Who was the most progressive democratic president of the 20th Century?

[WI_DEM]

progressive may be a better word for it.

[Lord Byron]

1. LBJ was the most liberal...but that's only because he...

Johnson was the most liberal but that's only because he took liberal reforms farther than they had ever been. FDR was the most radical though, since he laid the groundwork (credit must be given to Wilson too though).

[mentalsolstice]

2. "Other"...Al Gore, elected in 2000 n/t

[WI_DEM]

5. I knew I should of put a disclaimer stating "people who actually served as president"

Yes Gore won in 2000, but he unfortunately, was never president, so we really don't know how progressive he would have been.

[mentalsolstice]

24. Just look at what he has said & done these past six years

That should give you a clue. Additionally, it's hard to say who was most progressive...measured by our current standards, or the standards of the time during which these men served?

[ShortnFiery]

3. Jimmy Carter, plus he is proud to be called "a liberal"

along with George McGovern (and little ole me). ;)

[rinsd]

4. I have to vote for FDR

The fundamental changes made during his era both in oversight and social safety nets is mind boggling.

[nam78_two]

6. Toss up between FDR & Carter

LBJ got three votes?

[stillcool]

by the nature ...

of his death alone, I think JFK was the most open-minded untethered person in that position.

[otherlander]

26. .

:wow::wow::wow:
Openminded...
You're going to hell.
Although...

After he died, I wonder who he voted for? :evilgrin:

[no_hypocrisy]

7. Wish it had been either Henry Wallace or Adlai Stevenson . . . n/t

[happyslug]

17. Why limited to post-WWII 20th Century Candidates?

From the point of where the US was when a Candidate ran and what the reforms the Candidate ran on, the most radical was William Jennings Bryan. While today know chiefly for the Scopes Monkey Trial, he also advocated Government ownership of the Railroad (Through he would drop it do to the opposition even mentioning Government Ownership of anything that was typical of the US in 1908, but advocated regulations of Railroads afterward), vote for Women (His wife was an attorney as he was, his Daughter would be elected to Congress in the 1920s), Direct election of Senators, Prohibition (more to break up the GOP control of the Cities AND the affect Alcohol has have and does have on Families), inflation when it was needed (This was his call for the "Free Minting of Silver"), opposition to imperialism (Including opposing the US annexation of the Philippines). Regulations of Corporation and banks. In fact Herbert Hoover on seeing the FDR's New Deal, called it "Bryan-ism without Bryan". If you study the man he is the founder of the Modern Liberal/Progressive wing of the Democratic Party. FDR took that wing and the economic hard times of the 1930s to get the country to support the reforms first Advocated by Bryan. LBJ took that spirit of reform to another level Carter tried to keep up that movement but the GOP and its money was back on track and had Carter Defeated. In many ways the US is back to where it was in 1896, with a Government bought and paid for (In 1896 Bryan outspent 10-1 almost defeated McKinley, in fact some observers believed Bryan won but was cheated out of the Presidency). Bryan ran again in 1900 and 1908 fighting for progressive legislation (He lost both times, through by smaller and smaller percentages). Bryan support for Wilson was critical for Wilson winning the Democratic Nomination in 1912. Bryan sat out the 1904 and 1920 elections when the Democrats picked a non-progressive to run, but plugged away for Wilson in 1912 and 1916 (Even after resigning in 1915 on Wilson's refusal to rein in the banks when it came to the war in Europe).

Thus if you want to name candidates who never were elected you must name Bryan and he should be on the top of the list.

[smoogatz]

8. It's not even close.

FDR by a mile. Most of the reforms and entitlements he put in place would never happen in today's political climate--too "socialist." As for Clinton--he was in many regards to the right of Nixon, who was far and away the most "progressive" Republican president since Lincoln.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

9. FDR. My socialist father hated him for undercutting the revolution.

He took socialist policies, watered them down, and became the 20th century's greatest president.

