Is anyone watching the new Ken Burns' documentary about the Roosevelts?
Fascinating stuff, especially the TR era. During that era Democrats and Republicans were just as alienated from each other as they are today,and the differences between the parties were more about their religious, cultural and regional constituencies than about their policies, which weren't all that far apart. Both parties were racist (although the Republicans a shade less--they at least appointed black people to federal positions and fostered their votes), both were beholden to special interests devoted to lining their own pockets, and both were run by hooligans posing as party bosses.
And, in terms of saying stupid tings, TR himself was a master. He was a racist, an imperialist, a warmonger and intolerant of opposiing views. He really was the very Teflon president, bulldozing nearly everything he wanted to get done through a Congress dominated by old-school Republicans. Even though he never left the Republican party (except for his ill-dated presidentail campaign in 2012), and believed the capitalism was the best way, he really became the nation's first quasi-socialist president. But, boy, he said a lot of stupid things.
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