History Collection: Dwight D. Eisenhower Quotes On Politics, War, and Freedom

Source:Originally from History Collections- President Dwight Eisenhower, on extremism. 

Source:The New Democrat

"Dwight D. Eisenhower (''Ike'') was one of the most prominent American presidents and US Army Generals. In this video, you can find his thoughts about warfare, American politics and government."

From History Collection

Source:Words On Images- Dwight Eisenhower, on freedom 

President Dwight D. Eisenhower: "if you want total security go to prison. There you're fed, clothed, given medical care and so on. The only thing lacking is freedom." President Eisenhower, talking about the value of freedom, freedom of choice, personal autonomy, etc, the tools that every person every free society uses to manage their own affairs.

The only thing that is free about a free society is the freedom for individuals to make their own decisions. Everything else about a free society comes with choices, investments, even costs. To be able to do things and make your own decisions, you have to earn that buy doing other things. Like getting and education, and good job that allows you to able to take care of yourself. And those really aren't costs either, but more like investments because you get a lot of education and a good job that you're good at other than money and a good job which is knowledge that you can use in your future which either helps you at work or in other places, but with everything that you do in life.

And in any society wether it's a free society or an authoritarian society or even let's say a social democratic society where the national government attempts to eliminate as much economic risk as possible, but falls short of nationalizing the economy there's going to be some risk there. Which is why a good education is so important so the people have as much knowledge and quality information as possible to be able to make their own good decisions and investments. But even life in prison ( not that I know from personal experience ) comes with real risks and those risks generally having to do with one's physical security. Even non-violent offenders have to deal with the risk that one of their fellow inmates might actually hurt them or worst at some point.

And in any authoritarian society where both economic and personal risk is eliminated or that's what the government tries to create, there is a risk that the state might pick you up, because they see you as some threat to the regime. Cuba, Russia, North Korea, Saudi Arabia are great examples of that. So in no society and no form of life comes without personal risk. The question is how do you manage it and what decisions you make with your own life.

For me is the best form of life is a free life where people are able to make their own personal and economic decisions themselves, but are then held accountable for their own decision making for good and bad. And allow for everyone to get themselves the best education that they can so they can make the best lives for themselves as possible. As well as encourage people to get a good education, good job, earn a good living. So you have as many free people as possible in society.

C-SPAN: Christopher Hitchens and Patrick Buchanan, on Bill Clinton in 1993

Source:CSPAN- Left-Wing political writer, Christopher Hitchens.

Source:The New Democrat 

"Mr. Hitchens and Mr. Buchanan spoke on current events in Washington politics, including the performance of the Clinton administration to date, and the reaction of Western countries toward the civil war in Bosnia. The correspondents responded to callers' comments criticizing the Clinton administration. Credit to CSPAN." 

From CSPAN 

"Mr. Hitchens and Mr. Buchanan spoke on current events in Washington politics, including the performance of the Clinton administration to date, and the reaction of Western countries toward the civil war in Bosnia. The correspondents responded to callers' comments criticizing the Clinton administration." 

Source:CSPAN- Pat Buchanan and Chris Hitchens, on CSPAN in 1993.

From CSPAN

This is certainly an interesting combo to have Chris Hitchens and Pat Buchanan, on the same show. 

Hitchens, a self-described Democratic Socialist and Pat Buchanan, would be what's called today an Alt-Rightist: someone who tends to be against free trade, multiculturalism, non-European immigration and perhaps immigration in general. Anti-internationalism when it comes to foreign policy and not believing that America should be involved in other countries human rights crisis's and civil wars. 

And then you have Socialist Chris Hitchens, who believes that the big central government, should decide what people need to live well. And that the central government should be responsible for a lot of those services. But tends to break away from Socialists when it came to foreign policy and did believe America and Europe, could play a positive role in seeing that people who live under authoritarian regimes, can break away from authoritarianism and even use military force to break those authoritarian regimes. 

Hitchens was in favor of America and Europe, being involved in the Balkans in the 1990s. Buchanan was against that. They weren't two men that even though one was clearly on the Left, Far-Left even and the other was on the Far-Right, that you could assume that either would automatically take a certain position on a certain issue.

