FDR Was Pretty Consequential

Stick to your areas of expertise, Brits!

Jack Blanchard, the author of Politico's newsletter Playbook, created some minor embarrassment for himself this week. In a recent edition of his newsletter, he commented on President Donald Trump's incredibly impactful first month as president, implying that this level of accomplishment was historically unprecedented.

"Has any incoming administration been better prepared for power?" he asked. "Never mind the first 100 days—Trump's team had a battleplan for the first 100 hours, and they executed it with stunning efficiency."

He repeated this question in Monday's Playbook, asking, "Has any previous U.S. leader made such an impact in such a short space of time?"

Blanchard is British, and previously edited Politico's U.K. version of Playbook. Perhaps this is why he is unfamiliar with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Helpfully, readers of Politico chimed in to inform Blanchard, prompting a follow-up on Tuesday:

The disconnect I feel working away from DC for even a little while is crazy because what do you mean the author of Playbook is now a Brit who doesn't know who FDR was and copies whole paragraphs from Wikipedia? pic.twitter.com/yZb76PEXAS

— Jacob Rubashkin (@JacobRubashkin) February 18, 2025

Personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with turning to Wikipedia to become better informed on a topic, although you're not supposed to admit that that's what you're doing. On the other hand, it's a little odd for the editor of a major D.C. politics publication to be this in the dark about such an important chapter in American political history.

I discussed this subject on Rising today with Niall Stanage, an Irishman who is quite well informed on American political history!

 

This Week on Free Media

I am joined by Amber Duke to discuss CBS' fascination with German censorship, Kevin O'Leary's enthusiasm for the Department of Government Efficiency, and communism in Canada.

 

Worth Watching

I saw Captain America: Brave New World. It was somewhere between OK and not great. Storytelling in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has gotten very, very stale.

The thing that put me off the most was the post-credits scene, which is usually the most exciting part of these movies. [SPOILER WARNING] In the scene, captured villain Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson, a great actor in a very underwhelming role) warns Captain America of a nonspecific threat from some other world. Is this supposed to be shocking? In MCU continuity, aliens have already attacked Earth repeatedly—in fact, some of the action in this movie takes place off the coast of an island that is actually just a giant, dead alien!

Comments

[Fats of Fury]

Project Veritas nabs another one.

https://www.projectveritas.com/news/dept-of-education-operating-as-rogue-sanctuary-program-for-illegals

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

Sort of like how USAID was running a South American version of the 2015 Middle Eastern invasion of Europe.

[Sometimes a Great Notion]

God, let’s hope Trump 2.0 is nothing like FDR. Trump 1.0 already was enough with “the single-biggest economic relief package in American history”.

[sarcasmic]

You talking about the CARES Act?

Dude, he signed it under duress.

Democrats wrote it.

He had a veto-proof majority.

IT WASN’T HIS FAULT!!!!!!!

[JesseAz (mean girl ambassador)]

Got it. Trump has to go to Congress for spending cuts but is solely responsible for covid spending. Most of it was spent after he left as well. Good work buddy.

[TJJ2000]

LMAO… +10000…. Well played/stated.
The only time sarcasmic is accurate is when he thinks he’s poking fun.

[JFree]

The reason FDR was consequential was because he got CONGRESS to pass the laws that enabled and authorized what he was going to do. That tweet above says it – 77 bills in 100 days.

Agree or disagree with the particulars – getting Congress to act is what makes the changes permanent. So far the only bill to pass Congress this session is the Laken Riley Act which is pretty small potatoes. The bills that are still pending are mostly withered potatoes with some culture war signaling. At most so far – 2 or 3 ‘substantive’ bills.

Meaning that whenever Congress changes hands, whatever Trump has done will disappear.

[TJJ2000]

Unless SCOTUS acts honorably and rules FDR’s “New Deal” [Na]tional So[zi]alist Empire UN-Constitutional as any 1st grader could tell you it is.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

The reason FDR was consequential was because he got CONGRESS to pass the laws that enabled and authorized what he was going to do.

He didn’t have to GET them to do anything, you doof. He had filibuster-proof majority when he took office. Most of the shit that got passed in the 100 days were mere formalities.

[Sevo, 5-30-24, embarrassment]

Pretty sure that JFuck’s knowledge of history is limited to Parade Magazine and the NYT.

[sarcasmic]

FDR transformed government by getting Congress to pass laws and by bullying the Supremes into shutting up.

