Let us all hope Obama is the next FDR

[Taverner]

He is going to have to be - we're all looking at a new depression. This time we won't have a war to help spend ourselves out of it, but Obama is a Keynesian - and those solutions worked in the last one.

Here's to hope...

[Drunken Irishman]

1. This reminds me of a quote from FDR, and I'm paraphrasing here.

Someone said to him if he could fix the economic problems at home, he'd be declared the greatest president in American history. Roosevelt responded, "If I don't fix the economic problems, I will be the last president in American history."

[Taverner]

3. Very true...

not one to mince words, that FDR.

[NastyRiffraff]

2. I just hope that if Obama wins the nom & the presidency

That he gets some good advisors. REALLY good advisors. He desperately needs that, since he's shown little to no economic sophistication or knowledge.

[Taverner]

4. In his books he seems to point towards Keynesian solutions

That is, spend your way out of a recession. Save during good times.

Clinton did that and it worked. FDR did that and it worked. Hell, even NIXON did that and it worked.

[hedgehog]

5. What does the fact that his father was from Kenya have to do ...

Oh



Never mind.

[XemaSab]

8. .

:rofl:

[Stargleamer]

6. Let's hope he surpasses FDR. . .

who cruelly put thousands of Japanese-Americans in internment camps.

[ClericJohnPreston]

9. Yes

please do judge FDR, a man of 1941 sensibilities with 2008 hindsight. What a wasted post.

[caledesi]

11. I agree! NT

[caledesi]

12. I agree! NT

[Stargleamer]

14. 2008 Hindsight?

FDR's own wife, Eleanor, urged him at the time not to sign Executive Order 9066. Also, at the time, there were civil libertarians who were against the internment order and the ACLU filed an amicus brief against it in Hirabayashi vs. United States.

2008 Hindsight? William Douglas regretted his vote before he died, Gerald Ford in '76 signed an act critical of the order, Frank Murphy in 1944 condemned the racism involved in the Order. After the war ended it was quite evident there was no good reason to have suspected Japanese-Americans of disloyalty--so you don't have to say I have a "2008 hindsight".

2008 Hindsight? Not all Americans at the time harbored anti-Japanese racist hostility. Linus Pauling kept his Japanese-American gardener as long as he could despite receiving threats.

Look, I've appreciated FDR and have kept articles on the Civilian Conservation Corps and every time I go into the Post Office I often see that it was built thru New Deal Projects. I've often wished we could have a WPA today. But imprisoning innocent Americans was indefensible.

[Taverner]

15. I have to agree with you - however

FDR was still one of our greatest presidents.

God know why he hated Japanese Americans so much

[Bluerthanblue]

7. here is to HOPE and here is

to a better America than we've had under Bush.

Nothing is going to be easy. No matter what. But nothing good ever is.

peace~

[CountAllVotes]

10. Obama will be better than FDR IMO

I believe that President Obama will bring this country together in ways that have never been anticipated. The ills of our society will have to consolidate with one another to make it through this horrific time ahead of us. And yes, it will indeed be horrific and Sen. Obama knows this and he wants the job! (yeah!!!)

Sen. Obama is a visionary. That is one of the main reasons I support him.

He has many great ideas and plans, like starting up a plan for America to rebuild the infrastructure and put people back to work. There is plenty of work to be done right here in America. Just look around us and see what the conditions have deteriorated to. We have 70 year old zoos in big fancy cities (like San Francisco) that have never been worked on since built in the early 1940s post-depression era.

Much of the rebuilding that requires attention is in fact some of the work done by the WPA workers of the past.

The labor unions were strong and the workers were paid decent wages and benefits were provided without question. This is what made America strong and I believe it can become just as strong, if not even stronger once again. We have the people here to do it that have the capacity to do it. We shall overcome!

This is no longer the world my depression era parents grew up in, that time has long past. Now we are in a new era and Sen. Obama, being the visionary that he is, sees this very clearly. He has a brilliant mind without a doubt and I have every confidence that he will make the correct decisions and bring America back to what it can be once again, only better!

:toast: to you President Obama! :toast:

[zalinda]

13. Wow, you people are delusional

Obama, FDR? He'll be lucky to come up to Reagan standards. That's if he is elected at all, which I doubt.

And, for clarification, before you all go ganging up on Clinton, I don't support her either. I don't like either of them, and I doubt if either will be able to be elected.

zalinda

[finalnews]

16. McCain would sink us deeper into the abyss

I pray to God that America does not choose the wrong president again. These are delicate times.

[Taverner]

17. My big problem is that my party seems to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory every tim

Remember? Mondale was crusading with a lead. Reaganism doesn't work. Then *BOOM* Reagan says something stupid and we have 4 more years of the sonafabitch.

Bush is this wimpy nobody. Dukakis is the MAN. He has the style, the grace and *BOOM* the tank photo. Bush 41 wins.

Gore is leading because of the Clinton success. Bush cheats and Gore doesn't call him on it and *BOOM* we're in the shithole we all are in now.

This psychopath has practically started WWIII, everyone hates him and Kerry runs. He's Lincolnesque, smart and connected. *BOOM* Bush steals it again, and Kerry doesn't fight it. 4 more years of shit.

So...it wouldn't surprise me if Obama loses, or Clinton loses. We're the fucking Cubs.

[doyourealize1]

18. FDR did not solve the Depression

WWII did. Manufacturing went up through the roof as the war industry grew.

He was a great visionary, nonetheless. Social welfare programs did a lot of good back then.

Comparing Obama to FDR, though...let's be realistic

[Taverner]

19. Oh that's Republican BS

The public works programs did, as did WWII, but they were both instrumental.

Do you think we could have ramped up for WWII without the mobilized workforce we had in 41?

That was all New Deal projects.

And think about the boon to the economy we had from the Golden Gate Bridge, the Bay Bridge, the TVA...etc....

[doyourealize1]

20. Maybe you should

Take up this argument with someone other than a US historian

[goodgd_yall]

26. I've heard this same argument

That it's the war and nothing FDR did that got us out of the Depression. You need to question historical points of view. Sometimes there's an agenda attached.

[goodgd_yall]

25. You're right

Of course mobilizing for a war is going to dramatically provide a big boost to the economy, but that's not to say the public works programs did not help and had not gotten us onto the path of recovery.

[hedgehog]

21. Well I'm an Obama supporter but I got to tell you, he's no FDR.

He's a BHO!

[rug]

22. I doubt he surpasses Grover Cleveland.

[NastyRiffraff]

23. actually, I think Obama's more the Hoover model.

And I'm not talking about the vacuum cleaner.

[anigbrowl]

24. Funn,y I was thinking the same thing today

My girlfriend has been wondering whether winning the presidency this year is something of a poison chalice. Economically speaking, we are in for a rough summer and fall, and the new President is going to start next January with a whole desk full of tough problems.

[goodgd_yall]

27. I can't imagine FDR-like programs ever taking off in this country again

We've been too poisoned by "Reaganomics."