This book highlights Theodore Roosevelt and what the author says is the importance of the 1912 race for the Republican nomination for President. This was the first race for which the delegates were partially determined by primaries. TR won 9 and 13 primaries but the nomination went to incumbent President Taft.
The Republican Convention of June, 1912, was a divisive fight between TR and Taft. P. 1
Delegate challenges in this race foreshadowed future delegate challenges. P. 7
The rise of primaries developed in the late 19th Century and and early 20th Century as part of the progressive era as a means of partially democratizing the selection of the President. P. 34
TR famously consumed several books a week. P. 40
During the progressive time period of this book the author makes it sound like TR was a conservative progressive.
TR gave a speech advocating recall of specific laws which cost him support with the Republican stalwarts.
Early on in the presidential race of 1912 say in late 2011 it seemed that Senator La Follette of Wisconsin, leader of the progressive forces of the time, had a good chance to win the Republican nomination over the incumbent President Taft. But like Bernie Sanders today, it was a case of passion over reality. And this was before TR entered the race. P. 49
The LaFollette brand of progressivism was called popular democracy. P. 51
Taft had become a liability to the Republican Party after Democratic successes at the polls in 1910. As long as TR did not bend to the "lunatic fringe" of the progressives the stalwarts were with him. P. 62
Roosevelt supporters tried to get Taft to drop out of the race. P. 64
As Roosevelt forces pushed LaFollette out of the race one bitter supporter of the Senator summarized TR: "He seems to me to be one of those great big, inhuman freaks that occur from time to time in the world's history, and not a blundering human being like the rest of us are." P. 68
"He always had a romantic affinity for the South." P. 75
Roosevelt's only chance to win the nomination was to convince more states to hold primaries particularly in the South. P. 86
I am enjoying this readable and interesting book.
La Follette thought that TR progressiveness was opportunistic. He desperately wanted to deny TR the nomination. P. 90
How much of a progressive was Theodore Roosevelt?
On the campaign trail in 1912 Roosevelt believed in himself and his cause. P. 117
With his campaign for the Republican nomination in 1912 perhaps on the ropes, TR swept Illinois on April 9th. P. 120
TR was on a primary win roll and Taft needed to win Mass. to stay viable. P. 142
Chernow says that TR and J.P. Morgan were secret blood brothers. P. 143
As I read this book I wonder if Roosevelt thought he could win the 1912 Republican presidential nomination or if he intended a third party run all along.
The Brownsville incident stained TR's reputation. P. 155
The fight for the nomination was real hand-to-hand combat from state to state. P. 161
TR won the first ever Republican presidential primary. P. 176
On May 14th after winning in California it appeared that Roosevelt might win the nomination in this first election season of primaries. P. 178
The infighting at the 1912 Republican nominating convention in Chicago was ferocious. P. 207
By the start of the convention it was clear that Taft would win. The incumbent won the war over black delegates in the South. TR could claim that he was the clear choice of the voters who participated in the first primaries and therefore the people's choice, but Taft controlled the traditional power brokers. P. 217
In the end TR mounted the strongest third party run for president in American history so far. This book leaves me with the thought that TR was a reformer, but a conservative reformer. He did not believe that African Americans should have suffrage rights. He was a complicated man. Interesting, but complicated with his bad sides.
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