Eighty-three years ago, Franklin D. Roosevelt reminded America, “Let us not be afraid to help each other—let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us.”
In contrast, thirty-five years ago Ronald Reagan declared, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the Government, and I’m here to help.”
Twenty-five years ago, a retreating Bill Clinton acknowledged, “The era of big government is over.”
On Thursday, a somber but confident Joe Biden reminded America, “Put trust and faith in our government to fulfill its most important function, which is protecting the American people – no function more important. We need to remember the government isn’t some foreign force in a distant capital. No, it’s us. All of us. ‘We the People’…This is the United States of America, and there is nothing – nothing – from the bottom of my heart, I believe this – there is nothing we can’t do when we do it together.”
Biden’s speech marked a year of the Covid crisis, described steps for beating the virus and proclaimed the launch of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, which he signed into law earlier that day.
Most importantly, he in effect declared a return to an era of activist government that FDR initiated, that stretched for nearly half a century and that was severely curtailed by the Reagan Revolution. His legislation and address alike represent a repudiation of the path the Republican Party has increasingly taken since Reagan was sworn into office.
The ARP’s myriad features include cutting the poverty rate for children by more than half, mainly through payments that constitute a guaranteed basic income for families with kids. With provisions helping poor, middle class, urban and rural populations alike, there’s hope that at least some benefits – not least those for children – can be made permanent.
In pushing and passing the legislation, Biden built on the achievements and lessons learned during the Obama administration, including it problematically seeking compromises with recalcitrant congressional Republicans on Obamacare and the 2009 stimulus package.
True to form, not a a single Republican representative or senator voted for the ARP. That stance could be considered a modern-day echo of Nancy Reagan’s infamously ineffective anti-drug dictum, “Just Say No.”
It would be unfair and inaccurate to characterize all Republicans as being against the law, however. Polls indicate that anywhere from large minorities to actual majorities of them back it, as do many of the party’s mayors and governors. Former George W. Bush aide Michael Gerson is one of several Republican policy wonks enthusiastic about the ARP’s children-focused benefit.
Unfortunately, policy wonks are a dying breed in a party that, at least on a national level, has largely become a brain-dead cult.
Speaking of which: The new law and Biden’s speech don’t only stand in stark contrast to the Reaganesque view that government help is terrifying. They also demonstrate that the most terrifying words in the English language instead include a president asserting (exactly a year ago yesterday), “I don’t take responsibility at all” at the outset of a devastating pandemic.
Today we have a president and his administration taking responsibility for a tremendous array of relief and recovery measures that directly or indirectly help out most Americans in terms of income, health, housing or other benefits.
Big government is necessarily and absolutely back.
It’s about time.
Steve, a few caveats to add to your piece. FDR did not start out as a “big government” guy — indeed the Dems were the party of small government when he ran. It was the worst economic crisis of in American history (except actually beating the British empire in the American Revolution) that drove his calls for a more active central government. One of the key reasons it “stuck” long after the Thirties, were the back to back national security crises that followed — WW II and the Cold War. Biden is a lot like FDR in this regard: not inclined to expand the central government, but forced to do so in order to deal with an economic crisis of almost similar magnitude and a health crisis that has killed more Americans than WW II and Cold War combined. And like FDR Biden is following a failed presidency, making the case for active government even more appealing. With luck, the Dems will fill out their coalition, just as FDR and Truman did, forcing even a Republican successor (like Ike) to embrace large parts of the framework for governing for decades to come.
I agree, it kills me when I hear Republicans talking like their own entrepreneurial spirit and personal hard work ALONE made them successful. Their companies’ trucks drive on the roads and across the bridges paid for with government money, as well as using all of the rest of the infrastructure that is required in a developed economy. We need collective support for success. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is about who the “ essential” people really are. Jeff Bezos couldn’t have made so much money without the worker bees. We need the government worker bees all there for us to survive, and then thrive.
Thanks, Kathy. I suspect we may see points along the lines of what you’re quite rightly saying when Biden and the Dems roll out a massive infrastructure plan.
Brian, I should have known that a leading historian would weigh in to correct me. I welcome it and sincerely appreciate the education on the dynamics driving FDR and Biden.
I do wonder whether the otherwise moderate Biden is also being driven by the changing dynamics in the Democratic Party as it shifts further to the left and, as I noted in my post, the lessons learned from the problems Obama ran into. Those lessons include one that Biden has cited – better to risk going too big than too small – along with one he hasn’t referenced: there’s a potential electoral advantage to going big. Which brings us back to your excellent point about the Dems building a bigger, lasting coalition based partly on the ARP.
Good post, Steve.
Kelly
Thanks, Kelly.
Very interesting commentary!
Thanks for posting.
Thanks very much!