Teddy Roosevelt Make America Great Again

In recent months, American progressives have gotten nostalgic for a "Roosevelt-style" presidency. I agree with those progressives, but I think they are nostalgic for the wrong Roosevelt.

Democrats are nostalgic for President Franklin D. Roosevelt (D-New York) because of the growing coronavirus depression. I disagree, America doesn't need another FDR. Instead, America needs some other Theodore Roosevelt (R-New York).

21st Century America needs another TR, not another FDR. Both President Roosevelts were swell reformers and presidents, but Teddy Roosevelt was the better President and the meliorate man.

Why we need another Theodore Roosevelt

More than chiefly, Theodore Roosevelt (unlike FDR) was a fearless fighter and tireless crusader. Franklin spent his career going along with the party and making backroom deals. Theodore spent his career challenging, opposing, and fighting the power structure.

In his career, FDR ever backed down in the face of power. TR's career was a constant claiming to ability. Theodore Roosevelt took the giant risks Franklin was afraid to consider.

For example, Franklin D. Roosevelt refused to challenge Jim Crow's Racism. In fact, FDR was so frightened of racist Southern Democrats that he opposed laws against lynching. Additionally, FDR refused to fight for single-payer healthcare fifty-fifty at the superlative of the Great Low.

Instead, FDR's mod reputation comes from the erroneous belief that he ended the Nifty Depression. In reality, Earth War II brought an cease the Great Depression. Thus, the real architects of America's 20th Century prosperity were Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Benito Mussolini, and Hideki Tojo.

FDR merely reaped the benefits of the seeds those monsters sowed. Moreover, economic data shows FDR'due south New Bargain policies did not end the Depression. For example, America'south unemployment rate rose to xix% in 1938 after five years of New Deal programs. America's unemployment rate only fell below x% in 1941, when state of war production was booming.

The Education of Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt matters to us because he lived in an age with disturbing similarities to our time. Teddy's reaction to the evils of his age shows us a mode forward in our troubled.

Theodore Roosevelt was a child of wealth and privilege who grew up in the Frist Gilded Age of the late 19th Century. The hallmarks of the Gilded Age were incredible political corruption, rising income inequality, great wealth, growing racism, widespread voter suppression, terrible poverty, political unrest, and widespread violence.

Interestingly, Teddy Roosevelt did non begin as a radical or a crusader. Instead, TR began as a conventional Republican and a house believer in capitalism, the political status quo, and America.

Two dramatic experiences transformed TR's worldview. Kickoff in 1880, voters in Manhattan'due south 21^st  District elected Roosevelt to the New York State Associates.

In the 1880s, the New York Country Legislature was a cesspool of corruption controlled by political machines and dominated by Big Business and Big Coin. Reform bills frequently died in committee, while large corporations' pet measures sailed through the legislature. Some legislators even shook down companies with special legislation.

Roosevelt saw the destructive furnishings of money on regime beginning hand. In the Assembly, Roosevelt became a reformer challenging both Wall Street and the Political Machines.

The Transformation of Theodore Roosevelt

I important experience for TR was an come across with pioneer union leader Samuel Gompers. Theodore was serving on a committee when Gompers lobbied for a bill banning remote work past cigar makers.

Gompers was trying to cease the exploitation of children in apartment sweat shops. The matrimony leader shocked Roosevelt with his description of poverty and squalor in Manhattan tenements. Roosevelt refused to believe the horrific weather condition Gompers described existed in his hometown of Manhattan.

Gompers offered to show Roosevelt the reality of the poverty he was fighting. The always-adventurous Teddy agreed to continue. TR became horrified by what Gompers showed him families living in squalor.

In detail, Roosevelt was horrified by two immigrant families of several people living and working in ii rooms. Worst of all the terrible conditions, TR saw were just a few miles from his Manhattan birthplace.*

Theodore received a horrifying introduction to the dangers of poverty, income inequality, and the shortcomings of capitalism. Consequently, TR'southward transformation from a conventional conservative to a radical reformer began.

The Ecology Catastrophe that Fabricated Theodore Roosevelt

The side by side transforming feel in Theodore Roosevelt's life came in North Dakota's Badlands. After the deaths of his beloved mother and starting time married woman Alice, Roosevelt fled west to go a rancher.

Theodore enjoyed a few years of ranching only somewhen resumed his New York life at the urging of his second wife Edith. All the same, Roosevelt kept his Northward Dakota ranch.

In 1887, while on his second Honeymoon in Florence, TR read a frightening newspaper article. A smashing blizzard had swept through the Badlands and killed near of the cattle.

