Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I was just beginning to watch one of my old movies on TCM and there was a snippet of a speech from Roosevelt talking about one of the social programs he promoted, but what was interesting to me is he said "We need to build from the bottom, up...not provide food from the top down". Thought it was interesting because Obama likens himself to Roosevelt but from that comment, it doesn't seem like they would agree.
Does he? He may have made a reference or two in that direction, these last years, but I don't recall one. And in fact, they are very different in approach and philosophy. Roosevelt was a patrician progressive, very much rooted in the reformist politics of the 1890s. Despite all the nonsense about socialism, Obama is a technocratic centrist, who would have been very comfortable (skin colour aside) in the Republican party of the 1950s.
I was just beginning to watch one of my old movies on TCM and there was a snippet of a speech from Roosevelt talking about one of the social programs he promoted, but what was interesting to me is he said "We need to build from the bottom, up...not provide food from the top down". Thought it was interesting because Obama likens himself to Roosevelt but from that comment, it doesn't seem like they would agree.
This is what the USA was about. It was never based on this hooray for me, to hell with you philosophy that the current radical right wing Ayn Rand subscribers would have you believe.
Does he? He may have made a reference or two in that direction, these last years, but I don't recall one. And in fact, they are very different in approach and philosophy. Roosevelt was a patrician progressive, very much rooted in the reformist politics of the 1890s. Despite all the nonsense about socialism, Obama is a technocratic centrist, who would have been very comfortable (skin colour aside) in the Republican party of the 1950s.
It kills me when right-wingers claim Obama's a socialist. Richard Nixon governed well to the left of Obama.
Lyndon Johnson - now HE was a socialist and (domestically) our greatest President after FDR - his mentor.
My history professor from this summer actually told us Obama is more communist than socialist becausecof his belief that government should run business, etc...whereas socialists believe that power should be in the hands of the people.
My history professor from this summer actually told us Obama is more communist than socialist becausecof his belief that government should run business, etc...whereas socialists believe that power should be in the hands of the people.
Did he now? Hmm, where does this history professor work? Er, I'd question his qualifications.
By the way, communists believe power should be in the hands of the people (but experience has shown it never is, it is always in the hands of the nomenklatura).
Socialists believe that government should help to ensure basic functions for the welfare of citizens: health care, education, infrastructure. Socialist regimes push for higher income taxes to pay for the safety net. This is what "real" Republicans (i.e. very rich people who exploit the fears and prejudices of poor people - simply because the very rich don't have the numbers to win elections) are afraid of: high income taxes.
In Europe, there are Socialist regimes (Scandinavia, now France) and socialist regimes (the UK, Germany, etc.). Even when conservative parties get elected, they never dismantle the social safety net that socialists had previously put in place. They wouldn't dare - they'd never get elected!
Medicare is socialized medicine - clearly. What Republican politician will openly admit to wanting to dismantle it? Only extremists who don't have a snowball's chance in hell of ever getting elected to national office.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
