Calvin Coolidge, the Puritan in Babylon, the Scrooge Who Begat Plenty, the Great Refrainer, Silent Cal. We know him by all these names. But there’s one name we rarely consider when it comes to Silent Cal: Electoral Juggernaut! This is astonishing when you consider the fact that he probably won more elections, at every level of government, than any president in American history. Yet Coolidge is often remembered only for being silent. While presidential brevity is something of a lost art, for which Coolidge can be commended, we must not forget that Coolidge was a politician who stood for election, and had to convince people to vote for him, just like politicians have done for centuries. The 1924 presidential election campaign, the last which Coolidge would fight in his life, was no different, and the story of that fascinating election sheds a great deal of light on the man Calvin Coolidge was. We will explore the story of the 1924 presidential campaign today, and hopefully draw some lessons from a tremendously interesting moment in presidential election politics.
Read MoreThe Coolidge Cup Comes to New York
February 11, 2016
On Saturday, February 6 the Coolidge Foundation partnered with the New York City Urban Debate League to sponsor the first Coolidge Cup Invitational. More than 400 New York City debaters converged on Bronx Science and Bronx Collaborative High Schools for this day of contest. Students debated whether or not the federal government should implement a carbon tax. The day began with a seminar and mock debate led by Dr. Ike Brannon. Dr. Brannon is president of the consulting firm Capital Policy Analytics and head of the Savings and Retirement Foundation. He has worked on Capitol Hill in a number of capacities, including as chief economist for the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Dr. Brannon explained a number of tax-related concepts to the students, including how taxes can be used to discourage people from purchasing taxed items. We were very grateful to have him join us for the event.
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