One major difference between now and 1934 is that New Deal programs were for the most part segregated or designed only for white Americans. African-Americans were second class citizens in the north and virtually slaves in the south. There was no significant Hispanic population, and the country was a third the size of today.
The teabaggers perceive the stimulus and HCR as a transfer of white tax dollars to minorities. (Never mind that whites will benefit from the stimulus and HCR and that minorities pay taxes.) Glen Beck even called HCR the first step to reparations.
Moreover, Roosevelt was helped immeasurably by an organized and active independent left in the form of the labor movement. Today's left is a hodgepodge of policy papers and snarky commentaries that has little positive influence outside of its own circle. ("Mostly morons," a Trotskyite friend tells me.)
Overall, Obama is faced with a much more complex society than FDR, one that has many more entrenched special interests. For example, at the time of the Depression, there was not an insurance industry, no Big Pharma, or anything resembling the scope and complexity of the modern financial sector. [Nor was there a military-industrial complex.] And few if any of the industries that existed were globalized.
Although times were worse, it's arguable that Roosevelt had an easier job in front him than Barack Obama. Even though he hasn't been perfect -- mistakes are inevitable anyway -- I admire the president's persistence...
Thanks, K. for the linkfest and the Sunday funnies. Holly House looks amazing - makes me want to leave for Ireland on the first plane out!
ReplyDeleteHey, you should submit your blog to P2Blogs (p2blogs.com)- you'd fit right in, friend.
Thanks, and I followed you advice and submitted Citizen K to P2. And you definitely want to get to Ireland!
ReplyDeleteThat Ben Sargent teacher's lounge cartoon has the potential to be oh so true! Can you imagine a push to go back to Roman numerals? Paging Christine O'Donnell! And I keep praying for Auth's vision of the divine finger-flick to actually happen.
ReplyDeleteI heard about Solomon Burke last night. There goes another voice from the soundtrack of my youth! This is getting depressing.
Ben is in a class by himself. One of the pleasures of living in Austin was getting him 3-4 times a week.
ReplyDeleteI don't know that the average teabagger could wrap his or her little brain around the reality that the concept of zero came out of the East and that Muslims first applied it.
The elections in November are interesting.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like the Teabaggers peaked in August. Their program will never have mass appeal. People want Social Security, Medicare, minimum wage etc.
Glen Beck said something insightful today. The Democratic base, won't stay in the fold forever, if they don't see results. It can take many forms including a labor party, cynicism, or even an anarchist mood.
I think the left will grow, if the economy improves, and people have confidence. Change isn't as some thing related to poverty and repression. If that was true India would have a revolution daily.
Ren, my issue with the left is that it is essentially aimless. It has a raft of policy ideas that don't coalesce into a strategic vision. Which is backwards anyway, because the vision ought to come first. Moreover, from what I've seen, there's no tactical sensibility whatsoever, in that even if it had a destination, it would have no idea of how to get there.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the Solomon Burke videos. The music world lost a giant today, in so many ways. I put up a similar tribute on Birds on a Wire, as well.
ReplyDeleteYou found some great cartoons this week. I love the one of God's hand reaching down to flick the hate-mongers using his name.
ReplyDeleteYou make a very good argument about the differences in the mid-term elections. Frankly, I don't know how the president stays sane with all the crap he has to put up with.
The Cher video of her singing "If I Could Turn Back Time" would have been appropriate for this week. I've often thought that I'd like to do just that.
Great post, my friend.
this post has got more nuggets than an ol' 49er back in the day! Love the cartoons-- so much to laugh and cry about.
ReplyDeleteI ck'd out the crocks in Costa Rica - yeah, good metaphor. I just posted about public campaign financing. It's got to be our starting point.
Hey, thanks!
ReplyDeleteCampaign spending is a good starting point. I'm stumped as to why people don't seem to care about it. It's the same old problem of too many voters not being able to connect the dots, meaning that if you really want something done about the economy, attacking the corporate takeover of elections and government is an absolute priority.