Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

VMA131Marine

(5,060 posts)
Thu Nov 7, 2024, 11:42 AM Nov 2024

Donald Trump is no Grover Cleveland

Cleveland, of course, was the first and, until now, only President to serve non-consecutive terms. He was known for his honesty and general good character, in other words, the antithesis of Donald Trump.

From Wikipedia:
Cleveland was elected mayor of Buffalo in 1881 and governor of New York in 1882. While governor, he closely cooperated with state assembly minority leader Theodore Roosevelt to pass reform measures, winning national attention.[1] He led the Bourbon Democrats, a pro-business movement opposed to high tariffs, free silver, inflation, imperialism, and subsidies to businesses, farmers, or veterans. His crusade for political reform and fiscal conservatism made him an icon for American conservatives of the time.[2] Cleveland also won praise for honesty, self-reliance, integrity, and commitment to the principles of classical liberalism.[3] His fight against political corruption, patronage, and bossism convinced many like-minded Republicans, called "Mugwumps", to cross party lines and support him in the 1884 election. After losing the 1888 election to Benjamin Harrison, he moved to New York City and joined a law firm. The 1892 election restored him to the White House. As his second administration began, the Panic of 1893 sparked a severe national depression. Many voters blamed the Democrats, opening the way for a Republican landslide in 1894 and for the agrarian and silverite seizure of the Democratic Party in 1896. An anti-imperialist,[4] Cleveland opposed the push to annex Hawaii, launched an investigation into the 1893 coup against Queen Liliʻuokalani, and called for her to be restored.[5][6]
Cleveland was a formidable policymaker, but also garnered criticism. He intervened in the 1894 Pullman Strike to keep the railroads moving, angering Illinois Democrats and labor unions nationwide; his support of the gold standard and opposition to free silver alienated the agrarian wing of the Democrats.[7] Critics complained that Cleveland had little imagination and seemed overwhelmed by the nation's economic disasters—depressions and strikes—in his second term.[7] Even so, his reputation for probity and good character survived the troubles of his second term. Biographer Allan Nevins wrote, "n Grover Cleveland, the greatness lies in typical rather than unusual qualities. He had no endowments that thousands of men do not have. He possessed honesty, courage, firmness, independence, and common sense. But he possessed them to a degree other men do not."[8] By the end of his second term, he was severely unpopular, even among Democrats.[9]
After leaving the White House, Cleveland served as a trustee of Princeton University. He continued to voice his political views, but fell seriously ill in 1907, dying in 1908. Today, Cleveland is praised for honesty, integrity, adherence to his morals, defying party boundaries, and effective leadership and is typically ranked in the middle to upper tier of U.S. presidents.

3 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Donald Trump is no Grover Cleveland (Original Post) VMA131Marine Nov 2024 OP
Interesting Grover Cleveland story regarding secret cancer surgery Dennis Donovan Nov 2024 #1
More like giving Herbert Hoover another term. Emile Nov 2024 #2
I would take Hoover over Trump in a heartbeat VMA131Marine Nov 2024 #3

Dennis Donovan

(31,059 posts)
1. Interesting Grover Cleveland story regarding secret cancer surgery
Thu Nov 7, 2024, 11:53 AM
Nov 2024
NPR - A Yacht, A Mustache: How A President Hid His Tumor

July 6, 2011
12:01 AM ET

/snip/

So Cleveland decided to have the tumor secretly removed. The plan was for the president to announce he was taking a friend's yacht, the Oneida, on a four-day fishing trip from New York to his summer home in Cape Cod.

"And it was on that yacht that this operation was performed," Algeo says. "They assembled a team of six surgeons. [It] took about 90 minutes. They used ether as the anesthesia and they removed the tumor along with about five teeth and a large part of the president's upper left jawbone."

The surgeons managed to extract the tumor through the president's mouth, which meant there was no noticeable scarring and the president's trademark mustache was left untouched — key conditions for keeping the public in the dark.

Algeo says the operation was an extraordinary achievement in American medicine.

"The doctors took incredible risks. I mean, it was really foolhardy," Algeo says. "I talked to a couple of oral surgeons [while] researching the book, and they still marvel at this operation: that they were able to do this on a moving boat; [that] they did it very quickly. A similar operation today would take several hours; they did it in 90 minutes."

/snip

VMA131Marine

(5,060 posts)
3. I would take Hoover over Trump in a heartbeat
Thu Nov 7, 2024, 12:38 PM
Nov 2024

Hell, I’d take Jefferson Davis over Trump.

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Donald Trump is no Grover...