FDR: Advice to Young Progressives

It is interesting to compare Franklin Roosevelt's advice to the Young Democrats of his day, to the actions and politicies of the present Democratic President.

"From the beginning, democracy has meant progress and its battle ever since Jefferson's time has been a steady conflict with the forces of reaction and special favors. Every time the policies involving greater opportunities for the common man have triumphed, our political enemies have sought to minimize those policies and to neutralize the decisions of the people. Today is no exception to that classical course of events.

Uniformly the party of Nicholas Biddle of Jackson's time, of Quay and Hanna of the Cleveland era and of the Theodore Roosevelt period has bowed to the progressive wing to the extent of pretending accord with the objectives of the progressive administrations but has found fault with the methods requisite for putting and keeping these principles at work.

Uniformly have they appealed to such elements in our own party as dreaded the departure from ancient habits or were responsive to the powerful agencies that financed and controlled local politics. Probably the hoariest story of corruption in American elections is the history of those monied magnates who contributed vastly to the campaigns of candidates of both parties with the idea that they could continue control regardless of the way which the political cat jumped.

Just as there are progressives in the Republican ranks, so there are reactionaries in our own party. Political affiliation is often the child of hereditary principles, begotten in the first instance of issues of terrific importance in the beginning but which have no more significance at present than the inflamed controversy of a century and a half ago as to whether the Capital of the United States should be at Washington or somewhere on the Monongahela River.

Always has it been the aim of the enemies of liberalism to seek to attach to themselves such members of our party. Sometimes they have succeeded; sometimes they have failed.

When they have succeeded they have not infrequently been successful in their efforts to supplant a Democratic administration with a Republican administration. Such happenings, though they have brought dismay for a period, have not sufficed to stop the general and inevitable movement to make our country a better country for all of us rather than to make it a lush pasture for the seekers and holders of privilege.

Every Democratic Administration has left a progressive mark on our own history and has influenced world progress as well. But when it has been succeeded by a typically Republican Administration, progress has slipped backwards—sometimes a few feet and often many miles. It has been said that a great many voters today want us as a nation to stop, look and listen. What they fail to understand is that nations cannot stand still because by the very act of standing still, the rest of the procession, moving forward, inevitably leaves them in the rear. Therefore, their desire to stand still actually means moving backward in relation to the rest of the world.

Republican and Democratic reactionaries want to undo what we have accomplished in these last few years and return to the unrestricted individualism of the previous century· Republican and Democratic conservatives admit that all of our recent policies are not wrong and that many of them should be retained-but their eyes are on the present; they give no thought for the future and thus, without meaning to, are failing to solve even current social and economic problems by declining to consider the needs of tomorrow. Radicals of all kinds have some use to humanity because they have at least the imagination to think up many kinds of answers to problems even though their answers are wholly impracticable of fulfillment in the immediate future.

Liberals on the other hand are those who, unlike the radicals who want to tear up everything by the roots and plant new and untried seeds, desire to use the existing plants of civilization, to select the best of them, to water them and make them grow-not only for the present use of mankind, but also for the use of generations to come. That is why I call myself a liberal, and that is why, even if we go by the modern contraption of polls of public opinion, an overwhelming majority of younger men and women throughout the United States are on the liberal side of things.

In considering the present and the future of American politics or policies, you have the right and the duty to say to those who want to stand still—Have you no program other than standing still? We are not satisfied if you tell us glibly that you believe in taking care of old people, that you want the young people to have jobs, that you want everybody to have a job, that you believe in a fairer distribution of wealth—we insist in addition that you give us specifications of how you would do it if you were in power."

Do not let the reactionaries and the conservatives get away with fine phrases. Pin them down and make them tell you just how they would do it.

The Democratic Party will fail if it goes conservative next year, or if it is led by people who can offer naught but fine phrases.

Last Winter, in speaking at the Jackson Day Dinner, I referred to the sad state the country would be in if it had to choose between a Democratic Tweedle Dum and a Republican Tweedle Dee. I want to amend that simile, so let me put it this way: The Democratic Party will not survive as an effective force in the nation if the voters have to choose between a Republican Tweedle Dum and a Democratic Tweedle Dummer.

If we nominate conservative candidates, or lip-service candidates, on a straddle bug platform, I personally, for my own self respect and because of my long service to and belief in, liberal democracy, will find it impossible to have any active part in such an unfortunate suicide of the old Democratic Party.

