Tom and Andy

The two fellas couldn't have been more different. The patrician farmer was a polymath whose Monticello was a repository for scientific curiosities and inventions. The frontier fighter built The Hermitage, which only became a place of significance in its owner's later years.

The two fellers couldn't have been more alike. Both lost wives when they needed them most, and served in the White House sans First Ladies. One helped create the Union, the other did more to preserve it than any man of his generation.

Both lived long lives and influenced their party more than any others. Our third president was the first Democrat to hold the office. Our seventh president solidified the identity of the party as the people's party.

T.J. authorized the exploration of the American West. A.J. secured it for posterity, but in the process inadvertently gave renewal to the withering institution of slavery.

Tom was cerebral, and took on no great military role beyond Commander in Chief. Andy was such a military genius that it was feared he might become Commander in Chief with or without the imprimatur of an election.

Jefferson treated with Napoleon, much to the benefit of the country, and this region in particular. Jackson was accused of wanting to be Bonaparte.

In all likelihood, the two men didn't much care for each other, although no record exists that the elder actively opposed the younger, or vice versa.

Tonight, their legacies are celebrated anew as the Floyd County Democratic Party meets at The Grand in New Albany. Buffet food will lubricate the exchange of intelligence and the latest gossip from the primary campaign front, and a few will debate the legacy of Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson.

Kickoff is 6 p.m. We'll follow tomorrow with reports from the scene, and we invite all who attend tonight's party shindig to share their thoughts about it, too.