A profound thanks to those who invoke FDR and the New Dealers

[MBS]

94. The program was much richer and more nuanced than you imply.

IMHO, it's the best of all the Ken Burn documentaries and well worth watching.
You really should watch it.

The thing is, FDR WAS visionary. So actually was Eleanor, whose achievements were also highlighted: among other things, she basically wrote the UN Declaration of Human Rights. Theodore Roosevelt (also part of the program) was important, too. All three worked for change, and for principles higher than themselves.
These ARE individuals who really made a difference.

But, yes, of course, it was people who voted for them (at least TR and FDR) and supported them.Of course, the Roosevelts and the social movements go hand in hand. The Roosevelt program also gave a pretty rich portrait of the parallel social movements, too.
At least in a democracy, leadership is always a two-way process, both guiding and guided by the society.

My parents always used to say that in many ways the Depression was a better time than today. In the Depression, they said, people worked to help each other, look out for each other, unlike today, in which too many people whose only priority is their own personal welfare. May we snap out of our short-sightedness and selfishness soon.