Display:
I heard it.  I was referring to the popular experience of most current voters - not the experience captured by historians, oral archives and academia.  It has always amazed me how little FDR seems to be revered in the USA.  It seems almost as if he is considered an unfortunate anomaly in the otherwise almost unbroken line of macho, white, protestant, militaristic, conservative, ruthless, authoritarian, egotistical, hubristic and borderline pathological types who seem to dominate the genre...

Vote McCain for war without gain
by Frank Schnittger (mail Frankschnittger at hot dotty communists) on Tue Sep 30th, 2008 at 01:46:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]
It seems almost as if (FDR) is considered an unfortunate anomaly in the otherwise almost unbroken line of macho, white, protestant, militaristic, conservative, ruthless, authoritarian, egotistical, hubristic and borderline pathological types...
That would be because he was just such an anomaly. He was on track to be just what you describe when he was struck down by polio.  The disease and the recovery had a deeply transformative effect on FDR.  The TV movie Warm Springs, with Kenneth Branagh playing FDR catches the essentials quite well.

As the Dutch said while fighting the Spanish: "It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."
by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Tue Sep 30th, 2008 at 06:00:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Display:
Login
. Make a new account
. Reset password
Occasional Series