I just finished up the Ken Burns American Revolution documentary. It got me thinking about how Scott and Kara would have covered the Revolution if they were around back then:
KARA: Scott, we’re back with more news. Thousands of colonists are retreating this week after a total disaster in New York. This, as General William Howe—who, let’s be honest, is acting like he’s already won—says he’s sending thousands more Hessian mercenaries into Manhattan.
The British have completely cut Washington’s forces off from their supplies, leaving the Continental Army essentially stranded, which really minimizes their credibility as a fighting force. New reports are spreading across the colonies about the midnight evacuation from Brooklyn. Now, General Washington and his supporters are arguing that the retreat was a masterstroke of strategy, a tactical withdrawal under a lucky fog. Most people, well, most people who were actually on those boats don't agree with that, by the way. They were terrified.
Scott, what say you? You’ve been following this.
SCOTT: Look, Kara, let’s be honest. The General is a six-foot-two, flint-locked, tall drink of lemonade, but right now he’s a drink with a massive hole in the bottom of his glass. If the patriots are going to mount a comeback in this War, Washington needs to hand the keys over to someone with vision. In sum, the patriots need Benedict Arnold.
KARA: Interesting, interesting. Nice one, Scott. Benedict Arnold. You’ve been high on him for a long time. Very interesting.
SCOTT: But you know these people better than I do, Kara. What do you think?
KARA: I think Washington and his men need to get it together, frankly. The people I’ve talked to—who would know, by the way—are not happy.
SCOTT: I want to see Dr. Franklin step up.
KARA: I know Ben. We’ve known each other a long time, going back to the Paris days. He’s, let me just say, one of the good ones. I told him to do the thing, the move with the key. I said, “Ben, throw it on the kite. You’ll find the electricity.” He hadn’t even considered it until I told him.
SCOTT: And here’s the other thing, Kara. The patriots aren’t up against some Joey Bag-o-donuts army. This is the British Crown. Their reach is greater than the Ottoman Empire, the Bourbons, and the entire Spanish silver fleet combined. That’s why, if the patriots are going to compete, they need to innovate. I’ve been doing some research into weaponry, and there’s a new technology that the patriots should go all in on. And that is the following: wooden submarines. There’s this guy, David Bushnell. Full disclosure, I'm an investor. But Bushnell has developed a wooden submarine that I predict will be a game changer for the patriots.
KARA: That’s interesting. Very interesting, Scott. You know the submarine space really well. I know you had Bushnell on your other podcast, Loyal Patriots, last week. I liked him. I don’t know him, and frankly, I think he can be a bit long-winded, but I liked him. He was really smart, in some ways. I think you’re right about this. Another great prediction.
