Guest glad to be with you. Host he is one of four president s featured in your book. I want to put a number on the table, 26 million. Thats the number of americans out of work today. Greater than the Great Depression in 1933. Tost its almost impossible imagine. The thing we can take some solace in when we look back at the Great Depression or world war ii is people were terrified during that period of time, and we managed to get through. They didnt know what we know, that a new deal would carry the people through the depression, and the world war, which started very badly, pearl harbor, losing battle after battle, would end with an allied victory over hitler. When we look at 1933, most people working parttime who were employed, hungry people roaming the streets. No safety net at all. Thats important to remember until the new got into place. There was a feeling the Banking System collapsed. There was real concern. What roosevelt said is the people and leadership, together, we will fight this together. Thats what america has proved. Just to give us hope. Host we woke up to this headline from the washington post, fdr trying to save a lost generation. Are there lessons for gen z and millennials for President Trump . What did fdr do for young people, and why was it so important . Guest i think eleanor was part of the persons who told him, the whole Younger Generation was possibly going to lose hope and aspirations for their future. Even in late march, he came up with the idea of the civilian conservation corps, which took a quarter of a million young boys into the forest, which had been let go during the depression. They needed trees planted, things cleared, paths made. It was an incredible government enterprise. He said i want it done in two months, i need it done, the army built the camps in the forest, the interior department decided which one should be used. Department recruited the guys. In the end, millions went through that program. Then he created another program, the National Youth administration. 4. 5 Million People built schools, learn vocational training, and were really kept to feel a sense that they had the future. They become in many ways the greatest generation. They fight in that war later on. It saved what may have been a lost generation. What elements are required for a president in a time of crisis to communicate effectively . What qualities do you look for . Guest the most important thing is that the president can develop trust in the people, that the people can believe his word, that he will keep his word, and what was different in earlier days is trusting government was larger than it is in recent decades. Fdr had to create that trust again, because when he gave the inaugural address, the rest of it talks about the fact that what they needed was action, and leadership had failed during the hoover administration. The republicans didnt believe then that federal government should get involved with the depression, that it would kill initiative. So they left the states and local government on their own. He assumed his gift on leadership and worked as if we were a trained army working together. Going to congress to recommend measures. If they dont do it, i will hopefully give me executive authority. We, the people and leaders, will be there. They have to speak clearly, develop that trust on the part of the people, keep their word, and walk the fine line between as he did in the beginning of that address, admitting things are really tough, but giving hope and vision for the future. People and the government come together. Host the first of those chats began shortly after he was sworn into office. Presidency, how many chats did fdr have . Guest we always think he was on the radio every week. Gave 322 years, he only fireside chats. Only when there was something important to explain to the people. He said if my speeches ever become routine, they will lose their effectiveness. People would lie to him and say he has to go on every night, its the only way morale will be sustained. It took him three or four days working with speechwriters. He went through five or six drafts prepare these chats, because he knew how important it was to explain clearly and factually correctly to the people. He couldnt govern the country if he did many of them. It is a contrast between the white house briefings night after night, when the president is not saving himself for the really important things he wants to explain to the people, and when his Team Sometimes is contradicting him. That willingness and desire to be there every day, if fdr were around, he would say to hold back, wait until you have prepared something you want to say. Host here is one of those from march 12, 19 33, the first of the fireside chats by franklin roosevelt. It has been wonderful of me to catch the mode of confidence from all over the country. I can never be sufficiently grateful to the people for the loyal support that they have given me in their acceptance of the judgment that has dictated our cause. Even though all of our processes may have not seemed clear to them. After all, there is an element in the readjustment of our financial system, more important than currency, more important than gold. That is the confidence of the people themselves. Confidence and courage are the essentials of success in carrying out our plans. You people must have faith. You must not be stampeded by rumors or gases. Let us unite in banishing fear. We have provided the machinery to restore our financial systems, and it is up to you to support and make it work. Friends,r problem, my your problem no less than it is mine. Together, we cannot fail. Host from march 1933. What are you hearing in that address . Guest what has happened was just before he came into office in february and early march, hundreds of inks collapsed they didnt have enough money on hand when people came in to take their money out, and things were getting unruly. Banks had closed in various states. He called an emergency session of congress together between his inauguration and very first fireside chat, they passed a bill that was able to ship currency to banks that were strong, but needed extra money. Some invested in the stock markets, and that went bad. They figured out which banks were Strong Enough to open. He was telling the people i promise you, now that we have this bill in place, if you bring your money back to the bank, it is safer than having it under your mattress. He closed the Banking System for a week. After that address, they were really nervous, if people would bring the money back or wanted to get more money out. Long lines for the bank. They were carrying the money back. The banking crisis was over because of the confidence, people trusted him and the system. The great thing is he decides there is a little momentum, he was going to send congress home, he said i think i will keep it in place for a little while longer. That becomes the 100 days. Thats the famous new deal 100 a congress. Host lessons from history. Our phone lines are open at 202 7488000 in the eastern half of the country. 