Seeking info on FDR

Vanity, Research assistance request

[Andrew Lanz]

Hello FR folk,
My daughter (12th Grade) is writing a paper on why FDR was among the worst political influences on our Constitutional Republic. ( Papa gushes with pride )

She's found plenty of info on the New Deal, Social Security, and the Minimum wage, but most of these references speak glowingly of the policies and the man. She's got some good information on why his policies were harmful and an absurd distortion of the enumerated federal powers. She needs info on FDR's political scheming and quotes demonstrating his obvious disregard for individual liberty.

Pointers to any URLs, publications, or other resources will be cheerfully accepted! Feel free to email me to save FR bandwidth, or post in this thread. I'll post her paper here if anyone is interested.

Thank you all!
- Drew

[cruiserman]

You're looking for facts to support your conclusions?

[Poohbah]

I would recommend James Bovard's Lost Rights as a good counterweight to the pro-FDR side.

[marron]

#1 He failed to end the depression. He never understood the cause of depression and never took action to correct it.

#2 He failed to recognize the growth of fascism and Japanese militarism as a threat to the US.

#3 He did not prepare the country for war until after we were attacked, despite the ample warning we had from 1933 on. The US military was in dismal shape, the guys were training with sticks for rifles and had no ammo.

#4 He never acknowledged the slaughter of Jews taking place in Europe, although he knew about it. He sent Jewish refugees back to the Nazis who then executed them.

#5 He did not recognize the threat that Stalin posed, and consigned half of Europe to Soviet control.

He was charismatic, and people loved him, and he was an utter disaster.

[dfwgator]

Give them this FDR quote:

"The lessons of history confirmed by the evidence immediately before me, show conclusively that continued dependence upon relief induces a spiritual and moral disintegration fundamentally destructive to the national fiber. To dole out relief in this way is to administer a narcotic, a subtle destroyer of the human spirit. It is inimical to the dictates of sound policy. It is in violation of the traditions of America. Work must be found for able-bodied but destitute workers. The federal government must and shall quit this business of relief."

[dfwgator]

Obviously what he said, and what he did were two completely different things.

[AdA$tra]

A working title: "FDR, Father of American Socialism"

[dakine]

Find a copy of the book "The Roosevelt Myth" by John T. Flynn, it was written in 1948.

[KC_Conspirator]

He tried to stack the Supreme Court because some of his acts were ruled unconstitutional. There is also a union decision during the FDR years that was way out of line, but I can't recall what it was.

[Non-Sequitur]

If I answer does that mean I get to ship my daughters homework to you?

[ancientart]

I Use Paul Johnson's "History of the American People" as the main text for my U.S. II survey class. Johnson's treatment of Roosevelt is quite good. Also good is Johnson's section on Roosevelt in "Modern Times." The nice thing about Johnson (in addition to the fact that he writes well) is that he footnotes everything and has great bibliography. Your daughter should find him a great lead to other sources.

Johnson's books, by the way, should be on every conservative's "must read" list.

[Doug Loss]

Try this URL:

http://www.sierratimes.com/archive/files/jul/24/nyquist.htm

[BillyBoy]

The Challenge to Liberty

Also check out what Alfred Smith (who FDR spoke of glowing in the 20s!) had to say about the "New Deal". Neither Smith or Hoover were hard core conservatives, in fact they ran against each in 1928 with Hoover running on a center-right message and Smith running as the center-left candidate.

When BOTH major candidates from the 1928 Presidential election say the 1932 winner is a kooky socialist, you better believe it!

[tacticalogic]

He also forecast the rhetorical mode by which "community" could loom over individual liberty. "If we call the method regulation, people hold up their hands in horror and say ‘un-American,’ or ‘dangerous,’" Roosevelt pointed out. "But if we call the same identical process co-operation, these same old fogeys will cry out ‘well done’.... cooperation is as good a word for the new theory as any other."

For those who claim that FDR's New Deal socialist policies were driven by economic necessity, note that this is from a speech he made in 1912.

More here.

[DrLiberty]

I agree with the previous poster - John T Flynn's "The Roosevelt Myth" is awesome and excellently documented. He incurred the wrath of FDR more than once! It may be hard to find. Try the all the libraries and online search engines. Its worth it!

[dighton]

[Paul] Johnson's books, by the way, should be on every conservative's "must read" list.

Seconded.

[Chewy]

Here's a site you might find helpful. http://www.barefootsworld.net/srwep.html

[sampai]

The "Roosevelt Myth" book is online: http://www.hazlitt.org/e-texts/fdrmyth/hbzfrm.htm

[x]

www.rooseveltmyth.com has much of what she'll need, including books by John T. Flynn, Garet Garrett and others, and links to other sites.

FDR was quite a liar and manipulator, but when you look at what was going on in other countries at the same time, things could have been far worse. FDR's policies were expedients designed to end the depression. In fact they didn't work. Nor did Hoover's policies, some of which paved the way for the New Deal. The great objection I have to him, though, isn't so much what he did domestically, but that he didn't treat his policies as temporary necessities, but strove to institutionalize them and make his rule and that of bureaucratic government permanent.

In foreign policy, his embracing Stalin was horrible. Roosevelt liked Stalin too much and conceded too much to him. But would any President have held Stalin wholly at arm's length once the war had begun? Willkie certainly wouldn't have. Beware of taking Churchill and FDR as good and evil, as Churchill was not less anxious to satisfy the tyrant. Churchill was smarter and more undeceived about Stalin, but certainly no model of anti-communism during the war, nor, given the circumstances, could he have been.

[jmaroneps37]

Look up the St. Louis incident, where FDR sent a boat load of poor Jews back to Europe so they could be murdered in Nazi death camps.