--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And he [Franklin Roosevelt] got the votes…" description: "\"And he [Franklin Roosevelt] got the votes of every southern white voting state in the country and wouldn't have been elected president once, let alone ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/937/william-a-rusher-20922_country_and-he-franklin-roosevelt-got-the-votes_3026350.jpg" --- # And he \[Franklin Roosevelt\] got the votes of every… ![“And he [Franklin Roosevelt] got the votes of every southern white voting state in the country and wouldn't have been elected president once, let alone four times, if he hadn't. Now, at the same time he acquired over the years a reputation for being sympathetic to blacks, and he got their votes…” quote by William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/937/william-a-rusher-20922_country_and-he-franklin-roosevelt-got-the-votes_3026350.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/937/william-a-rusher-20922_country_and-he-franklin-roosevelt-got-the-votes_3026350.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/937/william-a-rusher-20922_country_and-he-franklin-roosevelt-got-the-votes_3026350.jpg) > “And he \[Franklin Roosevelt\] got the votes of every southern white voting state in the country and wouldn't have been elected president once, let alone four times, if he hadn't. Now, at the same time he acquired over the years a reputation for being sympathetic to blacks, and he got their votes, heaven knows.” [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote suggests that Roosevelt’s electoral success depended on Southern white support, and his appeal to Black voters was a later, perhaps opportunistic, development. **In simple terms:** Roosevelt won because of Southern whites; Black support came later. Key Takeaway Recognize how coalition politics can shift over time. Themes politics race electoral strategy historical analysis Mood analytical critical historical Type quotational political commentary When to use this quote - campaign planning - voter outreach - historical research - policy advocacy Key Concepts coalition building racial dynamics political reputation Questions to Reflect On - How did Roosevelt’s policies affect different demographic groups? - What role did party realignment play in his elections? A Different Perspective It oversimplifies complex voter motivations and ignores other policy factors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Elected President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elected-president/) [Four](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/four/) [Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/franklin/) [Franklin roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/franklin-roosevelt/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Reputation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reputation/) [Roosevelt Got](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roosevelt-got-2780570/) [Southern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/southern/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Sympathetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sympathetic/) [Vote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vote/) [Voting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voting/) [White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white/) [White Voting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-voting-3780221/) [Wouldn Elected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wouldn-elected-2307348/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [When the stock market crashed, Franklin Roosevelt got on the television and didn't just talk about the princes of greed. He said, 'Look, here's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/when-the-stock-market-crashed-franklin-roosevelt-got-on-the/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [ Well, at the time, we certainly regarded them \[Elianor and Franklin Roosevelt\] as partners. We did not know what has since come out about… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/well-at-the-time-we-certainly-regarded-them-elianor-and-franklin/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [ I don't think she ever had a single initiative at the United Nations that was not previously \[vetted\] by the people at the State… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/i-don-t-think-she-ever-had-a-single-initiative-at-the-united-nations/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [ One has to say that they \[Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt\] were pioneering to some extent. They didn't know that some of the housing projects… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/one-has-to-say-that-they-eleanor-and-franklin-roosevelt-were/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [If Citizens United has been an invaluable tool for the maintenance of entrenched wealth, Shelby County has been similarly vital for those who want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/if-citizens-united-has-been-an-invaluable-tool-for-the-maintenance-of/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) > [Roosevelt got a chance to name an amazing nine justices of the Supreme Court. He was not namby-pamby on this question. He wanted people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/roosevelt-got-a-chance-to-name-an-amazing-nine-justices-of-the/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [She (Eleanor Roosevelt) got even in a way that was almost cruel. She forgave them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-mcgill/she-eleanor-roosevelt-got-even-in-a-way-that-was-almost-cruel-she/) [Ralph McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-mcgill/) > [Capitalism can be alright, I mean Karl Marx didn't live to see what Roosevelt did with that Depression. He pulled everybody out of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/capitalism-can-be-alright-i-mean-karl-marx-didn-t-live-to-see-what/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [Franklin Roosevelt had a pretty clear line. Ronald Reagan had a pretty clear line, people who rescue parties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/franklin-roosevelt-had-a-pretty-clear-line-ronald-reagan-had-a-pretty/) [Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/) > [George Washington sets the nation on its democratic path. Abraham Lincoln preserves it. Franklin Roosevelt sees the nation through depression and war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/george-washington-sets-the-nation-on-its-democratic-path-abraham/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them." - Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/those-who-have-long-enjoyed-such-privileges-as-we-enjoy-forget-in/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [Few expected very much of Franklin Roosevelt on Inauguration Day in 1933. Like Barack Obama seventy-six years later, he was succeeding a failed Republican…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-baker/few-expected-very-much-of-franklin-roosevelt-on-inauguration-day-in/) [Russell Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-baker/) > [I think Franklin Roosevelt was a lousy president. What he did- which is to impose this great nanny state on America- was a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-crane/i-think-franklin-roosevelt-was-a-lousy-president-what-he-did-which-is/) [Ed Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-crane/) > [You know who was a hero? Franklin Roosevelt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-know-who-was-a-hero-franklin-roosevelt/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I was born during the Depression in a little community just outside Waco, and I grew up listening to Franklin Roosevelt on the radio.