Posted on 11/10/2008 1:28:11 AM PST by Chet 99
Allan J. Lichtman, Professor of History, American University
Don't Govern From the Middle - Nov 7, 2008
The key lesson from America's most notable transformational presidents of modern times -- Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan is: "don't govern from the middle." Great presidents don’t move to the middle they move the middle to them by changing the conversation about government and implementing programs that work. That is what FDR did for liberal governance in the 1930s and Reagan for conservative governance in the 1980s.
No political leader in the history of the government has gained major political success or produced fundamental changes in national policy by attempting to move to the middle. Rather the so-called “center” of American politics is the graveyard of mediocre one-term presidents like William Howard Taft, Herbert Hoover, George H. W. Bush, and Jimmy Carter. The centrist presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Bill Clinton won two terms in office, but they both lost control of Congress in their first term and failed to pass on the presidency to a candidate of their party.
By following the examples of Roosevelt and Reagan, Obama can prove that it is possible to learn from history and not merely be condemned to repeat the mistakes of the past.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.google.com ...
Interesting “take” from a liberal history professor. Worth noting as Republicans like Ahnold and others like him push the idea that Republicans need to drop all conservative ideals and run as RINOs.
From a conservative prospective, I believe that the best thing would be for Zero to go all out with the help of his band of rats in the U.S. Congress and enact the most “progressive” agenda the country has ever seen. Once done, the American people will be so repulsed that Congress will change hands in two years and the “chosen one” can spend his next two years in office promoting midnight basketball.
What an imbecile. A typical cul-de-sac, ivory tower liberal who cherry picks facts and creates a spurious argument.
FDR was an awful president and prolonged the depression. Nor should be political success by the primary aim of any president; sound governance is. This guy wants Barry to go as far left as possible to fulfill his marxist agenda, no matter the cost to the American people. What a douchebag.
Here’s a word of advice: Ignore any and all university professors who don’t have a science or math degree. Ignore the remaining professors if they are talking about a subject outside their field of expertise.
You’ll save yourself from listening to a lot of lies and conjecture.
Totally agree.
This overly educated POS simply proves my point that is based up decades of belief based upon I witness; “those that can “do” and those that can’t “teach.”
This guy is nothing more than “hard left” Dan Rather wannabe...
If this “F’n” genius is so GD smart...why is he hiding out in a university...hhhhuuuummmm.....
When I was attending university, this after spending just my first 10 years in the Navy — I was actually confronted by a professor about something I had written in a research paper (I hadn’t cited several of my main points in reference to Desert Shield/Storm) and when he confronted me on it I told him that it was from my memory and from actually be there -— his face turned red and told me to prove it...it just happened I could prove it with some unclassified situation reports...which I sent to the professor, along with a copy to the Dean of my Department...I received a rather nice apology letter from the POS professor.
I always say, if you can read about — then you should do it or have done it.
What does this jackass know about leading a country?
Telling obie to lead from the lead will only cause problems...I guarantee it, and I don’t need some GD professor to tell me that.
LLS
There are obviously many psychopaths on both ends of the political spectrum.
All presidents should take their advice from egotistic gasbags like Allen.
Bye-the-bye, nice toupee ya got there, Al.
Looks like the Nina Burleigh kneepad factory is going to need a third shift to accommodate the demand for the new Chairman Hussein models.
When the majority is on the receiving end of socialism and the minority is on the giving end, the giving end loses.
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