Millard Fillmore in cartoons: “Buck” takes the pot (1856 presidential elections)

January 1, 2010

The first Republican Party nominee to the presidency, Gen. John C. Fremont, has stumbled and is spread out on the floor.  Former Whig, now American Native Party (Know-Nothings) candidate Millard Fillmore carries a lantern, but is blindfolded.  James Buchanan takes the pot of soup, victory in the 1856 presidential race.

From the Library of Congress American Memory Collection, published by Currier and Ives in 1856:

Buck Takes the Pot, 1856 Presidential Election cartoon - Library of Congress, Alfred Whital Stern Lincolnia Collection

"Buck Takes the Pot, 1856 cartoon published by Currier and Ives - Library of Congress

Captions in the balloons, as read by the Library of Congress:

SUMMARY: A pro-Buchanan satire, critical of the divisive or sectionalist appeal of the other two presidential contenders in the 1856 race. “Buck” or Buchanan (left) has evidently won a card game over Fremont (fallen at right) and Millard Fillmore (at right, blindfolded).

Holding four aces and a large cauldron of “Union Soup” Buchanan vows, “I have fairly beaten them at their own game, and now that I have became possessed of this great “Reservoir” I will see that each and Every State of this great and glorious Union receives its proper Share of this sacred food.”

Fremont has tripped over a “Rock of Disunion” and fallen to the ground, still holding his large spoon “Abolition.” He laments, “Oh, that I had been born a dog!–This is too much for mortal man to bear. Had I not stumbled over that “Blasted” rock I might have reached the fount of my ambition and with this good ladle ‘Deal’ to the North, and leave the South to ‘Shuffle & Cut’ off their mortal coil, by starvation, I shall have to ‘Pass’!”

Behind Fremont, Fillmore wanders blindfolded, holding a Know Nothing lantern (reflecting his party’s nativist affiliation) and a spoon. He despairs, “I regret to say that ‘Going It Blind’ is a loosing Game, I did hope that I would be able to dip my spoon in the Pot without much difficulty.–My Hand is played out–‘Buck’ wins, and I am satisfied–Four aces can’t be beat! and Buck holds them.”

One severe handicap of these 19th century cartoons:  They are much too wordy!

Leave a Comment » | Campaigns, Cartoons, Millard Fillmore, Political cartoons, Politics | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Millard Fillmore in cartoons: “The Great Presidential Race of 1856”

December 31, 2009

Four years out of the presidency, some voters thought Millard Fillmore might be a good candidate again.  His old Whig Party was dead, but he won the nomination of the Know-Nothings, or the Native American Party (“Native American” not meaning “American Indian” at the time).

In this race, he was portrayed in a number of editorial cartoons.

The Great Presidential Race of 1856, political cartoon featuring Millard Fillmore - LOC Lincolnia collection

The Great Presidential Race of 1856, political cartoon featuring Millard Fillmore, and some of the ugly biases of the day. Library of Congress, Alfred Whital Stern Lincolnia Collection - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,attributed to J. L. Magee

* Update:  Links to the cartoon are working badly, or not at all; check image at this thumbnail: 

Millard Fillmore in the 1856 presidential race (warning - some images may be offensive for racial portrayals)

Remember, this was two years before Sen. Stephen Douglas and former Rep. Abraham Lincoln squared off for the Illinois U.S. Senate seat in a series of debates.  This was four years prior to Lincoln’s election as president, and five years to the Civil War.

2 Comments | Campaigns, Cartoons, Millard Fillmore, Political cartoons, Politics, Presidents | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Millard Fillmore’s 1856 campaign poster, on the Native American Party ticket

December 31, 2009

Millard Fillmore 1856 campaign poster - Library of Congress

Notes from the Library of Congress:

MILLARD FILLMORE, AMERICAN CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

CREATED/PUBLISHED
1856.

SUMMARY
A large woodcut proof for a campaign banner or poster for the Native American party’s 1856 presidential candidate. A bust portrait of Millard Fillmore appears in a roundel, flanked by allegorical figures of Justice (left) and Liberty (right). Both figures wear classical gowns and tiaras. Justice holds a large sword and scales, Liberty a staff and Phrygian cap and the Constitution. Atop the roundel perches an eagle, with American flags on either side. Below are a document “The Union” (left) and bundled fasces (right).

NOTES
Entered . . . 1856, by Baker & Godwin . . . New York.

The Library’s proof was deposited for copyright on July 10, 1856.

