All in the Family

"Those were the days." -- Archie Bunker

   "We could use a man like Herbert Hoover again," Archie Bunker sang during the opening song of the TV series.
   Which might well be true, except for the fact that the stock market crashed less than a year after Hoover's inauguration as President in 1929 and the nation dropped into the Great Depression.
   Hoover himself was a reasonably good Chief Executive, historians have said, and his attempts to set up relief programs for those affected by the economic downfall were blocked by Congress.
   Nevertheless, Hoover was President when the nation's economy stumbled, and much of the blame is put on him.
   It's a good guess that Archie Bunker would have been an avid fan of Donald Trump, and would praise his election to the Presidency and dismiss critics as narrow minded and ignorant.
   Those looking for parallels between Herbert Hoover and Donald Trump will find that both were successful in business. Beyond that, there are few. Hoover was widely respected for his efforts helping others following World War I, and was recruited again by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to organize relief efforts during the Great Depression.
   Can the same be said about Donald Trump? Has he built a reputation for helping others in times of economic stress? Answer to both questions is No.
   So if any comparison is to be made, it could be of Donald Trump and Archie Bunker, who was widely portrayed as an arrogant, ignorant bigot.
   Readers can choose whether the comparison is valid.
   Meanwhile, watch for economic developments over the next few months, and whether America continues its recovery from the Great Recession of eight years ago or stumbles into another economic pit under President Bunker.
   Er, Trump.