ABC News: Good Morning America- First Lady Hillary Clinton (1998)

Source:ABC News- First Lady Hillary Clinton (Democrat, Arkansas) on ABC News Good Morning America, in 1998.

Source:The New Democrat

“First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton gives an interview on ABC’s “Good Morning America”, facing tough personal questions.

January 28, 1998. (A day after the famous “Today show” interview)”

From Caleb Rojas Castillo

Lisa McRee, hosting ABC’s Good Morning America. Gee, there’s a blast from the past. She co-hosted that show, what two weeks. I guess when your network’s overnight newscast gets better ratings than your morning show, that’s a clue that you might need to change your morning crew. Diane Sawyer, saved Good Morning America and perhaps is the reason why that show is a strong competitor with The Today Show. Or at least while Diane was hosting GMA.

Hillary Clinton, is either the most gullible person on the planet: and would take the word of a known compulsive liar, when the liar says that fire is cold and water is dry and it snows in South Florida in July, or she’s just a bad liar herself. I mean, to say she believed her husband, who just happens to be Bill Clinton, perhaps better known as Wild Bill and Slick Willy, when he told her that allegations about Monica Lewinsky were false, is hard to believe. I mean, Bill is her husband and it’s not like they have a long distance marriage and do not know what is going on in the other’s life. They’ve shared a bed at this point for over twenty years. Well, they shared that bed when Bill wasn’t with one of his girlfriends.

When you’re a fly in hot water and you can actually swim, I know a little tough to consider, you get yourself out of the water and fly away. That is what Hillary is trying to do here. Lisa McRee, wants to talk about Lewinsky. Hillary, would rather talking about the color of a brick wall, or how often someone should clean their garbage cans. Or how come the Chicago Cubs, haven’t won a World Series in a hundred years, or the price of Arkansas dirt, then talk about her husband’s latest affairs. So of course she’s going to try to change the subject from Lewinsky and try to talk about her husband’s political agenda. Outside of saving his ass in the White House. And that is exactly what she tried to do here.

Taylor F: President Dwight Eisenhower- Address on Little Rock Integration Plan

Source:Taylor F- President Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican, Texas) 34th President of the United States (1953-61)

Source:The Daily Times

Dwight Eisenhower, America’s first civil rights president. Not Lyndon Johnson who was our third, after Jack Kennedy who got involved in it strongly late in his presidency. But President Eisenhower was our first because he took on segregation from the executive level before the 1960s and when the civil rights movement became strong.

By taking on civil rights at the federal and executive level, President Eisenhower immediately gave credibility to the movement. Especially by being in favor of it and against school desegregation, by essentially saying that “African-Americans have the same right to a quality education as Caucasian-Americans. And that government can’t force African-American kids to go to poor schools. When Caucasians are going to good public schools”.

Market Ex: President Dwight Eisenhower- On The American Safety Net

Source:Market Ex- Dwight D. Eisenhower quote.

Source:The Daily Times 

“Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are H. L. Hunt (you possibly know his background), a few other Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid.”

From Market Ex

Dwight Eisenhower certainly wasn’t a Tea Party Republican economically or anything else. Whatever a Tea Party Republican is supposed to be, because there are many types.

But Ike was not a classical conservative economic libertarian Tea Party Republican. Not a Rand Paul Conservative Libertarian, which is what I’m getting at. But more like a Newt Gingrich Republican at least when it came to economic policy or what they use to call in Canada a Progressive Conservative.

Progressive Conservatives believe in the basic safety net for people who needed it, including the New Deal. But someone who also believed in freedom when it came to economics as well as personal freedom.

A Progressive Republican (not an Oxymoron) is someone who didn’t want a big welfare state for America. Someone who believed that Americans should have the freedom to be able to do as much for themselves as possible.

Progressive Republicans believe the safety net are for those people who needed it. Ike certainly wasn’t a Social Democrat or Democratic Socialist (which are very common in Europe) but someone who believed in using conservative principles to accomplish progressive goals. That you needed both freedom and a safety net for the country to be as strong as possible economically.

