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Celerity

(47,441 posts)
19. What about Eisenhower? Also, Teddy Roosevelt was not a conservative, he was a progressive.
Sat Jan 30, 2021, 08:36 AM
Jan 2021


Progressive Party (United States, 1912)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_Party_(United_States,_1912)

The Progressive Party (often referred to as the "Bull Moose Party" ) was a third party in the United States formed in 1912 by former president Theodore Roosevelt after he lost the presidential nomination of the Republican Party to his former protégé and conservative rival, incumbent president William Howard Taft. The new party was known for taking advanced positions on progressive and populist reforms and attracting leading national reformers. After the party's defeat in the 1912 presidential election, it went into rapid decline in elections until 1918, disappearing by 1920. The Progressive Party was popularly nicknamed the "Bull Moose Party" when Roosevelt boasted that he felt "strong as a bull moose" after losing the Republican nomination in June 1912 at the Chicago convention.

As a member of the Republican Party, Roosevelt had served as president from 1901 to 1909, becoming increasingly progressive in the later years of his presidency. In the 1908 presidential election, Roosevelt helped ensure that he would be succeeded by Secretary of War Taft. Although Taft entered office determined to advance Roosevelt's Square Deal domestic agenda, he stumbled badly during the Payne–Aldrich Tariff Act debate and the Pinchot–Ballinger controversy. The political fallout of these events divided the Republican Party and alienated Roosevelt from his former friend. Progressive Republican leader Robert M. La Follette had already announced a challenge to Taft for the 1912 Republican nomination, but many of his supporters shifted to Roosevelt after the former president decided to seek a third presidential term, which was permissible under the Constitution prior to the ratification of the Twenty-second Amendment. At the 1912 Republican National Convention, Taft narrowly defeated Roosevelt for the party's presidential nomination. After the convention, Roosevelt, Frank Munsey, George Walbridge Perkins and other progressive Republicans established the Progressive Party and nominated a ticket of Roosevelt and Hiram Johnson of California at the 1912 Progressive National Convention. The new party attracted several Republican officeholders, although nearly all of them remained loyal to the Republican Party—in California, Johnson and the Progressives took control of the Republican Party.

The party's platform built on Roosevelt's Square Deal domestic program and called for several progressive reforms. The platform asserted that "to dissolve the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics is the first task of the statesmanship of the day". Proposals on the platform included restrictions on campaign finance contributions, a reduction of the tariff and the establishment of a social insurance system, an eight-hour workday and women's suffrage. The party was split on the regulation of large corporations, with some party members disappointed that the platform did not contain a stronger call for "trust-busting". Party members also had different outlooks on foreign policy, with pacifists like Jane Addams opposing Roosevelt's call for a naval build-up.

In the 1912 election, Roosevelt won 27.4% of the popular vote compared to Taft's 23.2%, making Roosevelt the only third party presidential nominee to finish with a higher share of the popular vote than a major party's presidential nominee. Both Taft and Roosevelt finished behind Democratic nominee Woodrow Wilson, who won 41.8% of the popular vote and the vast majority of the electoral vote. The Progressives elected several Congressional and state legislative candidates, but the election was marked primarily by Democratic gains. The 1916 Progressive National Convention was held in conjunction with the 1916 Republican National Convention in hopes of reunifying the parties with Roosevelt as the presidential nominee of both parties. The Progressive Party collapsed after Roosevelt refused the Progressive nomination and insisted his supporters vote for Charles Evans Hughes, the moderately progressive Republican nominee. Most Progressives joined the Republican Party, but some converted to the Democratic Party and Progressives like Harold L. Ickes would play a role in President Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration. In 1924, La Follette set up another Progressive Party for his presidential run. A third Progressive Party was set up in 1948 for the presidential campaign of former vice president Henry A. Wallace.

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Square Deal

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_Deal

The Square Deal was President Theodore Roosevelt's domestic program, which reflected his three major goals: conservation of natural resources, control of corporations, and consumer protection.

