“Which founders have these presidents cited - and why? What did, say, President [Ronald] Reagan's view of George Washington, or President [Bill] Clinton's view of Thomas Jefferson, tell us about their view of America and where they intended to lead the country?In many cases, it told us a lot about the president.” CountryAmericaPresidentViewsCasesBillsClintonFoundersPresident Bill ClintonPresident Ronald Reagan Author:Paul Kengor
“The presidents varied in the degree to which they cited the founders. Some, like JFK, LBJ, [Richard] Nixon, and [Bill] Clinton, cited them somewhat frequently, in the range of 100 to 200 times, though, regrettably, not in a thematic or notably profound or even interesting way. Others, like Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, cited them rarely.” WayPresidentInterestingDegreesBillsProfoundClintonRangeFoundersJimmyCarterInteresting WaysThematicLbjGerald Ford Author:Paul Kengor
“I was disappointed in how [Bill] Clinton, like [Jimmy] Carter, used the founders to argue for huge expansions in federal power, clearly beyond what the founders could have ever conceived.” UsedHugeBillsClintonArguingDisappointedFoundersExpansionJimmyCarter Author:Paul Kengor
“In the middle of Hillary Clinton's push for national healthcare in 1993, Bill Clinton cited Thomas Jefferson's concern for health issues as, somehow, apparently indicative of a need for federal management of the nation's healthcare system.” NeedsNationsIssuesMiddleConcernManagementBillsClintonHealthcareHealth Issues Author:Paul Kengor
“I noticed some time ago that neither of the candidates are quoting the founders. If they are, they're doing it so rarely that I haven't noticed, or enough to be negligible. Certainly, neither is invoking the image of [George] Washington at Valley Forge or the Shining City Upon a Hill. In addition to this being true for John McCain and Barack Obama, it was true for Hillary Clinton as well.” IfsWellsEnoughCitiesHavensShiningClintonBeing TrueBarackHillsCandidatesValleysFoundersMccainQuotingValley Forge Author:Paul Kengor
