This portrait of Calvin Coolidge reveals an astute politician and thinker seeking to restrain the unprecedented spending pressures of the 1920s and maintain a limited role for the federal government within his definition of progressivism. He did so without a strong party caucus in Congress. Instead, he used considerable rhetorical skills, a knack for publicity, and the advent of radio and other new forms of mass-circulation media to sway public opinion and keep his priorities at the forefront of national politics throughout his presidency. The book argues that, although Coolidge has been seen as the inspiration for supply-side economics and tax cuts amid growing budget deficits since the 1980s, his policy was to secure budget surpluses and debt reduction before tax cuts. The book examines his approach to the issues that continue to trouble American politics today, including questions about the scale and scope of the federal government.

M.C. Murphy is a political analyst who lives in Charlottesville, Virginia.

M.C. Murphy
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 276
Bibliographic Info: 8 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2023
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9124-4
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4997-9
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments vi
Preface 1
Introduction 3
One. The Thirtieth President 9
Two. “Minimum of fanfare” 27
Three. “I am for economy” 43
Four. Settlement of War Debts 75
Five. “The most conservative country” 83
Six. Inaugural Address 109
Seven. The Politics of Limited Government 113
Eight. “I do not choose to run” 173
Nine. “Pretty good idea to get out when they still want you” 212
Ten. Citizen Coolidge 220
Chapter Notes 243
Bibliography 257
Index 265