FDR’s Fireside Chat Needs a Comeback

Frank Bruni over at the NYTimes wrote a column titled ‘Talk to Us, President Biden, but Not About Trump’ and it got me thinking.

I wasn’t very old at the time, but I remember those chats, with Roosevelt leaned back in a comfortable stuffed chair next to a fireplace, no matter the season. Of course, there was no television in those days and FDR actually spoke before a forest of microphones, but there was plenty of print coverage and the president was always shown at his ease before a fire.

All hell had broken loose at the time and the nation was deep into WWII

Roosevelt had a rather nasal and somewhat high-pitched voice, but it came through the radio as someone speaking directly to you and to me. Which was the entire point. Lowell Thomas, Roosevelt’s friend and America’s favorite broadcaster may have been FDR’s inspiration to regularly speak directly to the nation. No matter that fact, when Franklin spoke, America tuned in.

Radio and newspapers were the primary sources of news in those days, and we had our share of loonies, just as we have today. Your definition of who is or is not loony might depend upon your politics, and the same was true back then.

But then, as now, we needed a steadying voice

Like him or not, FDR’s famous “nothing to fear but fear itself” still resonated in the American ear and he chose to continue his personal message from a president to each family in their living room. There’s a lot of symbolism there, as our president speaks to us from a White House fireplace.

I wish we had that today. There are many things I don’t understand about Joe Biden’s recent moves, mostly in his foreign policy decisions. I suppose if I were able to sit down with Joe, both of us with our feet up and no one else in the room, I might better understand. Every public statement by every president in history has carried the weight of public speculation and a fair part of that intrigue relates to elections. There is always an election coming, always the immediate pressure of public opinion.

Public opinion is much like the public trust, it exists individually and exerts itself nationally

So, speak to us, Joe, as individuals, with our feet up in slippers and smoking -jacket. Or is that too old-timey in this frantic world? Maybe, maybe not.

No one needs a campaign-speech, we already get too much of that in the mob-attended rallies politicians are so fond of holding before wild and cheering audiences of supporters.

Not everyone likes Taylor Swift or Willie Nelson, but I suspect most of us would show up for a chance to sit down with Joe and Jill Biden

Just a quiet talk about what went on this past week. Why did you decide to ‘pause funding’ for the main U.N. aid agency in Gaza, when another article claims Palestinians are so short of food, they’re eating grass?

A not so wild and definitely not cheering bunch of your supporters, including me, would like to know what drove that decision.

For a half-hour every week, sit down and talk to us Joe, without a script, but maybe by a fireplace. We’d like to know you better.