A few months after, Teddy returned to his Elkhorn Ranch to assess the harm and institute a terrifying spectacle. The once rich Prairie had become a wasteland covered with the carcasses of dead cattle. TR, a passionate hunter, found the formerly abundant wild game was scarce.

 The cause of the catastrophe was obvious; overgrazing of the plains by enormous hordes of cattle brought by corporate ranchers. The corporate ranchers had destroyed Teddy's favorite hunting grounds; and their own source of income, with irresponsible practices. Roosevelt received a first-hand education in the fragility of the surround and the subversive power of unrestrained capitalism.

Theodore Roosevelt became a conservationist and skeptical of commercialism because of his experiences in the Badlands. TR'due south experience matters to our historic period because he lived in a fourth dimension of ecological catastrophe driven by unrestrained commercialism.

Today's ecological catastrophes; such every bit Climatic change, are far greater than those in the First Gold Age but the state of affairs is similar. When he returned from the Badlands in 1887, the Theodore Roosevelt nosotros love; the fearless fighter, pioneering environmentalist, and tireless reformer was born.

Theodore the Politico

Theodore Roosevelt became a cracking leader and reformer because he was willing to work within the established political system.

TR remained loyal to the Republican Political party despite its flaws. Roosevelt remained within the political party, campaigned for its candidates, and supported its policies. Theodore even took the thankless task of being the Grand Quondam Party'due south sacrificial lamb candidate for Mayor of New York in 1886. Moreover, TR accepted another thankless office; Vice President, then viewed every bit a political dead end, in 1900.

The willingness to piece of work inside and for the party, gave Theodore to opportunity to rise to high part. Party leaders owed Roosevelt favors they had to fill. More importantly, Roosevelt learned to use political offices as a "Swell Pulpit" to promote his causes.

Equally a New York Urban center police force commissioner, Governor of New York State, and President TR was in a position to promote his reforms and policies. In those offices, Roosevelt used the media to accept his instance straight to the people and bypass the decadent political infrastructure.

Equally governor of New York State between 1897 and 1900, Theodore worked closely with the notorious Easy Dominate Thomas C. Platt. The corrupt Platt ran New York's Republican Political party and despised reformers such equally Roosevelt.

Teddy, made peace with Platt by assuasive the Easy Dominate to pick appointments to some state offices. Still, Platt had to choose the appointees from a list Roosevelt provided. The arrangement immune reform while avoiding an all-out war with Platt. Rooesvelt's peace with Platt, which eventually complanate allowed for some reform.

Roosevelt'due south Big Stick

Nevertheless Theodore as well understood when to buck the organization. In 1912, a corrupt Republican institution blocked Roosevelt'southward entrada for the nomination. For once in his life, TR stepped outside the two-party organisation and ran on the Third-Party Bull Moose or Progressive ticket.

In 1912, TR became the just tertiary-party presidential nominee in the 20th Century to get more Balloter Higher and popular votes than a major party candidate. Roosevelt received 88 Electoral College votes and 3.484 1000000 popular votes more than than President William Howard Taft (R-Ohio). Consequently, Democrat Woodrow Wilson (D-New Bailiwick of jersey) won the election in a landslide with 435 Electoral College votes.

Roosevelt's willingness to risk a third-party run sent a bulletin to political leaders. The message was take progressivism and radical reform seriously or lose. Even though Teddy lost, his actions collection both major parties to the left.

Over the adjacent decade, the US political organisation went through a radical transformation. Formerly unthinkable radical measures including elected U.South. Senators, an income taxation, the Federal Reserve System, and votes for women became police.

Those reforms simply became reality because political leaders were frightened of more third-party challenges. Past using the Big Stick of a 3rd Party Roosevelt forced reform.

Theodore'due south Flexibility of Listen

One of Theodore Roosevelt'south greatest strengths was his willingness to change his mind and consider new ideas no thing what their source.

In the 1912 presidential contest, TR ran on a platform that included federal one-time historic period pensions, unmarried-payer health insurance, and unemployment insurance. Many historians believe the 1912 Progressive Political party platform became the basis of Franklin D. Roosevelt'south Social Security plan in 1935.

The inspiration for TR's social insurance program was the German language Empire, the start government to requite its people national old-age pensions and single payer healthcare. Roosevelt copied his program from the Great German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck.

Under Bismarck, the German Empire became the start nation to adopt a social-insurance program in 1889. Like TR, Bismarck realized that the insecurity, poverty, and income inequality of 19th Century capitalism were the real roots of radical politics and violence.

