- Nov 6, 2005
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Anyone who reads a biography of Herbert Hoover cannot help but be inspired by the early years Horatia Alger aspects of this golden boy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Hoover
Starting life as an orphan, on to Stanford and being big man on campus. A super successful career in mining, being taped to run Belgian relief efforts during WW1,
on to a Republican public political career as Secretary of Commerce, and through it,
everything he touched turned to gold. Even though his brute force tactics leave a sour taste in some, none could deny the gold.
And when Silent Calvin Coolidge opened up his mouth, and expressed reservation about running for President in 1928, the GOP mind was instantly made up, they wanted Hoover, and even when Coolidge tried to change his mind, Hoover was unstoppable. And easily won election in 1928.
Sadly for Hoover, his golden touch deserted him, because in a crisis like today's,
structural problems in prior government policy melted down some nine months and nine days after his inauguration.
And suddenly the great depression was on and the entire economy of the roaring twenties melted down.
To Hoover's credit, he was no vacation President, putting in 20 hour days, but he could not find anything in his playbook to address the problems. And while some still debate if FDR was the answer after Hoover failed, there is no denying that FDR radiated the hope that Hoover could not.
Well boys and girls, we do not know yet if a new great depression is a coming.
But when we go to the polls on 11/4/2008, we might ask, of Obama or McCain, which one might need to be like FDR and radiate hope? And which one might be more like the wasted years of Hoover?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Hoover
Starting life as an orphan, on to Stanford and being big man on campus. A super successful career in mining, being taped to run Belgian relief efforts during WW1,
on to a Republican public political career as Secretary of Commerce, and through it,
everything he touched turned to gold. Even though his brute force tactics leave a sour taste in some, none could deny the gold.
And when Silent Calvin Coolidge opened up his mouth, and expressed reservation about running for President in 1928, the GOP mind was instantly made up, they wanted Hoover, and even when Coolidge tried to change his mind, Hoover was unstoppable. And easily won election in 1928.
Sadly for Hoover, his golden touch deserted him, because in a crisis like today's,
structural problems in prior government policy melted down some nine months and nine days after his inauguration.
And suddenly the great depression was on and the entire economy of the roaring twenties melted down.
To Hoover's credit, he was no vacation President, putting in 20 hour days, but he could not find anything in his playbook to address the problems. And while some still debate if FDR was the answer after Hoover failed, there is no denying that FDR radiated the hope that Hoover could not.
Well boys and girls, we do not know yet if a new great depression is a coming.
But when we go to the polls on 11/4/2008, we might ask, of Obama or McCain, which one might need to be like FDR and radiate hope? And which one might be more like the wasted years of Hoover?