Published in: American political prints, 1766-1876 / Bernard F. Reilly. Boston : G.K. Hall, 1991, entry 1856-6.

Notice the striking resemblance to this 1860 campaign poster:

Poster for campaign of Abraham Lincoln for President, 1860 - Baker & Godwin, publisher; Library of Congress

Poster for campaign of Abraham Lincoln for President, 1860 - Baker & Godwin, publisher; Library of Congress

The Library of Congress notes:

SUMMARY: A print for a large campaign banner or poster for Republican presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln. It features a central roundel with a bust portrait of the candidate, flanked by standing deities Justice and Liberty. Justice (left) holds scales and a sword, while Liberty (right) holds the Constitution and a staff with Phrygian cap. An eagle with wings spread perches atop the roundel, behind which are several American flags on pointed staffs. Below the roundel a document “The Union” and a fasces lie on the ground. The image appears to have been printed from the same blocks (or a stereotype of them) as Baker & Godwin’s 1856 banner for Millard Fillmore (no. 1856-6). Only the central portrait has changed.

MEDIUM: 1 print on calendered paper : woodcut with letterpress ; image 39.3 x 55 cm.

CREATED/PUBLISHED: [New York] : Published and for sale by Baker & Godwin, Tribune Buildings, N.Y., c1860.

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1 Comment | Campaigns, History, History images, Images, Millard Fillmore, Presidents | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Rep. Pete Sessions: Being a woman is “pre-existing condition”

November 10, 2009

When I first joined the Dallas Bar I quickly met a delightful woman who had some experience from which she spoke:  Louise Raggio.  On a few occasions I was fortunate enough to sit with her at a continuing education session and benefit from her explanations of how law really works in Texas.

I was interested to get an e-mail from her this morning, in which she complains about Texas Republican Rep. Pete Sessions’s vote on the health care bill that passed the House of Representatives Saturday.  You might enjoy it, too:


A Message from Louise B. Raggio
(a.k.a. the Texas Tornado)

This is an outrage.

As our Members of Congress debated health care reform legislation late into the night this weekend, our incumbent Congressman Pete Sessions likened the insurance industry’s practice of charging higher rates to women to their practice of charging higher rates for smokers.  According to Sessions, being a woman is a pre-existing condition – and it merits higher insurance rates (read it here).

Hey Pete, are you serious?

Rep. Sessions’ blatant disrespect for women is precisely why we need a change in Congress.  Will you contribute now to help bring new leadership to Washington?

Give online today at Act Blue!

When I first became a lawyer in the 1950s, Texas women could not buy or sell their own property, could not sign contracts, and could not have control over their own paychecks or open their own bank accounts without their husbands’ permission.  I decided to devote my career to changing those laws so I helped write legislation that secured legal equality for married women and became the Texas Family Code.

Now my son Grier is running for Congress.  I couldn’t be prouder to see him carry on our family’s legacy of public service.  After hearing about Rep. Sessions’ remarks pushing gender inequality, I am more determined than ever to do whatever it takes to send my son to Congress and to stand up for women.

Can you help Grier with his campaign?  We have to send a message to Pete Sessions and his allies in Congress when they try to turn the clocks back on women’s rights – we can’t let this stand.

Please help by contributing today!

Thanks for all you do to support my son and his campaign for Congress.

Sincerely,

Louise B. Raggio

PS:  Grier is traveling to Washington, DC tomorrow to meet with DCCC Chairman Chris Van Hollen to discuss his efforts to unseat Rep. Sessions.

Please help Grier show Chairman Van Hollen that he has the support and commitment of Democrats like you.

Donate today!

It came to me as a message paid for by Raggio for Congress.  There’s no cash floating in the Bathtub; I pass it along for the entertainment and information value.

Leave a Comment » | Campaigns, Elections, Health care, Politics, Texas | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Quote of the moment: Robert F. Kennedy, on what matters in economies

November 8, 2009

Cribbing completely from Harry Clarke (with a few corrections in the text):

Robert F. Kennedy speech at the University of Kansas, Lawrence, March 18, 1968

Robert F. Kennedy speech at the University of Kansas, Lawrence, March 18, 1968 - Photo by George Silk, Time-Life Pictures/Getty Images

RFK said this in 1968.  In a speech I heard today it was quoted and it stirred me.

