10 historical “facts” only a wingnut could believe [View all]

[Snarkoleptic]

This piece caught my eye as I told my dad I'd enjoyed watching Ken Burns' "The Roosevelts" and he, without pause, said "Roosevelt was a monster". This seemingly random utterance left me gobsmacked for a litany of reasons (all based on facts).

http://www.salon.com/2015/01/08/10_historical_facts_only_a_wingnut_could_believe_partner/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

The Robber Barons weren’t robbers — they were capitalist heroes.

The overarching task of the conservative historian is to rehabilitate the image of capitalism, even at its most red-toothed and -clawed. Not a hard job, as both our history and culture ceaselessly celebrate the innovative dynamism of American business.

--snip--

FDR: History’s greatest monster.

If you have aged grandparents still living who remember the New Deal, or are among America’s prominent historians, you will hear nothing but good from them about Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the president who shepherded America through the Great Depression and the Second World War.

Conservatives have never felt that way, of course — back in the day they went to the Trans-Lux to hiss Roosevelt, and FDR welcomed their hatred. For some years they were obliged to keep their anger at FDR on the down-low — after all, wasn’t Reagan a Roosevelt fan? Plus there were many more people then than now who actually remembered that presidency, and it didn’t play well to contradict their memories.