March 2012
Anonymous asked: Dear Dead Presidents, Today I found out that the guys behind me in my Politics class that I usually commiserate with when we have exams coming up, are Santorum fans. Like today they commented on something outlandish Sant said and then added "I freaking love it, Romney was so pissed!" I see no option but to bash their faces in, what should I do! Help!
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Random Dead Presidents Fact of the Day: 2.29.12
Benjamin Harrison was often called the “human iceberg” — a humorless, serious man who had little use for all of the small-talk, glad-handing, and other niceties that came along with being politician. Harrison was difficult to work for and observers wondered if the 23rd President had any friends at all — and, if so, why?
Harrison’s Secretary of the Navy, Benjamin...
February 2012
Anonymous asked: Had President Garfield not been on a metal coil mattress when Alexander Graham Bell tried to use an invention to detect the exact location of the bullet in the president's body might he have lived? And if so would this have altered history dramatically considering Chester Arthur and Garfield's assassination brought about civil service reform??
Anonymous asked: personal question: when do you SLEEP? it seems like you're answering questions around the clock sometimes!!
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swag-gr asked: Can you explain Santorum's success...
(Rebloggable format by request)
No, I can’t.
That’s the thing: I literally cannot explain why someone who believes the things that Rick Santorum believes and says the things that Rick Santorum says can be a leading contender for a major party’s Presidential nomination this late in a campaign in the 21st Century. I can’t explain it because I genuinely can’t...
thatshaneguy asked: Can you make that post rebloggable? The one about Santorum and his crusades quote? Pretty please w/ a cherry on top?
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swag-gr asked: Can you explain Santorum's success thus far? It's just so unfathomable...
Anonymous asked: Would Santorum be a worse president than Buchanan?
Anonymous asked: Ronald Reagan came up to me and said, Do you have the answer to the United States economy and a cure for cancer?
alexiablogberg asked: You wake up. Go out to your living room and LBJ is sitting on your sofa. He says "Anthony we are spending today together, consider it a completely heterosexual man date, BUT WE MUST NOT DO ANYTHING POLITICALLY RELATED, I'm tired of that stuff." What do you and LBJ do on your man date?
bbkld asked: Why haven't you ever told us about LBJ's "Amphib" car? How cool is that? Check the @WestWingReport twitter feed for a picture if you've never seen it. And can you give a West Coast brother (Nevada is west, isn't it?) a little love and shout-out to my fictional twitter feed @WHJS1, The White House Janitorial Service.
Anonymous asked: can we expect deadpresidents daily facts regularly? that's what first got me following your deadpresidents site.
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Random Dead Presidents Fact of the Day: 2.28.12...
(I forgot to post a Random Fact of the Day yesterday, so I’m making up for it with a bonus fact today.)
On November 7, 1848, Mexican War hero Zachary Taylor defeated Democrat Lewis Cass to become the 12th President of the United States. Taylor was the second — and last — Whig Party nominee to win a Presidential election. The first Whig to be elected President was, like...
Anonymous asked: If you were a hitman, which presidential quote or speech would you give to your target before doing the deed? Think Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction...
Anonymous asked: What would LBJ think of the current Democratic Party?
lsquare28 asked: Any thoughts on Lincoln's Cooper-Union speech (given 152 years ago, today)? I get that it's deemed to be a significant milestone in his journey to the White House, but the speech itself seems quite dry and ordinary, lacking the artistry of many of Lincoln's other speeches. In content, it seems to be just a simple campaign speech.
Anonymous asked: Would Che be a good president?
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Random Dead Presidents Fact of the Day: 2.28.12
Before the Twelfth Amendment to the Constitution was ratified in 1804, Presidential elections did not feature separate Electoral voting to distinguish the President and Vice President. Presidential Electors had two votes with the idea that one vote was for their Presidential choice and one vote was for their Vice Presidential choice, although there was nothing to differentiate the votes from...
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Anonymous asked: If you had to kill someone, would you say "You're history," or some such thing after?
Anonymous asked: a follow-up that you'll probably think just as strange-have you ever killed anyone?
Anonymous asked: This is kinda random but could you kill someone if you had to
Anonymous asked: what does the lbj for the usa banner look like?
Anonymous asked: Would Jefferson agree with Ron Paul?
Anonymous asked: You're from Sacramento too!! How long ago was it that you moved away? Is there anything you miss? I know this isn't about presidents but I'm curious!!
