His construction of a vast social welfare system was not in America's best long term interest, but FDR knew that others after him would carry the torch and lead the nation. Like Ronald Reagan and like George W. Bush, Franklin Roosevelt very much liked Americans, and it showed. Third, he was not afraid to experiment. This, more than anything else, separates FDR from the Democrat Party of the last twenty years. Franklin Roosevelt, like Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, understood that the American experience is very much an experiment.
Nothing needs to change.
FDR never claimed to be smart enough to have all the answers. He simply claimed to be bold enough to take risks in the knowledge that the American people would accept failure much more readily than cowardice. Let's try something different, something better, for those dependent upon the Social Security System. Let's see what works best in our educational system. Let's give private charities a chance to solve drug and alcohol problems.