The Roosevelt Myth

"Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself."
--Morpheus (The Matrix)

Finally completed Flynn's (1954) The Roosevelt Myth. Flynn believed that mainstream history was giving FDR a free pass and he wanted to set the record straight. As such, Flynn's work parallels that of Garrett, Lane, Hazlitt, et al who sought to record and analyze what others were ignoring during the 1920s-1940s.

Flynn was a well known journalist who wrote for Harper's, Collier's, and others. By the 1930s he became one of the best known political commentators in the United States.

His perspective is particularly interesting because he was a Democrat with populist inclinations who voted for FDR in 1932. However, it did not take Flynn long to realize that FDR was veering far away from his original campaign promises (which amazingly enough centered on reducing government, balancing the budget, and keeping the US out of war!).

The book, which is well cited, is divided into sections that chronologically follow FDR's three and a fraction terms (FDR died in April 1945 shortly after his inauguration for a fourth term).

An overarching question that Flynn considers is what motivated FDR to do the things he did during his presidency? The evidence suggests that Roosevelt was not motivated by strong ideology. By his second term beginning in 1936, opponents were accusing him of being a Marxist or at least someone of Communist persuasion.

While it is true that FDR had begun populating his administration with people of those colors from the outset, it appears that FDR was no more loyal to collectivist ideals than to any other idea that could earn him votes. Indeed, it was during the FDR administration that the market for political favor exploded in size. Prior to FDR, special interest groups were largely limited to big business. FDR made markets for political favor across the spectrum, picking up the poor, labor, old people, and any other category that sensed that they could get something from government in exchange for their vote.

The Roosevelt family itself was not immune to graft. For example, Roosevelt's wife and two sons made fortunes by exploiting White House ties during this period.

FDR displayed little discipline toward self-study and self-expertise. Instead, he surrounded himself with 'The Braintrust,' i.e., so called experts on economics, sociology et al who had opinions that FDR could use. And use them he did, flittering about like a moth in a light bulb factory from one government program to the next. During his first two terms, more than 100 government agencies reporting to the executive branch were created.

Flynn astutely observes that it was the practice of Congress writing blank checks to FDR for his spending whims, and the practice of FDR then using those funds to enact policy thru his vast agency reach, that elevated presidential power far beyond the intent of the Framers. The result is the Statist model that continues to escalate today.

Although FDR's behavior can be seen as politically rather than ideologically motivated, there is little doubt that many in his administration were sympathetic to socialist causes. And those administrators knew how to manipulate FDR in manners that advanced their agendas. It is unlikely that FDR would have been re-elected in 1940 or 1944 without the support of union and other special interest groups with Communist ties. One of Flynn's contributions is to elaborate those linkages and their impact on FDR's behavior.

When he began his second term in 1936, FDR was engaged in some end zone dancing about the economy, patting himself on the back that his New Deal programs had slain the Depression monster. Within a year, however, deflation returned and unemployment quickly recaptured Depression era highs above 20%.

Desperate to kick-start the economy, FDR eyed military spending and, gradually, military involvement as a means for breaking the back of the Depression. Flynn makes it clear that Russian interests played in role in US military policy decisions before, during, and after WWII. Stalin was clearly the dominant figure in policy decisions during the war, walking right over FDR in nearly every way possible.

It is quite likely that FDR's policy decisions, which can be seen as increasingly inept by late 1939, were partly due to his deteriorating health. Flynn makes a strong case that there was broad concerted effort to deceive the American people as to FDR's true state of health, and that this deception was successful enough to push Roosevelt over the top in the 1944 election. All the while, politically motivated interests were using FDR as a puppet to express their desires.

Flynn's portrayal of FDR as a purely political animal with modest intellectual capacity who oversaw a morally bankrupt regime is the antithesis of popular accounts. It demonstrates the power of the Matrix to slant, and the capacity for truth if the Matrix is cast aside.

Reference

Flynn, J.T. 1948. The Roosevelt myth. New York: The Devin-Adair Company.