It's a good thing Americans and the left didn't give up on Roosevelt early into his presidency.

[Drunken Irishman]

Especially when things only got marginally better for a great deal of the nation throughout his first four years.

Roosevelt was an amazing leader. But much of his leadership was rooted in his ability to inspire. Even when, in the 1930s, Americans still faced the prospects of unemployment and homelessness, they still had faith in Roosevelt.

A great deal of it was blind faith. A great deal of it was just hope that he knew what he was doing.

Even though at first it didn't appear things were getting much better.

In fact, in the second year of Roosevelt's second term, the United States was in a recession. Unemployment hit 26% (http://www.nber.org/chapters/c2644.pdf">1).

But Americans didn't give up on his presidency. The a great deal of the left didn't, either.

Which is why I believe if Roosevelt were around today, that's exactly what would happen. They would've given up on him because for a good stretch of his administration, unemployment only decreased slightly throughout his first term - before again spiking during the recession of 1937.

Now imagine if unemployment rose to 20% nationally and then only fell slightly until another recession hit in 2012, spiking it back up to 26%.

Do you believe Pres. Obama would stand a chance at being re-elected that same year? Doubtful.

Not only did Roosevelt go on to win re-election with a high unemployment rate and a country still devastated by economic depression - he did it with the largest landslide in modern American history.

Much of his accomplishments were real. But it took a lot more blind faith to continue on with his presidency than even with what we're seeing today.

If only some liberals could see this.

Then maybe they'd understand the entire scope of this problem and realize that it's going to take more than just a year and a half to get the economy back to pre-2007 levels.

What's more is that if it is a depression we're in like so many on the left and right proclaim, then it's going to take even longer.

The Great Depression lasted almost four years. The Great Recession roughly a little less than two years.

And that doesn't count the 1937 recession, which could be considered one of the worst recessions of the 20th Century. But since it happened in the shadows of the Great Depression, it was an afterthought.

[quiet.american]

1. Good points, all, DI -- furthermore, it's a good thing FAUX et al. weren't around then either --

-- all FDR had to contend with was Prescott Bush and his posse of tycoons plotting to literally overthrow him. :)

Good points all that you make.

[Blue_Roses]

8. no kidding!

:)

[Dr Morbius]

2. Americans and the left have not given up on Barack Obama yet, either.

But we are meant to believe that they have. President Obama does not enjoy universal support from the left, but no one enjoys universal support from the left for long. The left is, by nature, schizoid and diverse.

And I write this as someone on the left.

Get used to a barrage of media trying to convince you that Barack Obama is struggling, barely holding his Presidency together, his support vanishing in a silvery mist, rejected by the left for catering to the right and rejected on the right for not being of the right. The President is doing just fine with the left, and all will be well by the election. Assuming some jobs show up between now and then, which is I admit a pretty big leap of faith.

[NJmaverick]

3. Good historical reference

and a timely reminder not to judge too early

[treestar]

4. Yes, very good point

It is too easy for people to compact 12 years into 1 - and not realize how long these previous battles lasted.

[SeattleGirl]

5. Thanks for this, DI.

Shoot, just looking at the history of the Social Security Act alone would show people that it did not spring full blown into it's present form. It was passed, and then a lot of tweaking took place over time. But too many people choose to ignore that, as well as to ignore the points you made so well in your post.

[nevergiveup]

6. Good post!

As a liberal I am sticking with the president. My only advice for him at this time is to get out more and mix with the people. These are different times. He needs regular town halls to offset the very biased and yellow journalistic focused media.

[OneGrassRoot]

7. A good post about this I saw in the early hours in GD:

Impatient for Change

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8703729

[Cha]

9. It must most excellent and there's more than

a few of us who wouldn't dream of giving up now!