Franklin D. Roosevelt: Difference between revisions

Line 9:

Actually spent much of his life paralyzed from the waist down due to polio, including his Presidency, making him America's one and only handicapped President, unless one also counts Kennedy who had Addison's Disease. There was less scrutiny of public figures back then, which he combined with trick photography, leg braces that let him stand and walk short distances by swiveling, immense upper-body strength to hold himself up with the podium and [[The Plan|other tactics to ease the public away from questioning why he was never pictured standing up on his own]]. (He was almost always leaning on somebody or something in the photos that show him standing.)

Famous for the New Deal, [[World War Two]] and the "fireside chats". The last of these were thirty radio speeches, where he addressed the public directly and are an early example of what political analysts call "going public". They were more popular than every other show. His "New Deal" was put into action with the intent of saving the country from the Great Depression and possible revolution. Whether it had any effect, and whether this effect was positive, is still hotly debated. Even some in his own administration disagreed on it being effective.

Famous for the New Deal, [[World War Two]] and the "fireside chats". The last of these were thirty radio speeches, where he addressed the public directly and are an early example of what political analysts call "going public". They were more popular than every other show. His "New Deal" was put into action with the intent of saving the country from the Great Depression and possible revolution. Whether it had any effect, and whether this effect was positive, is still hotly debated. Even some in his own administration disagreed on it being effective including his treasury secretary Morgenthau and first vice president Garner. One component that absolutely didn't have a positive effect was the ''Agricultural Adjustment Act'', which placed a limit on food production in a failed attempt to raise prices on crops by reducing supply, right before the dust bowl kicked in.

Furthermore, the worst thing he did in office was authorizing the internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII; thousands of American citizens were rounded up and put in prison camps solely for being of Japanese descent. [[What the Hell, Hero?|Owch]].

Furthermore, the worst thing he did in office was authorizing the internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII; tens of thousands of American citizens were rounded up and put in prison camps solely for being of Japanese descent. [[What the Hell, Hero?|Owch]].

He was also something of a [[Magnificent Bastard]]. Recognizing the danger and evil Hitler represented, he bent, folded and spindled assorted laws and roadblocks preventing overt US assistance to the Allies in order to provide as much support as he could against significant political and popular opposition. Then the attack on Pearl Harbor removed any significant opposition to joining the war, while [[Adolf Hitler]] was obliging enough to declare war on the USA shortly there after and remove any real objections to fighting the Nazis taking top priority. His supermajority in Congress and his emergency powers enabled him to run the USA almost like a monarch.

He was also something of a [[Magnificent Bastard]]. Recognizing the danger and evil Hitler represented, he bent, folded and spindled assorted laws and roadblocks preventing overt US assistance to the Allies in order to provide as much support as he could against significant political and popular opposition, in spite of making campaign promises to keep America out of the war. Then the attack on Pearl Harbor removed any significant opposition to joining the war, while [[Adolf Hitler]] was obliging enough to declare war on the USA shortly there after and remove any real objections to fighting the Nazis taking top priority. His supermajority in Congress and his emergency powers enabled him to run the USA almost like a monarch. The length of his presidency also ensured control over the courts and by the end of his life only one member of the Supreme Court, Owen Roberts, was not nominated by him (Roberts would resign within a few months of Truman taking office). The rulings of his judges on his policies include several extremely controversial cases, such as ''Wickard v. Filburn'', ''United States v. Miller'' and most infamously ''Korematsu v. United States''. These are made even more controversial by one appointee, Hugo Black, holding a solid gold passport that was proof of his life membership in the Ku Klux Klan.

He's known for the line "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself."<ref>A quote originated by Henry David Thoreau</ref> Remember, [[Theodore Roosevelt|he's one of two presidents to have this last name]].