The battle between conservatism and progressivism/liberalism has been an never ending struggle throughout American history, going back to the time of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, and the creation of the first political party system in the Federalist Era of the 1790s.
After a half century of conservatism in charge in the Gilded Age and early Progressive Era, in 1912, we finally had the triumph of progressivism with the election of Woodrow Wilson, and the stellar second place finish of Theodore Roosevelt on the Progressive Party line. Wilson proceeded to promote economic and social reforms, partly based on Roosevelt’s ideas, and partly his own, and much of what was accomplished in the second decade of the 20th century remains with us today.
Reversion to Gilded Age mentality occurred under GOP Presidents in the 1920s and early 1930s, and the Great Depression led to a smashing landslide for Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930s and 1940s, with the New Deal expanding much of what TR and Wilson had advocated, and additional ideas growing out of the economic crisis.
Harry Truman attempted more reforms in the late 1940s and early 1950s, but most were stymied by a conservative resurgence, and a similar situation existed in the Eisenhower years, and the Kennedy Presidency.
But when Lyndon B. Johnson came in after the assassination of President Kennedy, he dedicated himself to accomplishment of what FDR, Truman, and Kennedy could not achieve, and to expand beyond the New Deal of FDR with the Great Society.
The Republican Party and conservatives saw an opportunity to negate all of the economic and social changes of TR, Wilson and FDR, and Barry Goldwater, the 1964 right wing opponent of Johnson, declared war on the New Deal, and the result was a landslide defeat, and the greatest expansion of progressivism yet in our history.
By the time that Ronald Reagan won a victory for conservatives in 1980, and continuing through George W. Bush leaving in 2009, Republicans and the right wing set out to reverse the Great Society and New Deal, one program at a time, with Democrats being able to stop complete destruction, but Republicans and conservatives nipping away at one area of policy after another, and in the process increasing our national debt from $1 trillion when Reagan became President to $10.5 trillion when George W. Bush left office.
Barack Obama came in with the intention of solidifying the New Deal and Great Society, and also bringing a new Progressive Era. And now Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are declaring war on everything that has been done by the federal government in the past century—from TR, to Wilson, to FDR, to Truman, even to Ike, to JFK, LBJ, even Nixon, Carter, even George H. W. Bush, to Clinton, to Obama–in their desire to make America ever more an oligarchy, a corporate dominated nation, and to destroy the middle class and the poor, and return us to the Gilded Age that began in the 1870s!
So 2012 is the most ideological election since 1964, as that election was the most ideological election since 1912!
The future of every social and economic reform of the past century is at stake in this election, and progressives and liberals cannot afford to sit on the sidelines, as this is as Theodore Roosevelt dramatically called it a century ago, an ultimate battle of Armageddon for the future of America!
Hello Professor,
I like your annalist and comparisons over the history of our country. I think you have come upon something all should take notice. I heard an interesting bit this morning stating that LBJ called in Eisenhower to help him and give him help and what is needed to do to be a competent President….and Eisenhower was glad to do so in a real way.
Those were different times back then and with the current Political Atmosphere there is no collaboration with the Republican Party so long it is anything not verbatim to their policies…..which are to destroy Working Middle Class progresses made since 1912.
Even Clinton and G. H. W. Bush are working together on current projects and REALLY LIKE Each Other.
This election is about so much and especially the future viewpoints of the Supreme Court.
You are absolutely right about the Supreme Court, and I have written about this already, and will do more as the election comes closer. NOTHING matters more than who picks the future Supreme Court and lower federal court judges. as they serve for life until retirement or death!
I’m thrilled that Romney/Ryan and the Republican majority in BOTH Houses will immediately begin to reverse the damage liberals have done to our nation.
The New Deal extended the Great Depression and additional 7 years–the single worst double dip economic collapse in the last century. The so-called “Great Society” of LBJ has now been proven an absolute failure–$Trillions spent to “eliminate poverty as we know it” down the drain to no effect (except to destroy the traditionally strong families of poor African Americans and strand millions in the prison of dependence on the federal government.
Here’s a clue for you. Romney/Ryan will win by double digits, professor. Obama and the Dems know this (their internal polling is horrendous), that is why they are attempting to redirect the campaign into one of purely personal attacks rather than on policy issues (and even when the do address issues, they lie as you have already shown).
They will try to focus on negative attacks and lies, but the campaign will be run on the state of the economy and President Obama and the Democrat Party’s pathetic handling of it.
They will fail.
This is a real “change election” in which America once more turns its back on the repeatedly failed socialist policies of the left.
I am glad that you are so optimistic about the election, but for you to attack the New Deal and Great Society, which despite some faults, have humanized this country in so many ways, is astounding.
So you would have us go back to the Gilded Age and 1920s, a full century and more back.
Now that is progress, is it?
Well, it will not fly in this country, as the elite two percent have had more acquisition of wealth than even Great Britain, and the bloodletting will be stopped, as it was temporarily by tax increases on the wealthy in the Clinton era, leading to prosperity.
Oh Professor,
This is just too funny if it were not such a sad statement of mindless pabulum being feed to some people.
Just another Lemming repeating from the “Mirage Of Seductions” masters. I guess the banking laws and regulation that were put into place in 1932 to address the “Republican Caused Depression” back then (and that is what The Great Depression was called and referred to at that time)….and then we had the repealing of those exact same laws that were put into place under the mantle…”The Problem Is Too Much Regulations” and the repealing the last of those laws in the 2002 -2004 Republican Controlled White House, Congress and Senate…having the exact same effect as it did in 1929. Gee Go Figure?!?!? “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.â€
Yes another “Republican Caused Crash and Depression” from their abuses….but as “Blow Hard Radio” has propagated this “Mirage Of Seduction” and what this non-thinking person is mindlessly Parroting….I guess it was all the Democrats fault….Yea it only worked well for the past 80 years before the banking laws and regulations were removed by the “Republican’s Control†returning us right back to 1929….the GOOD OLD DAYS…..RIGHT??
With my 150 family legacy of belonging to the Republican Party…I know my parents would be very disapointed iwith the mindless aspects that has taken over their Party.
Yes, the conservative state of mind never learns, because, ultimately, they are only concerned about themselves, not about society at all.
The whole concept of sharing, of thinking about others’ welfare does not exist in their mind. Everything is ME, ME, ME, rather than WE, WE, WE!
I don’t know how such people think, but that is what makes life interesting.
Thanks for your support!