Posts tagged president
the faux bohemian
A new Economist/YouGov poll finds that just 11% of Republican voters would be excited if Mitt Romney became the party’s presidential nominee.
It's so nice to have a grown-up as president.
Now maybe Congress will grow up someday.
National security risk number one: Suzie.
(via laughingsquid)
Let’s all remember the most important piece of history associated with April 20th, the now-mostly forgotten attempt on a president’s life. By a rabbit.
It began late one afternoon in the spring of 1979. The President was sitting with a few of us on the Truman Balcony. He had recently returned from a visit to Plains, and we were talking about homefolks and how the quail were nesting and similar matters of international import.
Suddenly, for no apparent reason — he was drinking lemonade, as I recall — the President volunteered the information that while fishing in a pond on his farm he had sighted a large animal swimming toward him. Upon closer inspection, the animal turned out to be a rabbit. Not one of your cutesy, Easter Bunny-type rabbits, but one of those big splay-footed things that we called swamp rabbits when I was growing up.
The animal was clearly in distress, or perhaps berserk. The President confessed to having had limited experience with enraged rabbits. He was unable to reach a definite conclusion about its state of mind. What was obvious, however, was that this large, wet animal, making strange hissing noises and gnashing its teeth, was intent upon climbing into the Presidential boat.
Obama has positioned himself as the guy maximally devoted to securing as much short-term fiscal expansion as is politically feasible.
(Source: yglesias.thinkprogress.org)
Ouch.
“Big Cheese in the White House: Admirers of the President Andrew Jackson presented him with a 1,400-pound wheel of cheese shortly before he left the White House in 1837. Jackson invited members of the public to eat the cheese; it was disposed of within two hours.” The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America, Andrew F. Smith (Editor).
Grover Cleveland’s Sex Scandal
Maria claimed that [New York Governor and Presidential candidate Grover] Cleveland was the father, although there was no way to prove it one way or another. However, Cleveland was a bachelor while the other paternity candidates were married. When the child was born in September 1874 she named him Oscar Folsom Cleveland. (Oscar Folsom was Cleveland’s law partner.)
Despite uncertainty Cleveland decided to accept paternity. He had less to lose than other possibilities. He acknowledged the boy and provided for his support. When one of his campaign leaders tried to publicly blame the deceased Oscar Folsom as the father, Cleveland had the story squelched.
Not long after the birth Maria began drinking heavily, and Cleveland had a judge commit her to an insane asylum and the child to an orphanage. He paid the orphanage expenses of $5 per week. When Maria was released, Cleveland had her set up in a business in Niagara Falls. Later she tried unsuccessfully to get custody of her son, and he was placed for adoption with a family. Cleveland paid her $500 and she left town. The son grew up to become a medical doctor.
The Republicans used the campaign slogan, “Ma Ma, Where’s my Pa?” The controversy about public service and private morality raged across the nation. The choice was between a man of personal immorality and public service integrity (Grover Cleveland) and one of a model family man guilty of using public office for personal gain (James G. Blaine). Cleveland narrowly won. After his election the Democrats answered the Republican ditty with “Gone to the White House, ha ha ha!”
History can be fun! via Yglesias
From the Official White House Photostream
I wonder if this phenomenon is the result of younger people having more recently taken civics courses (their votes align with what presidential historians usually say) or if the real story is that middle aged people are wacky. Kennedy? I like him for what he was, but LBJ was ten times as important, and is usually overlooked. At least Jefferson didn’t make the survey’s cut (baaaaaad president).
from Yglesias
