If Franklin Delano Roosevelt were alive today

Today is the 130th anniversary of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's birth. He was our 32nd president. In my opinion he was the best president of the 20th Century. Abraham Lincoln was the best president of the 19th Century.

FDR and Obama have a lot in common.

Both are Democrats.
When they both took over the presidency they inherited an economic crisis.
FDR eventually became a war president. Obama was a war president from Day One.
Both their fathers died while they were in college
Speaking of college, FDR graduated from Harvard and attended Columbia Law School
Obama graduated from Columbia and Harvard Law School
The women that raised them (Sarah Roosevelt (FDR's mother) and Mrs. Dunham, (Obama's grandmother) both died when they were 86.
Both their Vice President's first names started with the letter J-John Nance Garner, FDR's first VP, and Joe Biden
Both their Vice Presidents were 65 when elected
Both have had assassination attempts
Both had wives who said controversial things and were accused of meddling
Both were accused of being a dictator, a communist, and a socialist
FDR ushered in reform the New Deal. Obama ushered in health care reform and DADT.
Both were viewed as demagogues.
Both had to deal with big money opposition. The Liberty League founded by the Du Ponts were against FDR and even tried to have him overthrown. Obama has the wrath of the Koch brothers who founded Americans for Prosperity.
FDR was born, raised, and lived in Hyde Park NY. Obama eventually settled in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago.
Both started out as State Senators.
Both were concerned about the common man.

Right now we could use a little of FDR's guidance. I think what President Obama should have done was take a page from the New Deal playbook. Instead of bailing out banks, he should have declared a bank holiday, shut down the big banks in trouble and audit them.

As for the auto industry, what he should have done was have the Big 3 manufacture tanks, jeeps, and humvees instead of cars and trucks for two years for the military instead of the Cash for Clunkers programs. That way they were not getting free money. They did the same in World War 2.

Don't get me wrong. I like President Obama and most of what he has done, but the bailouts are something I didn't agree with at all.

In 1933 when FDR took office unemployment was at 25%, by the end of his first term it was down to about 12. Then he cut back on New Deal spending which caused another recession. Remember Dick Cheney once said deficits do not matter.