Happy Birthday, Republicans!

[snoopy369]

I won't necessarily disagree with the historian here, except to say that TR seemed to me to be more of a Realist, in that he believed in American Imperialism more to protect ourselves than necessarily to govern others (except insofar as governing others does protect us). But I don't claim to have read enough of his writings to form a very educated first-hand opinion on the matter.

[Zkribbler]

Lady at a White House party: "Mr. President, I bet a friend of mine I could get you to say at least three words."
President Coolidge: "You lose."

[Darius871]

Lady at a White House party: "Mr. President, I bet a friend of mine I could get you to say at least three words."
President Coolidge: "You lose."

Why cut it so close? "FAIL!" would have easily sufficed.

[MrFun]

This thread has inspired me to create a new avatar and sig, not only in the spirit of the thread's topic but also in recognition of the recent celebration of bicentennial of Lincoln's birth.

[Ben Kenobi]

Yo dawg, I heard you like presidents, so I put a lincoln in your lincoln so you can lead while you speed.

[Dinner]

It's to bad the party has strayed so far from its original leftist roots. They were originally called "Radical Republicans" because their ideas were so liberal but now they've become what their founders hated most.

[Dinner]

He'd have conquered a lot of countries if he believed that.

Mr. Fun is actually right. Teddy Roosevelt was a huge proponent of an American Empire between 1898 and 1910 but lost his taste for it after that. Congress was significantly still majority isolationist and opposed Roosevelt's imperial ambitions when he was president.

[MrFun]

I wanted this following quote of Lincoln as my sig, but the word limit would not allow me to do that, even after I shortened it a couple of different ways without losing it's full force/meaning:

"I am not a Know-Nothing. That is certain. How could I be? How can any one who abhors the oppression of negroes, be in favor of degrading classes of white people? Our progress in degeneracy appears to me to be pretty rapid. As a nation we began by declaring that 'all men are created equal." We now pratically read it 'all men are created equal, except negroes.' When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read 'all men are created equal, except for negroes, and foreigners, and Catholics.' When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretence of loving liberty - to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocrisy." Abraham Lincoln, writing to Joshua Speed on August 24, 1855

[Krill]

Charleston Nice place, I miss it

[Imran Siddiqui]

Mr. Fun is actually right. Teddy Roosevelt was a huge proponent of an American Empire between 1898 and 1910 but lost his taste for it after that. Congress was significantly still majority isolationist and opposed Roosevelt's imperial ambitions when he was president.

Naw, not really. As shown by the lack of territorial conquests during Roosevelt's Presidency. All he really did was send the Great White Fleet to open up Japan to trade and cause a civil war to create Panama and get the Panama Canal. He didn't try to go around colonizing willy nilly.

[Impaler[WrG]]

Republicans are the complete antithesis of what their party used to stand for. They started as a northern party and held the positions that Northerners have always held, Social Liberalism and High government expenditure on Public Goods. At the time that meant roads, canals, rails and all kinds of infrastructure. That's what constituted being "Pro-business" before Robber-Barron-ism and Cronyism usurped and perverted that word into a mockery of its former meaning. Republicans now oppose the Public investments that would actually be good for business in the long run.

[Dinner]

Naw, not really. As shown by the lack of territorial conquests during Roosevelt's Presidency. All he really did was send the Great White Fleet to open up Japan to trade and cause a civil war to create Panama and get the Panama Canal. He didn't try to go around colonizing willy nilly.

He also annexed the Philippines (which we had promised independence before and during the Spanish-American War) as well as Porto Rico, kicked off the Philippine-American War, and he tried to annex Cuba but Congress stopped him. Then he also became very involved in sending Armies to Latin America to set up pro-US business governments even when the people didn't want such a government.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Yes, let's hear it for the party of Lincoln, TR, and Eisenhower...none of whom would be welcome in today's Republican party...

[DinoDoc]

Yes, let's hear it for the party of Lincoln, TR, and Eisenhower...none of whom would be welcome in today's Republican party...

Be fair, Rufus. On that list there, you have a war criminal, a literal imperialist, and someone who used federal troops to limit the rights of civilians. I wouldn't be so quick to say that they'd be welcome in any political party today.

[Imran Siddiqui]

He also annexed the Philippines (which we had promised independence before and during the Spanish-American War) as well as Porto Rico, kicked off the Philippine-American War, and he tried to annex Cuba but Congress stopped him. Then he also became very involved in sending Armies to Latin America to set up pro-US business governments even when the people didn't want such a government.

McKinley annexed the Philippines & Puerto Rico. Did you forget who was President during the Spanish American War? Brush up on your history.

The Filipino-American War was initiated when Filipino rebels, led by Aguinaldo didn't like the American occupation and rebelled. Any President would have put it down.

TR never wanted to annex Cuba, but did intervene in its internal politics in 1906. And the sending of armies to Latin America to set up pro-US business governments mostly happened in Taft (Nicaragua) & Wilson (Nicaragua again, Haiti, Dominican Republica), through the Harding Administration. Though they did use the "Roosevelt Corollary" to the "Monroe Doctrine", which said the US could intervene if Latin countries were unable to pay their debts, but Roosevelt meant it to prevent the debt holders (Britain and France) from intervening.