Archive for the ‘FDR’ Category

“Nobody Shoots at Santa Claus”

Tuesday, December 30th, 2008

Today is the birth date of Al Smith, governor of New York (born December 30, 1873).  

It was Al Smith who coined this phrase in 1936, reflecting his opposition to the New Deal:  “Nobody shoots at Santa Claus.”

In recent weeks, I’ve heard this phrase used in speeches, Q&A sessions, and media interviews … still a part of our national vocabulary after more than seven decades. 

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1936 election

Monday, November 3rd, 2008

On this date in 1936, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt won a landslide reelection victory over Republican candidate Al Landon.  Roosevelt swept every state except Vermont and Maine. 

On election eve 2008, it might be good to recall this observation by FDR: 

“We are a nation of many nationalties, many races, many religions - bound together by a single unity, the unity of freedom and equality.”

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