FDR

Robert Kuttner: If Dems Don't Go Big, Country May Go Fascist

If the United States was lucky to avoid a fascist takeover in the 1930s, the country made much of its own luck through the New Deal. 

The "Dead Hand" on the Supreme Court

by Ronald Brownstein

The Supreme Court's conservative majority has been nominated by presidents and confirmed by senators who represent rural, white, Christian conservatives in an increasingly diverse country. Court historian Jeff Shesol says this dynamic has threatened the court's legitimacy in the past. 

Why Do We Know So Little about the 1930s Coup Attempt against FDR?

by Sally Denton

"In a climate of conspiracies and intrigues, and against the backdrop of charismatic dictators in the world such as Hitler and Mussolini, the sparks of anti-Rooseveltism ignited into full-fledged hatred."

Stephen Vladeck: Bring Back the Second Part of FDR's SCOTUS Reform Plan

by Stephen Vladeck

As the Supreme Court adopts a posture of governing by injunction before lower court appeals run their course, should revive FDR's proposal that cases seeking to throw out state or federal rules be heard by special panels, not single judges chosen through jurisdiction-shopping. 

Why the New Deal Still Matters Today

Eric Rauchway of UC Davis joins Letters and Poltics on Pacifica Radio to discuss the ongoing legacy of the New Deal.   

Joe Biden Wants An ‘FDR-Size Presidency.’ What Does That Even Mean?

The proposed dollar value of spending in Biden's recovery plan isn't the best measure of comparison to the New Deal. Does the plan assume the society is basically sound and in need of "bailing out" or unsound and in need of restructuring? Historian Eric Rauchway explains. 

Does a President’s First 100 Days Reveal Anything About the Next Four Years?

Does a President's "First 100 Days" really tell anything useful about the course of a presidency? PBS News Hour compares Biden to some past Presidents. 

F.D.R. Didn’t Just Fix the Economy

Times columnist Jamelle Bouie draws on the work of historian Eric Rauchway to argue that Franklin Roosevelt envisioned the New Deal as a renewal of core democratic principles that the government should serve the needs of the people and be accountable to them. 

The Difference Between a Great President and a Terrible One is Empathy

by Lindsay Chervinsky

"As President Trump begins his post-presidential life, Americans will start to reckon with his legacy. They need look no farther than his callous indifference to human life — his response to the crisis marks the ultimate failure of presidential leadership."

Wealthy Bankers And Businessmen Plotted To Overthrow FDR. A Retired General Foiled It

by Gillian Brockell

Major General Smedley Butler (USMC) told Congress in 1933 that a group of business leaders had asked him to lead a coup against FDR. He insisted the plot was serious and credible. Has this episode faded from awareness because it was a hoax, or because Roosevelt and Congress all wanted to conceal how close it came to succeeding?

An FDR-Size Executive Order for Biden

by Thomas Geoghegan

Joseph Biden should issue an executive order requiring federal contracts go to firms with collective bargaining agreements in place, boosting wages, strengthening organized labor, and stimulating economic recovery. 

Reconsidering "Court Packing" as Restoring Governing Norms

by Greg Bailey

The Republicans' choice to push through Amy Coney Barrett's nomination with the backing of a minority of the country means a new Congress must consider corrective action in the name of justice and democracy.

FDR Was Right to Propose Enlarging the Court

by James D. Robenalt

Franklin Roosevelt's error in 1937 was not to propose expanding the court, it was to fail to explain and defend his popular political reasons for doing so.

The Search for the Truth About the Nazi Plot to Assassinate FDR

by Howard Blum

The events surrounding Operation Long Jump, as the Nazi assassination mission that targeted the Tehran Conference was known, remained a deeply buried official secret.

Fake News, Then and Now

by Tracy Campbell

Rumor and gossip during World War II reflected currents of racism in American society, as well as many citizens' unwillingness to make deep sacrifices to the war effort. 

What We Learn From FDR's New Deal

"A president alone can't do everything," says historian Lizabeth Cohen, "that president needs a supportive Congress."

If Trump had Been in Charge during World War II, this Column would be in German

by Max Boot

What if FDR had speculated that mobilization might be unnecessary if we can develop a “death ray” straight out of a Buck Rogers comic strip?

The Country has been Through a Draining, News-Packed April Before

by Christopher B. Daly

By the end of April 1945, the institutions of American journalism generally met the challenges of an overwhelming torrent of news and helped other American institutions manage military, political and economic transition.

The President vs. The Epidemic: FDR's Polio Crusade

by Dave Welky

No president can end an epidemic single handedly, but they can inspire a popular movement that eradicates a disease. Such was the case with Franklin Roosevelt and polio.

New Deal or Nazism? Historical Comparisons to Trump's Performance as a Leader in Crisis

by Walter G. Moss

Comparing the first 100 days in power of Franklin Roosevelt and Adolf Hitler offers a sobering reminder of the consequences of decisions pursued by leaders in crisis.