FDR-Reagan intersection, almost

Me outside of the White House in the 1980s

I reached on odd epiphany watching a History Channel series that aired recently about the Presidents of the United States. It seems the 20th Century found US politics on two opposite ends and we can thank two dynamic Presidents for that.

When things were looking quite dour in the Great Depression this nation turned to Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It was noted in this program that when it was time for him to take his oath of office the sun literally started to shine. It was probably a needed moment because things weren't looking good for the nation and FDR as President was able to give Americans confidence in their nation.

Now the late 1970s earlier 80s were a different story. I forgot to note that FDR followed a one-term president (Herbert Hoover) and so did Ronald Reagan. Reagan followed Jimmy Carter and mostly faced a different situation than FDR had.

Well the economy wasn't doing to well during that period and America's standing in the world was mostly weak. Reagan like FDR did what they could to bring back the American spirit in a time where national confidence had certainly been shaken. By the end of Reagan's presidency the nation had rebounded.

As far as politics goes FDR you could say was to the left and Reagan was to the right. We may know FDR for the New Deal and his work during the 2nd World War. We largely know Reagan for "Reaganomics" and "Star Wars" basically his policies that many contend helped to end the Cold War.

When I saw the series the last few days this finally hit me. When they showed the edition that talked about FDR it was yesterday and then I saw today's edition. That when this conclusion finally hit me!

You may not be a big fan of both but you have to admit during their time in the public eye they had something that attracted people to them. The question we have to ask today is whether or not someone will emerge who will share those qualities. Time can only tell, yes?