Some of these things are what I expected to see happening in 2008, ref. New Deal type things. I found this to be an excellent film, maybe something Obama should watch.
Project XX: Life in the Thirties
(1959)
Project Twenty: Life in the Thirties
This installment in NBC News's "Project XX" documentary series examines American life and society in the 1930s, a tumultuous decade that saw some of the country's darkest hours, including the Great Depression and the Hindenburg disaster. Newsreels and other footage also examines some of the era's brighter moments, including FDR's New Deal, the birth of swing music, the demise of Prohibition and more.
https://www.netflix.com/Movie/Project-XX-Life-in-the-Thirties/70022844?strkid=1349354342_1_0&lnkctr=srchrd-sr&strackid=f0bfd47fa1e707e_1_srl&trkid=222336