Amity Shlaes

Glad to be here.

Glad to be here.

Glad to be here.

Calvin Coolidge was sleeping in his bed in his little hamlet home of Plymouth Notch, Vermont. It's remote now. It was even remoter then. While he slept, he suddenly heard his father, John, call up the stairs and said, Calvin? The president has passed away. So this is always a dire moment for the country when there's no president. The new president must be sworn in right away.

Calvin Coolidge was sleeping in his bed in his little hamlet home of Plymouth Notch, Vermont. It's remote now. It was even remoter then. While he slept, he suddenly heard his father, John, call up the stairs and said, Calvin? The president has passed away. So this is always a dire moment for the country when there's no president. The new president must be sworn in right away.

Calvin Coolidge was sleeping in his bed in his little hamlet home of Plymouth Notch, Vermont. It's remote now. It was even remoter then. While he slept, he suddenly heard his father, John, call up the stairs and said, Calvin? The president has passed away. So this is always a dire moment for the country when there's no president. The new president must be sworn in right away.

So Vice President Coolidge was sworn in in the middle of the night, right there in Plymouth Notch with the Bible on the table, without electricity, by kerosene, by his father, by virtue of his father being a town notary. And that is also remarkable and became the 30th president.

So Vice President Coolidge was sworn in in the middle of the night, right there in Plymouth Notch with the Bible on the table, without electricity, by kerosene, by his father, by virtue of his father being a town notary. And that is also remarkable and became the 30th president.

So Vice President Coolidge was sworn in in the middle of the night, right there in Plymouth Notch with the Bible on the table, without electricity, by kerosene, by his father, by virtue of his father being a town notary. And that is also remarkable and became the 30th president.

Soon after, he was an economic man. He understood the importance of sleep. The next morning, he got up, visited his mother's grave and took the train to Washington. He said, I think I can swing it, which is a wonderful line. I thought I could swing it. I can do this.

Soon after, he was an economic man. He understood the importance of sleep. The next morning, he got up, visited his mother's grave and took the train to Washington. He said, I think I can swing it, which is a wonderful line. I thought I could swing it. I can do this.

Soon after, he was an economic man. He understood the importance of sleep. The next morning, he got up, visited his mother's grave and took the train to Washington. He said, I think I can swing it, which is a wonderful line. I thought I could swing it. I can do this.

That is the key question, Don. Coolidge could have said, I will be a new man. I will change the cabinet. In fact, there were corrupt members of the cabinet. That's not what he said at the beginning. He said, I will execute on the agenda Harding and I had. where Harding started, to perfection. He used that phrase.

That is the key question, Don. Coolidge could have said, I will be a new man. I will change the cabinet. In fact, there were corrupt members of the cabinet. That's not what he said at the beginning. He said, I will execute on the agenda Harding and I had. where Harding started, to perfection. He used that phrase.

That is the key question, Don. Coolidge could have said, I will be a new man. I will change the cabinet. In fact, there were corrupt members of the cabinet. That's not what he said at the beginning. He said, I will execute on the agenda Harding and I had. where Harding started, to perfection. He used that phrase.

And it's interesting, what they were talking about was the 1920 Republican agenda, which was called normalcy. And Coolidge saw this like a relay race. Unfortunately, Harding dropped the baton. Coolidge picked it up, and if he moved well, there'd be barely a break between the two men. And that was how it was.

And it's interesting, what they were talking about was the 1920 Republican agenda, which was called normalcy. And Coolidge saw this like a relay race. Unfortunately, Harding dropped the baton. Coolidge picked it up, and if he moved well, there'd be barely a break between the two men. And that was how it was.

And it's interesting, what they were talking about was the 1920 Republican agenda, which was called normalcy. And Coolidge saw this like a relay race. Unfortunately, Harding dropped the baton. Coolidge picked it up, and if he moved well, there'd be barely a break between the two men. And that was how it was.

It was a form of discipline on the part of Coolidge, and frankly, a willingness to suppress vanity. It's not about me. It's about what we promised the voters in 1920. And that's unusual nowadays when presidents are all about personality, isn't it? That someone would say, this is about a document in 1920, not how I feel, how my wife feels. We're going and we'll do what was promised for the people.

It was a form of discipline on the part of Coolidge, and frankly, a willingness to suppress vanity. It's not about me. It's about what we promised the voters in 1920. And that's unusual nowadays when presidents are all about personality, isn't it? That someone would say, this is about a document in 1920, not how I feel, how my wife feels. We're going and we'll do what was promised for the people.