I've always argued that there will never be another FDR, not because he was one of kind, but because the system has changed so much. TV has had a huge influence on who we are willing to elect as a president. Somebody in a wheelchair would never stand a chance in today's world. And candidates are so dependent on money to win. But maybe things have shifted again to a place where the next FDR can be elected. The internet has (started to?, already?) replaced TV as the dominant form of media consumption. Thus looking presidential under the cameras is no longer as important. TV ads are less influential. I don't know, I am not sure we've reached the tipping point yet, but I hope Bernie shows that we have.
>The internet has (started to?, already?) replaced TV as the dominant form of media consumption. started to. definitely started to. the rise of the internet is only really a thing for people under 30, and even then a lot of them still watch TV. for the +40 crowd, TV is still the 800 pound gorilla in the room.
I'd argue that history is pretty cyclical though, and I think the conditions we are facing in many ways are similar to the conditions that America was facing in 1932. I think that there will be another FDR (not necessarily another man in a wheelchair, of course, but another leader who just -thought- the way he did) simply because the conditions of our country demands it.
I agree that history is cyclical, although I've always preferred the metaphor of a pendulum. My fear is that the conditions of our country will demand another FDR (and I agree we are close to that now), but they will never reach power because the system is structured against them.