Robert Reich: Why Obama Should Learn the Lesson of 1936, not 1996

[highplainsdem]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-reich/why-obama-should-learn-th_b_777966.html

Robert Reich
Posted: November 2, 2010 07:35 PM

Why Obama Should Learn the Lesson of 1936, not 1996

Which lesson will the president learn from the midterm election -- that of Clinton in 1996, or FDR in 1936? The choice will determine his strategy over the next two years. Hopefully, he'll find 1936 more relevant.

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Obama won't be able to win this argument by moving to the center -- seeking to paint himself as a smaller-government moderate. This only confirms the Republican's views that the central issue is size of government, that it's been too large, and the economy can improve only if it's smaller.

On the Republican playing field, Republicans always win.

Obama's best hope of reelection will be to re-frame the debate, making the central issue the power of big businesses and Wall Street to gain economic advantage at the expense of the rest of us. This is the Democratic playing field, and it's more relevant today than at any time since the 1930s.

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