Last night, after watching the debate and the talking heads pontificate for a while and feeling rather disillusioned, I switched over to Jon Stewart's The Daily Show to get some much needed perspective. I was happy to discover that one of my favorite authors, Sarah Vowell (aka, Violet, aka, Invisible Girl) was on promoting her new book The Wordy Shipmates.
Alluding to the current financial crisis, Sarah remarked "seems like everything gets [closer] to hell every time I visit. The next time I'm here, we'll be talking on a pile of rubble." Sarah went on to say she didn't even have the heart to read the paper that morning. Instead, she went online and read some of FDR's Fireside Chats. That's how bad things are. She went back to the 1930s to find reassurance in 2008.
So I followed Sarah's example and googled Fireside chats. This was the first transcript I read. FDR had to declare a national bank holiday after a run on the banks in order to prevent a crash. FDR had been in office less than two months and was in the process of pushing forward on his New Deal legislation.
Sunday, March 12, 1933
"It needs no prophet to tell you that when the people find that they can get their money – that they can get it when they want it for legitimate purposes – the phantom of fear will soon be laid. People will again to have their money where it will be safely taken care of... I can assure you that it is safer to keep your money in a reopened bank than under the mattress.
"The success of our whole great national program depends, of course, upon the cooperation of the public – on its intelligent support and use of a reliable system.
"...I do not promise you that every bank will be reopened or that individual losses will not be suffered, but there will be no losses that possibly could be avoided; and there would have been more and greater losses had we continued to drift.
"After all there is an element in the readjustment of our financial system more important than currency, more important than gold, and that is the confidence of the people. Confidence and courage are essentials of success in carrying out our plan. You people must have faith; you must not be stampeded by rumors or guesses. Let us unite in banishing fear. We have provided the machinery to restore our financial system; it is up to you to support and make it work.
"It is your problem no less than it is mine. Together we cannot fail."
One wonders if we will ever see that level of leadership again. Hopefully, whoever wins in November, we will see that person rise to a higher level of statesman.
You can read the entire text, and access other Fireside Chats, here: http://www.mhric.org/fdr/fdr.html
2 comments:
Sad but true, I can't say as I see either potential leader being that strong and reassuring.
I agree with Liam, don't think the future canadiate will. If anything, make it worse. When I see everything happen, it makes me think back about 8 years ago, working in a disturibution plan, a guy and I were talking about the Depression and the guy said "mark my words, we will be in a Depression again, and soon". I thought he was crazy but I think he was right.
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