Does Obama Have What It Takes To Keep Our Middle Class From Slipping Away?
Despite Americans’ lack of trust in government, Obama and his supporters should take comfort in two things.
First, whether or not they believe that government actually works, the overwhelming majority of Americans believe that government should solve big problems. The doctrine of “mind your own business” is so far out of the mainstream today that few could imagine government not involved in social welfare programs like education and health care.
The era of big government is here to stay.
Second, the policies enacted by FDR created the biggest middle class in the history of human civilization. Though it has lost ground, the middle class is also here to stay. Maintaining the status quo means framing every policy decision around that class. Doing so, however, will require more left-leaning populism from this president.
He must persuade Americans that all the taken-for-granted fundamentals of modern middle-class life—healthcare, home mortgages, college education for the kids, etc.—are jeopardized by the power and greed of the new Captains of Industry.
To move the country forward, in other words, Obama must learn from the battles that FDR fought in the 1930s. Today, the stakes are just as high and the challenges are just as great.
There is hope to be found in this fact: FDR’s successes created the most prosperous three decades in American history. Obama can do the same. But where there is a way, there isn’t necessarily a will. Time will tell.
