Posted on 09/09/2010 8:23:40 AM PDT by Reaganite Republican
Who decided we wanted 'a new FDR', anyway... Newsweek?
Give-em-Hell Harry's pragmatic and patriotic Democratic leadership was actually of the type that could have banished today's GOP to the political boonies for a decade or more. Alas, somehow it seemed more stylish and romantic to repeat the expensive Keynesian failures of the Roosevelt Administration instead... this coupled to a weird defeatist foreign policy of Team Obama's own creation.
Harry S Truman (the "S" doesn't stand for anything... just "S") was a brave, humble, and grateful-to-be-free American who ran to serve his country... and in a most competent and principled manner. He not just preached but lived by patriotic-heartland Christian values, leading a highly-successful yet modest and well-reflected-upon life.
Eager to join the Missouri National Guard in 1905, his 20/50 eyesight would have prevented most men from passing the physical... but a determined young Truman had secretly memorized the eyechart. A decade later, the soft-spoken artillery officer developed invaluable leadership skills on the front lines in France. Harry Truman was a true war hero, the only WWI battlefield veteran to serve as president.
On July 5, 1917, Captain Harry S. Truman took command of Battery D... where the rowdy Kansas City Irishmen of the unit -infamous for discipline problems- specialized in wearing out commanding officers. Many predicted the quiet, bespectacled captain would crumble quickly.
But Harry -son of a Missouri mule trader- knew how to handle troublemakers. Scared -as he told his wife in private letters from the front- but resolute, Truman demanded respect, forcing them by sheer force of will to buckle under to his unwavering command. Within weeks, he had transformed Battery D into a disciplined, loyal outfit. However, the true test of combat lay ahead...
On August 29, 1918, Truman's Battery D fired 500 rounds of artillery at a German position in the Vosges Mountains. When the Germans counter-attacked, the men began to disperse in panic. A furious Truman sprang into action -while still under fire- ordering them back into position using profanities he had "learned while working on the Santa Fe railroad." Shocked by the outburst, the men reassembled and re-joined the battle.
For the remainder of the war, Truman led Battery D across the French countryside, mercilessly hammering German positions and never once losing a man. On the battlefields of Europe, Harry S Truman experienced the success that had eluded him to that point in his life. His battery also provided support for George S. Patton's tank brigade during the historic Meuse-Argonne Offensive.
On Armistice Day -November 11, 1918- his heavy guns fired some of the last shots of World War I, still pounding the Kaiser's troops after the armistice was signed at 5am... but before the cease fire took effect at 11am. Clearly, Truman didn't have any problem with the idea of American exceptionalism.
And Harry S Truman was a different kind of President. He probably made more vital, impactful decisions than any of the 42 Presidents that preceded him. While some of the decisions remain controversial -and his own popularity in office swang wildly- history has treated him very well indeed. But an even better measure of his character and greatness may rest on what he did -and didn't do- after he left the White House:
The only asset Truman had when he passed-away in 1972 was the house he lived in, which was inherited from his wife's parents. Other than their time in DC, the Trumans lived their entire adult lives there. When Harry retired from office in 1952, his sole income was an Army pension of $13,500/yr. Congress -noting that he was paying for his stamps and personally licking them- granted him an 'allowance' and, later, a retroactive pension of $25,000 per year.
After President Eisenhower was inaugurated in January 1953, Harry and Bess drove home to Missouri by themselves in Harry's own Dodge sedan... there was no motorcade, no Secret Service trailing.
Offered corporate positions at large salaries, Truman declined, stating, "You don't want me. You want the office of the President, and that doesn't belong to me. It belongs to the American people, and it's not for sale.."
Even later -in 1971- when Congress was preparing to award him the esteemed Medal of Honor on his 87th birthday, Harry Truman refused to accept it, writing, "I don't consider that I have done anything which should be the reason for any award, Congressional or otherwise."
As president, Truman actually paid for all of his own travel expenses... including food. Sadly, modern politicians have found a new level of success in cashing in on the Presidency, resulting in untold wealth for, say, er- the Clintons... right along with all the Blagos and Rangels of the world.
Harry S Truman's genuine, good faith service and competent management of this country provides a stark contrast to the corrupt, communist-infiltrated bunglers of the Obama Administration... perhaps Amercians should demand just a little higher standard next time?
Video/links/more at Reaganite Republican
Narcissists don’t emulate.
There used to be a lot of “pragmatic and patriotic” Democrats. Now there are few or none.
Good point, I noticed he’s not one for learning anything- pompous schmuck
When you suffer the narcissist’s lack of self awareness, you’ll just get dumber and dumber cuz you never learn anything
Read Woodrow Wilson then say that.
Obama is Wilson’s third term.
0bama, the Keynesian Kenyan.
LOLOLOLOL!
So it’s KK vs KKK, to hear them tell it...
Amen
This explains why elitist libs (as opposed to old-fashioned Democrats) don’t think much of Harry Truman.
given that truman wanted to eliminate the Marine Corps and almost destroyed to military to the point soldiers in japan where going to pacific battle sites to salvage repair parts for thie tanks, i don’t hold him in as high a regard as many.
though he did smackdown macarthur who is one of the most over-rated generals in ww2.
let the flames begin.
Yeah, worthy of note that Truman was the last Democrat that Rondaldus Maximus campaigned for... just a few years prior to Reagan’s famously claiming “I didn’t leave the Democratic Party... it left me.”
The Dems used to have lots of sensible moderates...
To say this is what we need today is a complete understatement. Truman never aspired to the Presidency, but when Roosevelt passed away, he used his own abilities to get the job done.
Even in his later years, Truman would take walks in his neighborhood. I don’t know of a single politician who’d walk across the street for anything, unless it could garder them a vote.
To say this is what we need today is a complete understatement. Truman never aspired to the Presidency, but when Roosevelt passed away, he used his own abilities to get the job done.
Even in his later years, Truman would take walks in his neighborhood. I don’t know of a single politician who’d walk across the street for anything, unless it could garder them a vote.
Excellent article
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