Populist Reform of the Democratic Party
In reply to the discussion: 15 Ways Bill Clinton’s White House Failed America and the World [View all]merrily
(45,251 posts)When it came to race and xenophobia, FDR was awful, IMO.
For one, he interned the Japanese and also Germans and Italians. However, for the second thing, he interned many more Japanese than he did Germans and Italians. For another, he declined to move on equal rights because he thought it would cost Democrats elections. He was right, but that is beside the point, just as it was beside the point for Kennedy to fight Nixon on health care because Kennedy did not want a Republican President to get credit for it. Certain things SHOULD trump party loyalty, IMO.
The racism was OK then argument doesn't move me because from the 1600s forward, there have been decent people who objected to racism in all its manifestations, slavery, Jim Crow, etc. With googling or doing other research, I bet many during FDR's time were speaking out against internment and other forms of racism. We know his own wife tried hard to persuade him on certain issues.
However, as I said, I am not focused on whether FDR, overal, is better or worse than any other individual. I am focused on policies. Therefore, I can condemn his racist policies wholeheartedly, while bowing before his New Deal.