C-SPAN: President Dwight Eisenhower's Farewell Address & Warning For America

Source: C-SPAN-

Source: This piece was originally posted at FRS Daily Times Plus

So what’s so impressive about this speech is that it was given by the most distinguished and successful person to ever serve in the United States Military. And who was proud of his service and who loved the United States Military. Dwight Eisenhower was not some far-lefty who emerged in the 1960s or 70s who believes that authority and force are never the answer.

Ike didn’t believe that America is an evil country part of some evil-empire, that has nothing but capitalist greedy pigs. Or something holding the rest of the world down, the opposite was true. Because Dwight Eisenhower was a real American hero and American patriot. Who loved his country, but saw the American Military growing faster than he believed it needed to.

And that the growth of our military industrial complex was a threat if it went unchecked. And gave civilians who never served in the military some feeling that our military could do anything and that “we have all the resources both economic and in weapons to police the world or something.” What President Eisenhower believed was that a strong military is a military that’s limited to only do what we should be doing and that there’s an actual limit to what it can do to secure our nation and be a force for peace in the world.
C-SPAN: President Dwight Eisenhower's Farewell Address

Old TV History: President Dwight Eisenhower- WRC-TV 1958: Oldest Known Color TV Broadcast

Source: Old History TV- President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th POTUS.

Source:The New Democrat 

There were already color movies in the 1950s and very good color movies. Like North by Northwest to use as an example, but color TV really didn't have much of an impact at all until the late 1960s or so. Which is why this press conference by President Dwight Eisenhower is such a big deal. Because millions of Americans were getting to see something they never saw before most likely in 1958 and something that wouldn't become common in TV until the early 1970s.
Source:Old TV History

Huffington Post: Richard Eskow- 'Was This the Social Contract’s Comeback Year?'

Source:Crooks & Liars- U.S. House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (Democrat, Maryland)

Source:The New Democrat 

"What a difference a year makes. Last year at this time, a president and a party who had just won an election with progressive rhetoric were quickly pivoting toward a “Grand Bargain” which would cut Social Security and Medicare. Leaders in both parties were obsessed with deficits, and there was “bipartisan” consensus that these “entitlements” needed to be cut. The only questions left to debate were when they would be cut, and by how much. To resist these moves was to be dismissed as “unserious” and “extreme” — in Washington, in newsprint, and on the airwaves.

Today the forces of corporate consensus are on the defensive. It’s considered politically reckless to get too far out front on the subject of benefit cuts. Some of the think tanks who advocated Austerity Lite one year ago are focused now on inequality. And, as the leaders of Third Way learned recently, the same rhetoric which earned nods of approval all across Washington this time last year can get you slapped down today." 

From the Huffington Post 

"A promotional video produced by the US government to highlight the projects and programs of the Roosevelt's New Deal during the Great Depression." 

Source:All Histories- from a film about the New Deal.

From All Histories

When it comes to things like Social Security, Unemployment Insurance, Welfare Insurance, Medicare. Public Housing, Food Assistance (to use several examples) I prefer the term safety net or a public social insurance system or PSIS. Which are insurances that people who need them can collect when, well they need them. But if you able to take care or yourself and you have what is called economic freedom that is the ability to pay your own bills and be self-sufficient in life with money left over to spend in things you want, then that is essentially the American dream.

Then that is exactly what you and this is how a safety net or PSIS would be different from what is called in Europe especially in Scandinavia a welfare state. Where there are all sorts of public programs funded through taxes (not free for the people) there to take care of people. 

I as a Liberal Democrat do not want to have to live off of government or anyone else if I’m able to take care of myself. That would be just one example that would separate me from a Democratic Socialist or a Social Democrat. Someone who bases their political philosophy on what government can do for people when it comes to economics.

If you want to use the term social contract, fine I’ll go along with that. But what I’m really in favor of when it comes to American capitalism is individual economic power. Again which is another way of saying economic freedom. And what I would like to see in this country and perhaps even go back to is an economic power system that is there for all Americans to be able to take advantage of to create their own economic freedom.

And this is where government plays its biggest role along with regulating predatory behavior. And this comes from making quality education and job training available for everyone universally to everyone K-adulthood if needed. So as many Americans as possible have that individual economic power or people power to be able to take care of themselves. And live a good life however they define that for themselves without having to use public assistance or private charity. In order to pay their own way and bills.

