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A Psychologist's Thoughts on Clinical Practice, Behavior, and Life

Inescapable Political Longings in the U.S.A. and Canada

I was at the ‪FDR‬ Library in Hyde Park, New York the past Saturday for a talk ("James MacGregor Burns and FDR: A Conversation with Susan ‪Dunn‬ and Michael ‪#‎Beschloss‬").

Later, at the bookstore, I couldn't resist several purchases: a poster with a photo of Eleanor Roosevelt bearing her quote ("You must do the thing you think you cannot do"); a metallic sticker containing another of her quotes ("Courage is more exhilarating than fear and in the long run it is easier."); and a button that I now wear on my jacket: "I Want Roosevelt Again." Whether your choice would be the Democrat FDR or the Republican Theodore, when considering the recent American presidents perhaps all Americans should do the same:

Years ago I was at a conference in ‪Ottawa‬. While strolling, I was struck by the sight of the gothic revival Confederation Building. I remarked to the stranger beside me that they don't make buildings like that anymore. "It was built by Prime Minister Trudeau. They don't make men like that anymore either," he replied. I later learned that the building had been constructed in the 1930s while Trudeau's political career began decades later. ‪Canadians‬ might hold similar political feelings too
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