Overview

Imagine a country in which strikes by public-sector unions occupied the public square; where foreign policy wandered aimlessly as America disentangled itself from wars abroad and a potential civil war on its southern border; where racial and ethnic groups jostled for political influence; where a war on illicit substances led to violence in its cities; where technology was dramatically changing how mankind communicated and moved about-and where the educated harbored increasing contempt for the philosophic underpinnings of our republic. That country, the America of the 1920s, looked a lot like America today. One would think, then, that the President who successfully navigated these challenges, Calvin Coolidge, might be esteemed today. Instead, Coolidge's record is little known, the result of efforts by both the left and right to distort his legacy. Why Coolidge Matters revisits the record of our most underrated president, examining Coolidge's views on governance, public sector unions, education, race, immigration, and foreign policy. Most importantly, Why Coolidge Matters explains what lessons Coolidge-the last president to pay down the national debt-can offer the limited government movement in the post-industrial age.

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9781594036699

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Reviews

<br>It turns out that our Cal wasn't as silent as we thought. Coolidge's life speaks volumes about the sad state of contemporary politics, and may offer a map for the way out. Charles Johnson's smart and entertaining book about our witty, wise, and humane 30th president is a must-read for anyone who cares about the history of the presidency, or its future.<br><br>--Tucker Carlson, co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Daily Caller <br><br>In a time when we suffer from the follies of a celebrity president, Charles Johnson's short sparkling account of Calvin Coolidge, the citizen president who valued experience over theory and individual accountability rather than social salvation, is a welcome occasion.<br><br>--Fred Siegel, scholar in residence at St. Francis College and a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute<br><br>To preserve our freedom, we must recover both our principles and our past. Calvin Coolidge is a figure from the past who possessed profound knowledge of our principles and the eloquence to explain them. Charles Johnson--precocious, energetic, and knowledgeable himself--brings real ability to the work of recovering Coolidge, and so he helps us to better know our country and ourselves.<br><br>--Larry P. Arnn, president of Hillsdale College and author of The Founders' Key <br><br>

<br>It turns out that our Cal wasn't as silent as we thought. Coolidge's life speaks volumes about the sad state of contemporary politics, and may offer a map for the way out. Charles Johnson's smart and entertaining book about our witty, wise, and humane 30th president is a must-read for anyone who cares about the history of the presidency, or its future.<br><br>--Tucker Carlson, co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Daily Caller <br><br>In a time when we suffer from the follies of a celebrity president, Charles Johnson's short sparkling account of Calvin Coolidge, the citizen president who valued experience over theory and individual accountability rather than social salvation, is a welcome occasion.<br><br>--Fred Siegel, scholar in residence at St. Francis College and a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute<br>

Author Information

Charles C. Johnson is an independent writer. His work has appeared in such publications as The Wall Street Journal, The L.A. Times, City Journal, The New Criterion, Reason, Tablet Magazine, and The Claremont Review of Books, and he has been the recipient of both the Robert L. Bartley Fellowship and Eric Breindel Award at the WSJ, the Robert Novak Award at the Philips Foundation, and the Publius Fellowship at the Claremont Institute. He lives in the San Gabriel Valley with his fiance and is presently writing a political biography of Barack Obama.

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