While reading the second part of City of Ambition which discusses the New Deal, I was surprised by the stubbornness of President Roosevelt. From pushing off dealing with unemployment, to constantly pushing for his own reform of decentralization, to his lack of interest in the seemingly sound idea of private subsidiaries, he is constantly ignoring what seems like common sense, to hold on to his principles. This surprised me as I had always viewed FDR’s ability to lead the nation out of the Great Depression as a result of his openness to ideas and more liberal views. However, after looking back I realized this stubbornness is actually what got him the Presidency in the first place. In truth it is not stubbornness it is actually persistence. This persistence is what allowed FDR to get through his own personal hardship with polio as well as the ensuing rough time getting back into politics. Without it, he might never have made a presidential run and be content with the being governor of New York. But this persistence and strong belief in his own reforms is what pushed him on and got him to the place he was in. After realizing this, it made a lot more sense why FDR was so persistent (not stubborn) about doing things his own way.