The ‘FDR made Depression worse’ fantasy

Atlanta Journal-Constitution ^ | January 2, 2009 | Jay Bookman

[An Old Man]

One the more remarkable aspects of the modern conservative movement is its eagerness to believe whatever it prefers to believe, whatever gives conservatives ammunition against their opponents, regardless of the facts and data and expert opinion.

The latest example of such behavior is the claim that FDR’s New Deal extended and deepened the Great Depression, a newly formed myth that is without any basis in fact. Yet it is embraced by some on the right solely because it bolsters their argument against policies proposed by President-elect Barack Obama.

[An Old Man]

I gotta story to tell ya!

Once upon a time... Be sure to read the entire article for a preview of what the government press has in mind for you.

Remember, the MSM is really your friend. I knew you would catch on right away!

[Texas Eagle]

http://www.amityshlaes.com/

Jay, seeing as how your last name is Bookman, maybe you oughta read a book once in a while.

[FlingWingFlyer]

It’s really tough trying to take the Urinal-Constipation seriously. They are just another DNC rag.

[Texas Eagle]

It’s telling that in its last days in power, the Bush administration isn’t having much truck with that notion, having proposed significant stimulus packages of its own and agreeing to bail out Detroit over protests from the hard right.

Uhhhhh...yeah. And how have those bailouts worked so far, Jay?

[NormsRevenge]

a newly formed myth?

FDR was a Fabian Socialist.

He was not blind to what led this nation astray and left it vulnerable to attack. We are still paying for his and his cohorts’ legacy and ongoing agenda.

[oh8eleven]

FDR's policies prolonged Depression by 7 years, UCLA economists calculate.

"Two UCLA economists say they have figured out why the Great Depression dragged on for almost 15 years,
and they blame a suspect previously thought to be beyond reproach: President Franklin D. Roosevelt."

[kennedy]

The stock market crash was in 1929. FDR was elected in 1932 and took office in 1933.

After six years of FDR in office, The New Deal and The Second New Deal, the Great Depression finally bottomed out in 1939.

Did FDR's attempt to tax and spend the country out of the Depression make the Depression worse? It is hard to say, since we cannot have a controlled experiment that compares the Depression with FDR and the Depression without FDR.

Clearly, however, FDR's tax and spend policies did nothing to end the Depression. The Depression ended because of WWII.

[hosepipe]

On the otherhand Frank literally "gave" Uncle Joe Stalin the eastern bloc countries as if he OWNED them.. The pain Churchill must have had to NOT slap the bejesus out of the commie cripple must've been intense.. Oh! the forgotten jokes about his commie wife must've been a real loss too..

Ann Coulter in her book Treason gave Joe McCarthy his propers finally... a true American HERO.. FDR was the head on a super nasty American political pimple.. A zit thats STILL not popped and drained..

[y6162]

“One the more remarkable aspects of the modern conservative movement is its eagerness to believe whatever it prefers to believe..”

Pot..kettle...black

[jafojeffsurf]

This makes absolutely no sense. How can you print money with nothing to back it up and think it is a good thing? Yes it is good for people to work and have a purpose it gives them something to put their energy into but building roads with money which is not present will not happen. If it does it will take months in prep first and the funny money will eventually cause the new problem of inflation. Unless we change the concept higher taxes and printing money will help we are doomed to repeat our past mistakes. I though reporters should also spend time investigating their stories and not just printing someone words or their interpretation of those words.

[DakotaRed]

As Newsweek’s Daniel Gross reports, “One would be very hard-pressed to find a serious professional historian who believes that the New Deal prolonged the Depression.”

And there lies their problem, they rely on "serious" revisionist historians instead of economists.

Sort of gives new meaning to "One the more remarkable aspects of the modern conservative liberal communist movement is its eagerness to believe whatever it prefers to believe, whatever gives conservatives liberal communists ammunition against their opponents, regardless of the facts and data and expert opinion."

[shineon]

Pot..kettle...black

Game..set..match.

[autumnraine]

And the AJC wonders why it’s subscriptions have bottomed out.

[liberalism is suicide]

“eagerness to believe what it prefers to believe” sounds more like a description of the left. For instance, the left prefers to believe the following insane fantasies:
“Same-sex couples should have the right to marry.”
“Its ok to abort babies.”
“The UN is the way to peace.”
“Government knows best.”
“Praying in schools is unconstitutional.”
Just a small sample of liberal delusions.

[Beowulf9]

I hate to sound dumb, but even though I read that article I don’t get it.

Can anyone put into simple terms why FDR extended the depression with his policies? I really do want to understand this.

I only understand this point, he raised wages (?) and businesses couldn’t make a profit I guess because of that? Is that correct?

[buckalfa]

It is hard to say, since we cannot have a controlled experiment that compares the Depression with FDR and the Depression without FDR.

That is the rub. The practice of monetary and fiscal policy is not an exact science at best. Arguments can be made that FDR's policies worked or did not work. The only agreement about FDR from people who actually lived through the Great Depression was that FDR instilled hope. That is where the O’ssiah won the election — the desire for leadership trumped any rational discussion of policy in the 2008 elections.

[A.A. Cunningham]

The lefties are all circling their revisionist history wagons.

Did you hear FDR prolonged the Great Depression?

[pallis]

Criticizing FDR and his miserable presidency is to liberals like criticizing the Pope is to Catholics. FDR is the foundation of modern liberalism, their historic, high priest and idolized hero. Never mind that we would have been better off without him, and all of the leftist who have followed. Sorry Dimocrits, but you will need more than conservative-attacking dribble to keep the FDR stool afloat. If resurrecting this old commie is your plan for selling change to dumbed down Americans who don’t have clue one who FDR was, you are in trouble. People aren’t looking for decade of misery while O sooths them with PC poopie.

[oh8eleven]

Try here ...

• How FDR Made the U.S. Depression Worse
  In their understanding of the Depression, Roosevelt and his economic advisers had cause and effect reversed. They did not recognize that prices had fallen because of the Depression. They believed that the Depression prevailed because prices had fallen. The obvious remedy, then, was to raise prices, which they decided to do by creating artificial shortages. Hence arose a collection of crackpot policies designed to cure the Depression by cutting back on production. The scheme was so patently self-defeating that it's hard to believe anyone seriously believed it would work.
  
• Socialist Lust For Power
  FDR's meddling wasn't confined to 1933-1945. After his death, the New Deal programs continued (and continue) to destroy wealth and prevent growth.

[x]

Alonzo Hamby, an old liberal professor studied this question in his For the Survival of Democracy: Franklin Roosevelt and the World Crisis of the 1930s and concluded that yes, FDR didn't "end" the Great Depression. The policies pursued in Britain and other countries did more to restore prosperity than the New Deal did. More here.

It's pretty clear that Roosevelt didn't achieve what his admirers claim. That may not justify demonizing FDR -- the country did survive him and was stronger afterwards -- but one needs to look at him soberly and without hero worship.

Articles like this are symptomatic though. Liberals are expecting and promoting a big change that will turn historical verdicts like this upside down (or in their view, right -- or left -- side up). So you'll be seeing more of this in the future.