Henry Wallace's Naivete

Book review, conclusion 

     "Wallace praised the farming and mining techniques of the Soviets, never suspecting the vast prison system underneath." His biographer observes, "For him, the arc of Russian history bent toward justice."

     "Such naivete characterized Wallace's entire career, from his devotion to One World mysticism to his Quixotic run for the presidency in 1948. Journalist Walter Lippman wrote, 'his heart was detached from reality.'" 

     "But the world he influenced lives on in the aggressions of China and Russia and the idealism of anti-war protesters - many of whom understand peace as a 'policy choice' rather than a fragile state often secured by arms." 

     Of the book, The World That Wasn't, Janie Cheaney writes, "The deal making, back-stabbing details can be overwhelming. But...readers should be grateful for the party bosses who kept Wallace off the 1944 ticket. Naive idealism can be as dangerous as the cynical kind." 

     To that we ask, will the party bosses keep communists or communist sympathizers out of the White House in 2025, 2029 and beyond? Democrats have conquered way more of American politics, education, business, news media etc., than they dreamed of in 1944. 

              Jimmy