I wouldn't say that people were "deranged" about Roosevelt - the man was resolutely opposed to the principles on which this republic was founded - invidivual liberty, limited government, the whole ball of wax. (Just look at the stuff that got shot down by the Supreme Court early on, if you think I'm exaggerating) His only saving grace was that in his third term in office he found an enemy even worse than he was. (And an ally still more monstrous, although modern liberals excoriating Reagan for his alliances with unsavory dictators seem to forget that...)

Bush, by any reasonable historical standard, is a moderate leftist. Claiming that he's a wingnut because of his "right-wing" views is a sure sign that one is out of touch with reality.

I would agree totally that a reasonable person should oppose most of what Roosevelt stood for.

But the response was "deranged" because many people were not reacting on the basis of principle or ideas, but because the political and social world they grew up with and assumed was a settled thing was suddenly gone. And the opposition was often expressed in hatred for FDR personally all out of measure to his personal faults. The millions who listened to Father Coughlin were reacting in a deranged fashion, though they may have unconsciously have been showing wisdom.

The heading of this post made me think of an email I received from an American friend earlier today with this Subject line:
"LET'S DO IT TEMPORARILY....THREE GENERATIONS";
and it went like this:
"The Republicans should back off and let men marry men;
women marry women,
and totally legalize abortion. Within three
generations there will be no
more Democrats."

Sorry about the slight digression ;-)