On this episode of Newt's World, it's part of Founding Father's Week.

I'm talking about the lives and legacies of our original founders and the impact they've had in our country.

I wanted to start the entire podcast series with George Washington

because literally we all stand on his shoulders to the degree that this is a country that has a remarkable ability for freedom that is open to everyone

and that creates a framework within which normal people can lead unusual and extraordinary lives.

All of that started and was based on Washington. One of the best biographies of Washington describes him as literally irreplaceable

that he is the man that was the essential person for the entire creation of America.

And I think that's true. Every time close to that I go down to Mount Vernon and we look at that house he lived in with Martha

and we look out on the Potomac and we realize that he had this sense. He loved being a farmer.

He loved the land. He had a sense of solidness.

Partly because he was so big physically, I always tell people that if you played Washington in a modern era you should be basically an NFL offensive lineman.

I used physically so large for a time when the average man was about five, six.

He was also considered the best horseman in the colonies which if you're that big physically and you're that good a horseman he's astonishing.

And Washington had this strength both physical and moral. Part of his physical strength just came I think biologically he was just that big and he worked as a farmer.

He worked as a frontiersman who used his body his whole life when he was serving in the legislature and people often forget this.

Washington was a professional politician. He ran for office. In fact there's a very funny story he'd been out on the west and thought of himself as a hero in ran for office the first time.

And in that era you had a one day election campaign everybody gathered at the polls and the candidates bought alcohol and got free beer, free wine, free whiskey.

And Washington said no I am a military hero I don't need to buy anything from anyone and he came in last.

The following election he bought the largest quantity of alcohol ever bought an average in election and he won people said I be being learned the trade here which also fed Washington's general pattern many many experts have studied his campaigns and said he made many mistakes once.

He never finally making a similar state twice. So he's down in Burr at the house of Burgers and I always recommend the people to go to Williamsburg because it is such a remarkable recreation of that era.

And you can go to the taverns of Washington went to in the evenings it didn't have TV they didn't have computer games so they sit around playing cards and drinking and talk with each other.

And it was a very famous squire named governor bird and governor bird would find some stranger and he said I'll bet you a shillin that George Washington can break a walnut between his thumb and his first finger now I urge you sometimes to try this because it takes it extraordinary strength.

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