David Remnick's current article in the New Yorker makes note of President Roosevelt's 1936 Democratic Convention Speech in Syracuse, New York. The New Yorker article quotes some of the speech's contents as they relate to the upcoming election
President Roosevelt, facing Alf Landon from Kansas, was in the midst of a tough re-election. Republicans were casting him as a communist. F.D.R's speech to the Democratic Convention ring eerily true today.
One of the most significant passages is:
Remember, too, that the first essential of doing a job well is to want to see
the job done. The Republican leadership is not against
the way we have done the job. The Republican leadership is against the job's
begin done.
Today, certainly we can argue that both points are true, not only is the Republican leadership against the Obama's administrations' method of dealing with our economy, social security, mortgage foreclosures,taxes, jobs, on and on, but also, clearly, the Republican leadership is against any progress being made on any single issue which requires the very wealthy to contribute a fair share of income for taxes.
On a sleepy, rainy Sunday (in Chicago), looking at the whole speech reveals many more gems which are more than applicable today.
Early in the speech, President Roosevelt mentions that the opposition has made much out of "false issues" Back then, the Republican's were casting President Roosevelt as a communist - a fearful and dreadful alternative to their policies.
President Roosevelt says:
There will be- there are-many false issues. In that respect, this will be no
different from other campaigns, Partisans, not willing to face realities, will
drag out red herrings as they have always done -- to divert attention from
the trail of their own weaknesses.
The practice is as old as democracy. Avoiding the facts - fearful of the truth- a
malicious opposition charged that George Washington planned to make himself
king under a British form of government; that Thomas Jefferson planned to set
up a guillotine under a French Revolutionary form of government....They called
Abraham Lincoln a Roman Emperor; Theodore Roosevelt a Destroyer; Woodrow
Wilson, a self-constituted Messiah.
This year it is Russian. Desperate in mood, angry at failure, cunning in purpose,
individuals and groups seeking to make Communism an issue in an election where
Communism is not a controversy between the two major parties.
Today, we have been treated to many red herrings: socialism, birthers, a secret Muslim president, on an on. Clearly "the more things change the more they remain the same".
President Roosevelt, in his speech, continues his discourse on the fake communism allegations:
In their speeches they deplored it, but by their actions they encouraged it.
The injustices, the downright suffering out of which revolutions come - what
did they do about these things? Lacking courage, they evaded. Being
selfish, the neglected. Being short-sighted, they ignored. When the crisis
came- as these wrongs made it sure to come - America was unprepared.
Our lack of preparation for it was best proved by the cringing and the fear
of the very people whose indifference helped to make the crisis.... And the
simple causes of our unpreparedness were two: First, a weak leadership,
and, secondly, an inability to see causes, to understand the reasons for
social unrest- the tragic plight of 90 percent of the men, women and
children who made up the population of the United States.
Yep, that's right, President Roosevelt said it first and said it best: the failure of the Republican majority, their lack of courage, their selfishness, their ignorance created a crisis leaving 90 percent of the country in tragedy.
President Roosevelt warns about the Republican's false promises and false sincerity in addressing the nation's dire financial outlook:
Let me warn you and let me warn the Nation against the smooth evasion
which says, "Of course we believe all these things; we believe in social
security; we believe in work for the unemployed; we believe in saving
homes. Cross our hearts and hope to die, we believe in all these things;
but we do not like the way the present Administration is doing them. Just
turn them over to us. We will do all of them0 we will do more of them
we will do them better; and most important of all, the doing of them
will not cost anybody anything.
But my friends, these evaders are banking too heavily on the shortness of
our memories. No one will forget that they had their golden opportunity -
twelve long years of it....
The same lack of purpose of fulfillment lies behind the promises of today. You
cannot be an Old Grand Republican in the East, and a New Deal Republican
in the West. You cannot promise to repeal taxes before one audience and
promise to spend more of the taxpayers' money before another audience.
You cannot promise tax relief for those who can afford to pay, and at the
same time, promise more of the taxpayers' money for those who are in
need. You simply cannot make good on both promises at the same time...
The most serious threat to our institutions comes from those who refuse to
face the need for change. Liberalism becomes the protection for the
far-sighted conservative.
I certainly do not have to detail the false promises and false sincerity we have seen from the Republican ticket, from the Romney/Ryan ticket right down to the Congressman/women seeking to turn back the clock to 2001. Here too the Republicans count on Americans having defective memories. They count on people
believing that two things can be simultaneously true: no increase in taxes for the rich and the continuation of a war machine without any source of revenue to pay for it. The continuation of social security, medicare, medicaid on one hand yet the determination to end each and every program as soon as possible - to "out source" it or "voucher it".
I sincerely hope our President reads this speech. It is a lesson plan that bears repeating.