S8 Ep1119: The Townsend Plan and the Radio Priest Guest: David Pietrusza Book Title: Roosevelt Sweeps Nation: FDR's 1936 Landslide and the Triumph of the Liberal Ideal Two unconventional figures heavily influenced Roosevelt's 1936 strategy: Dr. Francis Townsend and
The John Batchelor Show
John Batchelor
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🗓️ 12 July 2026
⏱️ 14 minutes
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Summary
The Townsend Plan and the Radio Priest Guest: David Pietrusza Book Title: Roosevelt Sweeps Nation: FDR's 1936 Landslide and the Triumph of the Liberal Ideal Two unconventional figures heavily influenced Roosevelt's 1936 strategy: Dr. Francis Townsend and Father Charles Coughlin. Townsend, a physician, gained a massive following with his plan to provide $200 a month to everyone over 60, provided they retired and spent the money within 30 days. Though Roosevelt initially disliked the idea of "government checks," the political pressure from Townsend Clubs forced his hand. Consequently, Social Security was introduced largely as a reactive measure to neutralize Townsend's momentum. Meanwhile, Father Coughlin, a Canadian-born Roman Catholic priest, became a radio sensation with a voice that rivaled Roosevelt's for intimacy and warmth. Initially a supporter who coined the phrase "Roosevelt or Ruin," Coughlin turned against the President when he felt his influence on monetary policy was ignored. In a surreal meeting arranged by Joseph P. Kennedy at Hyde Park in September 1935 — the morning after Huey Long's death — Coughlin and FDR spent six hours conferring. The meeting failed to reconcile them, and Coughlin soon teamed up with Townsend and Gerald L.K. Smith to form the Union Party. They nominated Congressman William Lemke to run for president, hoping to force the election into the House of Representatives. However, as political amateurs, they struggled to even get on the ballot in major states like New York or California, ultimately failing to derail the Roosevelt machine. (3)
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| 0:32.5 | This is CBSI and the world with David Petrucia, the author of the new book, Roosevelt Sweeps Nation. |
| 0:39.6 | I'm John Batchelor, and we're about to look at two of the most important figures of the 1936 election, |
| 0:47.1 | who were not elected, but made very important contributions to how the president Franklin Roosevelt saw his campaign ahead. |
| 0:57.0 | The first is Francis Everett Townsend, born 1867, a senior figure who is a physician, |
| 1:04.0 | and he comes forward with the Townsend plan. |
| 1:07.0 | This is in the time of great want and doubt for the people who are elderly in America. |
| 1:15.5 | At that time, that was considered 60 years plus was elderly. |
| 1:20.1 | David Francis Townsend looks to be an amateur, and the fact that he enters into politics at all is so unlikely. What do we need to know about |
| 1:29.6 | how Roosevelt thought of Townsend? Well, Townsend was this old geezer doctor who writes a letter |
| 1:36.7 | to the local paper saying we've got to have this plan which is going to give $200 a month |
| 1:43.9 | to everyone over 60 and they will have to do two things |
| 1:49.1 | for it one not work anywhere and two spend it all in 30 days he thinks this is going to be create a |
| 1:56.5 | velocity of money with sort of like priming the pump, getting the economy up and running. |
| 2:05.0 | He's a pretty dull fellow otherwise, but millions and millions of people join these Townsend |
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