#1247 The Fight for the Four Freedoms (FDR vs. Libertarianism)

Air Date: 2–5-2019
Today we take a look at the history of FDR's "Four Freedoms" and "Economic Bill of Rights" that laid the groundwork for the fight for economic freedom for all that continues to this day.

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SHOW NOTES

Ch. 1: Harvey Kaye, "The Fight for the Four Freedoms" - Book TV - Air Date 5-11-14

Harvey Kaye examines the progressivism of the Roosevelt-era and argues that a reminder of the "four freedoms" could address today's political and social issues.

Ch. 2: What Ted Cruz Doesn't Get About 'Freedom' - @Thom_Hartmann - Air Date 7-21-16

Thom talks about Ted Cruz's speech at the Republican Convention and compares his definition of 'freedom' with the way it was described by Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Ch. 3: An Overdue Second Bill of Rights Part 1 - Progressive Faith Sermons w @RevDrRay - Air Date 10-7-18

F.D.R. recognized that the original bill of rights would not be enough to make all American’s truly free and proposed an economic bill of rights. Of the eight amendments he proposed in 1944, seven are still waiting to be implemented.

Ch. 4: Fighting for the Four Freedoms - @BillMoyersHQ And Company - Air Date 4-15-14

Historian Harvey J. Kaye talks about how FDR was able to mobilize Americans to create "the strongest and most prosperous country in human history."

Ch. 5: Libertarian Definition of "Freedom" is Freedom in Name Only - Majority Report (@MajorityFM) - Air Date 8-1-13

Explaining that libertarian thinking doesn't incorporate the existence of economic coercion

Ch. 6: An Overdue Second Bill of Rights Part 2 - Progressive Faith Sermons w @RevDrRay - Air Date 10-7-18

F.D.R. recognized that the original bill of rights would not be enough to make all American’s truly free and proposed an economic bill of rights. Of the eight amendments he proposed in 1944, seven are still waiting to be implemented.

Ch. 7: Bernie Sanders & FDR's Second Bill of Rights - Berniementum - Air Date 8-12-15

President FDR's Second Bill of Rights speech - January 11, 1944 Sen. Bernie Sanders speech at the National Press Club - Mar. 9, 2015 Music - "There is Romance" by Imcompetech

Ch. 8: Fight for the Four Freedoms What Made FDR & the Greatest Generation Truly Great (w: Harvey J Kaye) - Majority Report (@MajorityFM) - Air Date 9-9-15

University of Wisconsin Professor Harvey J Kaye author of Fight for the Four Freedoms: What Made FDR and the Greatest Generation Truly Great, explains Ronald Reagan and the great pushback against a progressive America

Ch. 9: An Overdue Second Bill of Rights Part 3 - Progressive Faith Sermons w @RevDrRay - Air Date 10-7-18

F.D.R. recognized that the original bill of rights would not be enough to make all American’s truly free and proposed an economic bill of rights. Of the eight amendments he proposed in 1944, seven are still waiting to be implemented.


VOICEMAILS

Ch. 10: Sanders rant on his supporters hatred of female politicians - Jason from Chicago


FINAL COMMENTS

Ch. 11: Final comments in which I resolve the dispute over whether Bernie Sanders supporters are sexist or not


MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions):

  • Opening Theme: Loving Acoustic Instrumental by John Douglas Orr 
  • The Zeppelin - Aeronaut
  • Astrisx - Bodytonic
  • Peacoat - Studio J
  • Glass Beads - The Balloonist
  • Minutes - Pacha Faro
  • The Wooden Platform - The Bulwark
  • Cicle Veroni - Cicle Kadde
  • Entrap - Darby
  • Voicemail Music: Low Key Lost Feeling Electro by Alex Stinnent
  • Closing Music: Upbeat Laid Back Indie Rock by Alex Stinnent

 

Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

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Showing 5 reactions

  • john kozlowski
    commented 2020-02-01 07:42:40 -0500
    Bernie is polling at 22.7 as of February 1 according to Real Clear Politics among democratic candidates at a national level. Also he is polling as the leading candidate for both Iowa and New Hampshire and doing well in Nevada. Not only is he the leading progressive but he is well within striking distance of Biden on a national level. A strong Biden win in South Carolina will not erode Bernie’s standing but a weak performance by Biden may sink Biden’s candidacy. Biden’s support appears broad but weak to me and there does not seem to be any viable alternative candidate to claim his lane. It is a long way to the convention, but Bernie is really looking good. So, yep, I obviously have to eat crow on my single digits for Bernie by February call. By the way, in early recognition I had already lost our just-for-fun bet, I doubled my support for your site a few months ago. I tried to find the exact number but failed, but 538 recently had Bernie’s probability of winning the nomination at roughly 20%, quite high given the size of the field.
  • john kozlowski
    commented 2019-03-05 08:37:38 -0500
    I am referring to national polling data of democratic candidates. such as a rolling average found at sites like Real Clear Politics: (www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/president/us/2020_democratic_presidential_nomination-6730.html)
    or probably later at 538 or Gallop. 538 rightfully gives little credence to early polling. I expect Bernie will do better than my predicted 10% in a few primaries, such as New Hampshire, but overall will receive less than 10% of the final vote. I am not at all referring to approval ratings.
    To keep the “bet” specific, lets just say less than 10% for Bernie by next February in Real Clear Politics, 538, or Gallop rolling average, all inclusive, in comparison to the field of democratic candidates.
  • john kozlowski
    commented 2019-02-09 07:07:36 -0500
    Thanks for the comment/reply. Where I am coming from is that we all have a personal narrative, a “story” we tell ourselves about ourselves. Seldom does this story contain elements of acknowledged racism or sexism. Instead it is always dressed in more acceptable clothing- states rights, too much too soon, Obama is a foreign born Muslim, Crooked Hillary, etc. Hence things stick to Hillary (and currently Warren) that would not have as much traction with a male candidate and affects first choice support. However I believe this to be more on the order of 5-7% nationwide, not all explaining.