These three demands are often referred to as the "three Cs" of Roosevelt's Square Deal. Thus, it aimed at helping middle class citizens and involved attacking plutocracy and bad trusts while at the same time protecting business from the most extreme demands of organized labor. He explained in 1901-1909:

When I say that I am for the square deal, I mean not merely that I stand for fair play under the present rules of the game, but that I stand for having those rules changed so as to work for a more substantial equality of opportunity and of reward for equally good service.

A progressive Republican, Roosevelt believed in government action to mitigate social evils, and as president he in 1908 denounced "the representatives of predatory wealth" as guilty of "all forms of iniquity from the oppression of wage workers to unfair and unwholesome methods of crushing competition, and to defrauding the public by stock-jobbing and the manipulation of securities." During his second term, Roosevelt tried to extend his Square Deal further, but was blocked by conservative Republicans in Congress.

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Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

Love it! samplegirl Jan 2021 #1
That is a man who exercises daily malaise Jan 2021 #2
President Biden is in great shape. gademocrat7 Jan 2021 #3
'Gonna need to see that quite a while before the images of "you know who" on his last flight hlthe2b Jan 2021 #4
I know PatSeg Jan 2021 #15
Wow arlyellowdog Jan 2021 #5
I'm telling you, gab13by13 Jan 2021 #6
TR was a very complex man RVN VET71 Jan 2021 #11
Love this part! MacKasey Jan 2021 #24
What about Eisenhower? Also, Teddy Roosevelt was not a conservative, he was a progressive. Celerity Jan 2021 #19
Thanks for posting this Celerity. I had forgotten most of it. flying_wahini Jan 2021 #22
Very important material, thanks for posting. appalachiablue Jan 2021 #30
OK, I cannot resist. One of the best quotes ever, courtesy of Teddy Roosevelt: PatrickforO Jan 2021 #44
The Republican Party that elected Teddy Roosevelt president summer_in_TX Jan 2021 #47
an angel in our midst. peacebuzzard Jan 2021 #7
so true... hkp11 Jan 2021 #13
Beautiful!! ailsagirl Jan 2021 #8
yes, no more of the orange smirking monster Demovictory9 Jan 2021 #9
And he's not afraid of stairs. 2naSalit Jan 2021 #10
Handsome Naio Jan 2021 #12
Did he get Pete Souza, Obama's photographer, back? That's an excellent photo. yankeepants Jan 2021 #14
No, it's Adam Schultz now dalton99a Jan 2021 #28
never really knew much about Biden.? Maxheader Jan 2021 #16
It's like when you wake up all bothered in the early morning... PirateRo Jan 2021 #17
Nice - but fuck Facebook. KPN Jan 2021 #18
This message was self-deleted by its author Chin music Jan 2021 #25
Thank you for this! tavernier Jan 2021 #20
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I notice the tire doesn't look half flat. Hermit-The-Prog Jan 2021 #26
Beautiful.. & that Cha Jan 2021 #27
How sweet it is! BarbD Jan 2021 #29
His broken foot sure healed fast! I'd still be hobbling. Joe is amazing. SunSeeker Jan 2021 #31
My heart just skipped a beat! What a wonderful sight! CTyankee Jan 2021 #32
I wish he had not returned that salute Grins Jan 2021 #33
Nice, indeed! BobTheSubgenius Jan 2021 #34
Suit: very well-tailored. Shoes: polished. Tie: more or less the right length. Aristus Jan 2021 #35
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Such a relief to see an adult int charge. Nitram Jan 2021 #36
Biden has the proper Salute.. Perfect. msfiddlestix Jan 2021 #37
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It's SO fucking good to see pictures like this now Pluvious Jan 2021 #41
That suit actually fits! Dukkha Jan 2021 #42
That's our president! PatrickforO Jan 2021 #43
Love this! Niagara Jan 2021 #46
What a great photograph :) Maru Kitteh Jan 2021 #49
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