Liberal media are desperate to get you to believe the Trump - Roosevelt narrative. But who really buys this kabuki theater anyways?

PGA Weblog ^

[ProgressingAmerica]

The most important 16 words of the article:

"Below the surface level, their political ideologies could not be further apart. Roosevelt was a progressive."

[ProgressingAmerica]

If anybody wants on/off the revolutionary progressivism ping list, send me a message

Progressives do not want to discuss their own history. I want to discuss their history.

Summary: A blatantly false narrative: so who benefits the most from making a Trump/TR comparison that cannot withstand simple scrutiny?

[Red Badger]

Both Roosevelt’s were................

[ProgressingAmerica]

Sadly, not everybody knows. This secret has been kept really well.

[scrabblehack]

kabuki theatre...I was under the impression that it was a pretend conflict. The combatants are pretending — something like Washington Generals vs. Harlem Globetrotters...

I don’t think Trump is pretending.

[Red Badger]

Hiding in plain sight.

Hiding behind that innocuous word ‘progressive’.....everybody want progress, right?.....so the sheeple accept ‘progressiveness’ as a ‘good deal’ ..........

[larrytown]

As much as I love the one excellent thing TR did with the creation of the NPS, along with his amazingly dynamic character - he was, otherwise, one of the worst bearers of calamity that occupied the office.

His 1912 ‘Bull Moose’ tantrum party spoiled the chance of a fine candidate ( Taft ), and brought us the horror of Woodrow Wilson, whose acts still grind at this nation’s substance.

[NurdlyPeon]

Rush would have been 74 yesterday.

[pas]

I like Dan Bongino’s take. They are telling A story not THE story.

[Vaduz]

The democrat party has been destroying the Constitution from the day it was founded the list is a long one.

It’s why things are what they are now.

Media approved (not so silent party members)

[SeanS]

The Democrat Party wasn’t around when the Constitution was written.

[Lazamataz]

The Democrat Party wasn’t around when the Constitution was written.

With DAMNED GOOD REASON, too.

[Vaduz]

True but when they arrived started to work on doing all the damage they do.

As I stated they have been trying to kill the Constitution from the day the party was founded.

[ProgressingAmerica]

That is a very good way to put it.

[nicollo]

What, Atlantic makes no comparison of the “nationalism” of TR, aka, centralization and socialism, versus the nationalism of Trump, aka patriotism?

Hmm, and which form of nationalism has Atlantic, etc. compared to Hitler?

[ProgressingAmerica]

The most important 16 words of the article:

"Below the surface level, their political ideologies could not be further apart. (Theodore) Roosevelt was a progressive."

[ProgressingAmerica]

True, they certainly move the goal posts as they please.

Still, it is rather interesting that both TRs are represented in this article.

There’s the fluffy stuffed animal Teddy that we are all taught about,

And the article is honest enough to discuss Political Theodore Roosevelt, the statist. (who stood against most of what Trump stands for today)

[BroJoeK]

ProgressingAmerica quoting: "Below the surface level, their political ideologies could not be further apart.
(Theodore) Roosevelt was a progressive."

"Progressive" is just a word that can mean whatever you might want it to mean today.
But if we look at specifics:

1. Trust-Busting:
   • Teddy Roosevelt took on big corporations -- i.e., JP Morgan, Standard Oil, American Tobacco -- that were unfairly abusing the public.
   • Donald Trump took on big corporations -- Twitter, Facebook, TikTok -- that were unfairly abusing the public.

   

2. Conservation and Environment:
   • Teddy Roosevelt created five national parks, established 150 national forests, 51 federal bird reserves, and 18 national monuments.
   • Donald Trump signed his 2018 executive order for Coral Reef Protection & restoration, 2018 Marine Debris Act to clean up debris on beaches and in oceans, and Trump's 2020 Great American Outdoors Act funded maintenance of national parks & public lands.
     At least as important: Trump also offered Federal support for major water infrastructure projects in California!!
     Tragically, that support was rejected by California's woke state government.

3. Panama Canal:
   • Teddy Roosevelt took Panama and built the Canal.
   • Donald Trump has threatened to retake the Panama Canal and may support damming the Rio Indio River to increase water supplies.