    A negative story as to Hillary or Warren is clickbait for those who hold these often unacknowledged prejudices. For example, many democrats accepted the caricature of Hillary drawn by the Republican propaganda machine to a much greater extent than the falsehoods told of Kerry or Obama. Bernie provided the spark that led to an increase in anti-Hillary sentiment among democrats, he himself did not create nor truly exploit it. I like Bernie, and I believe him to be sincere. I think he was used.

    Sides, Sesler, and Vavreck in the Identify Crisis do not see evidence of sexism distinct to Bernie supporters but also note that there was no significant difference in the progressivism of Bernie supporters versus Hillary supporters although Bernie supporters perceived themselves to be more progressive.

    I try very hard with mixed success to put aside my misogyny. I just wonder about the many who question its existence and find it inconceivable in themselves.

    Again, if Bernie does better than 10% after February 2020, I will bow to the evidence.
  • Jay Tomlinson
    commented 2019-02-07 10:43:50 -0500
    Thanks John, I find your prediction about support for Bernie to be inconceivable but I’m intrigued by the wager so I’ve made a note to check in on Bernie’s status next February. When you say “Bernie’s support” are you talking approval rating (currently standing at 57% according to https://elections.huffingtonpost.com/pollster/bernie-sanders-favorable-rating) or are we assuming he’ll be running in the primaries and you’re saying he’ll have received less than 10% of the cumulative vote at this time next year?

    As for the eventual nominee having policies that are indistinguishable from Clinton’s, that’s another interesting prediction. I’ve made another note to check up on that around convention time as it’s a second point that seems unlikely to me. In fact, even if Clinton herself ran again it’s possible, or even likely, that her 2020 positions would be quite distinguishable from her 2016 positions. This article came to mind:

    https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/12/politics/hillary-clinton-2020-donald-trump/index.html

    “On Sunday, two former advisers to Hillary Clinton made a bold claim in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. (https://www.wsj.com/articles/hillary-will-run-again-1541963599)

    “Here it is:
    “Get ready for Hillary Clinton 4.0. More than 30 years in the making, this new version of Mrs. Clinton, when she runs for president in 2020, will come full circle—back to the universal-health-care-promoting progressive firebrand of 1994. True to her name, Mrs. Clinton will fight this out until the last dog dies. She won’t let a little thing like two stunning defeats stand in the way of her claim to the White House.”

    As for the idea that most of the support for Bernie was really just anti-Clinton feelings with no better place to go, I find this to be the strangest claim. Bernie fans are often rabid in their support and adoration, that sort of thing doesn’t happen simply out of opposition to the alternative. We all hated George W Bush with a fiery passion but John Kerry wasn’t treated like a rock star at the vanguard of the revolution the way Bernie is. Also, if you recall, there was a third candidate who would have been a perfectly good choice for any anti-Clinton haters who just wanted a standard Democrat with a penis. Martin O’Malley received almost no support and his approval rating currently stands at 23% (https://elections.huffingtonpost.com/pollster/martin-o-malley-favorable-rating).

    If Bernie supporters need to understand the realities of systemic sexism, and they do, then Clinton supporters need to understand that support for Bernie based on his policies is just as real.
  • john kozlowski
    commented 2019-02-06 10:17:45 -0500
    Stronger than I would have worded it, but I really appreciated Jason’s voice mail as to Clinton and misogyny in 2016. Even more so, your response. Many Bernie supporters, women as well as men, just fail to recognize the subtle and sometimes blatant sexism extent in the campaign and how raw it has left many Clinton supporters feeling, myself included. It is particularly hard, and maybe this is just my friends, to listen to injured party rants on the behalf of Bernie. My opinion is that Bernie support primarily sprung from anti-Clinton rather than pro-progressivism sentiments, not all of them conscious. And my “proof” of this is a wager that Bernie’s support will shrink to single digits by 02/01/2020 and that the positions of the eventual nominee will be indistinguishable from those of Hillary.
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