[WI_DEM]

14. Norman Thomas was a great man, the perennial Socialist candidate for president

during those years he got his biggest vote of over 800,000 in 1932, the year FDR was elected, and the country was deep in the depression.

[Lord Byron]

10. What was particularly liberal about Carter?

I see he got some votes.

[happyslug]

18. HE fixed the mess that was OSHA

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OHSA) had been passed over Nixon's Veto. Nixon then tried to undercut OSHA by having it enforce rules to their loony extreme. Nixon did this hoping the Country would get sick of the "radicals" in OSHA and force Congress to abolish OSHA. When Carter became President he straighten out OSHA, making it an effective enforcement agency. Carter made sure the "Stupid" rules were through out and good, workable rules implemented.

I give you an example from memory, in the meat packing industry Nixon's OSHA insisted on safety rails while the USDA (US Department of Agriculture) regs called such rails place to harbor infectious bacteria. Nixon played this dispute up as why OSHA had to go, Carter made the two agency work together to resolve the dispute. Carter OSHA removed a lot of "Stupid Rules" and ended its reputation as a government agency that interfere with the operation of business for no good reason.

[Lord Byron]

20. Oh. Thank you. n/t

[WI_DEM]

23. Add to that the Alaskan Lands Bill one of the most far-reaching

conservation acts in history. He also appointed more women and minorities than any other president up to that time to government positions/judiciary.

[sandnsea]

11. FDR was terrible on race

I can't give it to him because of that. LBJ, maybe but I can't really figure the guy out. I have to go with Carter.

[happyslug]

22. I have to forgive FDR on Race, the Country was not yet ready for desegregation.

Even Truman had a problem with race, he advocated keeping the Races separated in the 1920s (A common belief in the 1920s) but changed when he heard of a US Army officer having acid thrown on him in the south (Again this is what I remember of the Story, the rank and actual incident may be wrong). Thus Truman's Air Force was the first of the Services to integrate its forces (With the Navy, Marine Corp slowly behind, the Army was still segregated till Korea where the need for troops lead to the Army finally accepting desegregation). Truman had the Honor of Signing the Anti-Lynching act, the first significant piece of Civil Rights legislation since Reconstruction.

Truman moves were enough to to almost cost him the election of 1948. Remember how dependent the Democratic Party was on the South in those days. Blacks were Republican prior to 1948 (Eisenhower would still get almost 1/3 of the black vote in 1952 and 1956). Most Cities prior to the Great Depression were Republican. Thus William Jennings Bryan's support for the Klan (which Bryan saw as a temporary movement that would shortly die out, and it did) over the Inner city during the 1924 Democratic Convention. Bryan wanted a Progressive on the Ticket and he mongered to get one (His brother was Vice President)> Bryan did NOT see most Cities voting Democratic in 1924, and they did not, and Most Cities did not vote for Al Smith in 1928 (Through New York City did, but not New York State). The Cities were NOT ready to vote for a Democrat till 1936 (Many cities went for FDR in 1932 but the big change was in 1936 and FDR overwhelming victory that year). By 1944 the Big City Democratic had won over most Cities to the Democrats, thus by 1944 you see the Democrats getting more confident about winning without the South (but as late as 1964 and the 1964 Civil Rights Acts, more Democrats voted AGAINST the Act then For it do to the continued support in the south of the Democratic Party).

I have to agree with LBJ on this one, the Country was NOT yet ready for Civil Rights till the early 1960s, even the 1950s were to early. Once LBJ decided the timing was right he proposed and pushed through the Civil RIghts act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

My point here is while FDR record on race is worse than Truman's. Kennedy's, LBJ's and Carter's, it was better than the time period and FDR had to balance the ability to get elected with what progressive reforms he could support. Thus FDR's record was and had to be worse than the later Presidents, for he was President during a time period where the Country was NOT yet ready for Civil Rights.

