David Pietrusza On Calvin Coolidge

Vimeo ^ | Novemer 14, 2014 | William K. Sanford Town Library

[statestreet]

Author David Petrusza discusses the pivotal 1924 election for president, won by "Silent Cal Coolidge."

[Redmen4ever]

Thanks for posting this.

Coolidge is rebounding in his reputation. The author is quite ebullient. He quotes another person as saying Coolidge is the only president to have had a successful second term. This is an exaggeration, but Coolidge is one of the few. The author is also, like Coolidge, negative about Hoover. The liberal historians had originally ranked Coolidge lower than Hoover, reflecting that Hoover shared their progressive philosophy. Today, while they continue to rank Coolidge low, at least they rank him above Hoover.

The author also reveals that the progressives of that day were basically mean-spirited and arrogant. I think we can say that today. Conservatives such as G.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan, whether successful or unsuccessful as President, are good natured, friendly, down to earth fellows. Maybe being “of the people” is the real difference. Progs want a big government because they view themselves as part of the elite and have the will to power.

[lonestar67]

Great post.

Very enjoyable.

I would add that perhaps one of the most important reasons for Coolidge’s political success was a dictum that we desperately need to understand today.

In many instances, doing nothing is the very best thing to do.

Today, even with the Republicans winning, there is a “fear” that nothing will be done.

If the federal government were to be substantially immobilized, I believe this nation would grow well in excess of 4 or 5% GDP annually and would easily erase deficits and even debt.

It is the simple daily panics created by saying we are going to ‘adopt net neutrality’ or ‘reduce CO2 emissions by 1/3’ and on and on it goes that creates an impossible planning perspective for everyday citizens.

Who honestly knows what profound encroachment the federal government has planned next?

In a Gruberian world, we have little idea except that ‘something must be done’ by the federal government.

A return to Coolidge’s ethic is perhaps the only civic path forward for the US. It best explains why the nation keeps flipping the electoral switch trying to get a political logic which has been erased from our memories:

doing nothing does well.

[Defiant]

Imagine how much better off we’d be if Cal had run for another term. It would have only been his second full term, since he took over for Harding mid-stream. The 1929 crash would have been as short-lived as the 1919 correction, and after the rebound, there would have been no need for a New Deal, FDR, or massive changes to the nature of our government. The implications of his decision not to run are enormous. Cal, is it too late to change your mind?