FUCK William Jennings Bryan!

[villager]

I mean, he's a Democrat and all, but what's with the fundamentalism?

[TheMightyFavog]

1. Well..

The Democratic party was a whole different animal back then.

[villager]

2. Indeed, Mr. Chance

I guess the question that DU is sorting out through all the ad hominem attacks in GD Primary 2004 is what kinda animal it will become (versus the question of performing "electoral triage" to get * out of office...)

[bobbieinok]

3. check out his speech to the democratic convention in 1896

The following paragraphs are near the end and at the end of the speech.

The first paragraph is eerily appropriate today, right?

....
Mr. Carlisle said in 1878 that this was a struggle between "the idle holders of idle capital" and "the struggling masses, who produce the wealth and pay the taxes of the country;" and, my friends, the question we are to decide is: Upon which side will the Democratic party fight; upon the side of "the idle holders of idle capital" or upon the side of "the struggling masses?" That is the question which the party must answer first, and then it must be answered by each individual hereafter. The sympathies of the Democratic party, as shown by the platform, are on the side of the struggling masses who have ever been the foundation of the Democratic party. There are two ideas of government. There are those who believe that, if you will only legislate to make the well-to-do prosperous, their prosperity will leak through on those below. The Democratic idea, however, has been that if you legislate to make the masses prosperous, their prosperity will find its way up through every class which rests upon them.

....
Having behind us the producing masses of this nation and the world, supported by the commercial interests, the laboring interests, and the toilers everywhere, we will answer their demand for a gold standard by saying to them: You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns, you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold.



http://www.h-net.msu.edu/~shgape/internet/crosgold.html

[camero]

4. I always admired WJB

His speeches were excellent.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

5. The Wizard of Oz is one of my all time favorite biographies

[villager]

12. good point, NSMA...

...with the whole "Oz" for "ounce," and Baum's parable about monetary/gold/silver policies, etc.

[rasputin1952]

6. WJB came at a time that was quite different than what we know now...

We're talking about a guy from Weeping Water NE, who had seen some of the carnage of the CW.

He was part of the Revivalist Movement, but he walked the walk he talked. Many did not like him because of his religious roots, but in the same case, many people today admire Jimmy Carter, precisely because, he had a high moral standard, and never put his core values in jeopardy.

WJB was one of the foremost speakers for the "Common Man", and it bodes us well to look at the life and times he was in. He definitely had his baggage; but he fought for the weakest of the Americans, when they had just a tiny squeaky voice. He was a power to be reckoned with.

O8)

[GOPisEvil]

7. ...you shall not crucify man upon a cross of gold!

One of the great orators - ever!

[OhioStateProgressive]

8. i say history has invalidated him

He fought to keep evolution out of schools. I say that trumps whatever good he may have done.

[Dogmudgeon]

9. A Great Man. Flawed, but still great.

Even in error, he was worthy of our respect. No anti-evolutionist or bench-jumping televangelist today has even a speck of the dignity WJB had. Not one of them are fit to scrape the mud and sawdust off the soles of his feet.

--bkl

[rasputin1952]

10. you cannot judge the man on his stance on evolution...

or any other single item.

Bryan fought hard for the worker, he was basically a Socialist, and wanted to bust up the super rich of the time and get everyone on equal footing.

He was one of the greatest orators of time, and not all of his ideas were regressive, in fact he was an environmentalist, as most farmers are. He knew the earth could only stand so much abuse, and he cared a great deal about the poor and downtrodden.

WJB was not as bad as so many seem to think. Watching "Inherit the Wind", will not give you a good perspective of this man.

O8)

[Deja Q]

11. Is this a sex thread?

:shrug:

:evilgrin:

[Kamika]

13. yes

fetish though

[villager]

14. nah, just a reponse to the...

"Fuck (insert candidate of choice)" threads that popped up yesterday in GD 2004, so I decided to reach a little deeper into the hat, just to see what a "DU through the ages" thread might've been like...