Gingrich praised FDR, New Deal in ’95, ’06 books

Daily Caller ^ | 11-5-11 | By Paul Conner

[Mozilla]

In two books, the man who calls President Barack Obama a “food-stamp president” praised the man whose administration created the first food stamp program.

Snubbing 16 other presidents including Ronald Reagan, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich called Franklin D. Roosevelt “probably the greatest president of the twentieth century” in his 1995 book To Renew America.

In a passage of the book in which Gingrich laid out examples of historical figures asking for God’s help for the nation, he praised Roosevelt for “openly appeal[ing] to the nation’s sense of faith and religion in summing the national will to the task” of defeating Nazi Germany.

[snip]

More recently, in his 2006 book Rediscovering God in America, Gingrich lauded FDR’s national leadership and spiritual guidance during World War II.

“Many consider Franklin Roosevelt to be the father of modern liberalism, so it may surprise you that he was a man of deep religious conviction who unapologetically linked the preservation of our nation during World War II with the preservation of religion,” the former House Speaker wrote.

[dfwgator]

Reagan was a fan of FDR.

Key word there, "Was"

Reagan later wrote: "Fascism was really the basis for the New Deal. It was Mussolini's success in Italy, with his government-directed economy, that led the early New Dealers to say 'But Mussolini keeps the trains running on time."

[sickoflibs]

My grandmother was a young adult in 1929 and died thinking FDR was a hero who helped people in the great depression.

Newts comments on FDR and WWII wouldnt be so bad if he had only pointed out all the bad things Roosevelt did too.

Newt is definitely a progressive and his record the last 15 years is much more relevent than what he voted for in the 1990s when a small conservative GA house district voters were holding his feet to the fire. He may be less liberal than Romney but that’s not saying much.

[Moonman62]

Point taken, but Reagan is criticizing the New Deal here more than FDR, and explaining how it was justified. A few years back some politicians wanted to replace FDR on the dime with Reagan. Nancy put an end to it by saying it’s not what Ronnie would have wanted to replace FDR.