Classic FDR

Franklin Roosevelt mocks Republicans that say they will take care of Social Security, unemployment and foreclosure without having to pay for it in tax increases. If we only had a president who would speak to the American people in the same manner.

Quote of the Day: Rush Limbaugh Super-Sized Edition

"The New Deal didn't work. Hoover was President through the depression for one year."

Rush Limbaugh

The Great Depression started in 1929. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was inaugurated in March 1933.

Limbaugh believes Bill Clinton made a law to fund abortions overseas. Population Action states:

The global gag rule does not prohibit foreign NGOs from providing EC as part of the family planning and reproductive health services they offer. Foreign NGOs may provide EC counseling, dispense EC to clients and promote awareness of this contraceptive method and still remain eligible for U.S. population assistance.

The Mexico City Policy (aka gag rule) does is not allow foreign clinics and hospitals to receive U.S funding, if the facilities inform women about contraception and abortion. Limbaugh clearly has no idea what he is talking about.

"If you look the executive orders (Obama) has promised to issue. He's gonna overturn the abortion law that guided who we fund overseas in terms of family planning and that's been a roller coaster. Clinton imposed it. Bush rescinded it. Obama is gonna reimpose it and so forth."

Clinton can not legal impose a law he is rescinding. The gag rule was imposed by Ronald Reagan in 1984. Alan Keyes helped created the gag rule policy. The Bush administration continued to censor what foreign health care facilities could tell their patients about contraception and abortion. Bill Clinton rescinded the gag rule on January 22, 1993.

The end of the video is Limbaugh telling Sean Hannity they have to fight against the "drive-by" media "reporting a totally bunch of wrong libel stuff about people." Limbaugh and Hannity spent their careers in talk radio and television. They have never reported a story in their lives. Getting Hoover's tenure over the Great Depression is historical fact. The Mexico City Policy doesn't prevent foreign countries from using U.S. dollars for funding abortions. (I doubt the Bush administration would be competent enough to monitor where the money was going.) Limbaugh can not have the truth of his side without speaking the truth.

I never hated Limbaugh. When I was a teenager, my father would listen to Limbaugh and his radio show and watch his defunct television show. I found the tv show because Limbaugh spent most of the show plugging his merchandise. I just found Limbaugh dull. Limbaugh was in the right place at the right time.

Interesting fact: Limbaugh and Hannity are both college dropouts. Maybe I should become a conservative talk show host.

How FDR Saved the Economy

Mika Brzezinski claimed, "The new deal did not work." I was not shocked that Jim Johnson agreed.

She's right. The New Deal did not end the Great Depression, but World War II did.

Some may claim the War caused massive government spending, it did, but it also sent millions of men into the armed forces to fight the war.

That's not to say New Deal programs (SEC, FDIC, etc) weren't needed. But no one should be under the impression that the New Deal did anything to bring an end to the worst economic crisis in history.

The country was living on rations. Until 2009, America borrowed at it's most during WWII. FDR signed the GI bill into law. That helped veterans get homes and college educations.

Short answer: the economy sucked during WWII. Imagine what the deficit would have been if FDR approved Bush-level tax cuts. Lincoln signed the Revenue Act of 1861 to pay for the civil war. Tax cuts during war are a bad idea.

Obama's middle and lower class tax cuts are intended to make people start spending. The problem is consumer confidence.



Obama has his work cut out for him. The progressive version of trickle down economics is not enough. Americans need to feel confident about where the country is heading. The President needs to make Americans feel the country is on the right path. Only then will consumors spend and lending institutions will give out loans.

Off topic: Congratulations to Jim. He will be blogging at Creative Loafing.