RateItAll: The Opinion Network

Although he probably provoked Japan, which led to Pearl Harbor. yet he helped get rid of the Nazi's, and did a good job with the depression, the Republicans really screwed things up back then, as they do now.

FDR was probably the greatest American President when it came to setting rhetorical challenges to the people. However, on pure substance alone, much of his agenda was highly overrated. His economic policies did not end the Great Depression, although he did help in providing some consumer confidence, which helped in reducing unemployment by 14% from 1933-37. His military and foreign policies were questionable in some respects, but his political skills were very helpful in keeping the Allies together throughout the war. However, by 1944, he should have called it a day. He was far too ill to have been making important decisions about the nature of the post-war world. It may have been very well possible that the Soviets might not have gotten away with so much after the end of the war if we would have been stronger with our ally-by-convenience.

He was a great war leader, a poor diplomat and a mediocre domestic problem solver.

A PIG JUST FLEW!!!!This must be because I have something good to say about this idiot.What saves him from being a complete loser is that he did raly a wounded nation's psyche during 2 catastrophic events.People did feel like they had a friend in the White House.While it is true that he mismanaged the Depression,he did give people a sense that things were going to be OK.That is a large part of leadership:using psychology.As for WWII,he wanted no less than absolute victory.He fought the war the way it was supposed to be.No surrender,no negotiations with our enemies.That also displayed leadership.If nothing else,this kumquat was a master psychologist and a fine communicator who had clear(and STUPID-my op-ed) ideas and folks related to him.

I give him a five-star rating because he did provide vitally needed leadership during two of the most critical moments in the twentieth century: the Great Depression and WWII. No other president has sat in the Oval Office during such two critical moments in our history. We struggled through and survived the Great Depression and we established world dominance from WWII. Mistakes were made most certainly, but they are inevitable during such critical moments. This nation certainly was blessed to have a man such as FDR as a great leader.

I wouldn't say that FDR didn't get anyone out of the Depression. Unemployment decreased from 25% to 18% from 1933 to 1939 despite absolutely no recovery in the market. Roosevelt established a massive public works program which employed nearly 300,000 people in the nation's poorest areas. Despite its environmental repricussions, The Tennessee Valley Authority led to the development of that region and increased employment in a region that had for a long time been the center of poverty in America. Unlike his predacessor, even Roosevelt's critics have to acknowledge that he did indeed try to end the Depression. I don't agree with many of his programs (which I will cover more in depth under Domestic leadership), but at least he did try. He would try something, and if that did not work, he would move onto something else. He was successful in reducing unemployment and easing the pain of the Depression, but was not actually successful in ending it or improving the economy. In fact, his devaluation of the dollar worsened the depression throughout the world. He later reversed his mistake after seeing its consequences. He didn't get us out of the Depression as so many of his fanatical supporters proclaim. Rather, he led us through the Depression, trying to ease its effect on the average American. Ultimately, it was the defense mobilization of World War II that brought America and the world out of the Depression. Say what you want about his progams, but you must admit, that unlike his predacessor, he provided Americans with a sense of hope at a time of great national peril. He encouraged Americans to help one another through charity, something his predacessor was largely unsuccessful in doing. So, as I stated earlier, FDR did not end the Depression, but he did lead us through the Depression in an inspiring and noble fashion. As for Pearl Harbor, I have seen absolutely nothing substanial that he allowed Pearl Harbor to happen. Following his oil and steal embargo on Japan (which was justified because of Japan's invasion of China and their human rights violations), Japan plotted a massive attack against our Pacific fleet to ensure that nothing stood in the way of their quest for world domination. As a result of Pearl Harbor, 2500 Americans lost their lives, and the Navy was weakened to such an extent that it took three years to fully restore it to its origional health. If FDR was so determined to get into the war, why in the hell would he allow such destruction of U.S. Naval forces when we would indeed need those forces to fight the Japanese in the first place. His failure to put the Pacific fleet on alert was a massive mistake, and he was wrong to trust the Japanese while they dangled a carrot in front of our nose as their fleet moved towards Pearl Harbor. However, to say that FDR allowed an attack that seriously depleted our naval strength just makes no sense to me. Poor judgment was his only mistake. He did not turn the other shoulder with regards to Pearl Harbor. His wartime management was indeed brilliant. He worked very well with Churchhill, and together they assembled the plan for the successful Normandy Invasion of 1944. He appointed competent generals that engaged in highly successful military and naval operations. However, I agree with Ruby and BigBaby that his interment of Japanese citizens was wrong and completely unjustified. Many Japanese-Americans fought bravely for the Allies, and in fact, they had the largest death toll of any ethnic group on the Allied side. And how did FDR repay them? He put their family members into internment camps. His other major fault was not including Truman in the major Presidential decisions knowing that his health was poor and that he could be near death. So, in the final analysis, FDR is neither as bold as his fantical supporters claim nor as horrible as his critics claim. Rather, he was an oppurtunist, a man who tried deeply to end the Depression and ease the suffering, and in some ways he was successful. Once again, he did not end the Great Depression, but rather, he lead us through it.

He didn't get anyone out of the depression. As for WW2, he allowed 2,500 Americans die at Pearl Harbor. Plus he illegally imprisoned Asians in concentration camps. How's that for leadership?

Loses points for horribly mis-reading our ally Uncle Joe Stalin, and failing to prepare Truman (who thankfully was a quick learner) for succeeding him as President after his death.