Too much and for too long, we seem to have surrendered personal excellence and community value in the mere accumulation of material things. Our Gross National Product, now, is over eight hundred billion dollars a year, but that GNP — if we judge the United States of America by that — that GNP counts air pollution and cigarette advertising and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It counts special locks for our doors and the jails for the people who break them. It counts the destruction of the redwoods and the loss of our natural wonder in chaotic sprawl. It counts napalm and it counts nuclear warheads, and armored cars for the police to fight the riots in our cities. It counts Whitman’s rifle and Speck’s knife, and the television programs which glorify violence in order to sell toys to our children.

Yet the Gross National Product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages, the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage, neither our wisdom nor our learning, neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country; it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile. And it can tell us everything about America except why we are proud that we are Americans.

Kennedy delivered these words in an address at the University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, on March 18, 1968.

Here’s a video production from the Glaser Progress Foundation which includes an audio recording of the speech:

More resources:

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5 Comments | Campaigns, Economics, Famous quotes, Politics, Presidents, Quotes, Robert F. Kennedy, Speech | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

MomsRising Healthcare Truth Squad

August 22, 2009

I get e-mail.  In all the discouraging folderol on the health care debate, it’s nice to know that a few people are carrying the torch for democracy and good republican government like these ladies.

Red caped mothers and others in Baltimore, before the U.S.S. Constellation, campaigning to dispel false rumors about health care reform, on August 19, 2009. Image from MomsRising.com

Red caped mothers and others in Baltimore, before the U.S.S. Constellation, campaigning to dispel false rumors about health care reform, on August 19, 2009. Image from MomsRising.com

Watch for the ladies in red capes.  Barney Frank won’t ask what planet they spend their time on, I’ll wager.

Note links to more information, or to join in their merriment, in the letter.

Faster than a toddler crawling toward an uncovered electrical outlet and more powerful than a teenager’s social networking skills, moms across the country have been fanning out to dispel the unfounded rumors, misconceptions, and lies about healthcare reform.

MomsRising Healthcare Truth Squad members, dressed in red capes, have been distributing powerful truth flyers across the nation to passersby to educate them about what healthcare reform will really do, and about how it will help to ensure the economic security of families across the country.

“I must admit that I don’t normally wear a cape in public, but it was oddly empowering.  We knew we were having an impact on the larger conversation about healthcare when a news camera starting following us around. I definitely recommend life as a superhero,” say Donna, a cape wearing SuperMom for Healthcare.

*Let’s give our caped myth-busting moms some “online backup” by Truth Tagging friends with healthcare reform myths & facts today–it’s a virtual distribution of the same facts that the MomsRising Healthcare Truth Squad members are handing out in-person:

http://momsrising.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/tellafriend.jsp?tell_a_friend_KEY=4728

It’s going to take thousands of super heroines speaking up in order to get the healthcare debate back on track. We can’t all be out on the streets in capes, so please take a moment now to spread the word and bust some myths via email to friends and family by clicking the link above.

Why’s this so important to moms right now? Over 46 million people in our nation don’t have any healthcare coverage at all, including millions of children. Not only are families struggling with getting children the healthcare coverage they need for a healthy start, but 7 out of 10 women are either uninsured, underinsured, or are in significant debt due to healthcare costs. In fact, a leading cause of bankruptcy is healthcare costs — and over 70% of those who do go bankrupt due to healthcare costs had insurance at the start of their illness. Clearly we need to fix our broken healthcare system!

Don’t forget to help put some more truth into the mix of the national dialogue on healthcare reform right now:

http://momsrising.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/tellafriend.jsp?tell_a_friend_KEY=4728

Onward!
–Kristin, Joan, Donna, Ashley, Julia, Dionna, Katie, Anita, Sarah, Mary, and the entire MomsRising Team

P.S.  We’ve been hearing so much positive feedback about our caped crusading moms that it might be time to lead a giant march of moms on the National Capitol Mall.  Tell us what you think: http://www.momsrising.org/blog/bust-a-myth-tag-a-friend-with-the-truth-about-healthcare/

P.P.S.  Want to get more involved with the MomsRising Healthcare Truth Squad members? Click here: http://momsrising.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/t/9251/signUp.jsp?key=4284

P.P.P.S. When you go to the Truth Squad Tag page, you can also see a video of our MomsRising Healthcare Truth Squad in action wearing capes! http://momsrising.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/tellafriend.jsp?tell_a_friend_KEY=4727

Here’s the video:

24 Comments | Barack Obama, Campaigns, Citizenship, Current History, Death Panels, Debunking, Democracy in action, Free speech, Government, Hoaxes, Humor, Law, Legislation, Politics, Poverty, Public health, U.S. Constitution, U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Birther karma: Hoaxers get hoaxed on alleged Kenya document

August 4, 2009

He who lives by the hoax, dies by the hoax.

