I like Ike
Dennis Sanders responds to my post on distrust of government and invokes Eisenhower by invoking Kelly Pipes:
For starters, Ike tried to run the government like a business. Many politicians say this; Ike lived it. He balanced the federal budget three times in his eight years. Yet he understood the difference between spending and investment. While he opposed frivolous programs, he invested heavily in national defense, education, space and transportation. These investments provided huge dividends for the country. The president saw all these programs as part of his Cold War strategy. For example, he had seen the need for better roads in a time of crisis as a young Army officer. The interstate highway system was designed not just to help move people around, but troops and equipment, too.
Dennis writes:
There is a wonderful pragmatism found in this view of government. Ike actually believed in balancing the budget and did it, but also invested in many government programs like the Interstate Highway System. Ike did not see government as the answer to everything, but he did see it as an effective tool to bring about a better society.
This is exactly what I was driving at…
Which would place Ike solidly in the mainstream of the Democratic party now.Report
Heh.Report
Ike would be my favorite president if he hadn’t given the CIA so much free reign to topple governments out of fear of Communism.Report