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Random Dead Presidents Fact of the Day: 2.26.12
On October 4, 1777, British forces led by General William Howe routed the Americans of General George Washington’s Continental Army at the Battle of Germantown, outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. While not as devastating of a defeat as other battles in terms of casualties, the American loss at Germantown was a blow to American morale as it ensured that the British would remain in...
Random Facts of the Day are back...starting today!
bbkld asked: Anthony, this morning Rick Santorum told George Stephanopolis that JFK's famous speech to the Baptist Ministers of Houston (1960) "makes me want to throw up". I just reread the speech and rediscovered why Santorum would be a horrible president. You would do your followers a favor if you were to reprint the speech in its entirety, It's the perfect blueprint on an objective and...
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Hi, my name is Anthony, and I am addicted to PBS's...
As I mentioned yesterday, I’ve watched PBS’s new, four-hour-long documentary of Bill Clinton twice in the past week. Because it was so good, it reminded how good the other PBS American Experience documentaries about Presidents are, so I started watching some of the other editions that I have on DVD, thanks to the awesome The Presidents Collection boxed set.
The Presidents Collection...
Anonymous asked: I saw an article on the GUARDIAN website about Jeb Bush being a "White Knight" in the republican race. What do you think?
americanunrest asked: What's the magazine you occasionally write for again?
Anonymous asked: Abraham Lincoln was a good ol' man...
Anonymous asked: You answered a question in Latin last night and all I have to say is SWOON! Any man who can easily slip a Latin phrase into conversation has a open invitation to get into my pants!! : )
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I’m watching the entire new four-hour PBS American Experience DVD on Bill Clinton…again. I rarely watch something twice, and certainly not twice in the same week. If you haven’t seen the Clinton documentary, it’s a must-see — as all of PBS’s American Experience documentaries tend to be.
If you haven’t seen it, go order it right now.
Anonymous asked: Ok, so some stupid president ranking thing ranked the presidents ranked Lincoln, Roosevelt, FDR, and Washington above LBJ in domestic accomplishments. (In that order) Do you agree that those four accomplished more domesticly than LBJ?
petehappens asked: Have you read the Starr report? It's nuts. Just want to hear your thoughts on it.
Anonymous asked: Hey i also sent you a question about your doctorate, but i ask wanted to ask: can you post up a copy/link/pdf of any thesis or whatever those history research things are called. i would love to read them = )
Anonymous asked: You've written that-no matter what-the American political system is the way to fix things in this nation. As broken as it seems to be, do you still believe that to be the way to fix the government/country?
Anonymous asked: Did some of the presidents have personal problems regarding pride, wrath, greed, envy, gluttony, sloth and/or lust? (7 Deadly Sins, you know.)
zackmast asked: Anthony -- I just wanted to thank you for answering my questions about 1864. I've been watching Ken Burns' "The Civil War" and those were, unfortunately, things he never addressed. THANK YOU so much for continuing to answer our questions so thoroughly! You rule.
Anonymous asked: Have you seen pictures of Jefferson Davis' second wife? Varina Davis/Varina Howell? She looks like she might be part Black. Do you know anything about her family background? I know you've posted about Jefferson Davis before.
Anonymous asked: Do you think it'd be a good idea to allow presidents to serve more than 2 terms? If they're doing a good job, why not?
garyfrakingoak asked: Not sure if you ever got this question but why does everyone refer to President Obama is the 44th president when there are only 43? Grover Cleveland had two non-consecutive, unless it's referred to just "holding" the office of the presidency. What are your thoughts on this?
Anonymous asked: How big of a deal was it in the 1960's that JFK cheated on his wife? Were his frequent affairs common knowledge?
Anonymous asked: Dealing with Washington's teeth, how did the whole wooden myth get started anyways, just something that caught on and spread like fire? And also, did his wearing dentures made of lead have any health side effects? - that can't be safe or healthy, can it?
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George Washington's Photograph
“He has so much martial dignity in his deportment that there is not a king in Europe but would look like a valet de chambre by his side.” — Benjamin Rush on George Washington One of the disappointments of technological advancement is that it often advances too slowly to give us everything we might have hoped for. Photography was a 19th century innovation, and the first real...
zackmast asked: Sorry to harp on 1864, but why didn't the Confederate States of America hold an election of their own? Did they reject the view (as Lincoln apparently held dear) that a free nation must hold free elections every four years, even in a period of Civil War?
Anonymous asked: If Newtie is elected president, and as a result we colonize the moon, should the moon be the 51st state?