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Thursday, January 24, 2008

Truman vs Wall Street

If, like me, you don't think highly of the populist rhetoric of an Edwards or a Huckabee, there's at least some perspective to be had by contrasting with it with some political vitriol of previous times. Here's a 1948 Time magazine passage about President Harry Truman's campaign:

His talk was tougher than ever. His speeches were folksy but their well-hammered themes were fear and self-interest. The country would "go to the dogs" if a Republican administration was elected. He pictured the Republicans as tools of "the most reactionary elements . . . silent and cunning men," who would "skim the cream from our natural resources to satisfy their own greed," who would "tear the country apart." They were "bloodsuckers with offices in Wall Street. . . princes of privilege . . . plunderers."