I would agree that the welfare state has injured the nation, but FDR was a piker compared to LBJ when it comes to the welfare state.
FDR is great for his handling of a world war. FDR is great for his involvement with intelligence communities. FDR is great for forging a coalition that swept democrats to power for two generations.
We can pretend these things aren’t true, but they are.
I would go further than "injured the nation." The welfare state is in the process of destroying this nation, just as it doing in Europe. LBJ was a disciple of FDR. He just built on and expanded the welfare state started by FDR. The fact that SCOTUS upheld the SS mandate paved the way for Medicare, Medicaid, and other welfare programs. Obamacare will be the final test to see if the Constitution will be upheld or that SCOTUS will rule that Big Government can control every facet of our lives. If SCOTUS rules in favor of the Obamacare mandate, the Constitution becomes a meaningless scrap of paper that can be defined by the politicians any way they want.
FDR's Freedom from Want provided the philosophical underpinning for LBJ's Great Society, which were really stalled initiatives from John F. Kennedy's New Frontier. LBJ's landslide win in 1964 with huge Dem majorities in Congress pushed thru these programs, which where further expanded by Nixon, Ford, and Carter. Bush 43 aided by Newt provided an even further expansion of Medicare with the Prescription Drug Program (Part D).
FDR is great for his handling of a world war. FDR is great for his involvement with intelligence communities. FDR is great for forging a coalition that swept democrats to power for two generations.
FDR was at the helm for WWII. We were woefully unprepared at the beginning of the conflict. I think we assign far too much credit to FDR when you consider the contributions of so many others who were part of this national mobilization of the country. FDR was ill and not that hands on when it came to directing the war effort. Be that as it may, FDR has received the credit to the benefit of the Dems.
What I deem FDR's most far reaching impact was his creation of the welfare state and a culture of dependency. He vastly expanded the scope and role of government that has threatened our liberties and individual rights. FDR's influence extended to both sides of the aisle so that both parties have embraced the welfare state and the entitlement programs. Very few politicians question the underlying assumptions for SS and Medicare/Medicaid. They are sacred cows.
We can pretend these things aren’t true, but they are.
No one is denying FDR's impact on this nation. He was very consequential. So were Mao, Stalin, and Hitler. The question is whether his influence was on balance good or bad. Unlike Newt who admires FDR and calls him his favorite President because he got things done, I have a very different view of FDR. I believe he had a long term negative impact on this country that will result in its destruction. The welfare state runs counter to the vision of our Founders and the founding principles of our Republic. I don't consider FDR to be "great."