A horrible President, but still much better than the one we got now

In honor of Calvin Coolidge's 135th birthday, here are some relevant thoughts on his era, from William Allen White:

Corruption is rampant in high places. Special privilege is unleashed and shameless. The fourth-rater is coming into prestige and power in business, in politics, in religion.

The nation has not yet been shocked out of its materialism. Of course, Coolidge is a tremendous shock absorber. His emotionless attitude is an anesthetic to a possible national conviction of sin... We have just got to grind along and develop a leader and it is a long slow task calling for all of our patience. How long, Oh Lord, how long!

What a joy it would be to get out and raise the flaming banner of righteousness! Instead of which we sit in our offices and do unimportant things and go home at night and think humdrum thoughts.

What a generation!

Sound familiar? If that old malcontent spat these bitter thoughts in 1926, imagine how he'd react to us in the aughts, not to mention his perspective on the null-node occupying the White House now (and his birthday is this Friday, what a week).

Source: White, William Allen. Autobiography of William Allen White. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1946, pp. 632-633