Talk:Calvin Coolidge

Go Figure

Coolidge's self-proclaimed guard dogs whine here about critical statements made of Coolidge (and laissez-faire capitalism in general), calling such assertions biased and "unfair" in the name of maintaining a non-partisan biographical article--and yet, these same individuals seem to be more inclined to advance, and keep within the article, slanted and largely irrelevant opinions in support of Coolidge and laissez-faire capitalism, than they are to question their neutrality and validity, as they are (and should be) doing in their criticism of biased and dissenting opinions from the left.

In other words, rather than attempt to present this article from as neutral a standpoint as possible by refraining from embracing the views of either the left or the right, editors are attaching a blatant libertarian bias to the process of discussing edits to the article, to say the least. Wikipedia is not a place for Hagiographies, just as it is not a place for harangues or hate articles.

Since just about every edit to this discussion page is tinted with an obvious opinion anyway, I'll add mine by ending with a question: have any of you ever heard of "vulgar" libertarianism?

Not even mentioned

Is the Keep cool with Coolidge phrase. Why is this? Daniel Christensen (talk) 16:50, 6 July 2011 (UTC)

What are you talking about? Include citation. - Denimadept (talk) 17:03, 6 July 2011 (UTC)

Good old trusty Britannica:

At the Republican convention in 1924 Coolidge was nominated virtually without opposition. Running on the slogan “Keep Cool with Coolidge,” he won a landslide victory over conservative Democrat John W. Davis and Progressive Party candidate Robert La Follette, gaining about 54 percent of the popular vote to Davis's 29 percent and La Follette's nearly 17 percent; in the electoral college Coolidge received 382 votes to Davis's 136 and La Follette's 13. (See primary source document: Inaugural Address.)

http://www.britannica.com/presidents/article-9026133

Daniel Christensen (talk) 20:01, 6 July 2011 (UTC)

Photo Correct ,but description wrong

In the Photo of Calvin & Grace Coolidge accompanied by Charles Curtis (Senator from Kansas), on their way to the 1925 Inauguration Ceromony. Curtis is has been referred to as Vice-President-Elect. This is WRONG, in the 1925 Inagural. President Coolidge is sworn in for his Full Term as President, Charles G.Dawes is the Vice-President-Elect, Dawes is sworn in as Vice-President. Charles Curtis won't become Vice-President until the 1929 Inauguration , when Herbert C.Hoover becomes President.

http://www.calvin-coolidge.org/pages/education/facts.html

Which photo are you talking about? --Coemgenus (talk) 14:08, 22 August 2011 (UTC)

Recent article that may be useful

Here is a recent article in Slate regarding Coolidge's new found fame on the right [16]. Might be useful to incorporate some aspect of this into the article. Remember (talk) 21:26, 21 November 2011 (UTC)

Greenberg's main point seems to be that Coolidge became popular again among conservatives in the 1980s. That point's already in the lede -- and cited to his book! -- so I don't think the article adds much. It was edifying to learn that Amity Shlaes is writing a new Coolidge biography, though. I look forward to reading it and adding any new insights to this article. --Coemgenus (talk) 23:06, 21 November 2011 (UTC)

Coolidge's mindset on eve of 1929 financial collapse

To Coemgenus and Rjensen: The deletion of pertinent information on Coolidge as president was removed as being not "appropriate for lede." The insertion of Coolidge's quote as a rosy optimist, not only illustrates how out of touch he was with the country as a whole, how misguided a leader, but adds a poignant, tragic, ironic counterpoint to his identification with the "average" American---an unfortunate demonstration of the hubris which is the curse of those in political life. The economic collapse of the nation was imminent, yet the government, represented by President Calvin Coolidge had their head in the sand. The concept that the "present" sets the road for the "future," is possibly a concept too intellectually challenging?...Betempte (talk) 22:01, 26 December 2011 (UTC)

Your addition was far too specific for the article's lead paragraph, and also was not from a neutral point of view. Before insulting your fellow editors, why not familiarize yourself with the appropriate guidelines, namely WP:LEAD and WP:NPOV. WP:AGF might be good while you're at it. --Coemgenus (talk) 01:12, 27 December 2011 (UTC)

Neutrality implies balance. Bias is a matter of degree. Interpretation of information is formed by the sensibilities of the reader. The goal of a biographical entry is to achieve a balanced “portrait” of a life using available documentation. It is objectionable when it skews subject matter in one identifiable direction.

I recognize that biographical editing can become contentious. Two camps of Wiki editors seem to exist—those that insist on presenting historical figures in a predominately positive light, “the icon syndrome,” I call it, and those that feel a responsibility to provide (as much as possible) a fully rounded “life story,” —the good, the bad and the ugly that is part of the human package. If I have offended anyone in expressing my philosophy on rigorous editing, I apologize. We can agree to disagree.Betempte (talk) 22:16, 27 December 2011 (UTC)

the real problem is that the passage is jejune, and is not related to the crash of 1929 and is not about the American Dream, as the editor said in the introduction he added. That makes it a poor edit. Coolidge was repeating a point often made by sociologists: the "luxuries" of one era (like bathtubs and autos and TVs and cellphones) become the necessities of later eras. That held true as well during the depression, when people who could no longer afford telephones, say, felt very badly because they lost not a luxury but a necessity. They did keep their cars, as did the Joads in "Grapes of Wrath." (viewers outside the US were astonished that dirt poor Americans owned such fabulous luxuries). Rjensen (talk) 23:25, 27 December 2011 (UTC)