Doris Kearns Goodwin Quotes
There is an absurd concentration on an election which never starts and never ends.
In the past American elections campaigning only occurred for a few months prior to the election. By 2015, there was a constant Presidential and Congressional campaign ongoing where fundraising became a constant and continuous process.
Doris Kearns Goodwin, Historian, PBS The Charlie Rose Show, January 20, 2015
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
Roosevelt was such a breath of fresh air as a politician that cynical political journalists saw him as almost a savior of American politics at the time. His dynamic personality, independence from outside influence, and his enthusiasm for reforming the out of control corporate dominated society without destroying the corporations like Bryan and the populists, attracted many who had never before supported any politician.
That is not terribly different from other democracies including the United States.
The President’s party in Congress stands election every two years, so the president only has a little more than a year to get tough things done. The mayor, in contrast, had a four term and because he was a bipartisan independent representing both parties, didn’t need to campaign for his party members on the City Council. Therefore, he thought, that it was easier for him to take a controversial position and spend the time to persuade the people and build support for the position.
Hamilton pointed out that there is always a philosophical conflict between impeachment of an elected official and the right of the people to choose their own representatives. Both have very important and noble reasons supporting them. The founding fathers compromised by allowing impeachment, but making it very difficult.
This is a wonderful historical picture of FDR on his campaign train. Note that the President liked to listen to ideas of many people. Unlike most Presidents he did not have any particular political programs that he advocated in his campaigning. He had no immediate answers to the Great Depression that he had inherited from the Hoover administration. But unlike Hoover, and most Presidents, he was willing to try ideas for which there was no advance evidence of success. If that did not help, he would try something else. He sought ideas from anyone and everyone. His enemies called him a weak leader who had no ideology—no principles but just trying unproven solutions to solve the nation’s critical problems. But it worked and he was elected 4 times—the only President who had served even 3 terms.
And the New York press is probably the most difficult and cynical in the world.
He had been awarded The Onassis Prize For Man and Mankind.
This quotation illustrates a unique aspect about the FDR presidency. It was more open than any previous and most subsequent. Today, some enterprising reporter might find out that the President did not care for the food he was getting for breakfast and lunch and changes were being made. This would be an exclusive and then be echoed by the media. But Mrs. Roosevelt, not only let this type of thing “all hang out” but literally published the story herself. Although few White Houses have done this, it gave the Roosevelt White House one advantage. Since they were the first to report most stories, they could frame the issue before someone else—perhaps hostile could. And no one did this better than Eleanor Roosevelt. Mrs. Nesbitt was the White House Chef, only since she was a woman she was called the “White House Cook”.
Doris Helen Kearns Goodwin is an American biographer, historian, former sports journalist and political commentator.
