Dschrute3
Gold Member
- Dec 10, 2016
- 15,572
- 1,871
- 290
Interesting article by Joseph Sobran
In 1960, when I was 14, I was nuts about JFK. The first one, John F. Kennedy, not the current one, John F. Kerry. I got about thirty JFK buttons from the local Democratic headquarters, pinned them all to my shirt, and wore them to school.
Mr. Elliott, my former math teacher, who had a wonderfully dry sense of humor, took one look at me and said, “Why, Joe! Have you thrown subtlety to the winds?” I loved that man. His deadpan ribbing always made me feel like an adult, which is a nice way to help a boy grow up.
Of course throwing subtlety to the winds is what politics is all about. In 1960 I didn’t realize that JFK was establishing a lasting style of campaigning for the presidency: offering “idealism” and “leadership,” meaning proposing extravagant missions for the government.
JFK’s successor, Lyndon Johnson, promised a “Great Society,” meaning a lot of new Federal programs. And even today, presidential candidates are expected to make enormous promises, entailing huge Federal spending. President Bush is talking about sending men (and women) to Mars, among other things. Many other things. And he is said to be a conservative!
Utopian reflexes have become part of the job description of the American presidency...
Read More:
Commies, Nazis, Dems, and GOP - LewRockwell LewRockwell.com
In 1960, when I was 14, I was nuts about JFK. The first one, John F. Kennedy, not the current one, John F. Kerry. I got about thirty JFK buttons from the local Democratic headquarters, pinned them all to my shirt, and wore them to school.
Mr. Elliott, my former math teacher, who had a wonderfully dry sense of humor, took one look at me and said, “Why, Joe! Have you thrown subtlety to the winds?” I loved that man. His deadpan ribbing always made me feel like an adult, which is a nice way to help a boy grow up.
Of course throwing subtlety to the winds is what politics is all about. In 1960 I didn’t realize that JFK was establishing a lasting style of campaigning for the presidency: offering “idealism” and “leadership,” meaning proposing extravagant missions for the government.
JFK’s successor, Lyndon Johnson, promised a “Great Society,” meaning a lot of new Federal programs. And even today, presidential candidates are expected to make enormous promises, entailing huge Federal spending. President Bush is talking about sending men (and women) to Mars, among other things. Many other things. And he is said to be a conservative!
Utopian reflexes have become part of the job description of the American presidency...
Read More:
Commies, Nazis, Dems, and GOP - LewRockwell LewRockwell.com
