I enjoyed this chat. It’s wonderful to listen to two learned individuals who know what they ‘re talking about exchange viewpoints with civility and respect.

One point on David’s reference to FDR: While it may be true that by 1936 economic indicators were back to where they were in 1929, that’s still a seven-year recovery period, even if Herbert Hoover’s three years at the helm in the wake of the crash were largely ineffective. Obama, by comparison, has had barely half that time to make a difference — and, as Robert said, to do so with an uncooperative Congress.

Finally got it to work, i see. The first one never made it.

Thank you, I look forward to more of these ADULT conversations! )

Listening to Frum and Shrum reminds me of the old joke about freedom of speech in the Soviet Union.

A Communist booster is asked if speech in Russia is as free as in the US. He replies: “In principle, yes. In the USA, you can stand in front of the White House in Washington, DC, and yell, ‘Down with Reagan!’, and you will not be punished. Just so, you can stand in the Red Square in Moscow and yell, ‘Down with Reagan!’, and you will not be punished.”

A highly self-critical conservative, and an utterly un-self-critical liberal. I wonder what they’ll agree on…

Re FDR’s first term, he passed legislation by acclimation during his first 100 days in an atmosphere of national emergency. Congress was pliant, supine, etc.