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The Wall Street Journal’s Dan Henninger on the similarities between our current president and the Great Dealer.
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-- -- -- -- President Obama turning into FDR our first guest this hour says this particular race for the White House started to look like one that took place 76 years ago.
Then handing -- is deputy editor of the Wall Street Journal opinion page in what way Dan is that president trying to channel FDR other than to think real -- exhibit.
Yeah well that was the point.
FDR ran for his reelection the first time in 1936.
And he ticked off that reelection in October.
Of that here in a big speech nearby here at Madison Square Garden to the party faithful.
And I was reading that speech and what came through to me was it's very much like the big kick off speech that Barack Obama gave to the Associated Press.
In early April when he talked about the Republicans running on social darwinism and so forth.
And the parallels were uncanny in the parallels are uncanny because when you think of it.
FDR was running in the middle of the Great Depression.
Things were terrible and so he was talking about the Republicans.
Are trying to solve the relief rolls by letting people starve.
Obama says that Republicans are going to try to solve Medicare by -- nineteen million women off the relief roll -- that.
Medicare rolls and so forth.
Obama is running in what he himself is called the Great Recession.
Both periods had in common.
Huge economic anxiety people are still very anxious right now.
He doesn't have a strong economic record to run on we still have 8% unemployment and very low growth.
And so I think the message that Obama is trying to send is very similar to the one FDR ran in in 1936.
Now the question becomes today Aiken alluded to this at the outset.
FDR won in 1930 -- -- will it work it could work this time around there couldn't.
It could you know all right and I do say that it's a plausible.
-- campaign strategy because of the conditions that work in right now a lot of people are uncertain about what the future's going to bring.
And I do think a lot of his message is basically look we're in uncertain times the government is going to be there for you.
We're going to guarantee the safety net we're going to subsidize educations and I think some people will respond to that but I don't think enough people will to form a majority because it's basically an on hopeful thing to be asking people to do in November the say stick with me -- not go on much of anywhere right now.
And I think that -- runs against the grain of the American.
Said on hopeful because he got elected on hope and change in the column you actually were -- saying the president is.
Quiet at pretty grim -- well this -- this is one of the big.
Differences -- I mean FDR had this buoyant personality he lifted people up -- difficult times because he was kind of a cheerful person.
Barack Obama I don't think -- I think is a fairly grim personality.
And it's in part because.
Like this speech he gave with the millionaires in defense the Buffett rule on the top 1% I think.
Barack Obama does feel that there are these dark forces working inside American society to shaft the middle class he really believes this as a result his outlook at salt is is kind of dark and I think that is gonna get conveyed over the next.
Six months as he pushes this FDR type strategy jaded almost it is -- -- or or this seems like the way you see it.
And as that developed over time you it's changed a lot that the since he became president -- since -- first ran for president and no I think they'll always be.
Been basically a pessimist about the forces at work inside an American society that the wealthy are up here in the pork -- never quite.
Rise in and assorted dynamic way that you would expect most people to think the idea for instance of upward mobility is not something that's why a lot of about that we didn't see that and a way not on the campaign note sale.
No need and he ran as a bear I think that's the reason so many independents voted forum.
And is the reason he's having trouble with independents rate up now as he didn't follow through on that -- dance -- column great talk this morning -- -- you guys that having your from the Wall Street Journal.
