What would happen if former presidents, the living and the less so, sent their cryptic advice to the new occupant of the White House via Twitter accounts? Allow me to offer a few invented (yes, fake) examples:
@JamesPolk
Forget the wall. Try war with Mexico. Worked for me. #HallsOfMontezuma
@W.
Water boarding can be fun, but you can't do it to Democratic members of Congress. What's the use. #StillLookingForWMD
@TeddyRoosevelt
"Bully pulpit" doesn't mean be a bully. It means be a preacher, say something worthwhile. That would be bully (the adjective, not the noun). #RighteousRoughRider
@CalvinCoolidge
I have nothing to say. Really, nothing. #SilentCal
Related : Trading on Donald Trump's Twitter Tantrums
@GeorgeWashington
In my inaugural, I asked Congress to forego my salary. Go for it. Generous gestures will make you more famous than twitter tirades. #FoundingFather
@HerbertHoover
Watch out for the economy. Businessmen with no electoral experience can make big mistakes. Great depression—really depressing. Damn. #HooverDamn
@WilliamHowardTaft
Stories that I got stuck in the White House bathtub completely false. Fake history! Still, stick to showers. Take no chances. #RotundRumors
@FDR
You have nothing to fear, but fear itself. And a congressional investigation of your dealings with Russia. #Stalin'sWartimeBuddy
@RichardNixon
I just wanted to listen to the DNC. Never thought of sharing what I heard with the press. Actually, I did think of that, just got caught too soon. #AskPenceForAPardon
@MillardFilmore
OK, you've never heard of me. No one has. Could be worse; I could be you. #WaitingForMyBumpInPresidentialRankings
@JFK
So, you too are a ladies' man. I tried hard not to get caught. You should work on that. #NeverAppearOnAccessHollywood
@BarackObama
Read Lincoln. He could do more in a single sentence than anyone in the twitter universe. Besides, reading is good. You should try it. #BornToRun&BornInHawaii
@AbrahamLincoln
With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in… #TopThatInYour140
Robert A. Strong is a professor of politics at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, VA.
Uncommon Knowledge
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