Q: Talk about the political partnership between Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt.
A: Well, at the time, we certainly regarded them as partners. We did not know what has since come out about the difficulties of their marital life, or the problems that Franklin gave Eleanor and his mother gave Eleanor, in many respects. We didn't know much about that. They seemed like a team. And I think it is fair to say that Roosevelt was the consummate politician and that Eleanor was the socially conscious activist. It gave them a nice combination of yang and yin, which they took advantage of. And I think it worked very well for them politically.
Q: What did you think about Eleanor's political skills and insights?
A: I think she was a shrewd politician, and very good in public relations, although she had the usual media help in this. As a Republican and a conservative, I can say ruefully that the Democrats and the liberals tend to get it; that when she said something, it was put in a nice way and highlighted properly by the appropriate media, so that it sounded good. And if something came along that didn't sound so good, it perhaps didn't always get out there as it should have. But given the fact that she had the help, nonetheless she knew how to use it. And she used it very effectively.
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