# FDR's fifth term **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 11, 2014, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fdrs-fifth-term/701074 "2014-10-11T23:50:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2014, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fdrs-fifth-term/701074/21 "2014-10-14T19:06:50Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > You didn’t ask about him running for his fourth term. (Had you, I would have said he shouldn’t have done it due to his ill health.) I think it’s perfectly reasonable to speculate that he hangs on to life while remaining in ill health. I know I didn’t, mentioned it as an aside. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fdrs-fifth-term/701074/22 "2014-10-15T18:26:51Z")
> [@](#): > > Yes - it’s FDR ferchristsakes! No. I think that the personality cult that surrounds him is the result of wartime propaganda. > **[Criticism of Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Franklin_D._Roosevelt)** > > Before, during and after his presidential terms and continuing today, there has been criticism of Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945). His critics have questioned not only his policies and positions, but also accused him of trying to centralize power in his own hands by controlling both the government and the Democratic Party. Many denounced his breaking of a long-standing tradition by running for a third term in 1940. > By the middle of his second term, much criticism of Roosevelt centered on fea... ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fdrs-fifth-term/701074/23 "2014-10-15T18:42:32Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > No. I think that the personality cult that surrounds him is the result of wartime propaganda. > > [Criticism of Franklin D. Roosevelt - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Franklin_D._Roosevelt) The internment of Japanese-Americans is enough to seriously sour his record with posterity, but he’s still ranked as one of the country’s best Presidents and there was fortunately a lot he did right. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fdrs-fifth-term/701074/24 "2014-10-15T18:47:08Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > I think that the personality cult that surrounds him is the result of wartime propaganda. Yeah, go win one world war and right away people start thinking you’re special. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fdrs-fifth-term/701074/25 "2014-10-15T18:50:41Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > You didn’t ask about him running for his fourth term. (Had you, I would have said he shouldn’t have done it due to his ill health.) I think it’s perfectly reasonable to speculate that he hangs on to life while remaining in ill health. I don’t think you can have it both ways. Either his health was different than it was historically or his health was the same as it was historically - in which case he would die in 1945. Roosevelt having improved health is pretty much build into the premise. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fdrs-fifth-term/701074/26 "2014-10-15T19:06:17Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Yeah, go win one world war and right away people start thinking you’re special. C’mon, he didn’t even stick around to see it end in Europe! > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I don’t think you can have it both ways. Either his health was different than it was historically or his health was the same as it was historically - in which case he would die in 1945. Roosevelt having improved health is pretty much build into the premise. Yeah, it would be rather implausible politically and medically to string his health problems out an entire presidential term. If you like imagine future nanites have cured him of his ailments, nanites can do anything. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fdrs-fifth-term/701074.md?page=1)