202 7488001 for those out west. Many critics were saying we were ill prepared for this pandemic. If you go back in history, the country was clearly ill prepared in 1940 for the looming war. It is extraordinary when you remember that in spring of 1940, when hitlers conquered all of western europe except for england, america was only 18th in military power. We only became 17th when holland surrendered to germany and we move up into their place. We had almost no modern tanks, planes, we had 500 fighter planes. Our army hadnt really been trained. Fdr decided he had to pivot. The new deal had to become dr. Win the war, means he had to make peace with the business community. When he got into more systemic reform, they had become apart from each other. He called business leaders, he brought top business guys to be his production agents, he brought in Top Republicans into his cabinet. He offered incentives to the Car Companies to make planes, tanks, and weapons. It was an incredible conversion that happen. Even 18 months before pearl harbor, we had begun the process. By the time the war was one year older, 1942, we were producing a plane every four a plane every four minutes. A tank every seven minutes. A liberty ship that used to take a year to make. When you get the alliance between the government and the people, and women working three shifts a day, day care provided so their children would be taking care of, it was the best governmentbusiness partnership in the history of our country and it showed what we can produce. Then we were able to use our weapons and lend lease to our allies in the world. Bravery of soldiers, the nature of our productivity was a huge role in winning that war. Host let me turn to more recent president s in moment of crisis. During the explosion of the challenger, this Oval Office Address from president ronald reagan. I wish i could talk to every man woman who works for nasa who worked on this mission and tell them, your dedication and professionalism moved and impressed us for decades. We know of your anguish. We share it. On this day, 390 years ago, sir died off the coast of panama. Said he livedter by the sea, died on it, and was buried in it. Today we can save the challenger crew, their dedication was, like drakes complete. The crew of the Space Shuttle honored us by the way they live their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them. Prepared for their journey, slipped theye, bounds of earth to touch the face of god. That speech is often referred to as an example of president ial communication. Why . Guest it just was a president speaking in language to the individual people. He was talking to nasa, but also to the children of the united states, to all of us. You felt a conversational tone, which is just what fdr was able to do. But he also provided a vision for the future. He made people feel, we will go forward. I remember reading an article, he wondered afterwards whether he had met the moment, and wow, had he met the moment. The same thing lincoln feared after the gettysburg address. He said, i just was not sure that worked. Both became historic addresses. Host leadership in turbulent times. No ordinary time and the bully pulpit. From new jersey, good evening. Thank you. I was wondering there was any grassroots support or direction, or is this top down . Like the maybe communists and socialists running at that time. Guest it is a wonderful inon because infect fact i would argue any of the great social changes we have seen in the country have come from the ground up. When lincoln was called the liberator, he said dont call me that. It was the Antislavery Movement and the Union Soldiers who did it. It was the Progressive Movement had already started in the cities and states at the turn of the 20th century in the settlement house moments movements and the social gospel. It created pressure for the changes during Teddy Roosevelts time and fdrs time. The Civil Rights Movement made what lbj did possible. The gayrights movement, the environmental movement. When you get the people in a movement and you get people in power as you did with Teddy Roosevelt, franklin roosevelt, lbj, on civil rights, that partnership takes place, that is one fundamental change takes place. Absolutely. Air from are on the california. Go ahead. Robert, are you with us . Caller icu right now. It is a joy talking to you. Clara barton, we know her as probably one of the greatest of all medical people. Not a doctor, but in the civil war, her idea was to help soldiers through cleanliness, sunshine, and how to keep people apart and all that. That was almost 150 years ago. Today i was watching the dr. , with trump, saying the same thing about sunshine, openair, things like that that would be beneficial. So i have no complaint with that, but can you give me your take . Thank you so much. So interesting how things in history happened and we somehow forget the lessons and go on to the next. There was a man in austria who observed that so many women were dying in the hospitals when they were giving birth and he realized finally because he came he became obsessed with it that doctors were going to autopsies and coming to the autopsies to help give birth. He did not even know the term, but he insisted everybody wash their hands, and it worked for a while because they thought he was being a pain in the neck by making them do it, but after a while they stopped and the debts began to rise again. It shows he is now honored. Then you get clara barton later. Now it is such an important understanding of what we can do. It is almost like we have to learn what people in the past learned and hopefully this time it will really sink in. It is a great way to ask that question. Host over the years you spent time with president george w. Bush. This next piece of video we want to share with our audience is a familiar moment. It was an impromptu moment a couple days after the september 11 terrorist attacks in lower manhattan. Let us watch and get your reaction. I want you all to know that America Today America Today is on bended knee in prayer for the people whose lives were lost here, the workers who work here, the families who mourn. This nation stands with the people of new york city and new jersey and connecticut as we mourn the loss of thousands of our citizens. I can hear you. [cheers and applause] i can hear you, the rest of the world hears you. And the people who knocked these here all of us. Crisis a moment of host in a moment of crisis, many people compare where we are to 9 11. Guest what was so powerful at that moment, it was a time of great fear, a time when