Here are a few quotes from 2 of the 3 books I checked out of the library.
I really don't want to read the 3rd book, but if anyone needs even more quotes, I may oblige.
Progressivism, the Great Depression, and the New Deal (1901-1941)
p.22 "By 1900, if not before, it had become obvious to many thoughtful people that too many Americans were not getting their fair share of the growing American prosperity."
p.30 "Although there were some improvements, farmers, laborers, and the poor were still not getting anything like their fair share of the nation's wealth."
p.31 "But there was another side to the 1920's that was not so glamorous, for the prosperity was not equally spread..."
p.59 caption beside a photo of Harding- "...he proved to be weak and incompetent.'
P.58 of Coolidge- "He was a silent, unimaginative man who did as little as possible to disturb the seeming prosperity of the 1920s."
"Hoover was intelligent and a good organizer."
pp. 60-61 FDR- "one of the most dynamic president's the nation has ever had..."
p.82 "...despite New Deal programs, the nation's wealth was still unequally distributed- ordinary workers and farmers, who made up the majority of consumers, were hardly getting a fair share of the nation's income..."
p.84- "Thus Franklin Roosevelt, in America's greatest economic crisis of all time, saved both democracy and capitalism by reforming the free enterprise system."
The Middle Road: American Politics 1945-200
p.32 "Americans began automatically to see as enemies any nations, no matter how small, with communist governments, when hindsight has suggested that it might have been better to try to work with them.
Cuba presents a good example of this."
p.63 Iran hostage situation
"(Carter finally managed to get the hostages released on the last day of his presidency.)" - Are you kidding me??? They were released because of Reagan coming in.
p.65 "Ronald Reagan was not an especially thoughtful president, given to pondering ideas." So thinking about ideas isn't thoughtful???
p. 69 "His confident, winning personality and actor's skill on television caused many voters to overlook problems like growing budget deficits and questionable armed forays in Grenada, and elsewhere."
pp.81-82 regarding the Bush/Gore election
"As it happened the governor of Florida was George W. Bush's brother. Both sides appealed to the state and federal courts to resolve the issue. Ultimately the U.S. Supreme Court (where two of the justices and been appointed by Bush's father), in a five to four decision gave the election to Bush."