I have long considered Harry Truman as one of, if not my favorite, President. This book which centers on the famed election of 1948 is very interesting. For me though I learned some things, saw Harry Truman from a different point of view.
Each author has his own viewpoint, his own set of glasses he sees his subject through. For me it becomes apparent that Pietrusza is not fan of Harry Truman. It would seem that he feels Truman lowbrow in his tastes and in over his head in talent. More importantly however, he makes a case that backs his opinion abut more forcefully than I have seen in the past.
I believe Truman was a very good President. Certainly my knowledge of the fact that unlike today's politicians he made decisions based on a perception of what is right versus what was politically expedient helps ones opinion of him.
Still he was politically expedient in some cases. His decisions on Civil Rights were part of a political calculation, still his opinions on race did change as a result of the treatment of blacks in returning from the war. Even then his opinions on Jews and Negores were never completely modernized. The difference is that although not totally comfortable and with some backwards opinions he was the President that integreated the armed services and that overrode his Secretary of State George Marshall to recognize Israel.
Truman was a product of the Pendergast machine, some never forgave him for that. Perhaps worse than that he was not FDR, the man he followed. Truman did resort to demagogary in his 1948 campaign. It was a hard campaign.
The author shows us not just Truman however but Henry Wallace the former Vice President, manipulated into running and used by the Communists, Strom Thurmond whose Dixecrats rebelling against Civil Rights hoped to throw the election into the House, and of course Tom Dewey who just thought if he hibernated for six months he would wake up and be President.
An interesting book but one in which it from my viewpoint the author's prejuidices are clear. That is ok, just different. Dewey was a strong candidate, he just did not run a good campaign. What that says about our political system one can wonder about.
Showing posts with label Harry Truman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Harry Truman. Show all posts
Monday, February 6, 2012
Friday, February 18, 2011
Colonel Roosevelt by Edmund Morris
Having finished this book last night at 2:30 in the morning after a bout of insomnia I can attest that the Edmund Morris three volume set on the life of Theodore Roosevelt might be the best I have read. Of course Dumas Malone's Jefferson set is not one I have tackled yet and Robert Car's LBJ set has not been finished. That set, too, is a wonder.
Truman and TR have long been my two favorite Presidents and this book did nothing to change that. Morris certainly took his time between volumes.
Teddy Roosevelt had a life of adventure long before he became President yet he was very young when thrust into the Presidency upon the death of McKinley by an assassin's bullet. In 1908 Roosevelt chose not to run for another term as President considering the 7 years he had served by the end of his elected term to be close enough to the two term limit that President's had traditionally self imposed on them.
Things changed when Roosevelt's handpicked successor William Howard Taft did not follow the course that T R thought he had defined.
This, the third book in the series tells the story of Roosevelt's life after the Presidency. His trip to Africa, his tour of Europe as the Leader of the World even after he had relinquished his Presidency. The election of 1912 brought the split and the formation of the progressive Bull Moose party. If Republicans had picked the right horse we would not have Woodrow Wilson as President and certainly would have been more prepared for World War I and perhaps involved earlier. The what if's of what this might have meant to History are intriguing. Perhaps the Bolshevik's would not have succeeded in Russia if the war had not become so desperate for them with America's earlier entry. We will never know.
The story of his trip to South America has been well documented in other books and was a story that could and has easily merited full volumes. Roosevelt was a factor in the election of 1916.
Much of the later book tells of his development of his children, their development, and eventual part in World War I.
Roosevelt disagreed with Wilson's approach to World War I both before and after the United States entering. It was an assumed fact that Roosevelt would be the Republican nomination for the Presidency in 1920. It did not happen as Roosevelt's health deteriorated quickly. It was, again, a great loss to the world.
I cannot be impartial. When reading biographies of people in history we know how they end. They die. The world moves on. Reading this book I did feel a sadness when he died, the same thing happened to me at the end of the Truman bio. No matter how great the LBJ biography series by Robert Caro is, and it is wonderful, I do not see myself having the same feeling when the fourth book is published and we come to the end of LBJ.
T R was a force of life. He was not perfect. He was a man. He was a leader of great ability. Most people and even most Presidents have nothing like the influence he had on this country. When Obama was elected the pundits spoke of perhaps a new FDR, with big business, The Supreme Court, and the Republicans all in the boat together perhaps what we really need is another T R.
Truman and TR have long been my two favorite Presidents and this book did nothing to change that. Morris certainly took his time between volumes.
Teddy Roosevelt had a life of adventure long before he became President yet he was very young when thrust into the Presidency upon the death of McKinley by an assassin's bullet. In 1908 Roosevelt chose not to run for another term as President considering the 7 years he had served by the end of his elected term to be close enough to the two term limit that President's had traditionally self imposed on them.
Things changed when Roosevelt's handpicked successor William Howard Taft did not follow the course that T R thought he had defined.
