Some Words About a Conrad Cartoon
In his letter Grant emulates the man who challenges us to find the pea under the walnut shells. He blames the Great Depression on Franklin Delano Roosevelt, tells us that Herbert Hoover devised the New Deal (but the nasty old Democrats wouldn’t pass it), and then would have us believe that Hoover’s good policies were worthless under F.D.R. No wonder he tried to hide his arguments by swallowing a dictionary!
The Depression was worldwide, but a near decade of Republican fiascoes like the Smoot-Hawley tariff made it far worse. The crash came a few months after Hoover’s inauguration. He and the solidly Republican Congress offered no meaningful programs before 1931, when Democrats gained control of the House. The Senate majority remained Republican, but disgusted GOP senators voted to let the Democrats organize the Senate. Historical fact contradicts Grant’s entire scenario.
Grant calls to mind a teacher who once taught us the difference between pedantry and wisdom. He said, “Pedantry is obfuscative.”
EDWARD B. KEELEY
Sunland
Get the L.A. Times Politics newsletter
Deeply reported insights into legislation, politics and policy from Sacramento, Washington and beyond. In your inbox three times per week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
