Posted on 07/12/2008 12:24:50 PM PDT by flyfree
He is more along the lines of what I would consider a statesman rather then a politican...
He only won just one term in 1904, but served the bulk of McKinley’s term. Had he run in 1908 instead of Taft, undoubtedly he would’ve, rather than his cousin, established a “Presidency-for-Life.” I believe he was a singularly unique war fetishest (perhaps the one and only President in the history of the Republic to have such a fetish) and would’ve charged off to intervene in the War in Europe the day after it broke out (indeed, WW1 was probably one war we could’ve easily stayed out of with little difference in the outcome — unlike WW2 and Buchanan’s bizarre fantasies). My father best described TR succinctly, “He was a nut.”
The tried to make Gore charismatic and they tried to pass off Kerry as a war hero, so I would not put it pass the media to try to turn Carter into a sex symbol.
I’ve read six biographies of TR, and don’t find him a “nut” at all. Of course, I wasn’t alive during his presidency, so maybe I would have felt differently back then. But comparing him (again, just based on reading the books and reading the quotes and speeches) to the current crop of pols, he stands far above them.
Well, he was the product of a different era, a more “macho” culture. That aspect garners a lot of admiration today in our wimpy, pussified modern era. One thing is for sure, he would’ve hated our culture today with a passion. His assessment of the two parties, for the Democrats, he would’ve dismissed them as cowards and traitors (100% true) and the GOP as too tentative, weak-kneed and lacking in vision (no doubt he would support our international endeavors — domestically, he would’ve still been a big government type).
As for me, I preferred types like Calvin Coolidge on governing style.
Point taken.
You only prove my point about your naiveté. Depending on how far back you want to go, would you have preferred Kerry?, Gore?, Slick Willie?, or whom? Now you seem to prefer Hussein so I guess my question answers itself.
It's hard to say exactly what Teddy was, more like a populist. But at least he did some great things for the country and selling it out to Mexico as mccain wants to do would never have crossed his mind. Just the opposite, he would have closed that border in a heartbeat.
Just read a pretty good article:
In a recent interview, John McCain has stated that he fits in the “Theodore Roosevelt mold”. The Republican nominee has stated many times before that Teddy was a role model for him. That explains much.
Senator John McCain in a wide-ranging interview called for a government that is frugal but more active than many conservatives might prefer. He said government should play an important role in areas like addressing climate change, regulating campaign finance and taking care of “those in America who cannot take care of themselves.”
“I count myself as a conservative Republican, yet I view it to a large degree in the Theodore Roosevelt mold,” Mr. McCain said, referring to Roosevelt’s reputation for reform, environmentalism and tough foreign policy.
This explains much, because, dare I say, Teddy is another of history’s great losers. Though, like many unworthy presidents, Theodore Roosevelt gets a lot of positive indoctrination in public schools. The truth is, Roosevelt is one of many politicians in the early 20th century, that turned things into crap. Part of the so-called “Progressive Era”.
Like a good statist, he advocated and prepared for an unnecessary war with Spain in 1898. Similar to McCain, he came back a “war hero”. McKinley was assassinated, and Roosevelt became president in 1901, and from there, the United States saw a sharp increase in the amount of state intervention in the economy, which would only be continued into the next administration.
Roosevelt distrusted “big business” and became famous for his “trust busting”. His square deal (note to readers: any and all deals from a Roosevelt are horrible) called for regulation of railroad rates, among other things. He also was the first U.S. president to call for national health insurance (so shouldn’t McCain like Obama then?):
The U.S. has flirted with some kind of national health policy six times over the past 100 years, only to see the reform impulse wither each time. For instance, a key plank in Theodore Roosevelt’s losing Presidential campaign of 1912 was national health insurance.
Teddy also attacked big business, and suggested that courts were biased against labor unions. As the 1912 election approached, he broke with his friend William Howard Taft (incumbent president), and ran as a Progressive, after Taft won the Republican nomination. Enough votes were pulled away for Democrat Woodrow Wilson to win (the #1 loser in American history). Then we got World War I, more government intervention in the economy, the fed, and a failed attempt to join the League of Nations.
Among his other socialist achievements, Roosevelt was responsible for the passage of the Hepburn Act (railway rate regulation), the Meat Inspection Act, and a number of anti-trust laws. Like McCain, Roosevelt took on the environment as a major issue, being a big proponent of the conservation movement.
In foreign policy, Roosevelt was a massive interventionist:
Roosevelt also added the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, which stated that the United States and only the United States could intervene in Latin American affairs when corruption of governments made it necessary. Roosevelt’s foreign policy is often referred to as the “Big Stick” policy which was mainly in respect to Roosevelt’s ideas of negotiation.
Of course, only America can police everyone else. It also seems that the statists all like to stick together and call themselves the “heir” to the previous ones:
Roosevelt, who considered Lincoln the savior of the Union and the greatest Republican President and who also considered himself Lincoln’s political heir, ordered the new Lincoln Penny to be based on Brenner’s work and that it be ready just in time to commemorate Lincoln’s 100th birthday in 1909.
It is no mystery that Teddy loved “Unconstitutional Abe” — who called for a Draft (the ultimate gesture of showing that the state owns you), arrested opposition, and limited free speech.
So let’s recap, McCain loves Roosevelt, who:
-Supported environmentalism, relying on government to deal with the problems.
-Anti big business rhetoric (much like today’s liberals and the evil “big oil” and “big pharm”)
-Believed in massive government intervention in the economy.
-Policeman of the world foreign policy, where America is the only policeman (of course).
http://politicalinquirer.com/2008/07/12/teddy-roosevelt-a-poor-role-model/
I know almost nothing about Coolidge, sad to say. When it comes to the Roaring Twenties, I know about baseball and Capone, that’s about it!
Speaking of that, when my grandmother’s friends got married (late 1920s), they went on their honeymoon to Chicago (from St. Louis). They checked into this nice hotel because it seemed unusually inexpensive. No sooner had they been there for a short while when down the stairs comes an entourage of men with guns... surrounding none other than Al Capone, whom they immediately recognized. My grandmother’s friends swiftly checked out of the Lexington Hotel. Little did they realize that it was probably the single safest hotel to stay at in Chicago. Nobody was going to mess with Al.
Two guys come to your house and say "choose which one of us is going to rob you". One says, "I will take a penny less than the other guy, choose me."
Well, I chose the guy who will take a penny less since 1996. What I should have said was "Fark you" and taken the consequences. That is what I am doing now.
Now you seem to prefer Hussein so I guess my question answers itself.
How so? Please don't repeat the tired canard that not voting for McCain somehow means supporting Obama. I am not voting for either. Neither one has my support.
Like what?
For starters it was TR who worked to finish the Panama Canal.
The original chief engineer of the American canal effort resigned, and wrote a letter to Roosevelt calling him a disgrace because in his zeal to finish the canal they stole land from people, kicked people out of their houses, breaking their limbs, etc.
Some of the methods I agree were probably overreaching however as a strategic accomplishment it’s probably one of the greatest ever done in history given the technology of the day. It’s also one of the reasons the USA became a superpower. It doesn’t matter who the president was or is they would deserve that credit.
LOL!!!
McCain may be a lot of things, but a Teddy Roosevelt he ain't!
While the parties have swapped polarizations a few times the perpetrators remain the same over the long run. Someone could get a good paper out of that.
20,000 replies? Congrats but you should diversify for your sanity's sake. We can't recover what little time we have.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.