CNN Fact Checks FDR's First Inaugural Speech

 

CNN Fact Checks FDR’s First Inaugural Speech (Given March 4, 1933)

”The only thing we have to fear…is fear itself”—FALSE.

The president was clearly lying to the American people. He was hiding the truth so as not to sow panic and depression among the citizens. This showed a lack of trust in those he represented and could well have led Americans to doubt anything he ever said thereafter. The nation he led was in the throes of the Great Depression and between two world wars at the time. Apart from all that, we have, in fact, a great many other things to fear, including, but not limited to: death, disease, racism, sexism, homophobia, irritable bowel syndrome, poverty, addiction, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, acne, tooth decay, cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, low blood sugar, anemia, polio, uncontrolled flatulence, terrorism, large hail and damaging winds, crop disease, erectile disfunction, drought, scurvy, plane crashes, stock market crashes, unemployment, high interest rates, saturated fats, getting into an accident while wearing dirty underwear, bee stings, male pattern baldness, vaginal dryness, irregular heartbeat, climate change, blizzards, tsunamis, earthquakes, the heartbreak of psoriasis, asteroids, premature aging, Deng fever, arthritis, asthma, termites, spina bifida, bloating, sudden infant death syndrome, habitat loss, sleep apnea, and Dutch elm disease. We must give the president four full Pinocchios for this absurd claim.