4. Safe Food and Drugs:
   • Teddy Roosevelt signed the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act into law.
   • Donald Trump in 2019 signed Executive Order 13874 --Modernizing the Regulatory Framework for Agricultural Biotechnology Products -- intending to streamline approvals of new biotechnology products.
     In 2020, Trump directed the FDA to develop a list of essential medicines which must be manufactured in the USA.

5. Law Enforcement:
   • Teddy Roosevelt reformed Federal Law Enforcement
   • Donald Trump will reform Federal Law Enforcement

   

6. Peace Through Strength:
   • Teddy Roosevelt: "Speak softly and carry a big stick."
   • Donald Trump: "In American we believe in Peace Through Strength, and that's what we will have."

7. Military experience:
   • Teddy Roosevelt was injured when grazed by a bullet while campaigning in Cuba.
   • Donald Trump was injured when grazed by a bullet while campaigning in Pennsylvania.

8. US Navy:
   • Teddy Roosevelt built the Great White Fleet, increasing the Navy's size by nearly 50% -- from 160 ships to 230 ships.
   • Donald Trump restored the US military in his first term and has promised to re-restore it by, among other things, drastically increasing US Naval warship production in his second term.

   September 1905, Treaty of Portsmouth ended Russo-Japanese War,
   Japanese victory, Republican Pres. Teddy Roosevelt won a Nobel Prize,
   Tsarist Russia suffered a democratic revolution:

   

9. International Relations:
   • Teddy Roosevelt negotiated the end of the Russo-Japanese War in 1905 -- for which he won a Nobel Peace Prize -- and also a Gentlemen's Agreement with Japan in 1907.
     
   • Donald Trump intends to negotiate an end to the Russo-Ukraine War in 2025 -- though given the sadly corrupted state of the Nobel Prize these days, that might prove unattainable for Trump.

10. 16th Amendment:
    • Teddy Roosevelt supported ratification of the 16th Amendment -- Income Taxes -- in large part to supplement & replace the old & unreliable Import Tariffs for Federal revenues.
    • Donald Trump supports the threat of higher import tariffs to protect US manufacturing jobs and increase Federal revenues.
      Trump also supports lower business taxes to encourage domestic and foreign investments in American business jobs.

11. Size and Scope of Federal Government:
    • Under Teddy Roosevelt, Federal spending fell from 3.6% of GDP to 2.5% of GDP, largely because US GDP had increased by 64%.
    • Under Donald Trump, Federal spending fell from 23.5% of GDP to 20.5% of GDP (pre-Covid).

So, which is more progressive?
Take your pick.

Has Trump ever rejected comparisons to Teddy Roosevelt?
Not that I know of.

[DiogenesLamp]

Good list. I have long compared Trump to Roosevelt, including the fact that he came from New York, and all his former "peers" are outraged that he came to be against them politically.

[ProgressingAmerica]

The wording of so many of these sections is so worthless I almost can't reply to them in any substantive way.(which I will, at least try, once I can collect what I need) Here is what they are:

1. Trust-Busting:
   • Some people did something.
   • Some people did something.

2. Conservation and Environment:
   • Some people did something.
   • Some people did something.

3. Panama Canal:
   • Some people did something.
   • Some people did something.

4. Safe Food and Drugs:
   • Some people did something.
   • Some people did something.

5. Law Enforcement:
   • Some people did something.
   • Some people did something.

6. Peace Through Strength:
   • Some people did something.
   • Some people did something.

7. Military experience:
   • Some people did something.
   • Some people did something.

8. US Navy:
   • Some people did something.
   • Some people did something.

9. International Relations:
   • Some people did something.
   • Some people did something.

10. 16th Amendment:
    • Some people did something.
    • Some people did something.

11. Size and Scope of Federal Government:
    • Some people did something.
    • Some people did something.

And of course, because some people did something well obviously they are the same. Proof!

Yeah, no.

Not even realizing that by including number 11, you canceled out several of your earlier entries. That's quite comical.

An even bigger problem with this pseudo list is what's missing. No mention of out of control use of executive orders, no mention of the attempt to nationalize the spelling of words, no mention of price controls, and no consideration of TR's own view of his own policies either.

You do yourself no favors by grasping at the dishonesty of omission.