William Jennings Bryan called for Americans not to be crucified "upon a cross of gold" in 1896. Franklin Roosevelt introduced the New Deal in 1932. John Kennedy set out the New Frontier in 1960. George H.W. Bush spoke of the "thousand points of light" and issued his "read my lips" vow about new taxes in 1988.
Here, in the run-up to the Republican convention, it may be instructive to recall that of all the scores of American political convention acceptance speeches, the only one that still resonates is the one that spoke of "extremism in the defense of liberty" — the one that was treated with contempt and horror in its own time.
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