Review of The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism by Doris Kearns Goodwin

In The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin narrates the stories of several of the major figures of the Progressive Era.  Goodwin focuses primarily on the lives and careers of presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft but also devotes a significant amount of space to journalist S. S. McClure and the “dream team” of muckraking journalists that he assembled, including such stellar talents as Ida Tarbell, Lincoln Steffens, Ray Baker, and William A. White. 

Goodwin presents generally sympathetic portraits of Roosevelt and Taft and compellingly shows how their strong personal friendship, which began long before either was a national figure, ultimately developed into a political alliance that dominated American politics for more than a decade and resulted in sweeping changes that unalterably impacted American history.  At the same time, Goodwin convincingly demonstrates that the progressive reforms brought about by Roosevelt and Taft might not have been possible had McClure and his staff not prepared the public mood through their powerful and persuasive writing.  The two presidents and the journalists worked in perfect synergy to bring about sweeping changes in a way that had seldom happened before.

Goodwin is at her best when she is narrating the relationship between Roosevelt and Taft, which, though warm for many years, tragically turned sour after Taft’s accession to the presidency.  In Goodwin’s telling of the story, the rift was primarily caused by Roosevelt’s monumental ego and his desire to control the presidency even when he did not hold the office.  Goodwin praises Roosevelt’s presidency as do most historians.  Regarding Taft, Goodwin agrees with most historians (and Taft himself!) that he was not well-suited for the job, but she also believes that he deserves more credit for his accomplishments as president.

The Bully Pulpit is in general a very engaging read; in fact, at times it is difficult to put down.  At other times, it tends to drag when perhaps too much detail is devoted to certain events (such as the firing of Gifford Pinchot and Taft’s battle over the tariff).  The book’s greatest weakness, however, is the cursory fashion in which Goodwin covers the lives of Taft and Roosevelt after 1913.  It would have been nice, for example, to have a whole chapter devoted to Taft’s career as Chief Justice of the United States.  To be fair, the book contains 750 pages, and it is doubtful that Goodwin or the publisher wanted it to go much longer.  But a little bit of condensing in the middle (perhaps less detail on the journalists?) and 30-40 more pages devoted to post-1913 events would have made this very good book even better.

Despite these minor issues, The Bully Pulpit is an excellent read and serves as a great introduction to Roosevelt, Taft, and the age in which they lived.