People have been complaining for months about Barack Obama’s birth certificate, complaining that the official, under seal document from the State of Hawaii should not be honored, contrary to Hawaii law, contrary to federal immigration law, and contrary to the Constitution’s full faith and credit clause.  Something must be wrong with the document, they have claimed over and over, though no credible evidence of any problem has ever surfaced, let alone been presented to any authority.  Lawsuits have been dismissed for standing, dismissed for failure to state a case, and lately dismissed with warnings that nuisance suits will bring Rule 11 sanctions (Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure require that an attorney not file false or misleading documents, and that they swear that what they allege in a complaint is actual controversy and not hoax or false).

Even a reiteration from Hawaii officials didn’t quell the lunatic screams from the birther asylums.  (Here’s I’ve usually referred to the birth certificate-obsessed, or BCOs; I’ll continue using that acronym.)

The BCO universe erupted with glee over the weekend with the presentation of a document purported to be a birth certificate for Barack Obama, Jr., from Mombasa, Kenya.

While warning more sane and cool people that they were not skeptical enough of Obama’s Hawaiian birth certificate, BCOs claimed they now had the smoking gun.  Orly Taitz, a California dentist/lawyer, promised to blow the case of Obama’s alleged ineligibility wide open with new filings of documents in California state courts.

They wanted so badly for the document to true and accurate, even though it would have offered no new ammunition for their claims, since Obama’s mother was a citizen and under U.S. law a child born to a U.S. citizen is considered a born citizen no matter where in the universe it is born . . .

That was Friday night.  Beginning Saturday morning, the hoax began to unravel.

BCO’s were had!  Someone had hoaxed them!

So, of course, they have gotten louder in their demands that the White House toss Obama to the crowd with pitchforks and torches, so they can investigate.

The document is a classic hoax, delivered where and when gullibility made the BCO arguments most vunerable  (which is any time, really).

Just after having complained that long-established and well-respected hoax debunking site Snopes.com could not be trusted, WorldNet Daily, the modern electronic analog to the pre-lawyered National Enquirer crossed wtih Saga magazine, now claimed it had the smoking document, and showed pictures of it.

Hoax birth certificate for Barack Obama, Jr, alleged to be showing birth in Mombasa, then Zanzibar

Hoax birth certificate for Barack Obama, Jr, alleged to be showing birth in Mombasa, then Zanzibar

Never mind that the certificate offered suffers from more problems than the BCOs claimed to find with the document Hawaii offered — no signatures of any official, no attending physician, unintelligible seal, not a “long form,” etc. — it was, WorldNet Daily, Orly Taitz and others said, THE jenyu-wine article.  They even offered close-ups.

Another view of the hoax document offeree by BCO Orly Taitz.

Another view of the hoax document offeree by BCO Orly Taitz.

See?  Right there you can see:  Barack Obama, Sr. (Obama’s father), 26 years old.  The Registrar, E. F. Lavender.  Registered in Mombasa on August 5, 1961, one day after Obama’s birthday.  It even shows the book and page number of the original registration document, and the date the  official who signed this document issued it in Mombasa, Republic of Kenya, on February 17, 1964.

Okay, students:  How many problems can you find with the document?

See below the fold.

Read the rest of this entry »

12 Comments | Accuracy, Barack Obama, Birth Certificate, Bogus history, Campaigns, Citizenship, History, Hoaxes, President Obama, Presidential Eligibility, Presidents | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Scientist steps in to try to save the day

July 19, 2009

On the one hand, you hope he’s got a good copy of the original cast recording of “Man of La Mancha,” with the late Richard Kiley singing the importance of dreaming the impossible dream.  On the other hand, you hope it’s not an impossible situation at all.

Mathematics Professor Lorenzo Sadun declared his candidacy for the Texas State Board of Education seat representing District 10. He’ll be running against incumbent Cynthia Dunbar in a district that has a history of electing people with little or no education background and a commitment to scorched Earth conservative policies — if Dunbar chooses to run again.  Dunbar has not announced her intentions.

Sadun is professor of mathematics at the University of Texas, in Austin.

Mathematics Prof. Lorenzo Sadun, University of Texas - Daily Texan photo by Mike Paschal

Mathematics Prof. Lorenzo Sadun, University of Texas - Daily Texan photo by Mike Paschal

In the 2006 election, there was no Democratic nominee. Dunbar ran against a Libertarian and won approximately 70 percent of the vote. The 2010 primary election is scheduled for March, and Sadun declared last week that he will seek the Democratic nomination.

