Rand,
I assume you mean the Senate by Congress, as Repubs dominated the House during that entire time period. My guess is that the "many government programs and policies" you are talking about are the ones instituted that prevented many Americans from literally starving to death in the 30's. The programs that put people to work. I recognize that FDR was leaning a bit to the Socialist camp, but he saved our country (not that I have anything against Socialists, in fact I lean heavily that way myself). But he put our country back to work, led us through WWII, and set up the conditions that allowed for the end of segregation. Liberal - yes, bad -no.
One of the funny things (on an aside) my ultra-right brother (not Repub, way way to the right, he has a poster of McVeigh on his wall bearing the slogan "last American Patriot") likes to talk about is how Democrats (he uses liberals) sold out our country by abandoning the gold standard. First of all when questioned he has no real idea of what it means (kind of like "Zellinger" vs. "Zeilinger", remember Rand?). Second he attributes it to liberals when it was a Republican idea to start with, only adopted by Dems when it was neccessary. I think it is a great idea and conservatives should be proud. But it is funny that it is remembered as a crazy liberal idea. Just my aside.