[WI_DEM]

27. Yeah the country wasn't ready until 100 years after the civil war

to give full civil and voting rights to all of our citizens. Oh my, the poor whites who didn't want to share full citizenship with all people in "their" country and the leaders who didn't push them. Sorry, but I hate that argument "the country isn't ready", I hear it even now, especially about Obama "The country is not ready for a black president" and even to some extent about Hillary and a female president, so we should just continue nominating the same white men until the country is ready, and when will that be?

[happyslug]

29. The art of Politics is balancing what should be and what can be done.

In the 1880s you had the infamous "Civil Rights Cases" which cut the heart out of the Post Civil War Civil Rights acts. The Civil Rights cases restricted the Civil Rights Amendments to permitting congress to pass legislation regarding "Rights" as to those rights expressly given to individuals in the US Constitution (Remember the Bill of Rights ONLY applies to the Federal Government, the Bill of Rights does NOT apply to the states except as part of the "Due Process" clause of the 15th Amendment thus the only right was the right to vote in Federal Elections). This gutted the Civil Rights At of 1875 (WHich was very similar to the Civil Rights Act of 1964). As long as the GOP dominated the Judiciary that was the position of the Courts for the Supreme Court viewed itself as protecting the interest of the rich over the ability of the poor to outvote the rich. Given this background the Court was just hostile to the idea that people had rights against people who owned property. This attitude did not change till the 1930s when FDR started to appoint Liberal Democrats to the Court.

The next problem was once the Court was willing to support Civil Rights was Congress and the President? Truman did and signed the Anti-Lynching Act, but Eisenhower was not (Eisenhower did the minimum he could when it came to Little rock and other Southern States fighting desegregation). Eisenhower sent in troops but did not ask for legislation to help him force desegregation. This did not change even under JFK, who did activate the National Guard during some of the desegregation fights of his administration, but more to keep them in their Barracks then to use them to desegregate the schools. It was NOT till 1964 and the Civil Rights Act that you get the push, Martin Luther King's Marches in the 1950s and 1960s had pointed to the Country that Segregation must go. The images of Southern Sheriff's putting dogs on Civil Rights Marches caused the Country to demand laws to protect such people. LBJ then used that movement to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. LBJ was unable to get any Federal Support for Education during this time period but with Watergate the Country passed a Federal Aid to Public Schools Act that forbade any money from going to desegregated schools (Passed in 1974 as all opposition collapsed as the GOP saw their number of Congressmen and Senators losing badly in the Fall 1974 Elections).

Thus the issue is timing. Politicians will act when they think the majority of Americans will support them ON THIS ISSUE (and the minority who will oppose the act either will vote based on other issues or are political irrelevant). Thus you have to build up to passing a major change in the Law. The Civil Rights Acts came about do to the movement of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s onward. In more recent years look at last November's Elections, it was a open vote against this war. IT will continue to build until we withdraw. The GOP knows this and has to find a way to survive the upcoming defeat in 2008. The only way is to get out of Iraq, but Bush can not, thus this will build and build till the US gets out of Iraq. It is only a matter of time, like the Civil Rights Laws was only a matter of time once King started his marches for Civil Rights.

[TechBear_Seattle]

12. Personally, I would say Teddy Roosevelt

Among his accomplishments as president from 1901 to 1909: the break-up of 40 monopolies, the regulation of railroads, the improvement of working conditions on railroads and in mines, the Pure Food and Drug Act and the creation of the national parks system. He was a major advocate of land management and the conservation of natural resources and he supported unions against anti-union courts.

Although he was a war hawk (as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, he pushed into war with Spain in 1898,) he negotiated (and in large part wrote) the peace treaty in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) which earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906, the first American and the only sitting President so honored.

No other president, before or since, has had such a positive impact on the United States. He was everything I desperately wish the Republicans still were. Heck, he's everything I desperately wish the Democrats had ever been.

[WI_DEM]

13. how about among democratic presidents?

[TechBear_Seattle]

16. I voted for Teddy's cousin

I've heard that FDR held his older relative (4th or 5th cousins, I think) as his example of public service. I would say that Franklin D. Roosevelt was the most progressive Democrat of the 20th century, but that Theodore Roosevelt was the most progressive president, period.

