Transcript of Email Interview
May 12, 2015
May 12, 2015
What leaders have been inspired by FDR?
I think President Clinton was inspired by him. FDR was his favorite President. In fact, after President Clinton was elected to his first term he came to visit the FDR Home and Presidential Library and was very excited to be in the home of his idol. Also President Lyndon Baines Johnson was a great admirer of FDR. His daughter Lynda told me that her father thought FDR was a really wonderful President. At the time FDR was in office, Lyndon Johnson was a senator.
What were FDR's most important leadership traits?
I believe that his most important leadership trait was his willingness to try new and radical things to combat the great depression. His philosophy was to try something and if that didn't work he was willing to try something else. He had enough confidence to admit something did not work and go on from there. He was not afraid to listen to other people for advice and to use it to make changes or follow a new path. True leadership requires confidence and the ability to listen to others and not be afraid to take the advice of others who might be experts in an area. It also means having a vision and not being afraid to change the vision if it need to be adjusted when things are not working out.
How did FDR's confidence, empathy, and fearlessness make him an effective leader?
FDR's confidence/empathy/fearlessness made him a good leader in many ways. Confidence made him make decisions like closing the banks right after he became President to try to stabilize the economy which was a radical move and might be criticized by many. Confidence made him start programs like the Works Progress Administration to give jobs to people in all walks of life, so that they could feed their families, and not have to depend on charity. There were many who did not like these work programs, but for the average American, it helped them survive. It was confidence that helped FDR lead the American nation into realizing that the US needed to help Europe survive the Nazi threat during World War II. His empathy toward people made him realize the great loss and despair among Americas as a result of the economic depression and created determination to help them as quickly as possible to change the terrible conditions that existed. Fearlessness made him realize that you need to do what you think is right for the average American even though others might be critical of what you.
How did Roosevelt transform the American presidency?
FDR transformed the Presidency when he was elected for the first term, by making the executive branch of the government the leader in creating legislation for government programs. Prior to FDR, the three branches of government were somewhat equal. FDR pushed bill upon bill before Congress to create programs started quickly in an attempt to combat the Great Depression AND back then Congress quickly got the legislation through and the political parties worked together as a team to make things happen.
FDR and his New Deal programs are often criticized for being unfair to women. What are your thoughts on this?
I think that FDR supported women in leadership roles. He was the first President to appoint a woman to be Secretary of Labor - Frances Perkins. He certainly treated his wife as an equal partner and respected her opinions on things she felt he needed to address as President. Certainly, his record relating to minorities was not so good. Though Eleanor Roosevelt was pushing him to pass legislation that would give minorities equal treatment under the law, FDR was reluctant to do this. The reason I have read is that he wanted to get as much legislation passed as he could to combat the effects of the Great Depression. There were many Senators in Congress who were Democrats, but were Southern Democrats who were totally opposed to any legislation that would give equality to minorities. FDR felt that if he even attempted to push such legislation through Congress, it would not only fail, but he would alienate the people who might help him pass legislation that would help get the economy back on track and help victims of the Great Depression. It was not just southern Democrats who were racist, but there were Republicans who were racist as well. What this says about his leadership, is that maybe he was a realist, who knew at that time, it could not happen given the circumstances, even though he would have wanted to do it.
What are your thoughts on his Court Packing Plan?
The Court Packing Plan was a mistake, because as it was, the court did support some of his New Deal programs, though it struck down others. FDR was only human and he did make mistakes. But I don't think it really affected his legacy or leadership in a major way. Perhaps he learned by this mistake.
What do you believe differentiates a leader from a politician?
I think a politician is someone who is interested in gaining power to serve members of his or her community. A leader is someone in power who has a real vision for a group of people or a nation and wants to implement that vision.
What do you think are FDR's most important legacies?
We live in the world FDR created. He created multiple legacies. He created Social Security so senior citizens would not be sent off to the poor house if they had no money. He created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation so that people's monies would be insured up to $100,000 and if there were a Great Depression they would not lose everything. He created the Securities and Exchange Commission so that there would be a better control over people investing money. He also created minimum wage and unemployment insurance. These are all things that were created to hopefully avoid another economic disaster and to help the average America earn a decent living and be taken care of during difficult economic times. It was also because FDR got the US involved in World War II that we are still able to enjoy freedoms as Americans and not be ruled by an insane dictator.
