1st Edition

The Political Principles of Robert A. Taft

By Russell Kirk Copyright 2010
    236 Pages
    by Routledge

    236 Pages
    by Routledge

    Robert A. Taft has been neglected by some historians and political theorists and vilified by others. Vigorously and impartially written, this book analyzes the ideas and influence of a great U.S. senator of the twentieth century. Here readers will find a close and lively examination of Taft's convictions on freedom, justice, labor policy, social reform, foreign affairs, and the responsibilities of political parties.

    Respected for his intelligence and integrity, Robert Taft was considered the most remarkable public man of a turbulent political era. He was strong and candid, yet was repeatedly denied executive power. Despite this, he will undoubtedly be long remembered.

    Drawing on many contemporary sources, including the Taft Papers in the Library of Congress, Kirk and Mc- Clellan set Taft in historical perspective. Taft's enduring significance to a normative theory of politics is made clear in this careful study, which includes extensive quotations from his outstanding speeches and writings. Available in paperback for the first time, this edition includes a new introduction by Jeffrey Nelson, who has been closely associated with Russell Kirk.

    I: Introducing Confessions; 1: Confessions ’ Data and Contributions; 2: Sam Goodman: Homecoming and Farewell; II: Sam’s Life Unfolds: Chronology and Turning Points; 3: Conceptual Themes and Tools; 4: Sam’s Narrative: Onset of Sam’s Criminal Career; 5: Commentary: Doing Burglary; 6: Saufs Narrative: Saufs Burglary Career Escalates; 7: Commentary: Trading in Stolen Goods; 8: Sam’s Narrative: Running a Fencing Business; 9: Commentary: Criminal Capital for Illegal Enterprise; 10: Sam’s Narrative: Skills, Character, and Connections; 11: Commentary: “Moonlighting” Phase of Sam’s Criminal Career: Shifting Commitments to Crime versus Legitimacy; 12: Sam’s Narrative: Continuity or Désistante After Saufs “Last Fall”?; III: Crime Pathways and Organization; 13: Commentary: Social Organization of the Underworld: Stratification, Continuity, and Change; 14: Sam’s Narrative: Social Organization of Theft and Criminal Enterprise; 15: Commentary: Organized Crime and Racketeering; 16: Saufs Narrative: Racketeerings Organized Crime, and the Mafia; 17: Commentary: Ebbs and Flows of Criminal Careers; 18: Sam’s Narrative: Pathways Into and Out of Crime; IV: Sam Takes Stock: Dealing with Dying; 19: Commentary: Rewards and Rationales of Crime, and Images of Criminals; 20: Final Confessions: Sain Takes Stock

    Biography

    Russell Kirk