Dragonslayers

Six Presidents and Their War with the Swamp

By: Larry Schweikart

Narrated by: Alan Peterson

Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

The Swamp has been around for more than 150 years, and six major presidents have tried to drain it with varying degrees of success. Donald Trump promised to “Drain the Swamp”, by which he originally meant lobbyists. When he got in, he found an entirely different Swamp - a Deep State that had grown, layer upon layer, within the government. But he wasn’t the first to encounter entrenched Swamp opposition.

Abraham Lincoln had to battle the “Slave Power Conspiracy”; Grover Cleveland was the most successful of three presidents to fight the spoils Swamp. Theodore Roosevelt found a new iteration of the Swamp awaiting him: trusts. After World War II, John F. Kennedy discovered that he had little control over the Central Intelligence Agency and even found he needed the CIA for his own purposes. Despite promising to shrink the bureaucracy Swamp, Ronald Reagan found himself helpless to even make a dent in it. And Trump soon learned that the Deep State could ensure no one ever brought any of its own to justice.

Dragonslayers explains why these Swamps exist and why they were - and remain - so hard to defeat.

©2022 Larry Schweikart (P)2022 Recorded Books

favorite history professor

reminder of the great presidents and their personal and significant obstacles, highly recommend this book.

Great background to understand problems of today in perspective

This is a thoughtful book, not a political rant. Band of Rivals and Taking Back Trump’s America are creat companion reads; together these provide a great feel for how our system muddles thru.

Excellent

This will make you think! Dare ya to read it. Clear analysis and informed evaluation of historical events.

No responsibility, just a victim.

Trump stands out from the other 5 presidents as someone who didn’t realize how important it is to act once the swamp gets control of an issue. The author clearly interpreted this as the moment Trump becomes a victim. Instead of declaring inaction as a mistake, the author determines that the swamp is an overwhelming force. This piece lacks substance for theory of Antifa and FBI subjugation of the January 6 breach of the Capitol building. An entertaining piece but not convincing work of historical fact. Author’s income should be just fine economically.

worth the read

This book was engaging and informative. I appreciate Schweikart's work of tying in the common thread of government overreach and abuse, manifesting in various forms of swamp creatures, since the 1800's. I do wish the latter of these presidential dragonslayers could have had a different ending/conclusion. But that only reflects the magnitude of the beast yet to be slayed. Hopefully, 2024 will offer us an opportunity for part two of the fight.

Excellent Read

This was an interesting look at history. I enjoyed the read. I recommend it highly.

Another GREAT book from Professor Schweikart

Loved listening to the book. Great insights and angles that I wasn't aware of.

Very captivating and educational

Is very monotone, but illuminating on events and history… author seemed to have vetted his information as much as possible… kudos for that!

Not an unbiased book of history

I bought this book after it was recommended by Amazon’s algorithm without any further reading about it. The author wastes no time making it clear this isn’t about history. Immediately, as far back as pre-Lincoln, the author is trying to make comparisons to modern Democrats in a clearly pro-Trump/Republican view. I could understand if the Trump section had a viewpoint as one reviewer noted, I did not expect pot shots at modern politics throughout the book. I find it hard to listen to and makes me skeptical of any scholarly merits it might otherwise have.

Evan's Review

If you want to get a case for Donald Trump in the deep state you should read this book. Some authors sources I question rather than research they are more opinions rather than research based..