I did read your link, George. I don't think anyone who has studied history believed those "myths," although I acknowledge that 20th century events are glossed over in high school curricula. What I admire about Roosevelt was his willingness to try anything to save the banks, jump-start the economy, and get the nation moving again (all in contrast to Hoover's inaction). When one initiative failed, two more replaced it, and so on. That none "worked," in retrospect, was not nearly as important as the psychological boost he provided to a discouraged nation.
I also consider him to have been a magnificent wartime leader, along with Churchill. Roosevelt connived mightily to send aid to Britain ("lend-lease"), contrary to the law, and by so doing helped prevent Hitler from completing his domination of Europe. A lot of people don't seem to understand that World War 11 could easily have been lost. Britain was on the verge of capitulating and ridden with defeatist politicians, and if they had come to an "accommodation" with the Nazis, the landscape of history would been totally changed, and so would our lives here in the U.S.
These extraordinary accomplishments far outweigh for me the criticisms of FDR's domestic policies. He was a politician and a leader, and not an intellectual. I totally doubt that he had any malevolent, grand scheme to change the economic fabric of our nation. What he did was for practical, short-term purposes, and IMO, for noble and necessary reasons.
I am a Republican and worked as a volunteer for the Bush campaign. But I will always think of FDR as the right man at the right time, and rank him among the greatest.
JC |
