The Other Side

Headliner of State: William Howard Taft


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The search for the funniest president continues! Today, most

people just know Taft as the heaviest president -- but in his day
the big guy was one of the most lovable public figures in
America.

Our guest is Jon Lurie, a professor emeritus of legal history at

Rutgers University who published a Taft biography in 2012. We talk
about Taft's famous full-body laugh and his sardonic sense of
humor. We review the most famous fat jokes at Taft's expense -- and
the ways Taft responded to them. And most important, we try to
figure out why a famously fun guy seemed so miserable while serving
in the White House.

  • William Howard Taft: Travails of a Progressive
    Conservative
  • The Dynamic Value of Sunshine
  • The bathtub story

    MUSIC: Hail Columbia, "Super Chief" by Count Basie and His

    Orchestra, "My Ohio Home" by Jean Goldkette and His Orchestra

    ...more
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    The Other SideBy The DC Improv

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