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SPIEGEL ONLINE Interview with Author Jonathan Alter

'All Presidents Are Blind Dates'

Author and journalist Jonathan Alter talks to SPIEGEL ONLINE about the challenges of Obama's first days in office and what America's 44th president can learn from the legacy of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: You must be very happy -- your book "The Defining Moment" has been mentioned several times by President-elect Barack Obama. How did that happen?

Jonathan Alter: The book was published in 2006 but I briefly discussed its content with Obama last year when he began using the phrase "the defining moment" in his speeches. He said he knew it was the title of my book and that he knew a thing or two about selling books.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Your book deals with the Great Depression and the famous start of Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency in 1933. What lessons can Obama draw from that?

Alter: Obama has already shown that he has learned an important lesson from how FDR handled a similar crisis. In his inaugural address, FDR famously said, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." But I emphasized in my book -- and so has Obama -- that the more important line was: "We need action and action now." The key message for FDR and now for Obama to convey is that the government is on the side of the people again and that it's the job of the president to get up every day and take action to solve their problems.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: But can one really compare 1933 and 2009?

Alter: The comparisons to that time are eerie. Yes, unemployment was worse -- 25 percent then compared to about 8 percent now. But the widespread collapse of confidence and fear of the future is similar. And the view of government's role is comparable. Herbert Hoover and George W Bush believe if you are about to lose your home to foreclosure, it is none of the government's concern. FDR and Obama take a different view. The same goes for regulation of Wall Street and other issues. Both the 1933 and 2009 transitions mark sharp breaks from the past. One difference is that no one in the US today wants to abandon capitalism and democracy. In 1933, a sizeable minority had given up on our system. FDR briefly considered creating a private army but never bought into fascist ideas, though the word "dictator" actually had a positive connotation in 1933. Hitler was newly in power and had not discredited the word yet.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Your point is that the leaders in the White House matter in times of crisis. How would you compare Roosevelt and Obama in terms of personality?

Alter: FDR was famously described as having a "second-class intellect and a first-class temperament." Obama has a first-class intellect and we know from the campaign that he is even tempered. But we don't know yet whether he has FDR's ebullience and effervescent quality, which made Churchill compare the experience of meeting him to opening your first bottle of champagne. Will Obama make people feel better? We don't know yet. All presidents are blind dates.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Well, we know Obama is a good speaker. What themes do you expect in his inauguration speech on Tuesday?

Alter: The central theme will likely be that we must set aside partisan differences and join together to lift the country and the world. It will likely have some memorable lines but they are still secret. We do know from Hillary Clinton's confirmation hearings as secretary of state that the foreign policy of the US will be framed as "smart power" -- using a much wider variety of tools to advance American interests and global wellbeing. Obama will probably say something along these lines. The inaugural speech is usually short and general and the State of the Union more than three times as long -- at least an hour -- and laden with legislative proposals. In the latter he will talk about his recovery plan, health care, energy, climate change, Iran, Iraq and many other specific issues.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: FDR set the tone of his presidency in the first 100 days. But does Obama even have so much time, given the current worries about the crisis and the different media environment?

Alter: The 100-day frame is one that Obama dislikes. He prefers to be judged on his first year, though the press will stick with the shorter time frame. The public is fairly patient but if the economy is still weak this fall, his popularity will suffer. He doesn't need to bring it all the way back. FDR didn't end the Depression until the war. But Obama needs to show progress.

Interview conducted by Gregor Peter Schmitz.