I think President Clinton was inspired by him. FDR was his favorite President. In fact, after President Clinton was elected to his first term he came to visit the FDR Home and Presidential Library and was very excited to be in the home of his idol. Also President Lyndon Baines Johnson was a great admirer of FDR. His daughter Lynda told me that her father thought FDR was a really wonderful President. At the time FDR was in office, Lyndon Johnson was a senator.
What were FDR's most important leadership traits?
I believe that his most important leadership trait was his willingness to try new and radical things to combat the great depression. His philosophy was to try something and if that didn't work he was willing to try something else. He had enough confidence to admit something did not work and go on from there. He was not afraid to listen to other people for advice and to use it to make changes or follow a new path. True leadership requires confidence and the ability to listen to others and not be afraid to take the advice of others who might be experts in an area. It also means having a vision and not being afraid to change the vision if it need to be adjusted when things are not working out.
How did FDR's confidence, empathy, and fearlessness make him an effective leader?
FDR's confidence/empathy/fearlessness made him a good leader in many ways. Confidence made him make decisions like closing the banks right after he became President to try to stabilize the economy which was a radical move and might be criticized by many. Confidence made him start programs like the Works Progress Administration to give jobs to people in all walks of life, so that they could feed their families, and not have to depend on charity. There were many who did not like these work programs, but for the average American, it helped them survive. It was confidence that helped FDR lead the American nation into realizing that the US needed to help Europe survive the Nazi threat during World War II. His empathy toward people made him realize the great loss and despair among Americas as a result of the economic depression and created determination to help them as quickly as possible to change the terrible conditions that existed. Fearlessness made him realize that you need to do what you think is right for the average American even though others might be critical of what you.
How did Roosevelt transform the American presidency?
FDR transformed the Presidency when he was elected for the first term, by making the executive branch of the government the leader in creating legislation for government programs. Prior to FDR, the three branches of government were somewhat equal. FDR pushed bill upon bill before Congress to create programs started quickly in an attempt to combat the Great Depression AND back then Congress quickly got the legislation through and the political parties worked together as a team to make things happen.
FDR and his New Deal programs are often criticized for being unfair to women. What are your thoughts on this?
I think that FDR supported women in leadership roles. He was the first President to appoint a woman to be Secretary of Labor - Frances Perkins. He certainly treated his wife as an equal partner and respected her opinions on things she felt he needed to address as President. Certainly, his record relating to minorities was not so good. Though Eleanor Roosevelt was pushing him to pass legislation that would give minorities equal treatment under the law, FDR was reluctant to do this. The reason I have read is that he wanted to get as much legislation passed as he could to combat the effects of the Great Depression. There were many Senators in Congress who were Democrats, but were Southern Democrats who were totally opposed to any legislation that would give equality to minorities. FDR felt that if he even attempted to push such legislation through Congress, it would not only fail, but he would alienate the people who might help him pass legislation that would help get the economy back on track and help victims of the Great Depression. It was not just southern Democrats who were racist, but there were Republicans who were racist as well. What this says about his leadership, is that maybe he was a realist, who knew at that time, it could not happen given the circumstances, even though he would have wanted to do it.
What are your thoughts on his Court Packing Plan?
The Court Packing Plan was a mistake, because as it was, the court did support some of his New Deal programs, though it struck down others. FDR was only human and he did make mistakes. But I don't think it really affected his legacy or leadership in a major way. Perhaps he learned by this mistake.
What do you believe differentiates a leader from a politician?
I think a politician is someone who is interested in gaining power to serve members of his or her community. A leader is someone in power who has a real vision for a group of people or a nation and wants to implement that vision.
What do you think are FDR's most important legacies?
We live in the world FDR created. He created multiple legacies. He created Social Security so senior citizens would not be sent off to the poor house if they had no money. He created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation so that people's monies would be insured up to $100,000 and if there were a Great Depression they would not lose everything. He created the Securities and Exchange Commission so that there would be a better control over people investing money. He also created minimum wage and unemployment insurance. These are all things that were created to hopefully avoid another economic disaster and to help the average America earn a decent living and be taken care of during difficult economic times. It was also because FDR got the US involved in World War II that we are still able to enjoy freedoms as Americans and not be ruled by an insane dictator.