"Not only did FDR make good on helping the average person, he put a sign on it (literally - think of all those Work Projects Administration logos that still grace our manhole covers and sidewalks) to make sure everyone knew that big, bold government wasn't the problem, but the solution - despite what rich men wanted the public to believe."
"As he was sworn in for his second term (of four, take that President Trump!), FDR said he was "determined to make every American citizen the subject of his country's interest and concern," because the "test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.""
"Roosevelt created jobs paid for by government; he created Social Security; he created a coalition that improbably managed to include both Black Americans everywhere and white Southerners, northern industrialists and rural farmers. In the end, he created a United States where people could try, fail and have the helping hand to get back up again - the real underpinning of the American dream."
Proposition 50 has passed, reducing the nonstop press attention on Gavin Newsom. The suggested path is to emulate Franklin D. Roosevelt's big-tent governance that combined inclusive values, equity, and dignity with tangible benefits and public projects. Roosevelt implemented government-paid jobs, Social Security, visible Works Progress Administration projects, and a coalition spanning Black Americans, white Southerners, industrialists, and rural farmers. He emphasized making every citizen the subject of national concern and prioritizing provision for those with too little. Contemporary parallels include economic distress and the alliance of right-wing authoritarianism with oligarchs, making bold government solutions relevant again.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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