# Where Are the Roosevelts, When We Need Them? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 27, 2015, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-roosevelts-when-we-need-them/735857 "2015-10-27T08:11:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-roosevelts-when-we-need-them/735857/21 "2015-10-27T16:53:45Z")
While I agree in spirit that a family political dynasty is a dicey idea, there did used to be tradition of public service within certain well-to-do American families that appears to be dying out. The shine and allure of making money on the backs of the average American has taken the place of the nobility of helping him out. This is a big reason why Reaganomics didn’t work. Public service careers, except on the highest of levels, generally are not lucrative, and even if the salary is favorable, can’t possibly compete with the profits the wealthy can reap from the market. You see this same trend on a local level. Families who used to produce generation after generation of city councilmen, or board of education members, or even firemen, have by and large abandoned the generational career and are urging their youngsters to find a more lucrative line of work. This is actually a fairly major paradigm shift for public personnel administration. The profession is revamping many of the features that made gubmint work gubmint work in an effort to match the attractions of the private sector. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-roosevelts-when-we-need-them/735857/22 "2015-10-27T16:59:55Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > One issue with the Roosevelts is that they were a divided family. One branch of the family were Republicans who felt that Theodore Junior (son of the President) should have been the political heir. They bitterly resented Franklin usurping the family name. > > The divide still seems to exist. In the 2013 NYC mayoral election, Franklin Roosevelt III supported the Democratic candidate Bill de Blasio and Theodore Roosevelt IV supported the Republican candidate Joe Lhota. Yes, it’s not much of a dynasty when there are just two noted and diametrically opposed members of the family involved. ---
**Author:** ![WreckingCrew](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wreckingcrew/32/4080_2.png) [@WreckingCrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WreckingCrew)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-roosevelts-when-we-need-them/735857/23 "2015-10-27T17:01:15Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > The Taft family had many members in high-ranking public-service, but do you have a cite for Lincoln Chaffee’s connection? > > I see that Chaffee’s gt-gt-uncle married, in old age, a sister of First Lady Helen Herron Taft. But that’s rather pushing the notion of genetic connection, no? Yeah, Linc’s cousin Freddy Lippitt (the result of the above mentioned marriage) made it as far as RI House Minority Leader and several failed runs for Mayor of Providence. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-roosevelts-when-we-need-them/735857/24 "2015-10-27T17:18:14Z")
There is Theodore Roosevelt V, but he would have to get active in politics soon I would think. He is 39 and the little I know about it he is businessman and environmentalist. As a throwback to his most famous ancestor, he has apparently completed several full length ironman races. Environmentally is how I first became aware of him, but as a big time TR fanboy, I saw his name come up and did a little checking, sadly he does not seem to be in politics. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-roosevelts-when-we-need-them/735857/25 "2015-10-27T17:47:52Z")
I think another factor is that the Roosevelts are a genuinely upper crust family. Their ancestry at the top goes back to pre-revolutionary times. There were members of the Roosevelt family who thought it was a bit vulgar for Theodore or Franklin to enter politics. The Kennedys and the Bushes don’t have those kinds of roots. They’re only three or four generations removed from the ancestors who made the family fortunes. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-roosevelts-when-we-need-them/735857/26 "2015-10-27T19:09:38Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > > > The [Taft family](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taft_family) has been involved in politics and public service since before Independence Day and still has members in public service. Lincoln Chaffee is a member of the family. > > The Taft family had many members in high-ranking public-service, but do you have a cite for Lincoln Chaffee’s connection? Isn’t the cite at the link indicated by the underlined blue text? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-roosevelts-when-we-need-them/735857/27 "2015-10-27T19:13:55Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Too bad Harry Truman didn’t produce a dynasty. In the election season of 2004, I saw an op-ed piece by Bill O’Reilly, bemoaning the low grade and general dishonesty of political candidates and campaigns across the board, Democratic and Republican alike. Fair and balanced, he could be when he so chose. He concluded one of the paragraphs with: > > [QUOTE=Bill O’Reilly] > > Where is Harry Truman when we need him? [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Chicago] America needs you, Harry Truman. [/QUOTE] xxx ---
