The Roosevelts and the Obamas
SOME HISTORIANS AND JOURNALISTS HAVE COMPARED THE ROOSEVELTS TO THE OBAMAS. IS THIS FAIR?
It is true that Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Barack Obama were both Democrats, but it appears that the two former US Presidents have more in common than just that. Just as FDR entered into office to sort out an economy plagued with problems of underemployment, slow growth, and financial panic, President Barack Obama also entered office during one of the worst Recessions America has faced since the Great Depression. Both the Obamas and the Roosevelts had to address the extreme fear of the nation by campaigning messages of hope. In September 1937, President FDR took an extensive train ride through the Midwest to the West Coast, claiming to "regain the strength just by meeting the American people." This strategy to rejuvenate optimism and support was similar to Obama's campaign strategy in which he promoted "Hope," and "Yes we can!"
Both Michelle Obama and Eleanor Roosevelt have taken important roles as First Ladies. After Michelle Obama's first year in office, she took up a lead role in an administrative wide initiative: the fight against obesity. She also supported military families, helped working women balance career and family, encouraged national service, and promoted arts and education. It is safe to say that she played an important part during her husband's presidency. Similarly, Eleanor Roosevelt maintained a heavy travel schedule, making personal appearances at labor meetings to assure Depression-era workers that the White House cared for them and was taking action to reverse the economic downturn. She made it a point to travel the nation and individually meet common citizens, and to get a first-hand perspective on how her husband's policies were, or were not, making a difference. It would be illogical to claim that the Roosevelts were exactly like the Obamas, but it would make sense to say that the situation they entered office into and the actions they took throughout their terms were very similar to each other, and both administrations helped revive a struggling nation from negative economic pulls. |