Trump is issuing EO after EO, none of which will have any permanent effect, though they give his defenders erections that last more than four hours.

[Don't look at me! (No longer muted!)]

Poor sarc. Envious.

[JesseAz (mean girl ambassador)]

Fucking moron.

https://www.federalregister.gov/presidential-documents/executive-orders/franklin-d-roosevelt/1945

Which Trump EO is in violation of law or appropriation?

[But SkyNet is a Private Company]

EOs to undue bad EOs seems fine to me

[sarcasmic]

Ignores the root cause, which is Congress delegating power. Get rid of those laws and it’s no longer a question. You’re taking aspirin for brain cancer.

[JesseAz (mean girl ambassador)]

This continues to be a hilariously dumb argument. Cuts and audits can occur without congressional direction as long as Trump acts in a minimally compliant manner. Which is his strategy.

[sarcasmic]

And what happens when the next president acts in a maximally compliant manner?

What is the end result?

Why do you keep attacking me for wanting to get Congress involved to take away these powers?

I want smaller government that will stay smaller, and you attack me for it.

What is wrong with you?

[VULGAR MADMAN]

Shut the fuck up, you unprincipled faggot!

[JesseAz (mean girl ambassador)]

You keep asking this after I already answered. You’re fucking retarded.

What happens to cuts by Congress when the next congress spends more.

It is a retarded question. Lol.

I’m not attacking you for wanting congressional involvement you fucking idiot. I’m attacking you for being against cuts currently occurring because of your blind retarded hatred and TDS. Using the same ignorant talking points as the left.

I’ve already said I want even more cuts from congress dumdum.

Yet even in the congressional thread you were ranting against 1.5T because it didn’t include a 4.8T tax increase lol.

You’re a fucking leftist moron.

Your entire Schick the last 3 weeks revolves not on executed cuts, but refusing to acknowledge anything Trump does as good dumbfuck. Your views are solely about the who, not the what.

[Mickey Rat]

FDR (along with Woodrow Wilson) are the primary architects of the imperial presidency and the regulatory state. It must be remembered that “consequential” is not a synonym for good.

[Fats of Fury]

Kash Patel confirmed.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/senate-confirms-kash-patel-fbi-director-rcna192842

[Gaear Grimsrud]

Fuck Yeah!

[Thoritsu]

FDR certainly did a lot, and almost all of it BAD, catastrophic if you are a libertarian. He may have done more than Trump, WAY more negative!

[Gaear Grimsrud]

I came to say the same. Trump has used his super powers for good while FDR used his for evil. It’s like every comic book ever.

[But SkyNet is a Private Company]

Well, we’re 1/4 thru those 100 days, Rico. Already done more good than Roosevelt.

[Sevo, 5-30-24, embarrassment]

And, fortunately, none of the disasters.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

This will never be done, but I do have a “thought experiment” regarding all these probationary employees getting the ax.

Rather than simply dump an entire workforce that mostly consists of younger people in the mid-20s-early 30s, set up a new version of the CCC. And by that, I mean run it like the OG CCC, with the employees getting bare subsistence wages, sleeping in tarpaper shack barracks with nothing to cool you in the summer other than some electric fans, and nothing to warm you other than a wool blanket and cannon stove in the middle of the building in the winter. No internet except for a small cafe to pay your bills, 70% of your wages are garnished to be sent home to your family, but you get a place to sleep, three meals a day, and government job doing manual labor for the National Parks, Forest Service, and various state and local infrastructure projects.

All CCC employees are probationary, with a catch–if you stay in the CCC for three years, you can become eligible to apply for another position in the government. If you leave the CCC, at any time for any reason (including getting knocked up because you wanted to raw dog it out by the barracks dumpster), you never get to apply for a federal job, ever. We’ve got a bunch of Zoomers and early Gen Alphas complaining they can’t find a job–well, here’s your chance to do so, but you have to put in the work on the front end to get something with good bennies on the back end, like people in the military.

[The Margrave of Azilia]

If it was good enough for my grandpappy, it’s good enough for the smart-aleck kids.

[Don't look at me! (No longer muted!)]

The no internet thing is a deal breaker.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

We can call it a drug rehab program for extra funding.

[Mickey Rat]

Of course the movie storytelling was stale. It spliced together from multiple resorts. It was a “The Incredible Hulk” sequel without the Hulk, and a “Captain America” sequel sans Captain America.

[John Rohan]

Given that it’s only been about 30 days, it’s too early to say if Trump has done more in his first 100 days than FDR! Sheesh