**Author:** ![epolo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@epolo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epolo)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-roosevelts-when-we-need-them/735857/28 "2015-10-27T20:39:30Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > There is Theodore Roosevelt V, but he would have to get active in politics soon I would think. He is 39 and the little I know about it he is businessman and environmentalist. As a throwback to his most famous ancestor, he has apparently completed several full length ironman races. Environmentally is how I first became aware of him, but as a big time TR fanboy, I saw his name come up and did a little checking, sadly he does not seem to be in politics. On the plus side one time when we were sitting in the principal’s office he did teach me how to balance a playing card on my finger and flick it just right so it flies across the room. If that doesn’t make a person presidential material, I don’t know what does. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-roosevelts-when-we-need-them/735857/29 "2015-10-28T03:17:14Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Isn’t the cite at the link indicated by the underlined blue text? Short answer: _ **No** _. It was your link I used to get the peculiar double-in-law relationship. I guess that’s all you got and we can drop this. I notice you omitted, from your quote of my post, the detail of the genealogical relationship between Taft and Chafee, so I’ll repeat it for you: > [@](#): > > Chaffee’s gt-gt-uncle married, in old age, a sister of [Taft’s wife]. But that’s rather pushing the notion of genetic connection, no? If that defines a “family relationship,” fine. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-roosevelts-when-we-need-them/735857/30 "2015-10-28T04:43:30Z")
I met Teddy Roosevelt 4 back when both of us worked at Lehman Brothers. He would spend about 2 weeks trading the family name for meetings. He was very popular in the Philippines. I will also add that he was very professional, nice, courteous to everyone, and willing to go along with what ever was on his calendar from morning until night. (I don’t mean to imply he was a whore hound, but what I mean was he would be bright eyed and bushy tailed for an 8:00 breakfast meeting and then up for a 8:00pm client meeting to hear about how his grandfather was a saint. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-roosevelts-when-we-need-them/735857/31 "2015-10-28T04:57:21Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Theodore Roosevelt produced a different line of descendants than Franklin Roosevelt. There was [Kermit Roosevelt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kermit_Roosevelt_%28disambiguation%29) Jr., II, and III (who I think is still alive). They haven’t been very politically involved as far as I can tell, but they seem to have led fairly illustrious and/or professional lives. The latest is a law professor and author, whose name I’ve seen in the news from time to time. > > Too bad Harry Truman didn’t produce a dynasty. In the election season of 2004, I saw an op-ed piece by Bill O’Reilly, bemoaning the low grade and general dishonesty of political candidates and campaigns across the board, Democratic and Republican alike. Fair and balanced, he could be when he so chose. He concluded one of the paragraphs with: > > > [@Bill O'Reilly](#): > > > > Where is Harry Truman when we need him? What’s he supposed to do, order a nuclear strike on Fox News? Hmmmmmm… ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-roosevelts-when-we-need-them/735857/32 "2015-10-28T12:16:45Z")
Harry is exactly where Bill O’Reilly wants him to be: dead and unable to complain about his convictions being hijacked. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-roosevelts-when-we-need-them/735857/33 "2015-10-28T12:45:43Z")
Well, Harry was a beneficiary of the [Pendergast](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Pendergast#The_Truman_connection)machine. No evidence of personal malediction, but if Obama is a ‘Chicago’ politician (based, AFAIK, solely on having actually been in Chicago), imagine the fun modern folk would have with Harry’s actual connections to machine politics. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-roosevelts-when-we-need-them/735857/34 "2015-10-28T14:48:57Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > The Adam’s family has been too quiet for too long. If Sam could pull himself away from brewing, he might make a fine leader. > [@running\_coach](#): > > I’d rather Gomez and Morticia. Nitpicks: They are The Addams Family. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > The [Taft family](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taft_family) has been involved in politics and public service since before Independence Day and still has members in public service. Lincoln Chaffee is a member of the family. > > I think at some point the family’s history of public service influences or pushes the younger generation towards the same. I’m a member of the same “Howard” family as the Tafts. You couldn’t get me to run for public office if you put a gun to my head. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-roosevelts-when-we-need-them/735857.md?page=1)