Wow, a Republican who ran and won on a Bring the Troops Home ticket!!

[Jackpine Radical]

Another post made me spend a few moments reflecting on my memories of Dwight David Eisenhower. I came to the conclusion that he was the only Republican in the 20th Century (maybe the only one ever with the sole exception of Lincoln) who I think could be plausibly argued to have left a legacy of more good than bad.

By running & winning in 1952, he spiked the Presidential ambitions of Douglas MacArthur, thereby keeping us out of a drastic rightward turn & maybe a nuclear war in the Far East. Remember that MacArthur was the one who wanted to use the A Bomb to resolve the Korean War.

Eisenhower was a general who knew and hated war. He got into power by promising to bring the American military "home by Christmas" from the undeclared war in Korea.

I think Ike despised Joe McCarthy and was responsible behind the scenes for the weakening & eventual crash of Tail Gunner Joe also. I read some background on those events years ago.

Ike sold the Interstate highway system to the nation under the guise of defense. He warned against the rise of the Military-Industrial Complex, and he spoke clearly about the consequences of diverting money from humane purposes to militarism. Overall, Ike was a decent and, in some ways progressive, President.

[Constitution]

1. Ron Paul also won on this in the 2006 election

It's an important message.

[robbedvoter]

2. In a more craven way, Didn't Nixon promise same thing?

Of course, he lied, but point is, it got him elected, right?

[Jackpine Radical]

3. Nixon claimed he had a secret plan to end the war.

Back then I claimed his secret plan was to vote for McGovern.

[indygrl]

4. Of course we all have our own opinions

and my memories of Ike are not so good. I remember lines of unemployed people standing in line at the unemployment ofc. for blocks. Low, low wages. You couldn't buy a job. What he did mostly was play golf. He was a figurehead. When Kennedy was elected the county came alive again. Minimum wage came in. I got a 30 cent raise and thought I'd hit the lottery. Eventually a better job as the economy picked up. John Glenn landed on the moon and soon we had the beginnings of equal rights. Our dreams were shattered Nov.22, 1963.

[Jackpine Radical]

5. I had no intention of suggestig that the Ike years were idyllic

or that his presidency was without fault. Yes, there was the famous golf thing. He did little about racism. The cold war was proceeding apace. The seeds for Vietnam were being planted (in large measure by VP Richard Nixon, as it turns out). Nevertheless, the contrast with recent years is stark. He fought off reactionary attacks on some of the legacy of the New Deal, such as Social Security.