Just heard this today on MSNB. John McCain, "I'm a Teddy Roosevelt Republican."

A Teddy Roosevelt Republican... you mean the kind that stops being a Republican when his party left him behind? The kind who leaves the Republican party -- to found the Progressive Party? That kind of Republican? The kind of Republican whose name on the national ballot allows a Democrat to take office?

I'm sure he's right on one of those counts.

I've studied Teddy Roosevelt...John McCain your no Teddy Roosevelt.

"If a man does not have an ideal and try to live up to it, then he becomes a mean, base and sordid creature, no matter how successful."
Letter to his son Kermit, quoted in Theodore Roosevelt by Joseph Bucklin Bishop, 1915

The only thing McCain has in common with TR is the belief that war is something glorious and noble. Roosevelt, however, changed this belief after Kermit, his youngest and favorite son was killed in action during WWI. In my opinion, McCain could lose any and all that are dear to him, and still think war is a wonderful thing. I wonder if McCain had been on the swampy ground with the Marines or the Army, instead of above it all in a Navy bomber, his view of war would be quite different.

You would think after 5 years as a POW he wouldn't be such a war monger.

speaking of Roosevelt, I like his quote

"This country has nothing to fear from the crooked man who fails. We put him in jail. It is the crooked man who succeeds who is a threat to this country."
Memphis, TN, October 25, 1905

"these days if the crooked man's greed is not quenched buy destroying a countries economy, the government must provide more money, and jail those who oppose it. Because those who oppose are a threat to this greed" -myself

TR was also an imperialist, and a racist in the White Man's Burden sort of way. Got to help guide and lift up our "little brown brothers." Pretty much a man of his times in that way.

But I respect him for his stand against corporate greed and power, his assertion that the rich have a special obligation to give back to the society which made their wealth possible, and for his support for conservation. Just wish that the latter wasn't coupled with such a love of shooting things.

PS
I think TR would find John McCain kind of pathetic.

True, but that was his Republican coming out. We have to take into consideration the times when revering our ancestors. I'm just thankful we've moved beyond those prejudices. We've evolved so to speak

I know, it was the times he lived in. Few people can rise above everything. On the whole, he did pretty well. And whether you agreed with him or not, he was honest, thoughtful in the intellectual sense, and had integrity. I can't think of many Republicans you can say that about today. Certainly not McCain.

One of my favorite Teddy Roosevelt quotes:

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President... is morally treasonable to the American public."

I fault no one for an honest stand on anything. It's liars and thieves I can't stomach.

Liblaw--I have a book from the 70's it is titled The Authentic Wild West by James D Horan. He was a real RW author and journalist, but he nails Teddys views, he covers his time on the Great Plains as a deputy sheriff, and by reading that chapter on Teddy, I believe that if he were alive today, he would literaly kick Shrubs ass if they were in the same room, and Darth, well, he'd give him the 9th and final heart attack just by getting in Darth's face. Teddy is a Dem in my mind.

I'll have to check that one out. It's guys like Chimp and Dick that caused Teddy to form the Bullmoose party

http://www.theodoreroosevelt.org/life/bullmoose.htm

two quotes really seem to be timeless;

As a matter of personal conviction, and without pretending to discuss the details or formulate the system, I feel that we shall ultimately have to consider the adoption of some such scheme as that of a progressive tax on all fortunes, beyond a certain amount, either given in life or devised or bequeathed upon death to any individual – a tax so framed as to put it out of the power of the owner of one of these enormous fortunes to hand on more than a certain amount to any one individual; the tax of course, to be imposed by the national and not the state government. Such taxation should, of course, be aimed merely at the inheritance or transmission in their entirety of those fortunes swollen beyond all healthy limits.
– Theodore Roosevelt, speech, "The Man With The Muck Rake" (April 15, 1906)

At the risk of repetition let me say again that my plea is not for immunity to, but for the most unsparing exposure of, the politician who betrays his trust, of the big business man who makes or spends his fortune in illegitimate or corrupt ways. There should be a resolute effort to hunt every such man out of the position he has disgraced. Expose the crime, and hunt down the criminal; but remember that even in the case of crime, if it is attacked in sensational, lurid, and untruthful fashion, the attack may do more damage to the public mind than the crime itself.
– Theodore Roosevelt, speech, "The Man With The Muck Rake" (April 15, 1906)

These two were in response to the TeaPot dome affair...

Liblaw--Awesome, you have rendered me speechless, Teddy was for the inheritance tax, and for holding the rich accountable for fraud perpetuated on the American investor, and that's what we have now, a fraud on the American investor. The average American does not invest, they might have a 401k but they are not active in the markets. Teddy would shit a brick, and throw it at shrub, from a close range. BTW that book details his account of tracking down and arresting 3 outlaws for horse theft, great reading. I got the series from an old friend. Also, he was good friends with Bat Masterson.

He saw the dangers in the accumulation of wealth. With wealth comes power and that power in someone that the citizenry did not elect is a dangerous thing. TeaPot Dome was a prime example of too much wealth, buying power.

Crap, now I have to do more research, is there no end with you?

that's what they made search engines for

sound familiar?


http://hnn.us/articles/550.html

Liblaw--Well yeah, but I was hoping to have a non-research evening!!! I guess I was wrong! All you brainiacs take the fun out of life!!!!

Sorry bro.

As a Native American, I think I can pardon Teddy for calling us savages; I mean, we were living in tents.

I can't. I won't be condescended to even by TR. But that doesn't stop me from recognizing his virtues and he definitely had a few that we could use right now.

Minimum wage? That was TR.