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-richards/i-was-born-during-the-depression-in-a-little-community-just-outside/) [Ann Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-richards/) ## More by William A. Rusher > [Our Navy was very largely sunk. And we were at war in no time at all. I share, in retrospect, the distress we all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/our-navy-was-very-largely-sunk-and-we-were-at-war-in-no-time-at-all-i/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [One of the most influential women of the 20th century? Well, that may be overdoing it. When one thinks of really influential women, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/one-of-the-most-influential-women-of-the-20th-century-well-that-may/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [ I think the fact that she \[Eleanor Roosevelt\] was a woman probably in those days would have been an additional criticism, although first ladies… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/i-think-the-fact-that-she-eleanor-roosevelt-was-a-woman-probably-in/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [And at the UN she took the advice - she had to take the advice - of the State Department and the Assistant Secretary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/and-at-the-un-she-took-the-advice-she-had-to-take-the-advice-of-the/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [Eleanor Roosevelt had both her admirers and her detractors. And they admired her and detracted from her for many of the same reasons. People…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/eleanor-roosevelt-had-both-her-admirers-and-her-detractors-and-they/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [ One has to say that they \[Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt\] were pioneering to some extent. They didn't know that some of the housing projects… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/one-has-to-say-that-they-eleanor-and-franklin-roosevelt-were/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [She was obviously useful at the UN because she had a public persona before she ever got there. She was well known. She was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/she-was-obviously-useful-at-the-un-because-she-had-a-public-persona/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [These people looked Japanese, were originally Japanese, were numerous. We had no way of knowing to what extent they had been infiltrated. To their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/these-people-looked-japanese-were-originally-japanese-were-numerous/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [Well, you have to remember that until 1948, when Hubert Humphrey and others forced the Democratic Party to adopt a new policy on civil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/well-you-have-to-remember-that-until-1948-when-hubert-humphrey-and/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [I think that it is true that Eleanor Roosevelt, by being so active on that front, contributed to that impression very substantially. And it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/i-think-that-it-is-true-that-eleanor-roosevelt-by-being-so-active-on/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [ That was a general impression that one got, that she \[Eleanor Roosevelt\] was always flitting around the country and descending on some place in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/that-was-a-general-impression-that-one-got-that-she-eleanor-roosevelt/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [People who thought that she was busy going around trying to stir up difficulty where there was none or less than she imagined, were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/people-who-thought-that-she-was-busy-going-around-trying-to-stir-up/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [ I think she \[Eleanor Roosevelt\] never was called because she probably didn't know an awful lot. The whole burden of the criticism of her… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/i-think-she-eleanor-roosevelt-never-was-called-because-she-probably/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [ I don't think she ever had a single initiative at the United Nations that was not previously \[vetted\] by the people at the State… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/i-don-t-think-she-ever-had-a-single-initiative-at-the-united-nations/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [In terms of legacy, I'm not sure that I see some great historic deposit there, as a result of her passing our way. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/in-terms-of-legacy-i-m-not-sure-that-i-see-some-great-historic/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) [Explore all 30 William A. Rusher quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) ## More Country quotes > [I love playing for my country, getting the support. Especially for the kids and everybody, showing my example of what I can achieve so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/i-love-playing-for-my-country-getting-the-support-especially-for-the/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) > [ That country \[Carthage\] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws;… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinking-into-the-state-of-barbarism/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [For the Scottish government, the practice of having meetings in different parts of the country is well established, but for the U.K. government, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-sturgeon/for-the-scottish-government-the-practice-of-having-meetings-in/) [Nicola Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-sturgeon/) > [There's no reason someone who has fought for their country should be homeless of jobless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kyle/there-s-no-reason-someone-who-has-fought-for-their-country-should-be/) [Chris Kyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kyle/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. 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