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| Source: Amazon.com |
From the book's cover:
In 1998, the late Robert Sobel, author of more than 30 books on business and politics, wrote the first biography of Calvin Coolidge in a generation. Neglected by historians, Coolidge's influence has been immense--both on American presidents like Ronald Reagan (who replaced Truman's portrait with Coolidge's in the White House cabinet room), and on the increasing libertarian spirit of American politics.
The Review:
Calvin Coolidge. I like this guy. That was my impression gleaned from reading Coolidge, An American Enigma. Here was a president who, for the most part, did what he advertised. And sure, it can be argued that his policies, mis-interpreted, led the nation along the primrose path into the Great Depression. But the book is clear to describe Coolidge as a person, so that the reader might decide for themselves if this inference is correct (I don't believe so, but that is based on the book's slant, which is pro-Coolidge in bias, I believe).
Further, I find it funny that when searching Amazon.com for Coolidge, An American Enigma, there are a number of texts that have been written since its publication on the subject of Coolidge. Is this coincidental, or is it due to the fact that Coolidge's policies appeal to some who see government as being far too ever-present in our lives today.
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| The author, Robert Sobel / Source: Wikipedia.com |
Maybe I should back up a bit and describe what I liked about Coolidge, as taken from this book. Here was a man of character. This appeals greatly to me. Too often these days we confuse people with personality as being people of character. Like the expression "he's quite a character." This would lead the hearer to believe that the person being spoken of is pretty cool; a fun individual; or even possibly somewhat of a ner'do-well. But it goes directly against the true definition of a person of character. That is, a person who has strong beliefs and values and sticks to them. Even more so, a person who tries to help others to be their best. Granted, the person in question's own beliefs may fly directly in the face of your own beliefs. We're not talking about a person who is right all the time here, after all.
As an explanation of the "wrong but well intentioned" approach, the book discusses that Coolidge was pro tariffs - and thus protectionism. Let me pontificate here, and say that excessive tariffs may be seen as part of the reason economies struggle at times, due to their influence on politics of other nations when considering trade balances. This has been seen to specific effect at numerous times during the United State's history (mind you, I am NOT an economist, and could easily be argued with by someone who IS such, so this is just my observation and is open to interpretation and debate). Needless to say, the argument I am making is that protectionism was well meant, but something of a throw-back policy, and didn't aid the U.S. economy during the 1920s in any way in proportion to the harm it caused.
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| Coolidge on the back of a train, probably doing what was at the time known as making "whistle stop" touring on campaign for re-election. Coolidge was re-elected after ascending to the presidency after the death of his predecessor, Warren G. Harding. Calvin Coolidge is unique in the annuls of the presidency, as he was first sworn into office at home by his father, who was a justice of the peace. / Source: PlymouthVermontHistoricalSociety.org |
On the other hand, Coolidge was somewhat progressive for his time in many other matters. He was something of a radical when putting forth the principle of equality among races in America (the black question, for example, as well as the Native American). But like many enlightened folks of his day, he may have spoken up, but did little to push this issue through with legislation. However, this may be attributed to the fact that Coolidge believed that legislation was not always a good thing. One of the quotes I took away from the book was something about how "a law is the beginning of legal recourse, and not the end." I'm sure I've quoted that wrong, and when I publish this review, I promise to look up the quote and put it in correctly. It sums up Coolidge's view of laws and government intervention in citizens' lives.
Of course, the book did take time to cover the oft-quoted nature of Coolidge to be a reserved and close-mouthed sort. I was disappointed that an attribution I have heard given of him was not covered. I have heard, and I don't know if it is apocryphal, that Coolidge was once told by a lady at a dinner party that she bet her husband that she could get Coolidge to say more than two words the entire evening, to which he replied "You lose." And she did. True or not, I don't know. But I get a kick out of it, just the same.
Yes, Coolidge was certainly short of speech, but at the same time he was definitely long on intent. Some of the quoted passages from his written works are wonders of eloquence, in my opinion. Of course, there are other instances of his brevity that are also both pointedly accurate and humorous at the same time. The mentioning of Coolidge having gone to church and being asked (I believe by his wife) what the minister spoke on, for instance. Coolidge responded, "Sin." He was asked what the minister specifically said about it. Coolidge replied "He was against it." This warms my heart, because as anyone knows, I often find myself wanting to cut to the chase in such a direct way when speaking aloud. Sadly, gentle reader, my blathery side gushes out when I write, though. And you are struck with the results. Sorry.
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| President Coolidge, the thirtieth president of the Unites States, is seen here about to sign into law the Cameron Bill, which authorized the construction of the Coolidge Dam in Arizona. Coolidge's presidency was marked by a period of greatly increased national output in the United States, and some attribute Coolidge's "hands-off" approach as being partly responsible for this. / Source: HistoricalStockPhotos.com |
The book covers Coolidge's life from birth to death, including extra emphasis on the periods of Harding's administration and the associated scandals of the time (Tea Pot Dome, which I recall earning about in Junior High and thinking this must have happened about 300 years ago... how age alters the vistas we have...), as well as the rumblings before the stock market crash and the beginning of the Great Depression. This latter was quite interesting, as I have not read much about the period before the Depression hit, and found it fascinating how the speculation on the health of the market was preset as it is today, in many ways. Some people said something was coming, including Calvin Coolidge, but nobody could accurately predict how bad it would be. And many said, "Oh, its no big thing," or even said that there would be a small decline before things continued onward to ever greater heights. Few truly predicted the dire nature of the calamity coming, but it is interesting to see just what inkling there was about the coming downturn. The book refers to the dot-com bubble of the late 90s as an analogy in our modern day. I couldn't help but think that, had the book been written after the 2008 market crash, there would have been even more correlation. Perhaps this is another reason Coolidge has become a subject of discussion in our day.
In the end, the book was quite good, and I recommend it. It was slow in places, at least for me. In fact, there were times I thought it would never end. After all, the same mind-numbingly boring stuff we sometimes see dealt with in government today was happening then too. It is worth reading about though. It gives us a better appreciation for the way in which our nation has grown, and the way in which it has remained much the same.
Learn more about Coolidge: An American Enigma on Amazon.com
The parting comment:
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| Source: LOLSnaps.com |
Atta' dog.
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