This, the third book in the series tells the story of Roosevelt's life after the Presidency. His trip to Africa, his tour of Europe as the Leader of the World even after he had relinquished his Presidency. The election of 1912 brought the split and the formation of the progressive Bull Moose party. If Republicans had picked the right horse we would not have Woodrow Wilson as President and certainly would have been more prepared for World War I and perhaps involved earlier. The what if's of what this might have meant to History are intriguing. Perhaps the Bolshevik's would not have succeeded in Russia if the war had not become so desperate for them with America's earlier entry. We will never know.
The story of his trip to South America has been well documented in other books and was a story that could and has easily merited full volumes. Roosevelt was a factor in the election of 1916.
Much of the later book tells of his development of his children, their development, and eventual part in World War I.
Roosevelt disagreed with Wilson's approach to World War I both before and after the United States entering. It was an assumed fact that Roosevelt would be the Republican nomination for the Presidency in 1920. It did not happen as Roosevelt's health deteriorated quickly. It was, again, a great loss to the world.
I cannot be impartial. When reading biographies of people in history we know how they end. They die. The world moves on. Reading this book I did feel a sadness when he died, the same thing happened to me at the end of the Truman bio. No matter how great the LBJ biography series by Robert Caro is, and it is wonderful, I do not see myself having the same feeling when the fourth book is published and we come to the end of LBJ.
T R was a force of life. He was not perfect. He was a man. He was a leader of great ability. Most people and even most Presidents have nothing like the influence he had on this country. When Obama was elected the pundits spoke of perhaps a new FDR, with big business, The Supreme Court, and the Republicans all in the boat together perhaps what we really need is another T R.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Truman
This was an HBO movie about 15 years ago. It was one long before HBO started making the wonderful shows such as John Adams etc but it was still well done.
After having read the book the movie was for me a bit of a letdown as many details had to be left out and of course alot of background was missing.
Gary Sinise was very good in the movie but I found the makeup a little offputting. My understanding of history was that Truman was not as old looking as they made him out to be.
Still it was a good movie. Truman was a great President and left office very unpopular. The issue is that Truman made decisions that were right but not always popular. Presidents today always have their finger in the wind. Truman did not do that.
Truman is still my favorite President.
After having read the book the movie was for me a bit of a letdown as many details had to be left out and of course alot of background was missing.
Gary Sinise was very good in the movie but I found the makeup a little offputting. My understanding of history was that Truman was not as old looking as they made him out to be.
Still it was a good movie. Truman was a great President and left office very unpopular. The issue is that Truman made decisions that were right but not always popular. Presidents today always have their finger in the wind. Truman did not do that.
Truman is still my favorite President.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Truman by David McCullough
I love Presidents. I love learning about them. Some are very interesting and some are characters that seem black and white and incapable of coloration. A good author can certainly help a subject. David McCullough did a great job with this book of Truman.
I read this book over 10 years ago. I reread this recently as I just wanted to revisit my good friend Harry. My favorite President Harry Truman.
The last President raised on the farm. Did not go to college. He was a man of nineteenth century values in the first half of the twentieth century. He was not elected President but became President in the war and after the death of the greatest President we had ever had. He had to make some of the toughest decision ever made by a President. He held the line in Korea but did not allow the war to get out of hand. The Berlin Airlift is one of the greatest post war achievement and underrated. He made the decision on Macarthur and stood firm in the withering criticism. He knew that history would see him correct in his decision. He married late but was a man of strong virtue. Loyalty to his friends was a curse he wore proudly. Honor meant something to him. He was by everything I have read a man of incredible decency and sincerity. Today in a day of polls deciding what color ties to wear on our leaders he made no decision that was wrong in order to gain votes. In most cases his decisions of note were extremely unpopular at the time.
No President has looked better in the rear view mirror than Harry S Truman and no President makes our current crop of leaders looks smaller in his reflection. This man was a hero. He is my favorite President still and always.
I read this book over 10 years ago. I reread this recently as I just wanted to revisit my good friend Harry. My favorite President Harry Truman.
The last President raised on the farm. Did not go to college. He was a man of nineteenth century values in the first half of the twentieth century. He was not elected President but became President in the war and after the death of the greatest President we had ever had. He had to make some of the toughest decision ever made by a President. He held the line in Korea but did not allow the war to get out of hand. The Berlin Airlift is one of the greatest post war achievement and underrated. He made the decision on Macarthur and stood firm in the withering criticism. He knew that history would see him correct in his decision. He married late but was a man of strong virtue. Loyalty to his friends was a curse he wore proudly. Honor meant something to him. He was by everything I have read a man of incredible decency and sincerity. Today in a day of polls deciding what color ties to wear on our leaders he made no decision that was wrong in order to gain votes. In most cases his decisions of note were extremely unpopular at the time.
No President has looked better in the rear view mirror than Harry S Truman and no President makes our current crop of leaders looks smaller in his reflection. This man was a hero. He is my favorite President still and always.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
