F.D.R. Was a good president.

RebuttalsI. ImmoralityA) Japanese InternmentObviously, no president is perfect. Sometimes, mistakes are made. Though it is true that Japanese internment was not a good policy, Con grossly over-represents FDRs involvement in this policy. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the US was incredibly paranoid and Xenophobic. Only 62% of the interned people were actual US citizens, and the internment was called for by members of congress and the public at large. (1) (2)Obviously, FDR shouldn't have allowed this policy to pass, but he was by no means an advocate of the policy.B) AffairThe point the Con is making here is merely an appeal to pathos. Con asserts that somehow, infidelity to his wife weakened FDRs skills as a president. Cheating on his wife did not make his policies any less effective. The affair was also more than understandable, as FDR likely was not sexually active with his wife, as she was likely a lesbian. (3) (4)C) Racist PoliciesAlthough this point may seem compelling at first glance, it is ultimately not a valid case against FDR. Simply because a policy affects a certain race negatively, does not mean that it's racist. For something to be racist, it must be giving a certain race higher benefit than another, and be designed specifically for that. If FDR had created a policy that directly barred blacks from working, that would be a different case. My opponents point boils down to this "FDR put many tenant farmers (among others) out of work." 500,000 people may seem like a lot of people, but it was less than half a percent of the total population at the time. (5) Essentially, my opponent is trying to say that FDR put people out of jobs. Wrong. FDR significantly lowered the unemployment rate under his presidency. As you can see, when FDR was initially elected, unemployment was at an all time high (1933). When he left office in 1945, the unemployment rate was lower than ever!II. Economic PolicyA) Negative EffectsMy opponent accuses FDR of allowing trusts to dominate the market. He spends the majority of this argument telling you why trusts are bad, but fails to articulate explicitly how FDR allowed trusts to thrive. Furthermore, my opponent fails to consider that since FDR was in office, we have experienced a major shift away from Keynesian economics. Under the Reagan presidency and subsequent Republican presidencies, Anti-trust regulation has been severely loosened, and regulation in general has been loosened as well. My opponent states, "Today, the poor are poorer, and the trusts are richer." Let's have a look at the modern disparity my opponent has been talking so much about. Up until 1970, FDRs policies were in effect, and up until 1970, average CEO income and the average worker income increased at relatively the same rate. It wasn't until after the policies made by FDR were reversed that trusts began to monopolize once again over the industry.As far as my opponents point on foreign policy goes, we can see clearly that FDR did not sanction the actions that the Nazi party was taking in Germany. FDR supported the allies and condemned the axis diplomatically and economically, until Americas eventual involvement in WWII.Economic Policy My opponent doesn't see validity in my points regarding FDRs economic policy.Let's take a look at empirical evidence.A) Unemployment Look familiar? We've already seen this graph, and I've already commented on the obvious beneficial effects of the policies made under FDR.B) GDP After the massive drop in 1930 due to the great depression, we can see that under FDR, the GDP grew very quickly. The average growth rate even began to accelerate due to his economic success.We know this is due to FDRs keynesian economic styling, which is demonstrated in the following graph. SummaryI have proved here that FDR was clearly a good president, as my opponent has only been able to nitpick at FDRs policies, without attacking him as a whole. Essentially, my opponent argues grains of sand, while I argue the beach. My opponent cherry picks failed policies by FDR without being able to fully prove that FDR was overall a net bad president. I have argued for his actions as a whole, and proved that, overall, FDR was a good president.Sources1. http://www.trumanlibrary.org...2. http://www.trumanlibrary.org...3. http://www.uis.edu...4. http://en.wikipedia.org...5. US Census