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November 1, 2012

Calvin Coolidge for President

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"When a man begins to feel that he is the only one who can lead in this republic, he is guilty of treason to the spirit of our institutions.
It is difficult for men in high office to avoid the malady of self-delusion. They are always surrounded by worshipers. They are constantly, and for the most part sincerely, assured of their greatness. They live in an artificial atmosphere of adulation and exaltation which sooner or later impairs their judgment. They are in grave danger of becoming careless and arrogant." -- Calvin Coolidge

Posted by gerardvanderleun at November 1, 2012 9:17 AM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.

Your Say

Achived.

Posted by: cond0011 at November 1, 2012 9:46 AM

Silent Cal was modest in six languages.
He was the last President of the Republic of 1789.

"…About the Declaration there is a finality that is exceedingly restful. It is often asserted that the world has made a great deal of progress since 1776, that we have had new thoughts and new experiences which have given us a great advance over the people of that day, and that we may therefore very well discard their conclusions for something more modern. But that reasoning can not be applied to this great charter. If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed with inalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final. No advance, no progress can be made beyond these propositions. If anyone wishes to deny their truth or their soundness, the only direction in which he can proceed historically is not forward, but backward toward the time when there was no equality, no rights of the individual, no rule of the people. Those who wish to proceed in that direction can not lay claim to progress. They are reactionary. Their ideas are not more modern, but more ancient, than those of the Revolutionary fathers….”

Posted by: james wilson at November 1, 2012 11:01 AM

James Wilson:

That quote would be a perfect epitaph for the Post-modern Man.

Excellent.

Posted by: cond0011 at November 1, 2012 11:16 AM

Thank you James! Coolidge is echoing my sentiments, but more succinctly and eloquently. Time and again in numerous posts on different blogs I've levelled my criticism of not just post-modernism, but modernism itself. A grand delusion and a destructive deceit.

Posted by: Don Rodrigo at November 1, 2012 2:32 PM

Okay, Coolidge is now my favorite president. If I could coin a word that would best describe his governance, it would be Presidon't.

Posted by: Jewel at November 1, 2012 3:56 PM

I just made it my status. Brilliant.

Posted by: Leslie at November 1, 2012 8:02 PM

My boyfriend once asked me who my favorite President was. I told him Calvin Coolidge. Kinda blindsided him as he really didn't know much about Coolidge. So I started reading the Wikipedia article on him and a few quotes by Coolidge. It's a shame that more Americans don't know about Coolidge. One of the things needed to take back our country is education about our history. We need to stop looking at Presidents through the blinders of "bigger government is better" and look at the Presidents that wanted limited government.

Posted by: Teri Pittman at November 2, 2012 6:41 PM

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