The Bully Pulpit, the Pulitzer Prize winning book by Doris Kearns Goodwin, is a multiple biography of two former Presidents, their personal sagas and their turbulent times- Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft. It is also a tale of the Progressive Era and its crusades against the trusts, corruption and the rising inequality of income, and for the working people. It is also a tale of the famous muckrakers, the editors and writers who were indispensable allies of progressive politicians, both Republican and Democrats- Sam McClure, Ida Tarbell, Lincoln Steffens, Ray Baker, William White, Upton Sinclair. But the book is much more than this. It is the story how two Presidents used the media they had available to get their message out to the public. Theodore Roosevelt was an impactful speaker: while Taft was not. Teddy was full of himself, full of boundless energy. Taft was not. Yet the two formed a unique alliance in the history of the presidency- until it foundered. The book also provides us with stunning parallels to our own times, and the opportunities to compare and contrast the use of presidential power, the role of political parties, the influence of the media and investigative journalism. This study of a turning point in our history (1880-1912) will illuminate our own times as well: the balance of power between governments and corporations, conservation of natural resources, power of money in politics, concern about powerful banking and corporate interests, the interplay between labor, capitol and government, trade policy, inequitable taxation, the growing gap between rich and poor, the power of the press and the significance of personal relationships.
The Bully Pulpit: Teddy Roosevelt, William Howard Taft and Golden Age of Journalism
