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Electing FDR: The New Deal Campaign of 1932 (American Presidential Elections)

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Much has been made of the fact that 2008 is a "change" election year, a rarity in our nation's history. "Electing FDR", a terrific and revealing look at the election of 1932, is a good comparison to today...it ushered in the most profound transformations of the twentieth century, many of which are still in evidence. The passing of the baton from Herbert Hoover to Frankin Delano Roosevelt has almost no equal and author Donald Ritchie captures it wonderfully.

Ritchie begins with the reminder that on the eve of some presidential elections, national polling pronounces the race very close, only to have voters witness a landslide, as was the case in Reagan v. Carter in 1980. He then goes on to offer up a crisp and well-paced narrative, largely contrasting the personalities and views of Hoover and Roosevelt. Clearly, Ritchie sides with history as the feckless President Hoover can do no right, not only during his four years in office but for years afterward. If "pariah" could ever be used so successfully as a description of a former president, Herbert Hoover owned it and he bore that moniker for the three decades he lived after leaving the White House.

Not only is the 1932 campaign covered diligently here, but Ritchie has a flair for describing the times. Hoover's administration was truly the last one before "big government" entered the picture, never to leave again. Indeed, President Hoover long fought any attempts by the government to ease the country's financial burdens, believing that the private sector and the natural ebb and flow of the economy would, in time, correct itself. Hoover's dour personality, his bad relations with the Washington press corps and his rigidity all lead to a catastrophic failure on Hoover's part, paving the way for the New York governor to roll up his sleeves and begin to fix things.

Roosevelt, for his part, had more than a few enemies...many within his own party...who thought he was somewhat of a "dilettante". The simmering feud Roosevelt had with former governor and 1928 presidential nominee Al Smith, is one of the highlights of the book. If Hoover was colorless, Al Smith was just the opposite and Roosevelt had to negotiate a path between each of them, from time to time. One other aspect of this change election, Ritchie points out, is historic...in 1932 three out of four African-Americans cast their vote for Hoover. Four years later the same number voted in the reverse...for Roosevelt. That shift has remained true to this day, of course.

Ritchie finishes with a chapter on the ramifications of the Roosevelt presidency and the legacy that he left. That politicians of today still invoke Roosevelt's name as good and Hoover's as bad, underscores the depth of depression-turned-prosperity, which began over the course of the 1932 election cycle. "Electing FDR" is a superb book and I highly recommend it for its historical depth and its excellent narrative style.

"Happy Days are Here Again! was the tune being played in the new Chicago Convention Hall in the sweltering and sombre summer of 1932. Franklin Delano Roosevelt the crippled Dutchess County squire had just seized the Democratic nomination for president on the fourth ballot. In doing so, the Governor of New York beat such rivals as Al Smith, erstwhile political mentor former governor of New York and Democratic presidential standard bearer of 1928, John Nace Garner Speaker of the US House of Representatives and a Texan (he would later become vice-president on the Roosevelt-Garner ticket) and former cabinet member Newton Baker. FDR won with the help of such kep players as Louis Howe, Jim Farley and speechwriters such as Sam Rosenman and Adolph Berle. FDR's opinionated and brilliantly active wife Eleanor was also a definite asset on the campaign trail.
Roosevelt spoke to the American public in the depth of the Great Depression which had seen unemployment soar to over 23% and led to breadlines, hunger and poverty. FDR would defeat Herbert Hoover, the incumbent Republican president, by carrying 41 states in a landslide. FDR would be elected four times serving until his death at Warm Springs Georgia. He wa a crippled leader who gave our nation the gumption to walk again into the sunlight of hope. New Deal programs such as AAA, CCC, NRA, TVA and other alphabet soup agencies helped Americans find work. FDR is rated in polls as the greatest of 20th century American chief executives for his great leadership through the Depression and World War II. He was far from perfect but kept trying to do well for his fellow citizens.
Herbert Hoover is one of the most hated presidents in our history. He defeated Al Smith in 1928 promising prosperity but instead the economy tanked. Hoover and the Republicans took the blame. Hoover was an engineer who had raised himself from modest Quaker roots in West Branch Iowa to millionaire stature. Hoover was a humanitarian who brought aid to Europe during World War I and afterwards through heading the government's massive relief efforts. He was a workaholic with a charming wife Lou Henry Hoover but lacked the common touch. Hoovere had no charisma and was a wooden, plodding speaker.
Herbert Hoover was a good man but a bad president. He hated making speeches, was cold, aloof and had contempt for the press in Washington. His sending troops to squash the Bonus Marchers in 1932 did not bode well for increasing popularity with a fed-up electorate. Hoover disliked Roosevelt and was a poor campaigner unlike his jaunty opponent who loved the hustings, was a master on the radio and had a rich and resonant voice warming the hearts of Depression America.
This crucial election is told with verve by historian Donald Ritchie. We learn of the political moves made by both candidates in readable prose. This book is one of the volumes in the University of Kansas' series on
American Presidential Elections. It is an excellent short introduction to FDR, Herbert Hoover and the difficult times in which they governed the American nation they both loved.

