Corporate Right Wing Attacks On FDR’s New Deal Still Alive & Well
Not so subtle propaganda seeks to equate capitalism with “the American Way” (Source – National Association of Manufacturers billboard, Dubuque, Iowa, 1940. (John Vachon/Library of Congress)
At a time when the Democrats and the US media seems incapable of informing the American people just what government does and what the impacts of Trump’s government shutdown are, and while calls for a “Green New Deal” – led by The Sunrise Movement – are rising throughout the land, clear understandings of the benefits of government and the history of the economic and political forces that led to – and vigorously opposed – the New Deal are required.
The same corporate right wing forces that viciously opposed FDR’s New Deal in the 1930’s were the same forces behind the 1971 Powell Memo that has led to our current entrenched Neoliberal right wing crisis of the Trump administration.
Much like today’s paranoid right wing attacks on progressive or left movements – and prior red scares – Powell wrote:
Dimensions of the Attack
No thoughtful person can question that the American economic system is under broad attack. This varies in scope, intensity, in the techniques employed, and in the level of visibility.
There always have been some who opposed the American system, and preferred socialism or some form of statism (communism or fascism). Also, there always have been critics of the system, whose criticism has been wholesome and constructive so long as the objective was to improve rather than to subvert or destroy.
But what now concerns us is quite new in the history of America. We are not dealing with sporadic or isolated attacks from a relatively few extremists or even from the minority socialist cadre. Rather, the assault on the enterprise system is broadly based and consistently pursued. It is gaining momentum and converts.
There is an organization called The Living New Deal that is a repository for much of that history – hit the link below and contribute to their efforts, as well as those of the current Sunrise Movement:
The mission of the Living New Deal is three-fold: research, presentation and education. It begins with the historical work of uncovering the immense riches of New Deal public works. That research is then made available to all through digital mapping and a website that serves as a clearinghouse for information on the New Deal. And, finally, the information gained from our work is disseminated as widely as possible through newsletters, social media, written media, interviews, lectures and other public events. ….The New Deal was America’s all-out response to unemployment, homelessness, and social inequality when government¹s highest goal was helping ordinary people prosper.Your donations to the Living New Deal are tax deductible. We are grateful for your support.