Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2009 > February > 11 > Entry
Editorial: Professor Austria’s history lesson goes awry
(NOTE: Here’s a link to the audio referred to in this editorial.)
Some people complain that politicians don’t know as much about history as they should. But that’s only part of the problem. The larger problem is that so much of what they do know is wrong.
They often get their information from partisan sources, with results that are catastrophic to truth. Exhibit A for the week is Congressman Steve Austria, the freshman who represents Greene and Clark counties and points east.
The other day he was speaking with journalists at the Columbus Dispatch. He was going down a list of conservative talking points about President Barack Obama’s stimulus plan. He ventured into Japanese history, giving the sound-bite conservative take on that country’s efforts to get itself out of economic doldrums a while back. He talked up the allegedly positive effects of tax cuts under Ronald Reagan and Jack Kennedy.
And he spoke of the Great Depression of the 1930s. If you’ve been following this debate, you know that conservatives like to say that President Franklin Roosevelt’s big-goverment approach did not succeed in ending the Depression. That has some truth.
But Rep. Austria took the point a step further, saying FDR actually caused the Depression.
“The last time this was done,” he said, speaking of borrowing and spending so much, “was under Franklin Roosevelt, and when Roosevelt did this, he put our country into a great depression, to be honest with you.”
Rep. Austria was given a chance to make clear whether he was really blaming FDR. He repeated his point, saying, “That’s just history.”
Actually, it’s just nonsense. President Roosevelt inherited an unemployment rate of 25 percent in 1933. By 1937, it had dropped to 14.3 percent, an extraordinarily fast drop in percentage terms. Then there was what some economists call a “mini-depression,” and the rate went back as high as 19 percent. But overall, from 1933 to 1940, it dropped from 25.2 percent to 14.6 percent.
Meanwhile, the national economy grew by a third in his first term — a growth rate that would look pretty good right about now — and by half over two terms.
Apparently, Rep. Austria, after listening to some conservative thinkers talk with unrelenting disparagement of FDR, assumed that the case against that president must be overwhelming, rather than that the partisans simply left out the parts they don’t like.
The day after Rep. Austria distorted history so seriously (twice), he withdrew his statements, saying he never intended to blame President Roosevelt for the Depression.
So he learned by talking and getting feedback. But there’s a certain flaw in that sequence. People who learn that way don’t change their mind, just their pitch. He’s already committed to the position he took.
That a member of Congress doesn’t know basic, relevant history is sad. (For more sadness, check out the audio excerpts of the interview for the congressman’s difficulty with the name of the most important liberal economist of the 20th century.) But sadder still are the pretense of knowledge and the assumption that one can talk knowledgeably about history after hearing about it from partisan sources.
If Rep. Austria got from all this a history lesson about FDR, good. Hopefully, though, he got another lesson, too, about whom to listen to, and how carefully to listen.
Permalink | Comments (7) | Post your comment | Categories: Editorials, Martin Gottlieb, National Politics
Comments
By Rob
February 11, 2009 11:04 PM | Link to this
But let’s look at the upside for the Congressman - he did make Olberman’s “Worst Person in the World” tonight. Way to go! Between the lack of intellectual curiosity (Rep. Austria) and the lack of respect and decorum (Rep. Boehner - with his calling the President a “chickenshit”), the Republican crowd in southern Ohio ought to be out of the governing business pretty soon. Good Riddance!By Marge
February 12, 2009 7:51 AM | Link to this
Of course, Rep. Austria could have just followed the eloquent example of the new president and said, “I screwed up.” Perhaps Obama has lessons to learn about ” whom to listen to and how carefully to listen?”By M
February 12, 2009 12:17 PM | Link to this
DDN Editors fiddle … picking on Austria is easy and diverts attention away from DDN Editors support of tripling the deficit with the pork bill. Who cares that a generation of Americans are screwed.By Raoul
February 12, 2009 3:20 PM | Link to this
Obviously, Steve Austria should check with the all-knowing purveyers of truth, honesty, liberty, justice, and American history, ie., the DDN Editorial staff, before opening his mouth again, or listening to partisan conservatives ever again. Actually, I challenge the DDN editors to write for us the true history of FDR and the Great Depression, so that all of us partisans can know the truth. Go ahead Marty, tell us all about how FDR got us out of the Depression. And while you are at it, why not tell us all about the Great Society, Welfare, and the growth of our magnificent Public School System. I would hate to think my partisan views are misguided, so your history lessons will be much appreciated.By Joe Biden, Rocket Scientist
February 12, 2009 6:16 PM | Link to this
I do remember the most brilliant Joe Biden saying that when the stock market crashed President Roosevelt got on tv to talk about it. Small problem…no tv yet and no President Roosevelt either. Wonder from what history book he learned that? Hmmmm?By Jackie
February 12, 2009 7:45 PM | Link to this
How do we demand our children learn US History when our Law Makers don’t know it. Many are still alive from the days of the Great Depression and the New Deal. Someone should tell Congressman Steve Austria that the Great Depression started in 1929 with the Stock Market Crash as Hoover was President. FDR didn’t become President until 1933. The Depression ended at different times all over the US. It is now understandable why the US ranks so low in education. It was bad enough to hear Sarah Palin given misinformation to a kid on what the duties of the Vice President. Then her foreign aide experience was she could see Russia from her window. I guess we’ll being hearing more stupid remarks from our Law Makers. No wonder they can’t figure out how to fix this recession or the Stimulus Bill.By Greg Hunter
February 13, 2009 2:03 AM | Link to this
Jackie, You are a gem in the Gem City! The remainder of the commenter’s are fine examples of Austria voters. We are getting the government we deserve. Maybe they understand Math? Look in the mirror and think lowest common denominator.