If you are talking about having a federal government so big especially as it relates to economic policy that it is designed to meet a lot if not most of people’s economic needs, you are no longer talking about a safety net or a social insurance system, but a welfare state. A socialist superstate big government at about as big as it can without nationalizing the entire economy and outlawing private property all together. And that is not what I’m in favor of.

Universal Newsreels: President Eisenhower & President Khrushchev- 'New Diplomacy: 8/03/1959'

Source:Universal Newsreels- President Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican, Texas) talking about the visit of President Nikita Khrushchev (Soviet Union)

"Ike special press conference, reads joint text, that Khrushchev has accepted invitation to visit U.S., and Ike will visit USSR (partial newsreel)."

From Universal Newsreel

Just another example of why Dwight Eisenhower was such a qualified and effective Cold War President, because he was such a high ranking general during World War II leading Allied Forces in Europe and being in charge of defeating Nazism and other fascists ideologies in Europe during World War II. So when he became President of the United States in 1953. he was more than well-prepared to take on another form of fascism which was communism and the leader of communism in the world at the time being the Soviet Union of Russia. 

So when President Nikita Khrushchev comes to America in 1959 to visit President Eisenhower to talk and even negotiate with the United States, Dwight Eisenhower because of his World War II and Cold War background, was more than capable and credible to discuss issues with Communist Russia. Because you could never accuse Dwight Eisenhower of having Far-Left or other communist leniencies and respect for the Soviet Union. Because he was a man who just didn't hate communism publicly, but someone who fought against Nazism and fascism in the 1940s in Europe leading Allied Forces. 

President Eisenhower's credibility against communism, was fairly similar to the record that Richard Nixon had against communist first in Congress, but later as Vice President. 

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Eisenhower Library: 'President Eisenhower's- Civil Rights Legacy'

Source:Eisenhower Presidential Library- a panel discussion on President Dwight D. Eisenhower's (Republican, Texas) legacy on civil rights.

"When civil rights issues are mentioned, most people automatically think of the 1960s. "Eisenhower's Civil Rights Legacy," was held Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011, at the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum. This program is a reminder that the Eisenhower Administration laid the ground work for much of the 1960s movement."

From the Eisenhower Library

If I had to guess I would say that civil rights was not on the top of Dwight Eisenhower's legacy when he became President of the United States in 1953. And not something where he was going to push civil rights through a Republican Congress that he had in his first two years. And the leader of a party in the Republican Party where civil rights laws probably had more support for than in the Democratic Party. That for the most part except for Lyndon Johnson and a few others (at the time of the Democratic Leader in the Senate) was against civil rights laws, period.

Perhaps the only interest that President Eisenhower had in civil rights had to do with enforcing the newly open military. That included all races and the different races serving together in the U.S. military. That President Truman put through through executive order because he had a Democratic Congress that wouldn't have supported it. 

Not saying that President Eisenhower was a against civil and equal rights even before he became President. but that he had other priorities that he believed were more important like the Korean War and the start of the Cold War with Russia.

Civil rights is something that more came to President Eisenhower desk's rather than he putting it on his desk instead. When the Topeka and Brown V. Board of Education rulings came to him and he had to decide whether he was going to enforce these decisions or not, 

Dwight Eisenhower was definitely not a racist, but a Southerner who did have respect for the Southern States states rights plank, but decided that the nation as a whole was more important. And that as President of the United States, it was his job to enforce all Federal laws even laws that his part of the country disagreed with which is how he backed the Arkansas education case (to use as an example) that allowed for African-Americans to go to school there and not be forced to go to run down schools where only African-Americans attended because they lived in poverty stricken neighborhoods.

Civil rights is a perfect example of Dwight Eisenhower's judicial and governmental conservatism. That laws have to be enforced and you can't pick and choose which laws are enforced whether you agree with them or not. Thats its the job of the Executive to enforce laws and if you don't like those laws. You can always work to repeal then instead of cherry pick which laws you like. And he reminds me a little of Chief Justice John Roberts in that respect.

History Comes To Life: President Dwight D. Eisenhower- 1958 State of The Union Address

Source:History Comes To Life- President Dwight D. Eisenhower, address to Congress in 1958.

