night.”
"Are they all habitual drunkards who would be properly disarmed for life under your theory?” Gorsuch asked Harris.
SCOTUS is hearing a case where an occasional marijuana user was banned from possessing firearms in Texas based on Federal law. The Trump DOJ is arguing that this guy should be stripped of his Second Amendment rights. The Trump DOJ is, in my opinion, wrong.
When I say the Founders were a bunch of drunks I do not single them out; everyone was a drunk in those days. Water was bad, milk spoiled, there was no Coca-Cola or other soft drinks. You could drink coffee or tea, or alcoholic beverages. Take your pick. Water was always dicey.
So most people drank booze and lots of it. The Sixteenth through Eighteenth centuries were a very boozy time indeed.
There was a British Lord who, when congratulated on drinking THREE bottles of Port wine (at 22% alcohol or more) was asked if he drank it all by himself "no, I had the help of a bottle of Madeira (another fortified wine). This was common. Dinner parties used to have boys whose job was to loosen the neckties of the guests who were passed out under the table.
So all of these men drank quite a bit as a matter of course. Jefferson was particularly fond of Madeira, as were most of the Founders. They loved Porter beer, too. And a good pint of hard cider was always welcome.
That said, I am mindful of the unverified statement by Abraham Lincoln, who when informed that U.S. Grant was a drunk replied "find out what kind of whiskey he drinks and send him a barrel.) The Founders were just drunk enough to be brave enough to do so foolish a thing as declare independence from Britain, but not so drunk they were able to write the greatest governing documents in history. They were true men of genius, drunk or not.
Maybe we need to revive Madeira wine and Porter beer in D.C.; it might wake those idiots up. Chardonnay and Martinis seem to be dulling the current leadership's sensibilities.
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at
09:57 AM
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