Rating: 
Summary: A Long Overdue Work of... History.
Review: This is an excellent Biography of a President that Americans ought to know more about than they do. Beyond that Robert Sobel presents a portrait of a Statesman of High moral character and unimpeachable integrity that is seldom encountered in life, Much less at the summit of political life Professor Sobel is an economic Historian, Consequently He devotes a considerable part of the Book to a discussion of Coolidge's controversial economic policies which rank among the most sucessful in modern times. Consider that Coolidge was President for five years and in every one of those years the U.S. government had a balanced budget with a surplus which was returned to the taxpayers in the form of a tax cut,And that government spending progressively declined over this same period. And all this was done during an unprecedented economic boom.Now liberal Historians like Arthur Schlesinger Jr.whom Sobel gloriously debunks,would argue that ''Coolidge prosperity'' was a ''false prosperity'' which ultimately led to the stock market crash of 1929 and the great depression. Sobel makes a strong case that the prosperity of the twenties was a genuine economic revival based on sound free market principles.Professor Sobel strongly refutes the conventional wisdom that Coolidge was blissfully ignorant of the danger to the economy posed by an unregulated stock market.In fact He clearly saw the danger.But in His Jeffersonian view of the Constitution He believed that federal legislation was unconstitutional.In Coolidge's the regulation of business was the province of the states. This book is not as detailed as it might be. But on the whole it is an excellent biography of an honorable Statesman and a fine moral example. You may expect that this book will be attacked by the liberal establishment as revisionist History...And long overdue!
Rating:
Summary: Silent Cal Didn't Know of Coming Depression - Author
Review: When I say that this book is a balanced look at the life and presidency of Calvin Coolidge, that is not to suggest that the author does not have his own opinions, or that he resists making them clear: he is pro-Coolidge, believes that Coolidge is a vastly underrated president, and it shows. But he gives sufficient information that it is possible, and in fact not at all difficult, for the reader to come to his own conclusions about the subject. That is the key to a balanced biography, and balance is one of the keys to a quality biography. Further, this book is quite readable, with occasional anecdotes relating some of the various humorous stories poking fun at Coolidge's not undeserved reputation for taciturnity, while at the same time demonstrating through other anecdotes that the reputation, while not undeserved, was exaggerated.An excellent biography of a president most know little if anything about.
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