'This Nation asks for action, and action now.'

[MannyGoldstein]

From FDR's first inaugural address:

"This is preeminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly.

...

Recognition of the falsity of material wealth as the standard of success goes hand in hand with the abandonment of the false belief that public office and high political position are to be valued only by the standards of pride of place and personal profit; and there must be an end to a conduct in banking and in business which too often has given to a sacred trust the likeness of callous and selfish wrongdoing. Small wonder that confidence languishes, for it thrives only on honesty, on honor, on the sacredness of obligations, on faithful protection, on unselfish performance; without them it cannot live.

Restoration calls, however, not for changes in ethics alone. This Nation asks for action, and action now.

...

Our greatest primary task is to put people to work. This is no unsolvable problem if we face it wisely and courageously. It can be accomplished in part by direct recruiting by the Government itself, treating the task as we would treat the emergency of a war, but at the same time, through this employment, accomplishing greatly needed projects to stimulate and reorganize the use of our natural resources."

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5057/

And FDR went on to back up these words from his first inaugural with action. And for 60+ years working Americans prospered and Democrats held a more-or-less permanent majority in Congress.

http://www.meredith.edu/summer-reading/images/05,Eleanor%20and%20Franklin,.jpg

[babylonsister]

1. Obama-FDR parallel should make Dems shiver in '10

http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/08/04/obama_fdr_2010


Wednesday, Aug 4, 2010 08:30 ET
Obama-FDR parallel should make Dems shiver in '10
Popular opinion is just as fickle in the Great Recession as it was in the Great Depression

[MannyGoldstein]

2. Suffice it to say

that my reading of history is quite different than that author's is.

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[chill_wind]

3. K & R. n/t

[pnorman]

4. Those who try to compare Obama to FDR should bear this in mind:

below is what FDR had going for him when he first took office \in March 1933:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FDR
1932 election: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1932_election
1932 Electoral map: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/ElectoralCollege1932.svg

FDR's equivalent of "Blue Dogs" ("Southern Democrats") were "loyal" to him until 1937~1938, and a significant faction of the Republican Party supported him in Congress! Without all that, FDR would have been DEAD IN THE WATER!

The above was copied from another posting of mine that was in response to: "We need another FDR!", Cited with great approval, was a speech by FDR referring to the hatred of the economic royalists arrayed against him, He said: "And I welcome their hatred!" But not mentioned was that that speech was in 1936. By then, FDR had not only a LANDSLIDE victory under his belt, but a successful mid-term election in 1934.

[MannyGoldstein]

7. Some other things FDR had going for him

He worked for working Americans, and he worked hard.

He used the bully pulpit.

He did not stock his administration almost exclusively with crypto-Republicans with long track records of screwing working Americans.

[pnorman]

9. 'He used the bully pulpit.'

For all the reasons mentioned earlier, Obamas does NOT have a "bully pulpit", at least not one within a degree of magnitude of FDR's. In all likelihood, such a "bully pulpit" isn't even possible in these times. With no derogatory implications intended, the "common folk" of those times (my natal decade, sigh!) were LESS "sophisticated", and MORE "trusting" than today.

But depending on the outcome of the upcoming mid-term elections, Obama COULD have something approaching a "bully pulpit"! Give it a thought.

[KakistocracyHater]

12. he used it in Campaign Mode-the bully pulpit & FDR convinced those 'blue

dogs' to come on over to his side-THAT is what great leaders DO, they even convince some of the other Party to join their cause.

[pnorman]

15. FDR & Obana

This is what FDR started with, after the 1932 elections:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/ElectoralCollege1932.svg

This is what Obama`started with after the 2008 elections:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:ElectoralCollege2008.

Any further questions?

[pnorman]

16. Oops! Screwed up links! Use these:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/ElectoralCollege1932.svg
and
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/ElectoralCollege2008.svg

[Catshrink]

10. +1

[Radical Activist]

14. FDR had two Republicans in his cabinet,

not to mention that many Democrats in that time were conservative Southerners. You no doubt would have been outraged at FDR for appointing a Wall Street industrialist like William Woodin as Treasurer Secretary. Things become less black and white when you learn the details of history.

"Almost exclusively with crypto-Republicans" is a gross exaggeration. There are a few high profile picks that are unpopular but that's no reason to hyperventilate with exaggeration. It's also insulting to good Democrats like Hilda Solis, Janet Napolitano, Susan Rice, Lisa Jackson and others.

[KakistocracyHater]

17. exactly, FDR got alot of people to side with him, as true leaders do

duh*

[Jim Sagle]

6. You want action, here's some action: More business tax cuts, comin' right up!!!

GLOPPPPP!!!!!!

[Phx_Dem]

11. I guess that's why our cluess nation is set to reward those who have blocked

progress and economic help at every turn. This country deserves what it gets.

[Radical Activist]

13. FDR was very concerned about not running large deficits during his first term in office.

Personally, I think Obama is acting too much like FDR on this one, and should instead mimic the more Keynesian approach that FDR followed in later years. Do you agree that Obama should stop worrying so much about deficit spending just like FDR did during his first few years in office?