The Place 10 seat-holder may become very influential. With the board almost evenly split, a negative or positive vote can greatly affect educational policy and standards.

If Sadun is elected, he will be the only scientist on the board. He said that even though he may encounter opposition from members of the board, he will find a common ground with his colleagues and will pursue agreement without sacrificing the quality of education for Texas students.

“Despite my taking a fairly hard line, I am a conciliator,” Sadun said. “I have not met a person who knew so much I couldn’t teach them something, and I’ve never met someone who knew so little that they couldn’t teach me something.”

District 10 includes 14 counties surrounding Travis County to the east of the county, and the northern part of Travis County.  Travis, home to the Texas state capital Austin and one of Texas’s five supercounties, was split in education board districts to limit the influence of its  highly-educated, more liberal voter population.

District 10, Texas State Board of Education

District 10, Texas State Board of Education

Burnt Orange Report wrote that Dunbar will face opposition if she chooses to run again.

Events in District 10 offer a sign of hope that the era ended when apathy from candidates and voters allowe anti-public education forces to dominate the Texas State Board of Education.  And if Sadun were to win, it would be the first time a working scientist was elected to SBOE.

Who knows?  Sadun could succeed — but if he wins a seat on the SBOE, it’s not likely he’d sing that other song Richard Kiley made famous, “Stranger in Paradise.”  He’s no stranger to quality education, and SBOE isn’t paradise.

27 Comments | Campaigns, Education, Education reform, Elections, History, Politics, State school boards, Texas | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Imitation is the sincerest form . . . hey, wait a minute!

July 6, 2009

You need to go to the site to see the comparison.

A blog on design issues (among other things), the View from 32, has a neat interactive image that shows the campaign website for Les Otten, a Republican already campaigning for the governorship in Maine (election next year), compared to the website for Barack Obama.  You’ll notice more than a few similarities, including the “O” logo.

You don’t think . . . no Republican would copy . . . their politics must be completely different . . .

What the heck?  Obama won, right?  Who can argue with success?

You gotta see it to believe it.

From Fred2Blut

From Fred2Blue

Tip of the old scrub brush to Design Observer.

5 Comments | Barack Obama, Campaigns, Humor, Plagiarism, Politics, President Obama | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Sarah Palin will resign?

July 3, 2009

The only thing that comes to my mind is the old saw about how to survive in a tough neighborhood — act crazier than a hopped-up loon.  No one wants to cross the crazy guy.

Of course, neither will the neighborhood generally unite to elect the crazy guy to the city council.

Palin will resign, she says, at the end of the month.  Yeah, Larry Craig promised to resign, too.

Grandmother’s ghost said I should  check to see whether she’s been to Argentina lately.  Now she’s quietly singing “Don’t cry for me, Wasilla.”

At least she didn’t say “You won’t have Sarah Palin to kick around anymore.”  Since Richard Nixon, that line’s been better reserved for zombie movies.

Say what?

6 Comments | Campaigns, History, Politics | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Obama fans, Democrats: Political stuff clearance sale!

May 31, 2009

Great idea.  Really.  There’s a lot of campaign stuff left over.  Rather than dump it, they’re selling it cheap.

Image from the Obama campaign site, June 2009

Image from the Obama campaign site, June 2009

Government and politics teachers can stock up on the stuff to decorate the room.  AP Government teacher Mrs. Richie, at Duncanville High School had a collection of bumperstickers that went back 30 years before she retired (where did that collection go?)

Or, maybe you just need tote bags to replace the plastic and paper choices the grocery store gives you.  Green up, cheap, at the Obama site!

Over at Republican National Headquarters, they’re having a sale on politicians, I hear. Entire Congressional committee minorities, cheap.  Izzat so?  Not really.  Really?

1 Comment | Campaigns, Capitalism, History, History and art, History images, Humor, Politics, Propaganda | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Happy birthday, Orrin Hatch

March 22, 2009

Dear Orrin,

We know how old you are really, but we won’t divulge.

U.S. Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, R-Utah

U.S. Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, R-Utah

When we were campaigning in 1976, I don’t think anyone thought you’d be there in 2009, still.  Sen. Reed Smoot served Utah for one day shy of 30 years.  No one else from Utah has come close to your 32 years of service, and it will be a long time before any other challenges your longevity.

Not bad for the first office you ever got elected to.