[happyslug]

28. With the Bryan breathing down his neck what else could he do?

Now TR was more liberal by nature than any other Republican President (and that includes Lincoln), a good bit of TR's liberalism was HOW the country was going in 1900-1908. TR in a dinner party once told some Fellow Republicans who opposed his reforms "Support his or you will have to live under someone with even more radical ideas" (Paraphrase I have NOT looked up the exact quote.

Through TR did have the coal barons make a contract with the Mine Workers, TR did not sign or advocated any bill to help the working class (And his pressure on the Coal Barons was more to keep the Cities warm by coal then to help the mine workers). TR did NOTHING to repeal the "Gold Standard" law that tied the price of Gold to Dollars and required the US to buy Gold to keep that price constant (This was repealed by FDR for it was one of the causes of the Great Depression). TR would fail to break up Standard oil (It would last till 1912) which was the largest Monopoly in the Country. US Steel was set up as a monopoly while TR was President (A monopoly preserved by the Supreme Court in 1912 when the COurt ruled mere size does not make a Monopoly).

As to conservation, TR would appoint Gifford Pinchot as his main forest person, but would not protest when Pinchot was fired by Taft (Pinchot was fired for trying to stop the widespread clear cutting of trees so popular at the time). TR's expansion of some of the first Federal Water Works in the West lead to Corporate Farmers getting most of the benefits (Which continue to this day).

As a whole TR was a Liberal/Progressive but he was NOT a progressive as the Democrats of his day, not of the Democrats in the Bryan-FDR-Truman-JFK-LBJ and Carter tradition. TR was NOT going to support anything that restricted business, but he would support regulations that supported business (For example the Food And Drug administration passed by the Democratic Congress in 1912 to govern HOW food and drugs were processed so that no one was harmed but this appears to be more to make sure each state did not pass even stricter regulation regarding foods and drugs being sold in their states.

TR also did look for a way to undo the Locher Decision of 1905, while he was president. That Decision forbade the States from regulating hours of work a worker could work (Often called the "Freedom to starve" decision for it forbade Minimum wage laws and maximum hour work laws, not undone till the Second term of FDR and then only with FDR's famous court packing proposal).

People tend to forget that Herbert Hoover challenged FDR to a debate in 1932 on who was the more Liberal. Hoover said he was for Liberal for he believed in the rights of the Individual over that of groups (Unlike Coolidge who Hoover Succeed Hoover did believe in Government regulations in support of Business, but opposed regulations that restricted Business). FDR said he was more liberal for FDR, like Bryan before him, believe Government exist to help people in times of Crisis and to prevent such crises through government Regulation (Even if such regulation interfered with someone personal liberty). TR was more in the Herbert Hoover School of Liberalism, while FDR was more into protecting people. This was progressive in 1900 but not by 1930 and even less so today.

[saltpoint]

15. I voted for JFK, having heard the tapes of those telephone calls

between JFK, RFK, and several southern governors.

Those calls are, in a way, a catalyst for what is about to happen in the legislative history of our country.

[Virginia Dare]

19. Repukes are still trying to undo what FDR did...

I think it was supposed to be the centerpiece of the Bush Regime, but he fucked it up by getting tangled up with the neocons. Poppy's not best pleased.

[Buck Rabbit]

21. I voted for Wilson because he shouldn't be tied at the bottom with Clinton.

In his first term when he had a Democratic Congress he:

Created the FTC, and the Federal Reserve The FTC and The Clayton Anti-Trust act. The latter two both valuable tools in the War against Robber Barrons.

His second term was struck with huge adversity, World War I, a Republican Congress, The Flu Pandemic, and the failure of his own health. He did though, unsuccessfully attempt to create the League of Nations. Women's suffrage through the Nineteenth Ademendment was ratified. That alone deserves to get him ranked above Clinton.

[The Straight Story]

25. I didn't see RayGun on the list - we progressed the most under him

but not in a good way :)