General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: 9 Ways FDR's 'New Deal' Purposely Excluded Blacks [View all]BzaDem
(11,142 posts)When people point out why Obama couldn't go way above and beyond what he was able to get passed (why single payer was a pipe dream in 2009, etc), others respond citing FDR. If FDR could pass a new deal, why couldn't Obama? In general, FDR is cited for the general proposition that it is easier to make large policy changes than the nay-sayers think.
Of course, that is largely false. One reason is that the democratic party under FDR practically had veto-proof majorities in Congress -- majorities we haven't come close to since the 60s.
But the other reason is that even with such gigantic majorities, FDR simply could not pass his program without substantial support from the racist wing of the Democratic party (one of the larger parts of the coalition at the time). Our political system requires a much greater consensus among many different levers of power to change anything, compared to other political systems. The exclusion of African Americans from the New Deal is a sad, sorry consequence of that fact.
This is not to excuse FDR in any way. Rather, it is to stop viewing FDR's policies through rose-colored glasses. People should stop using FDR as precedent for big progressive change being easy (or only a matter of willpower, or only a matter of electing the right President, etc). His policies show how structurally difficult it is to actually pass progressive legislation that benefits everyone, which he did not.