FDR is regarded as one of the most effective communicators in radio history. Although the fireside chats are often thought of as having been a weekly event, Roosevelt in fact delivered just 30 addresses during his 4,422 day presidency. He resisted those who encouraged him to speak on radio more frequently, as shown in his response to Russell Leffingwell after the address of February 23, 1942:

“The one thing I dread is that my talks should be so frequent as to lose their effectiveness…Every time I talk over the air it means four or five days of long, overtime work in the preparation of what I say. Actually, I cannot afford to take this time away from more vital things. I think we must avoid too much personal leadership—my good friend Winston Churchill has suffered a little from this.”

Now…can someone pass this on to the elected geniuses, their PR handlers, and the marketing efforts of the investment industry who are dumping nonsense on us every day?

– JB