1954 - my how times have changed

[underpants]

Now it is true that I believe this country is following a dangerous trend when it permits too great a degree of centralization of governmental functions. I oppose this--in some instances the fight is a rather desperate one. But to attain any success it is quite clear that the Federal government cannot avoid or escape responsibilities which the mass of the people firmly believe should be undertaken by it. The political processes of our country are such that if a rule of reason is not applied in this effort, we will lose everything--even to a possible and drastic change in the Constitution. This is what I mean by my constant insistence upon "moderation" in government. Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are H. L. Hunt (you possibly know his background), a few other Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid.

http://www.eisenhowermemorial.org/presidential-papers/first-term/documents/1147.cfm

[xchrom]

1. 'Their number is negligible and they are stupid.'

sad and ironic that this is who we are virtually losing the fight to.

and that our own liberal leaders hold hands with them is bitter indeed.

[underpants]

2. Ike was considering the effect of the press to end such idiotic actions

that was the post-war press. We don't have a press anymore. Americans live in a bubble.

[Dennis Donovan]

3. He likely had Ed Murrow in mind...

...and his See It Now program.

[rurallib]

12. their number may neglible, but their wealth is unworldly

and they want it all!

[glitch]

16. Didn't preclude them from managing to accumulate a lot of wealth and power.

Must've been their deals with Satan.

[madrchsod]

4. ike was more liberal than 95% of the today`s democratic leadership

[Dennis Donovan]

5. Ike saw war... and abhorred it.

He saw right-wing hyper-imperialism and demogoguery... and warned us.

[Recursion]

8. The danger is government/corporate collusion

Ike and the reasonable Republicans (this was back when they existed) wanted to prevent that by circumscribing government enough to make it difficult; anti-corporate Democrats (this was back when they existed) wanted to limit corporate power enough to keep it from happening.

Either way has dangers: limit government some but not enough, and it simply is weak enough for corporations to take it over. Give government enough power to effectively limit corporations, and the corporations can use soft-sell tactics to get back in its good graces and then use its now-enhanced power to their own benefit. Both of these have happened at various points in the past 60 years.

[Rhiannon12866]

13. If only Ike was their hero, and not Reagan...

Who was responsible for Iran Contra, delayed the release of the hostages, was a huge impediment to human rights initiatives in the USSR and was undeniably senile... x(

[Dennis Donovan]

14. Ike was sane, which means...

...he had NOTHING in common with modern conservatives.;)

[Rhiannon12866]

15. Gotcha.

And modern "conservatives" aren't actually conservative... :crazy:

[glitch]

17. and spent WWII in front of a camera. Too bad he wasn't sent to a front,

he mightn't have been so eager to foment war South of the Border.

[Rhiannon12866]

22. And he even got confused about that, mixed up his on-screen roles with his actual life...

I was in Russia when Reagan was still in office and he was very unpopular there, was viewed as a warmonger, since would not back down in his summits with Gorbachev. I remember one elderly lady who had been a nurse during WWII said "when you go home, please tell your Mr. Reagan that we want peace..." Still chokes me up. ;(

The Russian people are terrified of war, since they experienced the horrors of war on their own soil. Reagan made it very difficult for Gorbachev to institute human rights reforms, was thwarted by the Soviet hardliners who were afraid of Reagan. x(

And yet Reagan's still given credit for the fall of the USSR. That was Jimmy Carter, and his grain embargo. The Russian people have a much more positive view of Jimmy Carter than they ever did of Reagan. :(

[glitch]

23. If it's any consolation the only people that give him credit are the coprophagic media and its

acolytes.
They have the mighty wurlitzer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mighty_Wurlitzer_%28media%29) but not the hearts and minds of most Americans.

[Rhiannon12866]

25. Ah ha. thanks, interesting link...

However, most Americans get their news from the mainstream media, and if they repeat something often enough... :(

[loudsue]

6. He had lived through the depression. He saw what we're likely to see again soon.

As Europe saw the repercussions of unchecked corporatism-turned-naziism, and the repercussions of racial hatred, they learned a lesson. America is still a young country...like a teenage thug or gang member who hasn't learned the hard lessons in life. We haven't seen bombs falling on our cities for years at a time, like Europe did.

The American people are being manipulated so severely by propaganda and corporate rulership that you can't help but believe things aren't going to end well for us.

[Scruffy1]

7. Thanks-Ihave been looking for that quote

[reformist2]

9. Keep reading....

"A year ago last January we were in imminent danger of losing Iran, and sixty percent of the known oil reserves of the world.7 You may have forgotten this. Lots of people have. But there has been no greater threat that has in recent years overhung the free world. That threat has been largely, if not totally, removed. I could name at least a half dozen other spots of the same character."

I think we know what he's referring to.... the coup orchestrated by the CIA in 1953.

People trying to roll back Social Security and Unemployment Insurance, and attempting to control oil-rich Iran.... why are politics in 2010 the same as they were in 1954? :(

[reformist2]

10. More...

I think his brother was an early Tea Partier. LOL

"You also talk about "bad political advice" I am getting. I always assumed that lawyers attempted accuracy in their statements. How do you know that I am getting any political advice? Next, if I do get political advice, how do you know that it is not weighted in the direction that you seem to think it should be--although I am tempted at times to believe that you are just thrashing around rather than thinking anything through to a definite conclusion? So how can you say I am getting "bad" advice; why don't you just assume I am stupid, trying to wreck the nation, and leave our Constitution in tatters?

I assure you that you have more reason, based on sixty-four years of contact, to say this than you do to make the bland assumption that I am surrounded by a group of Machiavellian characters who are seeking the downfall of the United States and the ascendancy of socialism and communism in the world. Incidentally, I notice that everybody seems to be a great Constitutionalist until his idea of what the Constitution ought to do is violated--then he suddenly becomes very strong for amendments or some peculiar and individualistic interpretation of his own. "

[underpants]

11. It is quite a read

thanks for posting these

Amazing how nothing has changed.

[glitch]

19. Because cancer never sleeps.

It wears down immune systems until it can take over and destroy its host.

[Juche]

18. That was after 20 years of FDR style leadership

FDR and Truman actually were liberals, and they ran the presidency for 20 years.

Sadly we are in the opposite age. Reagan has pushed the nation to the right the way FDR pushed it to the left.

[readmoreoften]

20. Most of today's Democrats wold consider yesterday's Republicans rabid leftists.

And that's the tragedy.

[glitch]

24. Not most, just the ones who have acquired leadership positions. nt

[Cleita]

21. I was fourteen then and my family were Republicans.

My parents would never have approved of what passes for Republican Party politics today.