people felt paralyzed. At that moment, when someone in the crowd said i cant hear you, he said he does not matter. I can hear you. He made people feel their power together. That if we came together, we would get through this. He did almost everything right in those early days. He went to a mosque to speak. He talked about the importance of not discriminating against muslim americans. He talked about what he would do. Atoderated a conversation the end of february with president bush, president george bush junior obviously, and president clinton. It was at carnegie hall. Days before we were all going to be stopped down. They love the idea these two had developed a friendship and what it meant to be across party lines. They responded so positively to the two of them and how they talked about the things they believed in and what they had done as president. One president can learn from the other. That is the point of being president. It is such a wonderful job and only you know what it is like. You just keep wishing all of them could keep coming back to give advice at any one period of time. John, good evening. Thank you for waiting. Are you with us . We will move on to jerry in waterford wisconsin. Good evening. Caller thank you very much. I grew up during world war two. I remember the early days of that. The thing that really impressed me as compared to the presentday situation is that the media played a big part in that. People, ande the they kept everybody on track. You do not see that today. You did not see that even at 911. There were rumors and things on tv about 9 11, the trade center blowing up by bush and cheney. Its even worse today. They dont create that. Onfidence back in world war ii, they did. I think that is a big thing the media has to look at. Host thank you for the question. Guest i think we have to look back and realize that it was not as positive as it might seem now when we look back on it. Certainly in the early days, when the war had already begun in europe, there were very strong voices on the radio, isolationist voices, lindbergh, who were not happy at all with the idea that we should be mobilizing to help england and to help fight fascism. One of the differences obviously today from back then is that you stations, later you had three television networks, where there is an agreement on fact and not opinion. And the social Media Cable Networks and rumors can spread on social media in a way as your question suggests they had not before. We have a scattered sense of what the facts are as opposed to not just arguing about opinions. Its part of the nature of the media landscape, but i must say, when you look at what the media has done in these last couple years, they have really investigated things, they have come up with a lot of understanding of whats going on. They have been under a terrible kind of siege in some ways, and a lot of the media has responded incredibly well to whats going on. Its just a matter of a different media world that we have than we had before, but no matter what, the press in this country is essential and keeping that free press arguing and asking questions is the key to a democratic society. Host a quick followup to fdr. President trump did not have any elected experience, did not serve in the military. In your book, you talk about how fdrs tenure as governor of new york trained him for the new as president. Can you explain . It is interesting to remember, he is elected and he has almost three years during the early years of the depression as the governor of new york, and at that time, because there was a vacuum in washington in not providing the leadership that was necessary, he assumed that leadership in new york. He was the first governor who created a comprehensive relief program, unemployment relief, and a series of public works jobs. He became known in the nation and that is what actually catapulted him into the nomination for the presidency. Now we are seeing governors in a central role, and it is interesting. Presidenciesast have been through the governorship. In this last election, the governors who ran never made it to the top and obviously in 2016 , there was president and hillary clinton. Neither one a governor romney for the office. A governor running for the office. Had this occurred last fall when the governors have now become so prominent, would one of them have more likely become a candidate during the democratic process . Ground,s are on the they have the responsibility. They can close it open, set the shut the Economic System up and down. The system has gotten an interesting education for all of us as we have seen this relationship between the federal government and the governors unfold. Host in brockton, massachusetts, good evening. Caller good evening. I am a huge fan of your work. Guest thank you. Caller i am a huge fan. Anyway. Listen. Lincoln,ders, jfk, johnson, who you knew well, how do they handle advice they received that you could tell was controversy to every instinct in their body as is now happening with this gentleman we have . How did they handle that . How did they get from point a to point b . Guest i think the most important thing is you have to build around you a team where you know the people in the team are going to question you. They are going to question your assumptions, they are going to offer you alternative advice. That is what lincoln did in creating the team of rivals. There is a story about fdr, in an early meeting, general marshall was number 34 down on the list, everybody was agreeing with some pet project of the senior generals put forward. General marshall said, i dont agree at all. People thought, well, hes going to have a difficult career. Andreached down 34 names made him chief of staff because he wanted to have that kind of person around him. It depends on the leader being willing to have a team that will be argumentative. Fdr also had eleanor. I think that is a key to leadership. To be willing and confident enough to know that you dont know things and you need to have people help you. And then make those complications when you are debating within and you can prevent a unified front abroad. York. We will go to new guest my hometown. Caller yes, you graduated from south side high school. Guest i did. Caller and we love you. Guest oh, wow. Thank you. I have readife and all of your books, but we especially like in the last book the fact that you created a theme which united three president s which really were quite different and gave us a different perspective in terms of their leadership. Well thank you. I think that is the really interesting thing about leadership. People can come from a very different path. You have franklin at Teddy Roosevelt from a very privileged life. Lincoln from a very difficult povertystricken life, and lga
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