Kearns Goodwin sits among the best current American presidential historians, and her book takes an intriguing look at Teddy Roosevelt, his successor and Vice President William Taft, and the role a changing press played in their presidencies. Lifelong friends, they became bitter political enemies. Roosevelt ended up founding his own political party and running against Taft, the Republican nominee, in 1912. Woodrow Wilson ended up winning that election. Kearns Goodwin unpacks this story in award-winning fashion.
Teddy Roosevelt is fairly well-studied among American presidents. Taft is not. Taft was always centrally interested in the judiciary. He had hoped to be appointed to the Supreme Court, but his wife Nellie encouraged him to pursue political roles instead. She served as William’s main political advisor and mover. Unfortunately, she had a stroke early in Taft’s term and could no longer advise him about politics. Thus, he immediately was fated to become a lesser president. Ironically, after he lost the presidency in 1912, he was not too disappointed. He eventually became the only president to become a Supreme Court Justice, becoming Chief Justice at that.
Teddy Roosevelt, not encumbered by present-day term limits, ran for a third term amidst Taft’s unpopularity. When he did not win the Republican nomination, amidst procedural controversy, he founded his own Bull Moose Party with an ardently progressive agenda. Together, Taft and Roosevelt received a majority of the vote, but Wilson, a Democrat and also a progressive, won the plurality of the vote, more than either Republican as an individual.
The press, centrally in McClure’s magazine, was changing during this time. They became interested in exposing the excesses and inequities of the laissez-faire capitalism of the Gilded Age. The progressive Teddy Roosevelt was the first president to befriend journalists personally and made deft use of the White House Press Corps to his political benefit. In so doing, he coined the term “bully pulpit,” a metaphor affixed to the presidency ever since. However, Taft insisted on an older, more judicial relationship with the press. He expected them simply to report instead of taking an interest in their evolving demands. Kearns Goodwin concludes that this contributed to different outcomes among the presidents.
Anything that Kearns Goodwin writes is majestic, and this book is no exception. She weaves together three stories into one – tracing back to the presidents’ childhoods. Anyone interested in American politics can benefit from reading this history. Not only will they benefit, but they will be entertained. I listened to the audiobook version. It definitely kept my attention amidst driving through the distractions of the city. Highly recommended!
The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism
By Doris Kearns Goodwin
Read by Edward Herrmann
Copyright (c) 2013
Recorded Books
ASIN B00DEKZDOG
Length: 36:42
Genre: American History, US Presidential History
www.amazon.com