"My tongue will tell the anger of my heart,
Or else my heart concealing it will break." - The Bard....
“An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of a Republic.”
- Plutarch....
Need Little. Want Less. Love More.
Monday, February 22, 2016
Millennials Speak
From today's NYTimes, in response to a Blow article disparaging those who support Bernie as urealistic.
What frustrates me as a millennial is that I was
brought up being told that Franklin D. Roosevelt was one of the
greatest presidents in history because he was so liberal, and not just
for his time. His economic bill of rights (which sadly never saw the
light of day) guaranteed, among other things, that every citizen in the
country has the right to a paying job. Many living politicians in the
Democratic establishment sing the praises of President Roosevelt,
calling him one of the greatest presidents to ever live, comparing him
to Lincoln, and claiming that the New Deal saved the country from
economic ruin. He was so popular that the Constitution was amended so
that no future president could be elected as many times as he was.
Now,
seventy years after President Roosevelt died, a candidate comes along
with an awfully similar message, and the Democratic establishment
completely turns their backs him. So it's become very easy to see where
the rhetoric ends, and where Democrats (including you, Mr. Blow)
actually stand on liberal policy.
And don't lecture me about how
his agenda will never get passed. The New Deal didn't exactly sail
through Congress, and a lot of what did got struck down by the Supreme
Court. FDR was called a tyrant and a communist, among other things.
Still, his courage, his leadership, and the boldness of his vision
survive, despite the political realities of his time--it lives on in
Bernie Sanders, not Hillary Clinton.
Now, seventy years after President Roosevelt died, a candidate comes along with an awfully similar message, and the Democratic establishment completely turns their backs him. So it's become very easy to see where the rhetoric ends, and where Democrats (including you, Mr. Blow) actually stand on liberal policy.
And don't lecture me about how his agenda will never get passed. The New Deal didn't exactly sail through Congress, and a lot of what did got struck down by the Supreme Court. FDR was called a tyrant and a communist, among other things. Still, his courage, his leadership, and the boldness of his vision survive, despite the political realities of his time--it lives on in Bernie Sanders, not Hillary Clinton.