Roosevelt'south willingness to abandon American exceptionalism and seek ideas in other nations improved life for all Americans. Theodore Roosevelt despised the German Empire and was horrified by its militarism and absolutism. Even so he realized the Germans had some policies that could benefit ordinary Americans and copied them.

Modernistic Americans could learn from TR past adopting the policies of strange countries. For example, nosotros could look to countries as diverse equally India, Canada, Sweden, Germany, and even the People's Democracy of China for ideas to fix our broken welfare state and economy. Roosevelt'southward story shows that Americans can adopt the good ideas of foreign countries without practicing their destructive ideologies.

Theodore Roosevelt reminds the states that true patriotism requires flexibility and open minds. TR understood that "America First" is an intellectual and political dead end that volition cripple the nation.

Who is the New Theodore Roosevelt?

In the final analysis, America could utilize a 21st Century Theodore Roosevelt. Hence we demand to identify that person.

Fortunately, in that location are some individuals with Roosevelt tendencies among our political leadership. I think the all-time possibility for a new TR is failed Presidential candidate Andrew Yang (D-New York).

Yang's life story is similar to TR'south, he began as a conventional neoliberal believing that entrepreneurship and good jobs could America's bug. Yang founded Venture for America a program that encourages higher graduates to become entrepreneurs and create jobs in Center America.

To promote Venture for America, Yang went out to the Rust Belt and realized that the rot in America went far deeper than the lack of jobs. Yang learned that capitalism was declining ordinary Americans and prepare out to fix the system.

Yang's experiences mirror those of Theodore Roosevelt who started out as a conventional Republican and concluded up promoting radical solutions including social insurance. Accordingly, Yang is a tireless advocate of the Basic Income which he calls the Freedom Dividend.

Yang took a Teddyesque grade of action in 2022 by dropping out of the Democratic presidential primary contest before Super Tuesday and endorsing Joe Biden (D-Delaware). I think Yang was in a position to win at least land on Super Tuesday. Past dropping out, Yang did Biden a favor that the presidential nominee will have to repay.

Progressives vilified Yang for that action only it could put him a position for greater political influence. There is at present talk of appointing Yang to the cabinet as U.S. Secretary of Labor or a new Secretary of Technology.

 Such offices could give Yang national stature and a bully pulpit. Similarly, Theodore Roosevelt became a national figure through the offices of US Civil Service Commissioner, New York City Constabulary Commissioner, and Assistant Secretarial assistant of the Navy.

Beyond Yang, at that place is U.Southward. Senator Kamala Harris (D-California). Harris set aside her radical beliefs and presidential aspirations to assume the thankless position of Joe Biden'southward (D-Delaware) running mate.

Hence, Harris could follow TR's path of ascending to the Presidency by replacing a conservative establishment standard bearer. Theodore Roosevelt became president after the assassination of William McKinley (R-Ohio) in 1901.

Harris could follow TR'southward example if the 78 year-old Biden dies or is driven out by sick-health. Interestingly, many progressives are attacking Harris for her pragmatism and willingness to piece of work within the party.

Teddy suffered similar attacks from First Gilded Age radicals. Ironically, those progressives could exist attacking the one person in the strongest position to carry out their agenda.

Could We Have a Republican Roosevelt Again?

There are some other intriguing possibilities for a new TR in the Republican Political party. For instance, U.s.a. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) coauthored a radical wage guarantee plan based on a proposal from Denmark in April 2020. Pundits regard Hawley as a rising conservative star.

Other Republicans who could follow the TR path include U.S. Senator Corey Gardner (R-Colorado), a conservationist who signed onto Hawley's radical wage proposal. At that place's also U.Southward. Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida) who sometimes flirts with leftist ideas.

One thing is clear however, 21st America needs the kind of leadership Theodore Roosevelt provided. Unfortunately, there appears to exist no 21st Century Theodore Roosevelt to pb united states of america out of the Second Aureate Age. Hopefully, another TR volition appear before long.

*See Theodore Roosevelt: A Life by Nathan Miller pages 144-145 for Gompers education of TR.

* See Theodore Roosevelt: A Life by Nathan Miller page 188 for the tragic stop of TR's western chance.

Another good books on Theodore Roosevelt include:

Colonel Roosevelt by Edmund Morris

The Great Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism by Doris Kearns Goodwin

1912: Wilson, Roosevelt, Taft and Debs–The Election that Inverse the State past James Chace

For a frightening even so optimistic look at the problems facing America see:

The War on Normal People: The Truth Almost America's Disappearing Jobs and Why Universal Basic Income Is Our Hereafter Past Andrew Yang

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Source: https://marketmadhouse.com/america-could-use-a-man-like-theodore-roosevelt-again/