Harry Truman for. President

I think FDR was in office when I was born, but Truman was the first president I was aware of. That must have been a very old car to have a Truman for President bumper sticker, or maybe someone was trying to make a point that I can't understand. Maybe it was just to make me wonder about what it meant.
 
I wasn't born yet then, but I never remembered Truman being spoken of in a positive light.
When Harry S. Truman left office in January 1953, his approval ratings were among the lowest of any modern U.S. president. Gallup polls at the time recorded his approval at a dismal 32%, and at one point, it dipped even lower, reaching 22% in 1952. His presidency was marred by controversies, the Korean War, economic struggles, and fierce political opposition. Yet, over the decades, Truman’s legacy has undergone a remarkable transformation. Today, many historians and scholars rank him among the top 10 presidents in American history. How did this shift happen, and what can we learn from Truman’s journey from unpopular to historically respected?
Click to expand...
Harry Truman’s Approval Ratings: From Unpopular to Historically Respected - U.S. Presidents

It seems that there has been a massive campaign of historical revision. He was the LBJ of his time, for good and for ill.
 
dilettante said:
I wasn't born yet then, but I never remembered Truman being spoken of in a positive light.

Harry Truman’s Approval Ratings: From Unpopular to Historically Respected - U.S. Presidents

It seems that there has been a massive campaign of historical revision. He was the LBJ of his time, for good and for ill.
Click to expand...
That was all about his firing MacArthur. That general should have been given the boot long before Harry came along, and he is the only one who had the courage to do it. He never minced words. That "Give 'em hell, Harry," was well-earned. On his desk was a sign, The buck stops here. He was not afraid to take the heat and I remember this well as I was old enough to do so. I was 21 when he left office.

The LBJ of his time? What a stupid misnomer that is. Roosevelt should never have sought a 3rd nor 4th term. He was a sick puppy at the end, and Truman stepped up to the bat and took the bull by the horns.

I don't pay attention to approval ratings, polls, etc. If I am a witness to the performance of any politician, that is how I judge them.
 
Let's see.

There was turning a blind eye to the terrorism in Palestine, the Korean war, selling out of the American working class (globalism), all but formally establishing the military-industrial complex, and assuring US entry into Vietnam. Anyone disagreeing with him were quietly cursed as "crackpots" or "children."
 
Truman and Ike will always be at the top of my list for representing what a President should be. Harry had the cajones to approve using the nukes to end the war with Japan, and to fire MacArthur. Ike warned us (in vain, but he tried) about the military-industrial complex, and also had the foresight to begin the interstate highway system, amongst other things.
 
Lewkat said:
That was all about his firing MacArthur. That general should have been given the boot long before Harry came along, and he is the only one who had the courage to do it. He never minced words. That "Give 'em hell, Harry," was well-earned. On his desk was a sign, The buck stops here. He was not afraid to take the heat and I remember this well as I was old enough to do so. I was 21 when he left office.

The LBJ of his time? What a stupid misnomer that is. Roosevelt should never have sought a 3rd nor 4th term. He was a sick puppy at the end, and Truman stepped up to the bat and took the bull by the horns.

I don't pay attention to approval ratings, polls, etc. If I am a witness to the performance of any politician, that is how I judge them.
Click to expand...
I agree Truman got a lot of bad press about the firing of McArthur. McArthur was an ego maniac, who thought he was the 'real' President.
 
I got to wondering. I've heard some good reports from people getting help from AI chat bots. I wonder in a few years, if we could elect an AI president and even a congress that would make decisions based on best outcomes for the country as a whole. An AI bot would be blind to race, gender and class, and just make decisions only from reliable data. There would be no reason for a two or three party system, since the bots would quickly filter out the political bullshit from each party.

Of course, some people would not be happy, but the president and congress could be recalled at any time by a simple majority vote from humans. How much money would be saved from salaries and campaign contributions to politicians? How much more could be saved from pork barrel projects. A government driven by facts and data, rather than power and greed.
 
Some folks called him "Harry the haberdasher". Some others were less kind.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top