"My own definition of leadership is this: The capacity and the will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence.” Gen. Bernard "Monty” Montgomery
September 17, 2014
By: Linda Case Gibbons
He died sixty-nine years ago, but Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s death can still move people to tears.
Watching the story of his life unfold in the documentary, "The Roosevelts,” it was clear that our country will never be finished mourning his passing, this man of the people.
America has always been fortunate to be blessed with men who show up when we need them, to lead us, to be our presidents.
Roosevelt was one of them. So were Washington and Lincoln, exceptional men, as exceptional as the country they were destined to lead.
They chose lives of public service, so of course they were politicians, but the execution of their duties was not defined solely by politics. Their country was their concern and the people they served.
Men like these do not come along every day of the week.
There are the wannabes who fancy themselves as a Lincoln or a Roosevelt or a Washington, but they miss the point, that this type of leadership takes character, hard work and the willingness to make decisions.
And true leaders do not come along every day of the week.
What made President Roosevelt so beloved to the people?
Why did ordinary Americans write 4,000 letters a week to this man, to their president, pouring out their hearts, telling him their problems?
Why did every person in America choose to hang his picture on their walls? Some were cut from newspapers, others were more carefully framed, but all were hung in pride.
Why were people anxious to hear what he had to say, tuning in without fail to his Fireside Chats, leaning in to their radios to hear his advice?
During one of his Fireside Chats, it was said, one could walk down the street and never miss a word because every radio, in every home, in every store was tuned in and boomed out into the streets.
Why was he trusted with the peoples’ well-being, the well-being of their country?
It was more than his glorious smile, although that was part of it.
It was more than the courage with which he met his paralysis from polio or the way he battled the infirmity every day of his life.
Although that was part of it.
It was the confidence he evoked in a people laid low by The Great Depression. He gave the country hope at a hopeless time. He didn’t instill fear, instead he told them to banish it.
He didn’t use his Fireside Chats to berate the country or its people for what they hadn’t done. And he believed fewer Chats were better because then people would listen.
He didn’t tell us what we couldn’t do or what he wouldn’t do.
When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, he knew they had declared war on America.
And when he declared war on Japan and Germany, Congress and the entire nation were behind him.
Why was he loved and respected?
The people recognized his dedication to the nation. He came from a privileged background, but his concern cut across all societal levels.
He knew what Americans were suffering and he acted on behalf of the people. He suffered along with them.
As a president should.
"Our greatest primary task,” he said, "is to put people to work.” And he kept his promise.
He used the power of the presidency, not to do an end-run around the people he was elected to serve, but for the people’s benefit.
Through various agencies, including the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps, Americans were put to work on projects that benefited the country, for national parks, bridges, infrastructure, federal courthouses and post offices across the country.
People got back to work and were paid for that work. It’s what Americans do.
His actions were bold, but they were for the benefit of the country and its people.
Ken Burns’ film was excellent, but Burns wanted to label Roosevelt and claim him only for the Democrats, in the way Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson jealously claim Martin Luther King only for themselves.
But Roosevelt belongs to all of us. As does Ghandi. And Washington. And Lincoln. To say otherwise is to miss the point.
Burns wanted to label Roosevelt’s bold actions as simply "progressive.” And they were progressive, but they were for the benefit of the country and its people.
He did not open our borders to too many people who came with too many problems.
He didn’t remain silent when the people wanted to know what was happening in their country.
Burns wanted to tie the current presidency and other Democratic presidents to Roosevelt by saying these presidents followed Roosevelt’s lead.
But that was to miss the point.
Following Roosevelt’s lead was the last thing current politicians do.
In an article apprising Burns’ documentary, The Slate’s John Dickerson said Roosevelt would not stand a chance in today’s political arena because of his infirmity, because the invasiveness of the press would present the president as a man who would evoke only pity.
I disagree. The press would have protected his privacy because they respected him, not because he was a Democrat.
Dickerson said that when "Barack Obama is criticized for not using his power to do more, he can blame” the two Roosevelt presidents "for setting such a high standard.”
But that was to miss the point. Roosevelt did not use his power for the sake of the power, he used it for the greater good. Of everyone.
So you should watch "The Roosevelts” for the fine treatment of a seminal time in our country’s history. But when you do, compare President Roosevelt to our current politicians. Measure Roosevelt’s performance against that of the people in office today.
See if you feel confident about placing the future of your country in the hands of those elected officials.
See if those elected officials feel the same way you do about your country and if they want to keep your country, your America, as the America you want.
Hold the line, America.