"Eisenhower State of the Union 1958"

From History Comes To Life

Dwight Eisenhower might be the Republican President I have the most respect for at least in the 20th Century. Abraham Lincoln is the Republican President and perhaps President most of all that I have the most respect for. But President Eisenhower is the Republican President I probably respect most in the TV age. Because he was the real thing and knew exactly who he was, what he wanted to do and what could be done. And perhaps had the best training of any President we've ever had in being the Commander of Allied Forces in Europe in World War II.

Because no other President had a better understanding of both foreign policy and national security. At least before becoming President of The United States than Dwight Eisenhower. And knew exactly what his number one job as President which of course is Commander-in-Chief. So when he gave his speech about the military industrial complex in 1961, the country almost had to take him seriously because he's someone who was a forty year veteran of the Army and had served in two world wars including leading Allied Forces in Europe during World War II.

Another thing that I respect a lot about Dwight Eisenhower even though I'm a Liberal was that President Eisenhower was a true Conservative. Fiscal Conservative across the board even when it came to defense, a true economic Conservative and understood exactly what the limited role of the Federal Government should be as it related to the economy. Which is how we got the National Highway System and a true social Conservative who understood the need for social as well as economic freedom. And was a pretty effective civil rights President in enforcing the Arkansas school segaration case. And is someone that todays not so conservative Republican Party could learn a lot from.

National Archives: Tim Naftali- 'Watergate: The 18 ½ Minute Gap and Haldeman's Notes'

Source:The National Archives- President Richard M. Nixon and his Chief of Staff Bob Haldaman. 

"Three days after the Watergate break-in on June 17, 1972, President Richard Nixon and his chief of staff H.R. "Bob" Haldeman met in the Executive Office Building to discuss the incident. This Inside the Vaults video short examines the famous 18 ½ minute gap in the White House tapes, which occurred during this meeting. A multi-agency team under National Archives direction examined Haldeman's two pages of notes, attempting to decipher what was said in the gap in the tape.

Nixon Library director Timothy Naftali, David Paynter of the National Archives and independent researcher Phil Mellinger discuss the case and the results of the forensic analysis.

Inside the Vaults includes highlights from the National Archives in the Washington, DC, area and from the Presidential libraries and regional archives nationwide. These shorts present behind-the-scenes exclusives and offer surprising stories about the National Archives treasures. See more from Inside the Vaults at...

From The National Archives

One of the most fascinating and most unnecessary stories in American history, because President Nixon was going to get reelected overwhelmingly anyway in a landslide, because he was running against someone who was seen as a Socialist (and not just by Richard Nixon) in Senator George McGovern and President Nixon was a Moderate by comparison. But that is what Richard Nixon was always about when it came to politics which was information. 

Not saying President Nixon ordered the actual Watergate break in but it looks like it seemed like what he wanted according to the people who worked for him in the White House with his intelligence unit in the White House (the plumbers) believing that President Nixon at the very least wouldn't have a problem with the break in and thinking he might protect them if they were to get caught. 

The Plumbers got caught in 1972 because they weren't professional burglars. They were like a karaoke act at a nightclub or some dive just outside of an airport. They simply didn't know what they were doing and literally got caught on the spot at the Watergate Hotel.

The American Experience: 'President Jimmy Carter and The Economy: Curbing Inflation (2003)'

Source:American Experience- 2003 documentary about President Jimmy Carter (Democrat, Georgia)

"In the summer of 1979, inflation rose to 14 percent. In response, Carter cut the budgets of social programs, leading to criticism from African American leaders and members of the "traditional FDR coalition." 

From the American Experience

President Jimmy Carter wasn't really at fault for the problems and issues that confronted him as President. He inherited a lot of those issues from the Nixon and Ford Administration's. Where President Carter was at fault is how he responded to probably the worst economy America had since the Great Depression and perhaps since. With high unemployment, interest, and inflation rates to go with low economic growth and the 1979-1980 recession.

