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Dragonslayers: Six Presidents and Their War with the Swamp
The Swamp has been around for over 150 years, and six major presidents have tried to drain it with varying degrees of success.
Donald Trump promised to “Drain the Swamp,” by which he originally meant lobbyists. When he got in, he found an entirely different Swamp—a Deep State that had grown, layer upon layer, within the government. But he wasn’t the first to encounter entrenched Swamp opposition. Abraham Lincoln had to battle the “Slave Power Conspiracy”; Grover Cleveland was the most successful of three presidents to fight the spoils Swamp. Theodore Roosevelt found a new iteration of the Swamp awaiting Trusts. After World War II, John F. Kennedy discovered that he had little control over the Central Intelligence Agency, and even found he needed the CIA for his own purposes. Despite promising to shrink the bureaucracy Swamp, Ronald Reagan found himself helpless to even make a dent in it. And Trump soon learned that the Deep State could ensure no one ever brought any of its own to justice. Dragonslayers explains why these Swamps exist, and why they were—and remain—so hard to defeat.
Donald Trump promised to “Drain the Swamp,” by which he originally meant lobbyists. When he got in, he found an entirely different Swamp—a Deep State that had grown, layer upon layer, within the government. But he wasn’t the first to encounter entrenched Swamp opposition. Abraham Lincoln had to battle the “Slave Power Conspiracy”; Grover Cleveland was the most successful of three presidents to fight the spoils Swamp. Theodore Roosevelt found a new iteration of the Swamp awaiting Trusts. After World War II, John F. Kennedy discovered that he had little control over the Central Intelligence Agency, and even found he needed the CIA for his own purposes. Despite promising to shrink the bureaucracy Swamp, Ronald Reagan found himself helpless to even make a dent in it. And Trump soon learned that the Deep State could ensure no one ever brought any of its own to justice. Dragonslayers explains why these Swamps exist, and why they were—and remain—so hard to defeat.
285 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 15, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 22, 2023
Wow. Powerful and thought provoking.
This quick read is so insightful to how the government has enlarged its control without one single vote. We can see clearly throughout history how it has silenced and shut down any one who dares restrain it. Now more than ever we need leaders who will dismantle it instead of promoting it. It is a tall order I don’t think many have the stomach to do. Our nation’s future is uncertain if we do not understand what we are up against. This book is a great place to start.
This quick read is so insightful to how the government has enlarged its control without one single vote. We can see clearly throughout history how it has silenced and shut down any one who dares restrain it. Now more than ever we need leaders who will dismantle it instead of promoting it. It is a tall order I don’t think many have the stomach to do. Our nation’s future is uncertain if we do not understand what we are up against. This book is a great place to start.
August 31, 2022
This is an above average effort for a grift piece on Trump masked as history. Schweikart draws some long bows and ignores actual history in his rambling ahistorical takes. His constant attempts to call everything in government the 'swamp' or the 'deep state' becomes comical whilst failing to actually point out concisely what the 'swamp' or 'deep state' is according to himself. It reads like a modern libertarian attempting to rewrite history to fit his own world view.
September 9, 2022
Informative listen.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews