Ebbie -- "Question: When FDR made his bold moves, did this cabal allow it because they just didn't care at that point?"

I was just a tad (barely more than a rug-rat) at the time, but I remember listening to FDR's "Fireside Chats" on the radio, and that these straightforward talks with the American people became something of an institution and almost everybody made a point to listen in.   Although a brilliant orator when the occasion called for it, in the Fireside Chats Roosevelt spoke in simple, straightforward language, explaining what he was doing (or trying to do) and why he was doing it. People understood him. And when some of his measures were passed and people started seeing the immediate results, the vast majority of the people were behind him all the way. Re-elected three times, he died in office in his fourth term.

The Right Wing spent about a decade and a half being positively livid. They tried all kinds of things, even going so far (and so low!) as to claim that "'Roosevelt' isn't his real name. It's 'Rosenfelt!' He's a Jew!" pandering to lowest of people's prejudices, much like the current flood of lies about Barack Obama

The Roosevelt administration put the 25% unemployed back to work directly with such agencies as the Works Projects Administration (WPA) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Not promises. Deeds. That worked right away. Yes, it played hell with the national deficit, but suddenly there were a whole bunch of people working who had been unemployed before—and they were paying taxes!! Which, in turn, started bring down the deficit.

There wasn't much the Republican opposition could do about it. Nothing succeeds like success. But the Republicans worked very hard at chipping away at the regulatory agencies, such as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that reigned it the Wall Street speculators and Ponzi schemers, and the whole alphabet soup of Roosevelt's regulatory agencies that prevented "the usual suspects" from indulging their greed and bringing about another Depression.

Until Ronald Reagan. He was a popular enough President (not so much because of his programs or ideas, but primarily because of his personality) that he got away with either dismantling or gutting the regulatory agencies by putting corporate wonks in charge of the agencies that were supposed to regulate the very corporations the wonks were from—putting the fox in charge of the chicken house.

That's why we're where we are today.

Obama needs to stiffen his spine, stop trying to compromise with people who are hell-bent on trying to see to it that he fails, and study up a lot on what Roosevelt did and how he did it.

Probably one of the most vicious slanders you'll hear about Roosevelt these days is that "He got us out of the Depression by starting World War II!" Lie! The Depression was well over when the war started.

The claim is that Roosevelt goaded the Japanese into attacking Pearl Harbor. The fact is that the U. S. had been selling scrap iron to Japan, who then used it to make weapons to use on the Chinese (have you heard of the "rape of Nanking?"). Roosevelt leaned on Japan because of the brutality of the war they were waging in China, and cut off the supply of scrap iron. The Japanese sent a diplomatic mission to Washington, D. C., and while they were talking peace, the Pearl Harbor sneak attack occurred. The Japanese military intended the attack to be a sucker punch.

They're stated mission at the time was to "turn the Pacific Ocean into a Japanese pond."

And we were in the way. No. Roosevelt didn't start World War II.

Texts of the Fireside Chats.

Don Firth

P. S.   Sorry about the length of this screed. But hearing some of the revisionist history that the Right Wing spouts about Roosevelt and others really burns my butt! I was young at the time (an ordained Geezer now), but I was there and I remember.

P. P. S.   By the way, Ebbie, the cabal DID care very much. But with the war going on in Europe, Roosevelt and others were fully aware of how dangerous Hitler and his friends were, but tried to stay out of it. There were such things as the "Lend-Lease" program to Britain, during which a number of American ships were attacked by German U-Boats. The USS Reuben James (immortalized in song by Woody Guthrie) was a destroyer, escorting supply ships to Great Britain which was attacked and sunk by a German submarine. So I'd say the U. S. was sure as hell provoked into World War II. Roosevelt didn't START it, for cryin' out loud!!

If you have the stomach for it, this article gives a very good run-down on what sort of things some members of the cabal were involved in in the 1930s. Fasten your seat belt and keep an airsick bag handy.

The German-American Bund.

The position of the cabal at the time was summed up succinctly in a song that Walt Robertson used to sing, Little Man on a Fence:

Now, over on the Right, in their great big cars
Sat a bunch of fat men a-smokin' big cigars.
They were all shoutin' with great broad grins
About what to do with Stalin when Hitler wins!

I wish I could remember the rest of the song.