I do not believe Obama has read Amity Schlaes "The Forgotten Man", which in my judgment is essential for understanding the Great Depression and what effects The New Deal had and didn't have. Roosevelt was not an ideologue. He thought himself a pragmatist. Most of what he did did not work as planned; we are stuck with the remnants of many of his measures, one of which, Fannie Mae which transmogrified from the rather successful FHA into a monster that has contribuited to triggering the crisis.
It does appear as if Obama believes that public works will get us out of a Depression. Roosevelt thought that too. It's pretty standard Keynesian economics. Some public works are very useful, but it's still direct government supervision of where to spend money. Do you really believe the Government know where to apply these funds?
WWII got us out of the Great Depression; not Roosevelt's policies.
Don't get me wrong; I sincerely hope he and his policies succeed as this great nation needs much improvement in nearly ALL arenas.
