‘Today, I express a certainty’
| 'Today, I express a certainty'  Franklin D. Roosevelt delivers his national radio address on December 24, 1943, at his home in Hyde Park, New York.  Two years in, the pandemic seems to have dragged on forever. And the end seems dispiritingly distant as the Omicron variant of the coronavirus rages and much of the world, outside of the richest nations, waits in vain for vaccines.
The worst public health emergency in 100 years is an outlier among other crises that have stalked developed countries in modern times, including economic recessions, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, civil unrest, endemic poverty and national disasters. That's because there's probably not one human being who has not seen their freedom curtailed, health compromised, prospects dimmed or family ties interrupted owing to Covid-19. The closest equivalent of shared suffering may be World War II, when the dangers and deprivations of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen abroad were mirrored at home, with air raids in Europe and a mass civilian mobilization in the name of the war effort in the United States. Then, as now, memories of pre-crisis life were fading, and the end was over a horizon clouded by fear and tragedy.
President Franklin Roosevelt set out in his Christmas address in 1943 to instill optimism and determination among his compatriots and to steel them for losses to come with a vision of life as it had once been known returning better than before. Predicting ultimate victory, he promised education, jobs and economic security to the millions of Americans fighting abroad when they came home. An early version, if you like, of President Joe Biden's Build Back Better. Six months before the D-Day Normandy invasion, FDR drew the line under past reversals in the fight against "international gangsterism and brutal aggression in Europe and in Asia."
Recalling the previous two wartime festive seasons, he remarked, "We have said, 'Merry Christmas—Happy New Year,' but we have known in our hearts that the clouds which have hung over our world have prevented us from saying it with full sincerity and conviction." From his home in Hyde Park, New York, he went on: "On Christmas Eve this year—I can say to you that at last we may look forward into the future with real, substantial confidence that, however great the cost, 'peace on earth, good will toward men' can be and will be realized and insured. This year I can say that. Last year I could not do more than express a hope. Today I express a certainty—though the cost may be high and the time may be long."
Roosevelt had spent a decade forging a relationship with Americans he addressed as "my friends" through his Fireside Chats on the radio. His tone was one of a benevolent but firm leader taking his fellow citizens into his confidence. On this occasion, he offered a sweeping survey of the war in the Pacific and Europe, after recently returning from strategy talks with leaders of Russia, China and Britain.
Listening to FDR decades on, it's hard to imagine an American leader ever again being able to co-opt such a sense of national unity in the face of a common crisis. The pandemic has shattered any such illusions that the national good could surmount the politics of a bitter, divided era. But his words are a reminder that however dark the present seems, hopes for the future can never be truly extinguished, and they underscore the power of strong, yet often elusive, political leadership. This is as welcome now, as America contemplates its third pandemic year, as it was after two years of an earlier national crisis, on Christmas Eve 78 years ago. Stephen, Caitlin and Shelby wish those who celebrate the compliments of the season from Washington, New York and New Orleans. Thanks for sticking with us for another year, and for the emails and feedback – all of which we read. We'll be back in your inboxes on January 3.
 The US Capitol Christmas tree, under a waning gibbous Moon, on December 23, 2021. View in browser | All CNN Newsletters
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