Author Donald A. Ritchie provides an insightful look at the historic 1932 Presidential election. The 1932 election helped re-aligned U.S. politics, placing the Democratic Party as the majority party for the next half century (as the 1860 and 1896 elections had previously boosted the GOP). Many assume this election was a slam-dunk, as the Great Depression and 25% joblessness curtailed President Hoover's chances at a second term. Yet the author shows that many observers felt the outcome was in doubt, particularly before Maine's early voting. Actually, the author begins with informative political history of the U.S. from the Wilson Presidency (1913-1921), the 1920's, plus Herbert Hoover's rise to prominence and his distant governing style. Readers also learn of Franklin D. Roosevelt's rise, his work in the Wilson administation (where he and Hoover were friendly), run for Vice President, battle with polio, and governorship of New York where he used state funds to aid rising numbers of jobless. Then we see Louis Howe and James Farley working hard through 1931-1932 to secure delegates for Governor Roosevelt. Their hard work paid off at the Chicago convention, where deft manuevering and a last-minute deal to put John Nance Garner on the ticket got FDR nominated. Then we see how Roosevelt campaigned tirelessly in the Fall, while Hoover was more reluctant and at times was greeted with hostility. Ritchie also provides a strong analysis of what occurred after election day, from the lame-duck period where the economy nearly collapsed, through FDR's hyper-active first 100 days, and the strong (but hardly total) success of the FDR's New Deal. The author even provides a concise aferview with a history of U.S. politics over the next 70 years, post-war economic expansion, the growth of the welfare state, even the 2004 campaign.

Donald A Ritchie is the historian of the U.S. Senate. He writes conice and nicely readable prose that results in a winning look at a surprisingly complicated, and very historic campaign.

"Electing FDR: The New Deal Campaign of 1932" is an unassumingly titled volume, but it's one of the best political histories I've read. Ritchie has a very pithy writing style, and the narrative sails along with ease. Though probably political liberal, Ritchie manages to present the political controversies of the time in a well-balanced manner. One of his major points is that FDR's nomination in 1932 was by no means inevitable, and he makes a good case for this view. The last fifth of the book is a tour de force of historical synthesis. He covers the lame duck period before FDR was inaugurated, then moves on to an overview of FDR's twelve years in office. Popping up and down during this whole period was Herbert Hoover, who apparently thought he could make a political comeback. He moves deftly up to the present day with an apt appraisal of FDR's legacy. Even after the election of Reagan, who mimicked FDR's style and political savvy, FDR's political legacy has remained essentially intact. It's a remarkable achievement, and this is a remarkable book.

Across the decades, I've been fortunate to accumulate (and read) shelves full of books on FDR. This one, I'm recommending vigorously to all my friends. Much as people might believe they know about the issues of 1932, this book is a fact-packed booster shot that brings it all back in a thoughtful electrifying package.

Curiously enough, some of the most fascinating material is about Herbert Hoover, putting facts on long-held perceptions ... and confirming the perceptions in the process. This is the rare sort of book that when you've finished with it, you'll not only feel a little smarter; you probably will be. Excellent, accessible writing, fascinating anecdotes, just the right balance of analysis.

However, since perfection is never in the cards, there is one disconcerting feature. The footnotes appear only at the end of a paragraph. Nothing wrong with that, of course, except that virtually EVERY paragraph has a footnote. If it weren't for the fact that the book is so riveting, those footnotes could create a sense of "read by the numbers." Bothersome, yes, but compared to the book's mutliple virtues, a small annoyance. A splendid, triumphant book.

This is an outstanding book -- captivating, extremely well written and thoroughly researched. It's a story that George Bush and John McCain should have read before our current financial crisis set in. The parallels to today's politics are uncanny and too frequent to mention.

The book should serve as a cautionary tale for all our leaders. One of it's messages should be that taking care of the corporate fat cats at the expense of the average guy (as did Hoover as the Great Depression set in) is a sure-fire route to political oblivion. Since Mr. Ritchie is the associate historian of the U.S. Senate, I hope he's managed to get his fine book into the hands of every member of Congress.

More than anything, it's just a great story about how one of our greatest presidents came to power.