Comments | potus_geeks: Presidents at Peace: Warren Harding Pardons Eugene Debs

kensmind in potus_geeks

Presidents at Peace: Warren Harding Pardons Eugene Debs

Apr 16, 2014 03:02

Throughout history it seems that whenever America was at war or war seemed imminent, free speech and first amendment rights were an early casualty. For example, in 1798, when war with France appeared possible, the administration of John Adams brought about the Alien and Sedition Acts, which, among other things, restricted speech which was critical ( Read more... )

abraham lincoln, warren harding, eugene debs, woodrow wilson, john adams

Comments 6

kaishin108 April 16 2014, 13:05:09 UTC

Your post makes me think I would have liked him! I admire how you are willing to look at both sides of things, thank you!

kensmind April 16 2014, 14:29:25 UTC

From what I read, there is much to like about both Harding and Debs. Those were different times, that's for sure.

seaivy April 16 2014, 16:42:51 UTC

two things come to mind - no three
1. just maybe sometime in the future Harding and Nixon - victims of their own character flaws - will be recognized for the progressive nature of their presidencies

2. Wilson so greatly admired - his character flaws are ignored. He was not a nice man. As a nation we deplore the obvious but ignore duplicitous mean spiritedness if well hidden.

3. "Hell No We Won't Go!" - burning draft cards etc. And wasn't an 80 year old nun just sentenced for her protesting?

kensmind April 17 2014, 02:03:19 UTC

If not for Watergate, Nixon would have been a much higher ranked president. I also concur with your assessment of Wilson, I don't understand why he's rated so highly. His cover-up of his stroke was almost as bad as Watergate, if not as bad.

sdu754 April 18 2014, 03:58:29 UTC

I agree with the Wilson is way overrated, I think Wilson is highly ranked, because he's a college professor. In effect, the rankers have a soft spot for him, because they identify the most with him. They also like Jefferson, considered one of the most scholarly presidents, as well as Theodore Roosevelt & Kennedy, both writers of historical works ( ... )

kensmind April 18 2014, 15:11:06 UTC

Well said. I was thinking exactly the same thing about Nixon and the irony that you mentioned about how he was viewed by liberals and conservatives. I think, with Nixon, his strange behavior towards the end didn't help his reputation, and perhaps over time that will be forgotten and he will be more remembered for his accomplishments than for his unfortunate statements caught on tape.

You also make a great point about Wilson. Even though Reagan's popularity declined towards the end of his second term, the country elected a Republican to succeed him. Eisenhower's successor didn't lose by very much, ditto for Clinton. But after Wilson's second term, the voters really protested by giving Harding a landslide. I agree that Wilson gets cut much more slack by those who write his legacy than he deserves.