Doing Debt Ceiling Battle the FDR Way

from Too Much: A Commentary on Excess and Inequality:



Doing Debt Ceiling Battle the FDR Way
July 31, 2011

At times of national fiscal crisis, President Franklin Roosevelt ever so firmly believed, you don’t give the awesomely affluent a free pass. You pound them — and then you pound them some more.

By Sam Pizzigati


Against a Congress where zealously rich people-friendly conservatives hold the upper hand, how much can a President of the United States committed to greater equality realistically hope to accomplish?

The answer from today’s White House: not much. Advocacy for equality has to take a backseat, Obama administration insiders insist, once fanatical friends of the fortunate in Congress recklessly put at risk our nation’s full faith and credit.

But history offers another alternative. Back in 1943, halfway through World War II, a President of the United States confronted a debt ceiling crisis eerily similar to our own. That President, Franklin Roosevelt, faced a congressional opposition to inconveniencing the rich — with higher taxes — every bit as rabid as ours.

FDR’s choice, in the face of this opposition? He doubled down on equality. .............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://toomuchonline.org/debt-ceiling-history-fdr-way/

The Obscenely Wealthy were isolated.

And more than 60% name that as the best way to get out of our (fake) debt crisis.

It doesn't get better than that.

THEN
77th congress 1941-1943 House D 267 R 162 Senate D 66 R 28
78th congress 1943-1945 House D 222 R 209 Senate D 57 R 38

TODAY
111th congress House D 178 R 256 Senate D 57 R 41

Observation: Repubs did REALLY well in '42, picking up 45 House seats and 10 Senate seats -- almost like the 2010 election.

However, that didn't make FDR turn to jello and give up on 10 years of progress.

The numbers I listed show the Republican pick-up in 1942 and if you read them you can see that FDR after loosing 45 seats in the house still had a majority. The results in 1942 were no where near what happened to the House in 2010 where the Republicans ended up with a 79 vote majority which included 60-70 tea-party maniacs. In 1942 we were also involved in World War II which according to most historians and economists was the tipping point in ending the Great Depression.

and still gave things away

but yes he had a large majority in the house and many good progressive bills were passed there and would have been signed by the president but they died in a Blue Dog/ Lieberman final say Senate. In todays real world you do not control the Senate unless you have 60+ majority. The senate is dysfunctional. The filibuster is King. These are facts and to not recognize them is being dishonest.