Roosevelt was the first of the people, not party, presidents that have been attacked for not being a conservative party worshipper. He didn’t agree with the business as usual effort. He wanted change. He was very popular with the people vote in the primaries:
What was afoot in Chicago failed to reflect the party’s true spirit, Roosevelt argued. Taft’s poor showing in the primaries — which were held for the first time — indicated that most Republicans preferred T.R.’s progressive platform over his rival’s more conservative approach.
All in all, La Follette won 36 primary delegates, Taft 48 and Roosevelt 278. However, 36 of the 48 states did not hold primaries; their delegates were chosen at statewide conventions, where, for the most part, the GOP “regulars” favored Taft.
“His hatred for Conservatism was such that he sabotaged President Taft’s reelection to foist the Marxist Wilson on America.”
As the convention opened, the Roosevelt and Taft forces appeared to be evenly matched. A battle over delegate credentials ensued, with Taft emerging victorious, and Roosevelt claiming that several delegations had been fraudulently seated.
“No GOP President in 100 years since has achieved that (not Reagan or Trump).”
You may want to look up Trump’s economy swing and check to see how he did it.
Trump in may ways a lot like Roosevelt. He hated the liberal party and he strongly dislike the lameness of the conservatives. He wanted improvement and not just business as usual. And for that his own party went after him. That was why Roosevelt left them and was approached by a third party and made president by the people. Same thing with Trump only he stayed to repair the party and Roosevelt left it. And you can see how Trump was treated by his own party for staying.
Roosevelt’s ideas for the party were so good he was voted in for his ideas as a third party. In all realities, so was Trump.
wy69
Taft was more or less following the policies that Roosevelt had laid down during his own term. It wasn’t Taft who changed. It was Roosevelt, who took up more radical causes after he left office. TR’s big ego was a big factor in his change. So were the many people who were willing to appeal to his big ego to get what they wanted. Probably more of the people who voted for Roosevelt when he ran in 1904 favored TR over Taft in 1912, but they weren’t part of the Republican Party machinery and hadn’t worked for the party over the years.
I’m not sure where you’re contesting what I said in my disputing your claim TR was a Conservative. If anything, you’re confirming exactly what I said.
Roosevelt deeply regretted his promise to not run again in 1908 and when Taft didn’t act like his puppet, he used that as an excuse to try to depose him in 1912 (which he still couldn’t do in-party. I’d say those statewide conventioneers recognized TR rightly as a menace in staying true to Taft). He could’ve played the statesman, withdrawn his candidacy, urged the party to stay united behind Taft in the 1912 general and to not split the party with the 3rd party Progressives for Congress and other downballot offices.
By doing so, TR could’ve preserved his viability for becoming the GOP nominee in 1916. Nope, his ego wouldn’t let him do it, and so we got the disastrous Wilson as a result.
“You may want to look up Trump’s economy swing and check to see how he did it.”
I was talking about President Harding. It was not a dig at President Trump, nor even at Reagan. Harding and his Treasury Secretary, Andrew Mellon (arguably the greatest Treasury Secretary) was the last President who cut the size of the government, taxes, and spending across the board. Reagan couldn’t, because he had a Democrat House that wouldn’t allow him to do so. Trump similarly was not able to do all 3 (he wasn’t helped by a RINO Speaker & Senate Majority Leader). Both Reagan and Trump were still successful with stimulating economic growth, BUT not actually cutting the government itself is what has been the problem now for almost a century. Why the base has been enraged by promises from Republicans to “cut/cut/cut” since the 1930s that were never carried out.
In 2025, President Trump is going to need to be Harding-Mellon on steroids. Ruthless and merciless government cuts, not decreases in the increase in gov’t spending, actual trillions in cuts in spending, elimination of departments, a full-scale nuking of the heart of the Derp State bureaucracy. Scatter the agencies to small towns across America. Make it absolutely miserable for people to commit to any more than a short period of time in gov’t service. It should be a sacrifice, not a way to get a lifetime sinecure and perks and social standing in Georgetown.