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Give 'em Hell, George
The American Thinker ^ | 2/1/2006 | Steve Marmer

Posted on 02/01/2006 4:24:48 PM PST by saveliberty

Give 'em hell, George
January 31st, 2006


 

 

One of the great ironies beneath the hatred by Democrats of President George W. Bush is that the president whom Bush most closely resembles is one of the great heroes of the Democratic Party, President Harry S Truman.  The similarities between Presidents Bush and Truman are so obvious that it is a wonder that they have not been highlighted earlier. 

These two men, disdained during their presidencies, faced plummeting poll numbers, presided over unpopular foreign military actions, and were committed to using American power to promote and defend democracy even when other countries objected.  Each won reelection and pursued his policies despite fierce attacks from opponents and eroding political support within his own party.  

Like President Bush, President Truman was regarded as an intellectual lightweight.  Both were thought of as inarticulate and bumbling in their speech.  Each shared a combination of Southwestern and Midwestern twang to go along with the geographic values of their home regions. 

The mainstream media reviled both President Bush and President Truman.  Yet each won highly controversial elections.  Fortunately in 1948 even oppositional mainstream media did not accuse Truman of electoral fraud.  Can you imagine what David Boies, Warren Christopher, and Al Gore could have made of the infamous “Dewey Defeats Truman” headline had they been working for candidate Thomas Dewey? 

Truman and Bush both believed in the projection of American power throughout the world.  In the pursuit of that power each used the United Nations when the UN was useful to the United States – Truman in Korea and Bush in Afghanistan.  Yet each did not hesitate to create alternative coalitions of the willing when the situation demanded.  Think of NATO for Truman and Iraq for Bush. 

And at times each was willing for the US to go it alone, as with the Truman Doctrine to save Greece from a Communist takeover. 

Each involved the United States in what became in political terms an unpopular war.  In Korea there are still nearly 35,000 American troops over fifty years after the cease-fire.  General Eisenhower ran against the war by saying that if elected he would “go to Korea,” and part of his success came from campaigning against that war.  Currently the opposition party believes it can defeat or weaken Bush by running against the war in Iraq. 

Truman was president when another nation – The Soviet Union – developed nuclear weapons, partially with the help of Leftist scientists in the West.  Bush is president while another hostile and dangerous opponent – Iran – is attempting to develop nuclear weapons, also with the help of sympathetic scientists outside their country. 

No president had lower job approval ratings than President Truman, 22% at their lowest, yet he demonstrated his greatest political strength when he campaigned directly against the opposition party – The “Do Nothing” 86th Congress.  President Bush’s job approval ratings declined after attempting to win opposition leader Senator Harry Reid’s approval with the Harriet Meirs nomination to the Supreme Court.  He too has been at his strongest when engaged in a campaign directly against the opposition party, as in 2002 and 2004, and weakest when he has attempted compromise with them. 

Finally, no presidents have been greater friends and supporters of Israel than President Harry S Truman and President George W. Bush.  Truman made the United States the first nation to recognize the State of Israel.  Bush has supported Israel’s efforts to protect itself with the security fence and had been the first president to demand real reform from the Palestinian Authority. 

Some may say that differences in domestic matters eclipse their foreign policy and national security similarities.  President Truman was a liberal while President Bush is a conservative.  Yet President Truman angered the unions when he used the Taft-Hartley Act to end the steel strike, and President Bush initiated the largest increase in Medicare since its inception, each angering many members of their respective parties. 

In retrospect President Truman is now a revered figure.  His inarticulateness is now seen as “plain speaking.”  His stubbornness is now seen as determination.  His actions in Korea helped spread democracy and produce all the “Asian Tiger” economies of that region.  And his initiatives outside of the UN, such as NATO and in Greece, are regarded as huge American successes that contributed greatly to peace and stability. 

Time will tell whether President Bush, like President Truman, will be as revered by history as he was reviled while in office.  I am inclined to believe he will.

Dr. Steven Marmer is a psychiatrist in Southern California.

 

Steven Marmer
 



TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: georgewbush; gwot; harrystruman; presidents
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To: saveliberty

Truman was of the era of Scoop Jackson, Estes Kefauver, and even Adlai Stevenson-men with whom you might have disagreed with but who you could respect because they had some measure of integrity. The weasles running the show today take all their cues from George McGovern and Jimmah Cahtah.


41 posted on 02/02/2006 5:01:34 AM PST by WestVirginiaRebel (The Democratic Party-Jackass symbol, jackass leaders, jackass supporters.)
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To: WestVirginiaRebel

Truman did his best to keep conservative Democrats. Stevenson was charming but do we know if he would have used the IRS as JFK did to shut down conservative think tanks?

The argument that libs have that Stevenson lost was that his image was that he was a funny man. And that he was "too smart".

I would like to see more loyal opposition, but then again, look what they did to Moynihan


42 posted on 02/02/2006 5:05:58 AM PST by saveliberty (Proud to be Head Snowflake, Bushbot and a new member of Sam's Club)
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To: kevinm13
I saved all papers and magazines from 9/11. Also Afghan and Iraq war. Books: All of Bill Sammon's books (and I especially recommend the one about Gore trying to steal the election in 2000 because it explains exactly what was going on and why we were so outraged). I have saved campaign materials, and videos and dvd's of the conventions and the Inaugurations. Also have dvd's of significant speeches and news conferences.

My recollections are taking longer to put down, aaaas every event seems to require tons of explanation about events preceding it. I am alsao assembling a list of bookmarked threads that will give eyewitness accounts of things...live threads from the Florida Court cases, the conventions, election niights, etc.

It is especially important to me that this be done so that a truthful record will go forward. I am sure the future Bush library will have the same information, but the fact is that most of us don't get to visit presidential libraries, and I want this information accessible to my family.

43 posted on 02/02/2006 5:46:38 AM PST by Miss Marple (Lord, please look after Mozart Lover's son and keep him strong.)
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To: saveliberty

Interesting post. I had never made the connection.


44 posted on 02/02/2006 9:24:30 AM PST by del4hope (It is time to dust off US sedition and treason laws.)
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To: del4hope

:-) Me either. But I enjoyed reading it


45 posted on 02/02/2006 9:25:54 AM PST by saveliberty (Proud to be Head Snowflake, Bushbot and a new member of Sam's Club)
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To: saveliberty
My point is the Republicans were a loyal opposition who wanted the good of the country but doubted Truman's ability to deliver it - and the present Dems are not. Not remotely. They want defeat because they think victory helps their political opponents.
46 posted on 02/02/2006 4:15:20 PM PST by JasonC
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To: JasonC

I agree with that, but I was pointing out that the taunting and name calling was coming from his own party.


47 posted on 02/02/2006 4:17:51 PM PST by saveliberty (Proud to be Head Snowflake, Bushbot and a new member of Sam's Club)
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To: JasonC

Which, now that I think of it, makes another comparison between the two.


48 posted on 02/02/2006 4:18:43 PM PST by saveliberty (Proud to be Head Snowflake, Bushbot and a new member of Sam's Club)
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