If you’re looking for a “podcast” to take your mind off of things, I have a great suggestion: President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “fireside chats.” I know the title makes it sound like ancient history, however I promise you the episodes — beginning with the first, “The Banking Crisis,” which dropped on March 12, 1933 — feel quite relevant. The country was in financial turmoil, there was a strong isolationist sentiment in Congress and radio was king. I think we can all relate to that, can’t we? Sure, instead of radio, it’s podcasts that rule the world now, but once again: We’re listening.
“There is an element in the readjustment of our financial system more important than currency, more important than gold, and that is the confidence of the people,” Roosevelt said in the closing of his first fireside chat. “Confidence and courage are the essentials of success in carrying out our plan. You people must have faith; you must not be stampeded by rumors or guesses. Let us unite in banishing fear. We have provided the machinery to restore our financial system; it is up to you to support and make it work. It is your problem no less than it is mine. Together we cannot fail.”
To appreciate the magnitude of the first episode of Roosevelt’s podcast, consider the circumstances of his listeners. In October 1929, the stock market had collapsed and banks had begun to close, triggering the Great Depression. The worst year was 1933, the year Roosevelt arrived at the White House. By that point, 1 in 4 Americans was jobless and the gross domestic product had dropped 30% in less than five years. Roosevelt was inaugurated on March 4. Two days later, he closed all of the nation’s banks and worked with Congress to restructure our financial system. The first episode of Roosevelt’s podcast was heard the day before banks reopened.
“I hope you can see from this elemental recital of what your government is doing that there is nothing complex, or radical, in the process,” Roosevelt said. “We had a bad banking situation. Some of our bankers had shown themselves either incompetent or dishonest in their handling of the people’s funds.”
According to Time magazine, before Roosevelt’s inauguration, more than $1.2 billion had been withdrawn from the nation’s banks in less than two weeks and a “record $116,000,000 worth of gold had been taken from the Federal Reserve banks in one day, mostly by the withdrawal of foreign balances.”
Incredibly, in less than 20 minutes, the president of the United States explained what he and Congress were doing to stabilize the economy with clarity, authority and most of all, compassion. He didn’t sugarcoat anything, though he remained optimistic about the country’s future. He rebuked fear while explaining how hoarding cripples the nation’s ability to climb out of the financial abyss. In that first episode — and over the course of the next 29 that Roosevelt did between 1933 and 1944 — you heard a leader who understood how to use mass media to further his agenda. And while conservatives did not always agree with Roosevelt’s policies — and still don’t, considering the current attacks on some of his signature programs such as Social Security — he was always able to explain his rationale with clarity.
Often when we reflect on the nation’s first televised presidential debate, the conversation is focused on the appearance of the candidates. How relaxed and tanned John F. Kennedy looked in comparison to his pale and sweaty opponent, Richard Nixon. However, if you go back and actually listen to what the two men are saying during that 1960 debate, something else sticks out: They knew what they were talking about. Kennedy and Nixon did not agree on much policy-wise, but neither relied on personal attacks or campaign slogans to deflect from having policy discussions. Each candidate had a firm grasp of the issues and could explain their rationale with clarity. And when both men were elected president, each understood the importance of using mass media to get their message out.
This week, Stephen A. Smith, my former colleague at ESPN, has again publicly said he’s considering running for president. After President Trump was able to use celebrity and mass media to rise in political power, I guess Smith figures he can do the same. There is no questioning Smith’s popularity in the world of sports and maybe that can translate into a movement. But where does he want to lead us?
“Hate the thought of being a politician,” Smith posted on social media. “But sick of this mess.”
Trump began his campaign in 2015 saying he wanted to make the country great again, but even a decade later, he still has yet to articulate at what point the country stopped being great.
Smith claims to be “sick of this mess,” so I’d be curious when he thinks “this mess” started. The phrase is conveniently vague and can be interpreted by anyone to mean whatever they want it to mean — like “Make America great again.”
Real problems require real solutions, not hot takes. When Roosevelt started using mass media to get his message across in 1933, the banking crisis wasn’t the only “mess” he had to deal with. Some of the “messes” — poverty, racism, labor rights — are still very messy today. And while connecting with the public was key to selling his policies, his policies were the key to his success as president.
In today’s mass media landscape, a camera and a microphone might be enough to get you elected. However governing requires more than a big personality — which is why Smith’s comment that he doesn’t want to be a politician is problematic. As president, politicking is most of the job.
Inside of ESPN’s “embrace debate” culture, it doesn’t really matter if you’re wrong. Hopping on Fox News to trade zingers with the host is all good and dandy unless policy emerges from it. Because just as we are witnessing with regard to tariffs, getting elected is not the same thing as knowing what you are talking about.
