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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: tejek who wrote (456756)	2/15/2009 6:29:45 PM
From: i-node	Respond to of 1577030

had FDR's program not helped in bringing an end to the Depression, the comment would have read: The American economy did not recover until...... The recovery is a function of time. Not the amount of borrowed money the government throws at it. A more interesting aspect of the Depression is how unpopular Republicans became during this time The 12+ years of FDR is a very large subject. The first four years, he put people back to work and he was a shoe in for a second term. His first 100 days were the most remarkable in American history, to this day. And things that appeared to be great ideas -- like SS, Unemployment benefits, etc., were not yet known to be the failures they have become. Americans thought then, as they do now, that there was a free lunch. The "I don't have to worry about paying my mortgage or buying gas anymore" concept was at full throttle then, as it is now. The difference of course, is that then it was justified due to the economy while today it is sheer laziness and a result of a welfare state. His second term, he obviously wasn't going to beaten. But his second term was not a time of major accomplishment. So, why was he re-elected for a third term? The man was an absolutely great wartime president. And everyone knew it. He didn't EVEN CAMPAIGN for the 3rd term (and for the fourth, didn't even attend the convention, as he was near death). FDR's real greatness was in his handling of the war. The New Deal was, as we now know, a huge failure. He made zero progress on important domestic issues of the day (like civil rights). But he did get credit for ending the Depression, even though is was merely the passage of time and perhaps the War that did it. But FDR, unlike our current president, didn't take any shit from anyone. He had no hesitation in dealing sternly with Stalin and Churchill where necessary. Yet, he had the absolute respect of the entire world. There is no person -- Democrat or Republican, that could have unseated FDR after his second term. He was going to die a resident of the White House, no matter what. The fourth term he didn't lift a finger to get re-elected, and didn't really care one way or the other. He was near death and he knew it. He was a great wartime president. While he had promised Americans that their sons would not be drawn into the European War, when it came down to it, he knew it had to happen. And he was able to bring the American public along in such a way that they not only accepted it but embraced it. By the time of Pearl Harbor, his prior remarks were a mere technicality and he knew it. Some of the criticism of the Republicans of the period is probably warranted, but really, there has never been a politician like FDR. Ever. You should not confuse FDR with Obama. FDR would NEVER have behaved the way Obama has in foreign policy matters. No way in hell -- particularly, when we're still fighting a war after 9/11.