The Coolness of Calvin Coolidge

Washington — I saw that President Calvin Coolidge, with Warren Gamaliel Harding as his sidekicks is on the news. Warren was the mediocrity of mediocrity, and was for a long time considered to be one of the most unworthy presidents in modern history. It was Jimmy Carter who became President, then Barack Obama, then Joe Biden. The trophy will be retired after Joe finishes his term.

Coolidge, who became president Aug. 2, 1923 with the death of Harding. Harding was in excellent health and not close to death. Coolidge, a prominent conservative value advocate and Harding’s former leader, is now on the verge of being restored to his old stature. Harding’s restoration seems like a big task. In his wake, he left behind a series of adulterous affairs as well as empty Bourbon bottles. Arthur Krock, who was the bureau chief at the time, has that information. The New York TimesI am referring to his death 48 years earlier. He once told me that he and Warren “slayed a bottle of Bourbon” in Warren’s room at the Willard Hotel during World War I. I have not forgotten. Warren was definitely a great guy, I’m sure. But I don’t think he practiced conservative values.

Coolidge was, to a certain extent, a certitude. Now, a group led by Matthew Continetti, is trying to keep his presidency as an example for conservatives in an era of extravagant spending and staggering inflation. Cal stood for smaller government, balanced budgets and limited spending. He would have resigned if he had known about the growth of the postwar spending. Cal impressed me when I was working towards my master’s. But, it is not clear how he will tackle the decade-long and catastrophic spending spree. I am reminded that, in the aftermath of World War I, he was roundly denounced by the New Deal historians for dismissing the Europeans’ debt to us only by saying, “They hired the money, didn’t they?” It took FDR to retire their indebtedness.

Cal was well-known for his insightful pronouncements. Continetti, his coworkers and others don’t realize how many animosities this taciturn president stoked up. In the 1970s, I vividly recall a heated exchange with a prominent constitutional scholar about Silent Cal’s supposed lack of heart. His class began with the professor naming some examples from Coolidge’s credenda. He said with theatrical solemnity, “The business of America is business” — a bemused response from his audience. Then the prof said, “Inflation is repudiation” — more bemusement from his young audience. Nor did he forget this response to a famous public labor strike, “There is no right to strike against the public safety by anybody, anywhere, anytime.”

Here is my reply. Coolidge once said, “If you don’t say anything, you won’t be called on to repeat it.” That statement is attributed to Coolidge in John Bartlett’s “Familiar Quotations.” Of course, I do not have Cal’s reputation for reticence. After the prof had finished mocking Silent Cal I responded with my own rebuttal. I raised my hand and responded to the prof, “You might have noticed that every statement you attributed to President Coolidge was true.” To which, as I remember, I got scattered laughs.

Coolidge has it right. We have overspent our budget. Our financial health would improve if we had a limit on our spending. From our previous bouts with inflation, we should have learnt. The dangers of inflation are not limited to finance. Limiting government growth has its problems, as Continetti’s report shows. America is the leader of the free world. The budget cannot be withdrawn from America and become an island. As long as America is the leader of the free world the pressure will continue to mount. Is there a way to stop the budget from growing and maintain safety around the globe?

And while thinking about our budget and the world, let us end this column once again with the exhortation, “Glory to Ukraine” and glory to my friend Boris Johnson and the courage he showed in visiting Ukraine over the weekend.