The Presidential Election of 1932

Abstract

While with the keen eyes of twenty-twenty hindsight, later analysts were able to see in Roooevelt' s adresses many indications of later developments, the public was by no means equally aware of what was in store for them at the time. "Mr. Roosevelt's campaign speeches did not prepare the public for the shock of the first months of the New Deal. Even if they had seen the program clearly, it is douotful that they would have voted any differently since their antipathy for Hoover was overwhelming. Roosevelt apnears to have had one paramount goal in mind. He was trying to win an election, not log out a coherent philosoohy of government. With this inordinate desire to win, the candidate was quite willing to advocate policies that were inconsistent with each other or were repudiation of previous positions he had taken. Such was indicated in his willingness to assure the conservative voter that he would balance and reduce the Federal budget and that he would labor for the preservation of sound currency. . . . The presidential election of 1932 was, for all practical purposes, decided before it began. The nation was indeed in search of a Moses to lead them out of the wilderness. Governor Roosevelt could have created this pose. He chose, instead, to be overly cautious in an attempt to appear to be all things to all men. The margin of his victory is but an indication of his success in this endeavor. [From concluding section]