Kathryn and I wish you all the best on your birthday.

And we’ll be pleased to set  you straight any time you want.

Sincerely,

Ed

Read the rest of this entry »

Leave a Comment » | Campaigns, Elections, Government, History, Personal, Politics, U.S. Senate, Utah | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Still not Bobby Jindal

February 25, 2009

Did you listen to the Republican response to President Obama’s speech last night?

Louisiana’s Gov. Bobby Jindal delivered the response — and “delivered” is a pretty good description of the style of the thing.  My wife and I had sarcastically predicted the Republicans would call for taxcuts as a cure for everything, from broken legs to global warming — and Jindal did just that.

Is Bobby Jindal running for president?  Then, just as he was not the guy the Republicans should have picked for vice president in 2008, he’s not the guy for 2012, or 2016, or any other time.  I was right the first time:  “Not Bobby Jindal:  The parable of the idiot candidate.”

It’s still not Bobby Jindal.  Nor was it, nor is it, Sarah Palin.  Will Republicans figure that out?

(Yeah, he’s a Rhodes Scholar.  He’s also a creationist.  Sometime between getting selected for Oxford and running for governor he appears to have volunteered for a lobotomy.  We don’t know yet the extent of the impairment to his judgment, but it probably isn’t limited to science, and even if it were, that’s enough to disqualify him.)

5 Comments | Campaigns, History, Politics, President Obama, Presidents | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Quote mining Harry Truman, on confusing people

February 3, 2009

I think it was Mark Twain who said a lie can get around the world twice before the truth has got its boots on (feel free to correct me on that if you have a good source).

Whoever said it, it was right.

Now, we see that a mined quote can do the same thing as a whole lie.

Harry Truman is the victim this time.

Google turns up more than 27,000 sites with this quote, attributed to Harry Truman:

If you can’t convince them, confuse them.

Now I ask you, Dear Reader, does that sound like old Give-’em-hell Harry, the original straight talker?  Did Harry Truman really urge the use of confusion, when persuasion fails?

If you’re careful and persistent, you can turn up four Google hits for the accurate version, from his dramatic and historic campaign for election in 1948:

I don’t think you are going to be the victims this time of the old Republican doctrine:  “If you can’t convince them, confuse them.”

There you have it.  Harry Truman was not urging the use of confusion.  He was campaigning against it.

Last page of a comic book biography of Harry Truman for the 1948 campaign - Truman Library

Last page of a comic book biography of Harry Truman for the 1948 campaign - Truman Library

1 Comment | Accuracy, Bad Quotes, Campaigns, Famous quotes, Good Quotes, Harry Truman, History, History Revisionism, Political cartoons, Politics, Presidents | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

I get e-mail, from Hillary’s mom

January 17, 2009

Sometimes I don’t get e-mail from crazies.  Sometimes I get e-mail from people who make perfect sense.

Like this one I got today, from Hillary Clinton’s mom:

Dear Ed,

I’ve been so proud watching my daughter over the past few days as she begins a new step in a life so full of accomplishment. And I know she’ll continue to do great things for our country.

Now I have to ask you — for the very last time — to give her your help. This is our last chance to help Hillary pay down the debt from her history-making campaign.

I know how much it would mean to her to have your help this one last time. Please take this opportunity to show Hillary your support by making a contribution today.

Contribute today to help my Hillary in honor of all she’s done to help our country throughout her life.

Thank you for everything you’ve done for Hillary — I know you make a difference for her every day.

Sincerely,

Dorothy Rodham

Hey, PUMAs!  Are you paying attention?

Hillary Clinton’s campaign still has a debt of several million dollars.  The PUMA blogs complain that President-elect Obama isn’t doing anything to help her retire the debt.  Of course, there is a law that prohibits a president-elect from doing much of anything — he can’t transfer more than $2,500 from his campaign account, he can’t attend fund-raisers or sign letters.

So it’s up to Hillary Clinton to make her own campaign funds appeals.  And sometime early next week, the law will close off her opportunities — a Secretary of State can’t do much to raise funds.

Fans of Hillary Clinton can contribute small stuff — a million contributions of $5.00 will help a lot, for example.

Are PUMAs really fans of Hillary Clinton as they claim?  Now is the time for them to step up to the plate and knock one out of the park, if they are.

It’s time for all other fans of Hillary Clinton to step up, too.

Don’t you think she’ll make a great Secretary of State?

Stumble It!

Leave a Comment » | Campaigns, Politics, President Obama, Presidents | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

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