CS Political/History Book Club - December Edition

[Cap'n Cat]

Read two outstanding books in the last two months.

Everyday Stalinism: Ordinary Life in Extraordinary Times: Soviet Russia in the 1930s , by Sheila Fitzpatrick

Deep analysis of what it took to be an ordinary citizen in the early years of Stalin. Long lines, discrimination, purges, Party corruption. Woulda sucked to live there at that time.



Dont Call Me Boss: David L. Lawrence, Pittsburgh's Renaissance Mayor , by Michael Weber

Very, very detailed account of the public life of Pittsburgh's greatest mayor ever, David Lawrence, who served Pittsburgh, the state and the nation for 50 years. Was also governor of Pennsylvania from '59 to '63. Served in the Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy and Johnson admin's, too. Fierce proponent of the little guy, civil rights and fair housing, he wrenched the city away from corrupt Republicans and created a Dem stronghold that holds to this day. Ushered in the Pittsburgh Renaissance which turned it from a smoky, dying city to an international jewel.



You?

[Grizalltheway]

Biography of Alexander the Great. Pretty neat.

[kalm]

Got "The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America" by David Brinkley for christmas and just started it.

It will be interesting to see if it confirms Teddy as the greatest conk president of all time.

[Bronco]

-
Inside the White House
Ronald Kessler

"I'll have those n*ggers voting Democratic for the next 200 years." -- Lyndon B. Johnson to two governors on Air Force One according Ronald Kessler's Book

[kalm]

-
Inside the White House
Ronald Kessler

"I'll have those n*ggers voting Democratic for the next 200 years." -- Lyndon B. Johnson to two governors on Air Force One according Ronald Kessler's Book

I'm pretty sure that quote has been thoroughly refuted. Wasn't LBJ saying that the Dems would lose the south for the next two generations on the signing of the Civil Rights bill?

[Bronco]

Haven't seen it debunked

[Cap'n Cat]

Haven't seen it debunked

Bronchitis,
He did, indeed, say that, but, like you, Lyndon Johnson belonged to a different time and place. And, like you, he would struggle to make it today.

[Bronco]

-
His quote and others like it shows that Dems really don’t care about people like they say…
Every time I see the N word printed in a post on this site it’s by a “progressive”

Repubs freed the slaves and dems put them back into slavery

Blacks still haven’t recovered from Johnson’s great society but he was right in predicting their future votes

Dems have heroes like the hypocrite Ted Kennedy who was pro life until it became important to pick up the female vote
He couldn’t drop his principles fast enough

…and now we have Obama who is continuing the dem tradition of not caring about people or principles just votes

[LeadBolt]

-
Inside the White House
Ronald Kessler

"I'll have those n*ggers voting Democratic for the next 200 years." -- Lyndon B. Johnson to two governors on Air Force One according Ronald Kessler's Book

I'm pretty sure that quote has been thoroughly refuted. Wasn't LBJ saying that the Dems would lose the south for the next two generations on the signing of the Civil Rights bill?

I'm pretty sure he said both.

[Ivytalk]

Got "The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America" by David Brinkley for christmas and just started it.

It will be interesting to see if it confirms Teddy as the greatest conk president of all time.

BS. TR was a Clinton Democrat.

[kalm]

Got "The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America" by David Brinkley for christmas and just started it.

It will be interesting to see if it confirms Teddy as the greatest conk president of all time.

BS. TR was a Clinton Democrat.

Clinton was the 2nd best Republican President of the 20th century.

[Ivytalk]

BS. TR was a Clinton Democrat.

Clinton was the 2nd best Republican President of the 20th century.

After JFK.

[griz37]

Got "The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America" by David Brinkley for christmas and just started it.

It will be interesting to see if it confirms Teddy as the greatest conk president of all time.

I have that book sitting on the shelf waiting to be read when I get done with a few others, what do you think so far?

[kalm]

Got "The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America" by David Brinkley for christmas and just started it.

It will be interesting to see if it confirms Teddy as the greatest conk president of all time.

I have that book sitting on the shelf waiting to be read when I get done with a few others, what do you think so far?

Only a few pages in so far. Went to a directional university so I'm a bit of slow reader.

[Ivytalk]

Am reading a fascinating book on natural history right now: Voyage of the Turtle by Carl Safina. It's about the life and migrations of the giant leatherback turtle, which routinely covers thousands of miles and returns to the same beach it was born to lay its eggs. Kind of like the Kennedys.

[Ivytalk]

I have that book sitting on the shelf waiting to be read when I get done with a few others, what do you think so far?

Only a few pages in so far. Went to a directional university so I'm a bit of slow reader.

Isn't it Alan Brinkley? David Brinkley, Chet Huntley's newscasting partner, is in the great newsroom in the sky.

[kalm]

Only a few pages in so far. Went to a directional university so I'm a bit of slow reader.

Isn't it Alan Brinkley? David Brinkley, Chet Huntley's newscasting partner, is in the great newsroom in the sky.

Did I not say I went to a directional university?

(Good line about the Kennedy's though )

[ASUG8]

Got "The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America" by David Brinkley for christmas and just started it.

It will be interesting to see if it confirms Teddy as the greatest conk president of all time.

I picked up a book on TR while Christmas shopping too, but haven't started it yet.

[CharlestonAppFan]

Just finished "Truman" by D. McCullough; awesome book. Reading Clinton's new book right now then onto Ron Chernow's "The House of Morgan".

[Grizalltheway]

Just finished "Truman" by D. McCullough; awesome book. Reading Clinton's new book right now then onto Ron Chernow's "The House of Morgan".

Finished that a few months ago, really enjoyed it. Truman was a great CIC.

[UNI88]

Almost halfway through That Used to Be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back by Thomas L. Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum.

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So far it's an excellent book. It's pretty fair in assessing where we are and what we need to do to turn things around. Not sure that hard core Republicans or Democrats are going to like it (we're going to have to raise taxes on everyone to reduce the deficit/we're going to have to make significant changes in social programs & the military to reduce the deficit) but it is proposals would be in line with what a true progressive would champion.

[Ivytalk]

Almost halfway through That Used to Be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back by Thomas L. Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum.

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So far it's an excellent book. It's pretty fair in assessing where we are and what we need to do to turn things around. Not sure that hard core Republicans or Democrats are going to like it (we're going to have to raise taxes on everyone to reduce the deficit/we're going to have to make significant changes in social programs & the military to reduce the deficit) but it is proposals would be in line with what a true progressive would champion.

Well, duh, because the New York Times's Tommy Friedman wrote it!!

[UNI88]

Almost halfway through That Used to Be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back by Thomas L. Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum.

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So far it's an excellent book. It's pretty fair in assessing where we are and what we need to do to turn things around. Not sure that hard core Republicans or Democrats are going to like it (we're going to have to raise taxes on everyone to reduce the deficit/we're going to have to make significant changes in social programs & the military to reduce the deficit) but it is proposals would be in line with what a true progressive would champion.

Well, duh, because the New York Times's Tommy Friedman wrote it!!

Just finished That Used to Be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back. Excellent book and I would highly recommend it. Of course I like and frequently agree with Friedman as an author.

The book focuses on what America needs to do to compete in the future but there are some interesting ideas about how even in defeat a 3rd party presidential candidate could have a greater impact on the future of the country than the winning candidate. In the 4 elections in the 20th century in which there was a viable 3rd party candidate, the winning candidate ended up adopting much of the 3rd party's platform in order to co-opt it's supporters in the future.