By Daniel Nardini
One of the most disturbing things I am seeing is how some right wing groups and publishers are trying to “re-write” American history and the legacy of some of the great presidents in history. One well-known extreme right wing organization, the John Birch Society, has had articles in its publication The New American that has been attacking former U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Stating that Roosevelt had “made mistakes” with “socialist” programs during the Great Depression, the magazine had concluded that Roosevelt had not done any real service for the United States.
This is not the only case of right wing pundits attacking the legacy of this president. The conservative Regnery Press has published a book on Charles Lindbergh that suggests that Roosevelt tried to “smear” Lindbergh as a “Nazi sympathizer.” First, I would recommend anyone interested in Charles Lindbergh to read some of his speeches in the 1930’s and 1940’s and draw their conclusions on whether Roosevelt “smeared” Lindbergh, or whether Lindbergh smeared himself. Second, there is little doubt that Lindbergh had caused his own downfall from grace in the eyes of most Americans at the time by seeming too sympathetic to Nazi Germany.
But back to Roosevelt. It is true that Roosevelt did make mistakes in trying to fight at the time one of the greatest disasters in American history—the Great Depression. But keep in mind that he faced a myriad of challenges no other president before him faced. The highest rate of unemployment in our history, the highest at that time poverty level in our history, and a country where there was the possibility of revolution or a fascist dictatorship as happened in Italy and Germany. That Roosevelt brought down an unemployment rate of almost 20 percent to less than 9 percent just before America entered World War II on December 8, 1941, is no small miracle in of itself. He introduced social programs that endure today—Social Security, the Fair Labor Standards Act which banned child labor and set for the first time a minimum wage, the creation of the National Labor Relations Board, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) that protects Americans’ bank savings when a bank fails. And let us not forget how Roosevelt led this country ultimately to victory during World War II (although he never saw the end of the war as he died in office). In my view, whatever mistakes Roosevelt ever made, it does not change my view that he was a great president. No right wing deconstruction of history can alter that.
Deconstructing Great Presidents
By Daniel Nardini
One of the most disturbing things I am seeing is how some right wing groups and publishers are trying to “re-write” American history and the legacy of some of the great presidents in history. One well-known extreme right wing organization, the John Birch Society, has had articles in its publication The New American that has been attacking former U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Stating that Roosevelt had “made mistakes” with “socialist” programs during the Great Depression, the magazine had concluded that Roosevelt had not done any real service for the United States.
This is not the only case of right wing pundits attacking the legacy of this president. The conservative Regnery Press has published a book on Charles Lindbergh that suggests that Roosevelt tried to “smear” Lindbergh as a “Nazi sympathizer.” First, I would recommend anyone interested in Charles Lindbergh to read some of his speeches in the 1930’s and 1940’s and draw their conclusions on whether Roosevelt “smeared” Lindbergh, or whether Lindbergh smeared himself. Second, there is little doubt that Lindbergh had caused his own downfall from grace in the eyes of most Americans at the time by seeming too sympathetic to Nazi Germany.
But back to Roosevelt. It is true that Roosevelt did make mistakes in trying to fight at the time one of the greatest disasters in American history—the Great Depression. But keep in mind that he faced a myriad of challenges no other president before him faced. The highest rate of unemployment in our history, the highest at that time poverty level in our history, and a country where there was the possibility of revolution or a fascist dictatorship as happened in Italy and Germany. That Roosevelt brought down an unemployment rate of almost 20 percent to less than 9 percent just before America entered World War II on December 8, 1941, is no small miracle in of itself. He introduced social programs that endure today—Social Security, the Fair Labor Standards Act which banned child labor and set for the first time a minimum wage, the creation of the National Labor Relations Board, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) that protects Americans’ bank savings when a bank fails. And let us not forget how Roosevelt led this country ultimately to victory during World War II (although he never saw the end of the war as he died in office). In my view, whatever mistakes Roosevelt ever made, it does not change my view that he was a great president. No right wing deconstruction of history can alter that.