All of these thing happening under President Carter's watch and he didn't seem to have much of an idea in how to respond to them. President Carter is one of the most intelligent President's we've ever had: even Conservative Republicans would acknowledge that. But he's one of the weakest leaders we've ever had. I believe even Democrats would acknowledge that I'm one of them. Which is one reason why Senator Ted Kennedy ran for President against him in 1980. Taking on the leader of his own party.

President Carter had a great ability analyze and understand what the problems that the country were facing. But did have a much of an idea in how to address them except for energy policy and fiscal policy as well, to a certain extent calling for eliminating waste in the Federal Government and to reform the Federal Government and balancing the Federal budget.

But the problem was President Carter put a lot of those goals ahead of growing the economy. One of the reasons why it was so weak from 1978-81 under his watch when you have a weak economy especially a recession, you have to concentrate on economic growth to produce job growth. In order to put people back to work and when those things happen. 

Then you can concentrate on balancing the Federal budget with extra revenue you've obtained from the economic growth and more people working and paying taxes, as well cutting back in government spending in areas you don't need to spend as much, as well as reforming government.

The Carter Administration did the opposite: they cut back in spending, when they should've focused on creating more economic growth. Like with tax cuts, infrastructure investment, aid to states so they don't have to lay off workers, expanding foreign trade so American business's can sell more of their products, job training for unemployed workers, deregulating certain industries so they could hire more people by expanding their business's. They did do that with airline industries which did help the economy but later on in the 1980s.

To be a strong leader you have to know what the issues are and then what to do about them and then be able to communicate your policy's to the country to get them passed through Congress. It's a lot more work than just being able to figure out what the issues are. But also have an idea what to do about them and then communicate your message as well. President Carter was an excellent analyst, but poor visionary as far as what to do about the problems that he saw. 

History Channel: 39- President Jimmy Carter and the Late 1970s

Source:The White House- President James E. Carter: 39th President of the United States.

Source:The Daily Times

“From The History Channel Series, “The Presidents”.
Copyright held by The History Channel – for educational use only!” Originally from Coach Strusky, but the video has since been deleted or blocked on YouTube.

This might be putting it simplistically, but Jimmy Carter’s presidency and the late 1970s might be able to be summed up in what was dubbed as his malaise speech. Even though it was a hell of a lot more complicated than that. Despite President Carter’s brilliant ability to examine issues and problems, this speech however you want to define it, sounded like a lecture on what was wrong with the American people.

Seeming to blame the problems that the country was facing on themselves. That what the center of our problems, the reason for our economic problems was materialism that we wanted too much. Instead of the fact that it’s not that the country wanted too much. But the fact that a lot of middle class Americans and low-income people were fighting just to survive, to make ends meet. Which was very difficult because of the high unemployment, high interest rates, high inflation and the energy shortage.

The bad economy was the center of America’s problems and that was bad enough. And then throw in the foreign policy issues of late 1978 into 1979 and 1980, with the Monarchy in Iran collapsing in early 79, the Iran hostage crisis of November, 1979, where Americans at our Embassy in Tehran were taken hostage and held for fourteen months, with Russia invading Afghanistan in 1980. It was a lot on any President’s plate, even for a President as intelligent as Jimmy Carter.

I’ve said this before, but Jimmy Carter as President had a brilliant ability to examine issues for what they were for and understand them. But lacked the ability to figure out how to solve the problems. The economic crisis on 1978-90 and the malaise speech is a perfect example of this. He knew what the issues of the bad economy of that era were, but didn’t have a prescription to fix the problems.

He saw the economic crisis as something to do with the budget deficit. Even though compared with GDP the deficit was very small back then. Thanks to President Nixon, Ford and yes Carter limiting federal spending. The main issues with the economic crisis had to with high unemployment, high interest rates and high inflation. And the way to solve economic problems is putting people back to work, even if that means running a short-term deficit. Or increasing the deficit, because once you establish solid job growth, you get the economy running again and you can address whatever budget deficit you had run up.

President Carter not only miss-diagnosed the economic crisis from a policy point of view, but from a political point of view. Because with a decent economy, President Carter gets reelected. I believe even with the hostage crisis, because President Carter actually scored decent ratings for the way he handled that situation. That election still would’ve been close I believe. But if he handled the economy properly, President Carter gets reelected and Ronald Reagan perhaps never becomes President of the United States.