What Are The Similarities Between Roosevelt And Barack Obama

Franklin D. Roosevelt and Barack Obama were two presidents who had similar policies and were elected in a time of similar situations. (Miller Center, FDR) 2017. Due to the circumstances that both the men were elected into, it is quite noticeable that Obama mimicked the vision and scheme that Roosevelt had in mind during his presidency. Realistically, their ideas might’ve been in the same realm, the way that they were carried out were in fact, the opposite. (Miller Center, Barack Obama) 2017. Franklin D. Roosevelt served as President of the United States from March 4, 1933 to April 12, 1945. He is the only president to ever serve more than two terms in office. At the time of his election, the nation was facing the worst economic depression
He attempted to reach out to Arab leaders by offering his first interview to an Arab cable station. Obama’s primary focus in his first term was to reduce the number of troops in the Middle East and promote peace between the U.S. and Middle Eastern countries as well as help advocate for strengthening the relations between the countries themselves. Obama was unsuccessful in withdrawing all troops from Afghanistan, but did manage to cut the number from roughly 97,000 troops to just over 12,000 by 2015. (Wallenfeldt) 2016. On the homefront, Roosevelt faced a starving country, his New Deal plan was carried out to help jump-start the economy. Roosevelt’s plan was very productive from the start, within a short time he created thousands of public jobs, and gave hope to a country. The most prominent agency that was created within the New Deal was the National Recovery Act (NRA), it gave the executive branch the authority to control industry in order to raise prices, and reduce deflation. (Britannica, NRA)
Leading banks and corporations were nearly bankrupt, the economy as a whole had began to weaken and recession had begun. Unemployment rates were skyrocketing from numerous business foreclosures. As previously stated, Obama’s stimulus package had helped to boost the economy, and by the start of 2010, over $600 billion had been paid back to the government. One other major reform that Obama pushed for was health care, the Democratic party had been fighting for health care since Jimmy Carter’s presidency. Obama sought to enact a health care program early on when his voters were still loyal. On December 24, 2009, Obamacare was signed into law by a vote of 60 to 39. Many citizens feared that Obamacare would make the health care crisis worse by rising prices even more. (Miller Center, Barack Obama) 2017. Through rigorous reforms and multiple agencies Franklin Roosevelt pulled the country out of its worst economic times and created one of the most stable economies. As the Depression drew to a close the nation’s wounds began to heal. On December 7, 1941, Japanese fighter planes dropped bombs on the Pearl Harbor military base in Hawaii. The event was a stepping stone to what would become known as World War II. The U.S. soon declared war on Japan, and thus began the long, drawn out war. (Miller Center, FDR)