What history teaches us: Bush is worse than Hoover

[SuperTrouper]

At least Hoover tried desperately to stop the Great Depression, whereas Bush has checked out. The following excerpts from Wikipedia illustrate how history is a great teacher and points out the scary parallels from the Great Depression to our current times...

The Great Depression, which began in 1929, the first year of Hoover's presidency. Hoover tried to combat the Depression with volunteer efforts and government action, none of which produced economic recovery during his term. The consensus among historians is that Hoover's defeat in the 1932 election was caused primarily by failure to end the downward spiral into deep Depression, compounded by popular opposition to prohibition. Other electoral liabilities were Hoover's lack of charisma in relating to voters, and his poor skills in working with politicians.

As the economy quickly deteriorated in the early years of the Great Depression, Hoover declined to pursue legislative relief, believing that it would make people dependent on the federal government. Instead, he organized a number of voluntary measures with businesses, encouraged state and local government responses, and accelerated federal building projects. Only toward the end of his term did he support a series of legislative solutions.

In 1929, President Hoover authorized the Mexican Repatriation program. To combat rampant unemployment, the burden on municipal aid services, and remove people seen as usurpers of American jobs, the program was largely a forced migration of an estimated 500,000 Mexicans and Mexican Americans to Mexico. The program continued through 1937.

By 1932, the Great Depression had spread across the globe. In the U.S., unemployment had reached 24.9%, a drought persisted in the agricultural heartland, businesses and families defaulted on record numbers of loans, and more than 5,000 banks had failed. Tens-of-thousands of Americans found themselves homeless and they began congregating in the numerous Hoovervilles (also known as shanty towns or tent cities) that had begun to appear across the country. The name 'Hooverville' was coined by their residents as a sign of their disappointment and frustration with the perceived lack of assistance from the federal government. In response, President Hoover and Congress approved the Federal Home Loan Bank Act, to spur new home construction, and reduce foreclosures. The plan seemed to work, as foreclosures dropped, but it was seen as too little, too late

[Mme. Defarge]

1. Hoover was not

malevolent.

[Captain Hilts]

3. No, he wasn't. He was a good man, actually.

You need to scout the send up of Study in Black and White with Eleanor Roosevelt in the pose. GREAT photograph.

[Parche]

2. Bush

Is worst then Hoover, Nixon, Buchanon, Harding, Reagan combined

:hi:

[Captain Hilts]

5. So true. It's ironic the Bonus marchers got attacked on Hoover's watch.

[WI_DEM]

4. Actually Hoover got a bum rap. Historians have shown that Hoover was the first president

to actually try and do something to stop the depression including federal help--prior to Hoover when depressions occurred it was the govt. policy to stay out of it because these things happen. Boom and Bust was just the cycle. As for helping the people affected it was local government or charities that were responsible for that. Hoover's problem was that he didn't go far enough and also in comparison to FDR he looked and acted like a mortician when the people needed somebody who could inspire them.

[Captain Hilts]

7. That's exactly right. And he was a very bad sport about the election.

The time the R's - along with the other governors and wives - went to the White House in April '32 and were kept waiting - standing - for 45 minutes created bad blood on the Roosevelts' side of the equation. On this occasion is was up to Eleanor to hold up FDR. He wasn't just tall, he was top heavy, so it took a lot of strength to hold him up. It came in handy his wife was so big. People repeatedly offered him a chair and he refused because the act of sitting was so awkward and he would have been the only one sitting. By the end of the evening FDR and ER looked like NBA players at the foul line they were so drenched in sweat. Boy, were they pissed.

[LeftishBrit]

6. At least, Hoover did a very good job at handling a similar disaster to Katrina,.

so just on those grounds he's better than Bush.

[TheKentuckian]

8. Hoover incompetent/Bush is doing this on purpose

I don't think we were cycling towards this. The shrub put the spurs to Reagonomics and rode us here.

[dflprincess]

12. Actually Hoover was not imcompetent

Unlike Bush he was quite intelligent. I was at his library in Iowa last spring and it did change my opinion of him. I think his big problem was he was stuck in a certain way of thinking and, unlike FDR, was unable to get out of that frame of mind. Apparently he never did warm up to the New Deal as the library has one quote from him late in life where he slams it and takes some pleasure in the fact he had outlived all the New Dealers.

[JohnnyRingo]

9. The Hoover family owes Buxh a debt of gratitude.

Buxh will never have anything as grand as a dam named for him, that sewage plant in Cal will be his legacy.

In the very distant future an election year conversation will go like this:
"That Morag the Destroyer is a terrible ruler of the universe".
"Yeah, but at least he's no George Buxh".

[Jennicut]

10. Hoover was seen an unfeeling towards people's pain but he was not a bad man

Bush has deliberately lead us to this cliff with his policies. He wanted to bankrupt America for his buddies and he has.

[Orsino]

11. Bush has failed (and killed) many more people. n/t