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quaker bill

(8,264 posts)

17. yes, and I don't think they suffered illusions about it

Sun Nov 8, 2015, 07:27 AM

Nov 2015

The intent was to cage the beast and make its excesses socially tolerable. The intent was not to end the capitalist system, but to preserve it in the face of social revolutions elsewhere that were bringing more radical change.

There was sufficient anger here in the aftermath of the Great Depression to support a much more radical change. The intent of full employment policies, labor laws, minimum wages, and the creation of the social safety net was to ease the tensions at the lower end of the economic scale, where radical movements grew in other countries.

The conservatives have forgotten this, released the beast, and may yet reap the inevitable result, a radical change that they will not be comfortable with.

I would prefer the intentional approach to change as generally fewer people are hurt and the result is more predictable. In the era of Fox News, a reasoned path seems unlikely.

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Did FDR and other mid 20th century Democrats do nothing more than cage the beast? [View all] AZ Progressive Nov 2015 OP

They had faith in the electorate hifiguy Nov 2015 #1

Problem is that there are a lot of evil geniuses out there helping the rich to get richer AZ Progressive Nov 2015 #2

And nowhere near enough geniuses fighting for the rest of Americans. merrily Nov 2015 #7

They have all been infected with greed and work in the tech and finance industries... AZ Progressive Nov 2015 #9

Thing is, the rest of America isn't willing, so far, to pool its pennies and hire anyone. merrily Nov 2015 #11

It just doesn't pay as well as helping the corporatist FreakinDJ Nov 2015 #30

I disagree. F4lconF16 Nov 2015 #22

Actually some of his best legeslation came from Captains of Industry FreakinDJ Nov 2015 #31

Back then you had a lot of the big money people like Ford, who saw a problem with the workers LiberalArkie Nov 2015 #54

^^^THIS^^^ jwirr Nov 2015 #27

The beast is now global and outside any nation"s cage. leveymg Nov 2015 #3

The same nations that have been negotiating these trade deals? AZ Progressive Nov 2015 #4

Government and the economy are too important to leave to leveymg Nov 2015 #10

Yep. AND if electorates work together. New Deal conservative Hortensis Nov 2015 #19

Good points. Shared principle is more important than party, sometimes. n/t leveymg Nov 2015 #20

The FDR, Truman and LBJ administrations were the ones who acted most for the people. merrily Nov 2015 #5

FDR's one and only role model was Teddy Roosevelt, which fought for the people AZ Progressive Nov 2015 #8

I don't think anyone can be definitive about guessing motives. Both TR and FDR did a lot for merrily Nov 2015 #13

Regarding the Russian style revolution. I live in an area jwirr Nov 2015 #28

I would never say he did nothing for the poor. Doing nothing for the poor does not avert revolution. merrily Nov 2015 #34

K&R! and a boost for a valid question nt riderinthestorm Nov 2015 #6

yep that's right. Cheese Sandwich Nov 2015 #12

K&R! and a boost for a valid question riderinthestorm Nov 2015 #14

That's the conclusion I came to after studing as much of the evidence as I can find Hydra Nov 2015 #15

Roger That - The Beast Is Capitalism cantbeserious Nov 2015 #26

One question. Capitalism and socialism are both economic jwirr Nov 2015 #32

IMO, we're going to have to go to a more direct form of democracy Hydra Nov 2015 #35

Direct voting is a good idea. However if I lived in an R state jwirr Nov 2015 #37

It's a huge question as to what would happen if we really asked the people Hydra Nov 2015 #39

Yes, talk about caging a beast - rw religion and the media jwirr Nov 2015 #40

That's the big question right now Hydra Nov 2015 #41

Yes. jwirr Nov 2015 #43

Everyone is greedy The2ndWheel Nov 2015 #42

Not everyone faces the issues of need like Hitler's Germany jwirr Nov 2015 #44

The beast is capitalism, hifiguy Nov 2015 #16

Agreed. I have asked this question above. How do we protect jwirr Nov 2015 #33

yes, and I don't think they suffered illusions about it quaker bill Nov 2015 #17

That's certainly what their critics on the left said at the time (nt) Recursion Nov 2015 #18

Yes they did. F4lconF16 Nov 2015 #21

I dunno why Sanders calls himself a Democratic Socialist when he's more of a Social Democrat AZ Progressive Nov 2015 #24

Branding, probably. F4lconF16 Nov 2015 #25

I'm with you on most of this Hydra Nov 2015 #36

No. This all started with Reagan deregulating the markets and fucking up the social order. Rex Nov 2015 #23

Carter started deregulation but I would not expect you to respect history. former9thward Nov 2015 #46

Aww bless your heart. Rex Nov 2015 #47

Pains me to say it but Jimmy Carter was the first president hifiguy Nov 2015 #50

Carter was a drop in the bucket. He did not deregulate the airlines industry Rex Nov 2015 #53

Yes Kalidurga Nov 2015 #29

Humans don't like limits The2ndWheel Nov 2015 #38

i read a lot of old books, a set of oration books from early 1900. 1891 encyclopedia britannicas a-f pansypoo53219 Nov 2015 #45

I think they knew moondust Nov 2015 #48

I suspect they knew that every generation has to 'cage the beast'. The 'beast' (in one form or pampango Nov 2015 #49

Land ownership is the pinnacle of capitalism, right? Think of how INSANE it is to randys1 Nov 2015 #51

Not enough of a cage to stop the assassinations. Todays_Illusion Nov 2015 #52