| − | The Democrats are dropping the Jefferson-Jackson dinners they’ve held since 1945, to be replaced by dinners honoring Truman and "Leadership Blue."[http://article.wn.com/view/2015/07/24/out_jeffersonjackson_dinners_in_harry_truman_and_8216leaders_s/] These dinners are closely connected the ideology of President Roosevelt. When FDR was elected in 1932, the Democrats didn’t have much in the way of a discernable ideology. One of our finest conservative presidents, Grover Cleveland, was a Democrat. In fact, the party had run a conservative for president as recently as 1924. Al Smith's liberal campaign in 1928 had ended in disaster; FDR was not anxious to follow his example. The New Deal originated as a set of ''ad hoc'' emergency measures. When they seemed to work, FDR came up with the ideology of “liberalism” to justify them. Writers were commissioned to explain the new ideology to the American people. In fact, America had always been a liberal nation, or so these writers claimed. Why even Jefferson and Jackson were liberals! This is the origin of the Jefferson-Jackson iconography and the rationale for these dinners. This argument is strictly political, not a serious historical point of view. Jefferson’s signature policy was minimal federal government. Jackson was a gold bug who's administration focused much energy on opposing paper money. (Roosevelt took us off the gold standard.) Modern historians consider Jackson to be the founder of the Democratic Party, not Jefferson. Nowadays Jackson gets a lot criticism for his treatment of Indians and for his economic policies. [http://www.thepublicprofessor.com/worst-president-ever/ This blog] makes a good case that he was our worst president ever. | + | The Democrats are dropping the Jefferson-Jackson dinners they’ve held since 1945, to be replaced by dinners honoring Truman and "Leadership Blue."[http://article.wn.com/view/2015/07/24/out_jeffersonjackson_dinners_in_harry_truman_and_8216leaders_s/] These dinners are closely connected the ideology of President Roosevelt. When FDR was elected in 1932, the Democrats didn’t have much in the way of a discernable ideology. One of our finest conservative presidents, Grover Cleveland, was a Democrat. In fact, the party had run a conservative for president as recently as 1924. Al Smith's liberal campaign in 1928 had ended in disaster; FDR was not anxious to follow his example. The New Deal originated as a set of ''ad hoc'' emergency measures. When they seemed to work, FDR came up with the ideology of “liberalism” to justify them. Writers were commissioned to explain the new ideology to the American people. In fact, America had always been a liberal nation, or so these writers claimed. Why even Jefferson and Jackson were liberals! This is the origin of the Jefferson-Jackson iconography and the rationale for these dinners. This argument is strictly political, not a serious historical point of view. Jefferson’s signature policy was minimal federal government. Jackson was a gold bug who's administration focused much energy on opposing paper money. (Roosevelt took us off the gold standard.) Modern historians consider Jackson to be the founder of the Democratic Party, not Jefferson. Nowadays, Jackson gets a lot of criticism for his treatment of Indians and for his economic policies. [http://www.thepublicprofessor.com/worst-president-ever/ This blog] makes a good case that he was our worst president ever. |
| | Ending these dinners is a symbolic burial for FDR-style liberalism. Obama embodies the 1960s radicalism of the New Left. Would FDR, Truman, or JFK even recognize the Church of Gay Marriage and Abortion as their party? [[User:PeterKa|PeterKa]] ([[User talk:PeterKa|talk]]) 07:02, 16 August 2015 (EDT) | | Ending these dinners is a symbolic burial for FDR-style liberalism. Obama embodies the 1960s radicalism of the New Left. Would FDR, Truman, or JFK even recognize the Church of Gay Marriage and Abortion as their party? [[User:PeterKa|PeterKa]] ([[User talk:PeterKa|talk]]) 07:02, 16 August 2015 (EDT) |