1936 and 2012

[Iwillnevergiveup]

Imagine....76 years have passed. We are clearly still a work in progress.


"We (have )had to struggle with the old enemies of peace--business and financial monopoly, speculation, reckless banking, class antagonism, sectionalism, war profiteering. They had begun to consider the Government of the United States as a mere appendage to their own affairs. We know now that Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob. Never before in all our history have these forces been so united against one candidate as they stand today. They are unanimous in their hate for me--and I welcome their hatred. I should like to have it said of my first Administration that in it the forces of selfishness and of lust for power met their match. I should like to have it said of my second Administration that in it these forces met their master."

Franklin D. Roosevelt

[silverweb]

1. Too true.

[foo_bar]

2. and 1886...

In retirement, Hayes was troubled by the disparity between the rich and the poor, saying in an 1886 speech that "free government cannot long endure if property is largely in a few hands and large masses of people are unable to earn homes, education, and a support in old age." The following year, Hayes recorded his thoughts on that subject in his diary:

In church it occurred to me that it is time for the public to hear that the giant evil and danger in this country, the danger which transcends all others, is the vast wealth owned or controlled by a few persons. Money is power. In Congress, in state legislatures, in city councils, in the courts, in the political conventions, in the press, in the pulpit, in the circles of the educated and the talented, its influence is growing greater and greater. Excessive wealth in the hands of the few means extreme poverty, ignorance, vice, and wretchedness as the lot of the many. It is not yet time to debate about the remedy. The previous question is as to the danger—the evil. Let the people be fully informed and convinced as to the evil. Let them earnestly seek the remedy and it will be found. Fully to know the evil is the first step towards reaching its eradication. Henry George is strong when he portrays the rottenness of the present system. We are, to say the least, not yet ready for his remedy. We may reach and remove the difficulty by changes in the laws regulating corporations, descents of property, wills, trusts, taxation, and a host of other important interests, not omitting lands and other property.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutherford_B._Hayes

[MannyGoldstein]

3. They hated FDR for what he accomplished

Those accomplishments are why FDR won 523 of 531 electoral votes. Here's the map:



Only 16 Republicans remained in the Senate.

Delivering the goods, delivers votes.

[progressoid]

5. Yes. Which explains why they have been so blatant in their obstruction.

Even policies that they would support if a Repub had proposed, they fight because now a Democrat has endorsed it. Sad and frightening what is happening.

[MannyGoldstein]

6. How do you think FDR would have handled obstruction?

Did you know that FDR held a press conference every week? Two per week during his first hundred days.

[progressoid]

7. Yep

There is definitely a difference in execution of policies (and a difference in policies for that matter).

I'm hoping (perhaps naively) that his second term will be a little more aggressive.

[Iwillnevergiveup]

8. And like Chris Matthews pointed out

the racism is blatant. "A BLACK man in the WHITE House?? The hell, you say!"

[funflower]

9. FDR had a 2:1 majority in the senate and a 3:1 majority in the house.

It's a little easier to deliver the goods with number like that.

[iamthebandfanman]

10. Only because democrats

drove the point home about the depression that was caused by republican policies...
also what led to FDR being elected in 32, id imagine.
from 1919 until 1933, republicans controlled all houses of government..

wish we were carrying a bigger banner for our chances in the houses.. its super important to control the legislative branch of government if you want to get your policies into law

[Tigress DEM]

12. Interesting.... last Great Depression was preceeded by a Republican controlled government.

Maybe that's the lesson in all of this.

The party we are dealing with has been this party before - from 1919-1933

They lie to you.
They hand over control of government to Monopolies and wreck the economy in the process.
They punish the homeless who are the victims of their policies with vigor and ignore criminal behavior of the rich.

The GOP HAD to become a bit more compassionate just to get elected after the Great Depression, but all this crap has been there before AND CAUSED THE SAME PROBLEMS.

[Tigress DEM]

11. Very true

The obstructionist behavior of this Congress is unprescedented.

[CobaltBlue]

13. I know the feeling!

Those accomplishments are why FDR won 523 of 531 electoral votes. Here's the map:



Only 16 Republicans remained in the Senate.

Delivering the goods, delivers votes.

Reason is that the Democrats sold out the party when they started competing with Republicans for campaign contributions from corporate lobbyists.

Had the party not done that, we could/would get liberal policy and bold leadership. And, you know what? It would translate to votes and produce U.S. Popular Vote (by more than 10 percentage points) and Electoral College landslides (to the tune of 400 and beyond).

[Iwillnevergiveup]

4. THIS

is what I'd like to see happen in a 2nd term for Obama.

http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/11294-minimum-wage-raise-is-the-least-we-can-do-to-civilize-america