Taft 2012 - Jason Heller [11]
“Second Great Depression? I’m assuming that means there was a first?”
“Um, yes. You just missed that back in your day. And the First World War.”
“And the second one of those wasn’t avoided.” He gestured toward the computer on the desk in the corner of the room. “I’ve read a bit about them on this Internet of Susan’s, but I’ve been a bit befuddled of late. And I type as if I have sausages instead of fingers.”
Rachel smiled and suddenly stood. “Grandpa, I hate to reunite and run, but I’m due at the Capitol for a vote.” She reached for her coat. “What are you doing for dinner, say, next Thursday?”
He blinked. “Next Thursday? I must say, I have no idea what I’ll be doing tomorrow, let alone next Thursday.”
“It’s Thanksgiving,” she said, walking to the door. “And I’ll tell you exactly what you’ll be doing: coming to Cincinnati to have Thanksgiving dinner with my family. With your family. I’ve already made the arrangements. You’ll be flown out the day after tomorrow.” She patted his belly. “You think you can save some room in there for turkey?”
Even beneath his mustache, Taft was fairly certain that the quiver in his lip as he pondered a holiday with family was visible. “Thanksgiving. Of course. That had quite slipped my mind. I … I’d like that very much, Rachel. I have a few pieces of correspondence to answer before then, but, yes, I think I’d quite like that.”
“Then it’s a deal, Mr. President.” She hugged him, planted a quick kiss on his cheek, and shut the door behind her.
Transcript, Raw Talk with Pauline Craig, broadcast Nov. 16, 2011
PAULINE CRAIG: With us today on Raw Talk: Jo L. Johnson, senior analyst at the Center for Right Ideas. Jo, talk to me about William Howard Taft, the Republican.
JO L. JOHNSON: Thank you, Pauline, it’s good to be here. You know, Republicans usually remember President Taft, if at all, as something of a failure, a man who lost his reelection bid horribly—horribly!—to the Democrat Woodrow Wilson. Taft took only two states—it was a total embarrassment. But the thing is, when we look back at that 1912 election now from the right perspective, we realize that the only reason Taft lost is that Teddy Roosevelt decided he wanted to be president again, and when the Republican Party refused to kick Taft to the curb and welcome Roosevelt as their returning hero, he abandoned the GOP, started his own new third party, the Bull Moose Progressives, and jumped into the race anyway.
PAULINE CRAIG: So, basically, Roosevelt betrayed the sitting Republican president and the Republican Party and lost them the election. But because liberals write all the history books, Roosevelt still gets to be considered a hero for all time.
JO L. JOHNSON: That’s right. If the conservative vote hadn’t split, Taft might have won his second term. You know, he wasn’t the sort of loud, crazy maverick that Roosevelt was.
PAULINE CRAIG: Well, today’s Republican Party seems to have come to its senses after the last election and decided it’s time to take a break from so-called progressive Republican mavericks and focus on good old-fashioned conservatives.
JO L. JOHNSON: That’s right. There are definitely no RINOs hiding among the frontrunners right now—unless you count that former Massachusetts governor, but that’s open to debate.
PAULINE CRAIG: A debate we’ll save for another show. Now that Mr. Taft is back on the scene, what do you say: will he endorse one of the Republican candidates?
JO L. JOHNSON: Right now it’s tricky to say for sure, but I would imagine that Mr. Taft will endorse one of them eventually. He was always