Political History

In 1934, President Franklin Roosevelt asked Frances Perkins, his Secretary of Labor, to draft a plan that might help Americans escape poverty in old age. "Keep it simple," he told her. "So simple that everybody will understand it." On August 14, 1935, after bargaining in Congress, Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act at a White House ceremony. The law "represents a cornerstone in a structure which is being built but is by no means complete," the President said. He… more

The election of Barack Obama to the presidency may signal more than the end of an era of Republican presidential dominance and conservative ideology. It may mark the beginning of a Fourth Republic of the United States.

In the past generation Bruce Ackerman, Theodore Lowi and I, in different ways, have used the idea of "republics" to understand American history. Since the French Revolution, France has been governed by five republics (plus two empires, a directory and a fascist dictatorship). Since the American Revolution, we Americans have been governed… more

President-Elect Barack Obama has made plenty of promises about what he's going to do: provide tax relief to the middle class, rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, invest in renewable energy, ensure that all children receive a first-rate education, and make health care accessible and affordable for every American--all while taming the nation's monstrous deficit.

But as Peter Drucker made clear, Obama's success may well hinge on what he chooses not to do.

It is absolutely crucial, Drucker wrote in a 1993 piece in which he dispensed a… more

Throughout his extraordinary run for the nation's highest office, President-elect Barack Obama has been compared to a number of political leaders: he reminded some of the oratory and vitality of John F. Kennedy, the pragmatism of Franklin Roosevelt, the transformational influence of Ronald Reagan and even the middle-class populism of Bill Clinton.

But in his acceptance speech last night in Chicago's Grant Park, Barack Obama showed that when it comes to a political model, he has loftier aspirations. He evoked none of the above leaders, but instead… more

After nearly two years of speeches, punditry, polls, robo-calls, debates, attack ads, position papers, bumper stickers and campaign rallies the decision about the race for the White House in 2008 is finally where it should be: in the hands of the voters. Today, millions upon millions of Americans will choose their 44th president.

Of course, some voters will be filled with joy after tonight and others won’t. But whatever the outcome, it’s worth standing back for a second and reminding ourselves of the wonder of American democracy.… more

Nelson Rising, chairman of Tom Bradley's 1982 campaign for California governor, still remembers the phone call. Bradley called him shortly after 4 a.m. on a long Election Night, when it was clear Bradley had lost to Republican George Deukmejian. "You were right," Bradley told Rising a bit wearily. With those words, Bradley, the Democratic mayor of Los Angeles, acknowledged that a political mistake had cost him the governorship. And, despite all the theories that the election produced a "Bradley effect" that could… more

On the panel this week, Jane Hall of the American University; syndicated columnist Cal Thomas; Jim Pinkerton, columnist and fellow, New America Foundation; and Kirsten Powers, New York Post columnist and FOX News analyst...

JIM PINKERTON, COLUMNIST & EDITOR, NEW AMERICAN MAGAZINE: I'm sure you would agree, if McCain were ahead by seven points, according to most polls, that the press would declare this election over. And don't -- don't no Republican go better to vote. As Howard Kurtz said in The Washington Post, as far as the… more

John McCain, struggling to catch up with Barack Obama in the last days of the campaign, has finally found a theme for a campaign that until now has lacked one. He is running for the White House to defend capitalism against socialism. Because Barack Obama in an unguarded moment to Joe the Plumber said he wanted to "spread the wealth," McCain and Palin are painting the Senator from Illinois as a "redistributionist" or "redistributor" (they can't decide on the appropriate term), a subversive and sinister figure… more

This programme is set entirely at Jefferson's estate at Monticello, with its vineyards and plantation "street" where slaves once lived and worked and will consider some of the key "Jeffersonian principles".

It highlights the contradictions of Jefferson the man and shows how his vision continues to define the continent of America and its relationship with the world today.

Michael Lind of New America Foundation is featured. LINK to audio

An old adage about America's first helmsmen is that "Washington reigned, Hamilton ruled, and Jefferson complained." The contemporary version might say that "Bush reigned, Cheney ruled, and Congress, the nation, and the world complained."

Richard Cheney has sculpted the vice presidency in a way never seen before. He revolutionized an office that has turned many of its occupants into obscure eccentrics--one that Benjamin Franklin referred to as "Your Superfluous Excellency." Cheney refused to do state funerals. Instead, he rerouted the in- and outboxes of power in the… more