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Written by Raymond John
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Wednesday, 28 May 2008 00:00 |
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George Santayana, the great philosopher, once observed that he who does not learn from history is doomed to repeat it. Often this has had dire consequences. In today's world, history repeating itself can be a good thing. Hold on to your hats, my friends. A new wave of Progressivism is about to reach our shores.
The first wave hit in the late 1890s and lasted until the early 1920s. Aimed at the excesses of the Robber Barons, it transformed American politics and led to the establishment of the Sierra Club and governmental oversight of our food and drugs. The spirit crossed party lines, beginning with Theodore Roosevelt and ending with Woodrow Wilson. It went into hibernation with FDR and hasn't reappeared since. I think it is rising again.
Ironically, at least in light of today's political makeup, the movement was spearheaded by staunch Republicans. Theodore Roosevelt and "Battle Bob" LaFollette began their careers as advocates for governmental reform in New York and Wisconsin, respectively. Their main opponent was William Howard Taft, also a Republican. Democrats of the day, led by William Jennings Bryan, were Populists intent on breaking the power of the wealthy by eliminating the Gold Standard and introducing Silver. The Democratic party was dominated by political machines that controlled nearly all the cities' politics and were fierce opponents to the Progressive efforts for Good Government.
Some may be surprised that the Republican Party was the party of reform, but it had been since the time of Abraham Lincoln. Lest we forget, the advocates for slavery were Democrats. The Republican Party rose as a coalition of mostly white Protestant advocates for free enterprise, opposed to slavery and the ne'er-do-well Irish in the Democratic Party. To them, slavery was an evil remnant of Medieval Catholic society operating in America with the support of immigrants and the blessing of the Federal government. Never mind that the slaveholders were mostly White Protestants, too.
Republicans continued to be the party of reform as small businessmen tried to compete against the fraud and favoritism of the party bosses and machine politics in the cities. Governmental contracts were profitable, and the outsider Republicans wanted in on the local gravy trains. Their party already owned the bigger trains and reaped the benefits of governmental control of Washington. Yes, my friends, the Robber Barons were Republicans, too. As the Barons' excesses became more obvious, smaller entrepreneurs and reformers began to break ranks to become the reform or Progressive Republicans. The business wing got the presidential nominations, and the reformers, lesser lights, were often the vice-presidential candidates.
With the assassination of William McKinley in 1901, Vice President Theodore Roosevelt and the Progressives got their chance and ushered in a new age of politics and a new way of life. John McCain may not be a Progressive in the Roosevelt model, but he is light years away from our current Big Oil president on environmental issues. In my considered opinion, the true Progressives of today can be found in the Democratic Party, largely due to Teddy's cousin, Franklin.
In the first Roosevelt's era, the gadflies for pointing out the areas that most needed reform were--give ourselves a pat on the back--writers. Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle--exposing the horrors of the meat-packing industry. Roosevelt reportedly had a conniption when he learned about it, shouting "My God, is this true? We have to do something about it!" He did. He set up a governmental department that later became the Food and Drug Administration. Journalists like Ida Tarbell, collectively known as Muckrakers, reported on working conditions of labor and the unbridled growth of Standard Oil. Roosevelt was no friend of labor unions, but he saw the need to stop industry from using the anti-trust laws against the unions.
He was determined to usher in a Golden Age, an age when government would be run scientifically, and therefore efficiently. Universities were the laboratories for producing the formulas for success. One need especially close to Roosevelt's heart was protection of natural resources. He infuriated the wealthy plutocrats of his party by setting aside millions of acres for national parks. Despite his accomplishments, he also was the person who was most responsible for the destruction of the progressive wing of the party.
It all started when he announced he wouldn't run for a second term as president. Taft and the business wing were delighted because they saw it as a chance to retake control. When Roosevelt realized that the Party would undo all the work he had started, he decided to run again. The Old Guard were in control and nominated Taft. Angry and disillusioned, Roosevelt broke away and started the Progressive or Bull Moose party. When he lost, the reformists would never again have much of a say in the Republican Party.
But now, as Bob Dylan observed, the times they are a-changing. The old economy was based on the automobile and the unbridled growth of consumerism. Global warming and the excesses of consumerism have led to anger much like our earlier countrymen felt against the Robber Barons. Like it or not, both parties' candidates have a new way of conducting business. A government report names polar bears as an endangered species and blames the melting of the Polar Ice Cap, but it does not connect this to a need to change policy and thus slow global warming. This toothless admission by President Bush that warming is a fact would have been heartily endorsed by Taft. As Taft would have done, Bush vehemently denies that any changes are necessary.
Teddy Roosevelt would never have bought it and John McCain doesn't seem to buy it, either. His way of dealing with the issue may be different from Senators Obama and Clinton, but he is firmly behind the necessity for change. With Progressives uniting in both parties, the Old Guard must be shivering in their boots.
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Copyright © 2010 The Books of Raymond John. All Rights Reserved.
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Author Notes (Blog) 
