Two weeks ago I covered the reaction of President Hoover after the stock market crash in October 1929.

Today it’s President Roosevelt’s turn. Remember, he had three years to come up with a plan. And, kinda like Trump listening to Shawn Hannity, FDR listened to Will Rogers.

(Selected quotes. The last one could be written today.)

Historic quotes by Will Rogers: (from Daily Telegrams, March 5 to May 5, 1933

“America hasn’t been as happy in three years as they are today.” Mar. 5

“Say this Roosevelt is a fast worker… (He) closed all the banks and called Congress into extra session.” [banks reopened 4 days later] Mar. 6

“For three years we have had nothing but ‘America is fundamentally sound.’ It should have been ‘America is fundamentally cuckoo.’ The worse off we get the louder we laugh, which is a great thing.” Mar. 8

“Mr. Roosevelt stepped to the microphone last night and knocked another home run [his first ‘fireside chat’]. His message was not only a great comfort to the people, but it pointed a lesson to all radio announcers and public speakers what to do with a big vocabulary: leave it at home in the dictionary. Some people spend a lifetime juggling with words, with not an idea in a carload. Our President took such a dry subject as banking (and) he made everybody understand it, even the bankers.” Mar. 13

“I tell you things never was looking better. And Congress! I want to go on record as giving those rascals a world of credit. They have reformed and they look like they are sorry for what they have done for years.” Mar. 17

“The House passed the farm relief bill and now are starting on an unemployment relief bill. Well, the farm relief bill relieves the unemployed; it gives everybody that isn’t working a job to watch the farmer.” Mar. 23

“Papers all state Hitler is trying to copy Mussolini. Looks to me like it’s the Ku Klux that he is copying.” Mar. 27

“Beer is supposed to be coming.” Mar. 29

“Glad to see that reforestation and employment bill pass.” [Created the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)] Mar. 30

(Concerning beer and Prohibition) “I have always claimed America didn’t want a drink as bad as they wanted the right to take a drink if they did happen to want one.” Apr. 7

“Some sort of hand clapping is due the Republican Newspapers for their generous support of the administration, for nothing is as bull-headed as a party newspaper, be it Republican or Democratic.” Apr. 11

“Since the bankers have finally seen the errors of their ways and started banking instead of gambling, there just ain’t much left a poor writer to pick on.” Apr. 16

“Every day just shows us what a lucky country we are [with Freedom of the Press]. Here you can write whatever you want to. The only trouble is getting somebody that will read it.” Apr. 17

“They say we are off the gold [Standard]. The best way to tell when each one of us went off the gold is to figure back how many years it was since we had any. Well, that’s when we went off.” Apr. 20

“This (Secretary of) Labor (Frances) Perkins looks like she is not only going to do something for labor, but is going to be a real contribution to women in politics. She has put common sense ahead of lip rouge and the petticoat.” Apr. 26

“Big U. S. Chamber of Commerce dinner in Washington was fine. The humorous part of it was that all the big manufacturers and producers in there had been all their lives hollering ‘Keep the government out of business.’  There is not a business that the government hasn’t been asked to join. Nothing makes a man broad-minded like adversity.” May 5