Maybe History Wasn't Her Best Subject

Rachel Maddow said something this evening that was palpably incorrect. While giving background to a current story, she spit out the traditional liberal bromide that President Hoover did absolutely nothing to get us out of the Depression, that he made the depression significantly worse via this inactivity, etc.. It was little more than an obligatory cheap-shot, in other words, this little commentary of hers.....................................................................................In terms of the real record, President Hoover did a number of things that he and his administration clearly hoped would turn the economy around. 1) He set up the National Business Survey Conference and, in so doing, sought to obtain pledges from businesses to maintain wages/undertake new investment. 2) He set up a new division in the Commerce Department to speed up federal construction projects (yes, Ms. Maddow, that's synonymous with, hello!, INFRASTRUCTURE, something you claimed to have liked in the past). 3) He pushed through a temporary tax reduction. 4) He worked with Congress to increase, by 400 million (yes, believe it or not, a lot of money for 1930), public works expenditures. 5) He established a Federal Farm Board that offered to farmers low interest loans and a promise to purchase grains if prices fell. 6) He signed the Smoot-Hawley tariff bill. And, 7) he established the Reconstruction Finance Corporation - this, in an attempt to stabilize the banking system........................................................................................Now, clearly, one could argue whether all or any of these measures were effective (the Smoot-Hawley bill, especially) or not. But, to imply, as the increasingly shrewder Ms. Maddow apparently was, that President Hoover was twiddling his thumbs back then - that is complete and utter bunk! Hopefully, the woman'll show some integrity and make a correction here. Not that I'll be holding my breath, of course.