I do not anticipate that any such event will take place, for I believe that the Convention will see the political wisdom, as well as the national wisdom, of giving to the voters of the United States an opportunity to maintain the practice and the policy of moving forward with a liberal and humanitarian program. A large part of the responsibility for such a choice of fundamental policies lies in the hands and in the heads of the younger men and women of the nation. Be vigilant to keep Tories from controlling your own ranks—just as vigilant as you will be to keep Tory Republicans from controlling your own nation."

Franklin D. Roosevelt, Advice to the Convention of Young Democratic Clubs of America, August 8, 1939

C. S. Lewis: On Hatred, and the Blinding Power of Extremism

“Now that I come to think of it, I remember Christian teachers telling me long ago that I must hate a bad man's actions, but not hate the bad man: or, as they would say, hate the sin but not the sinner.

For a long time I used to think this a silly, straw-splitting distinction: how could you hate what a man did and not hate the man? But years later it occurred to me that there was one man to whom I had been doing this all my life—namely myself.

However much I might dislike my own cowardice or conceit or greed, I went on loving myself. There had never been the slightest difficulty about it. In fact the very reason why I hated the things was that I loved the man. Just because I loved myself, I was sorry to find that I was the sort of man who did those things.

Consequently, Christianity does not want us to reduce by one atom the hatred we feel for cruelty and treachery. We ought to hate them. Not one word of what we have said about them needs to be unsaid.

But it does want us to hate them in the same way in which we hate things in ourselves: being sorry that the man should have done such things, and hoping, if it is anyway possible, that somehow, sometime, somewhere, he can be cured and made human again.

The real test is this. Suppose one reads a story of filthy atrocities in the paper. Then suppose that something turns up suggesting that the story might not be quite true, or not quite so bad as it was made out.

Is one's first feeling, 'Thank God, even they aren't quite so bad as that,' or is it a feeling of disappointment, and even a determination to cling to the first story for the sheer pleasure of thinking your enemies are as bad as possible?

If it is the second then it is, I am afraid, the first step in a process which, if followed to the end, will make us into devils.

You see, one is beginning to wish that black was a little blacker. If we give that wish its head, later on we shall wish to see grey as black, and then to see white itself as black.

Finally we shall insist on seeing everything -- God and our friends and ourselves included -- as bad, and not be able to stop doing it: we shall be fixed for ever in a universe of pure hatred.”

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Gold Daily and Silver Weekly Charts - 'Why the American People Hate Congress'

The metals had a nice run higher, but gold was capped below 1700 and silver at 31.

Aside from the phony fiscal cliff, nothing has changed.

I am sure Chris Christie speaks for quite a few Americans as he slammed the Republican leadership of the House for their irresponsible inaction and duplicity.

I wondered if Governor Christie, and the people of his state and of New York, were being spanked for his walking the devastated cities and beaches with Obama in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. No one likes to be Katrina'd. If so, Speaker Boehner and Leader Cantor are even lower than I had imagined. I prefer to think that they are not malicious, just arrogant and detached from the common people whom they serve.

"It is why the American people hate the Congress."

I don't think anyone should 'hate' anyone else. Perhaps it would be better to say that this is why the Congress has historically low approval ratings of around ten percent. And they don't seem to care while they are getting paid by serving wealthy benefactors.

Does the government of Greece care what the people think? Egypt? Ireland? Spain? Join the club.

Some of the Congress should be encouraged to find productive employment elsewhere. And the method by which they are paid and funded needs serious reform.

SP 500 and NDX Futures Daily Charts - Gapped and Overbought

Non-Farm Payrolls on Friday.

The fiscal cliff was a phony crisis.

Nothing has changed.

Be careful about overextending your positions though especially on the short side. This market is thoroughly artificial. It really is a shame, but not the only one.

House Republicans Leaders Refuse to Bring Hurricane Sandy Relief Bill to a Vote

For comparison, $64 billion was allocated for Katrina in 10 days.

Shame.

House Leaders Draw Ire for Dropping Sandy Relief Package

House Republicans have reversed their pledge to take up an emergency aid bill this week for states devastated by Superstorm Sandy. The move potentially leaves the $60 billion aid package to die at the end of the legislative session Thursday.

The House was expected to consider the bill today but dropped it following lengthy talks on the "fiscal cliff." The decision drew harsh condemnation from both sides of the aisle.

Republican Rep. Michael Grimm of Staten Island — one of the areas hardest hit by Superstorm Sandy — said, "It is with an extremely heavy heart that I stand here almost in disbelief and somewhat ashamed." Democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York blasted his colleagues for failing to take urgent action.

"Hurricane Sandy struck on October 29th, eight, nine weeks ago. It’s unprecedented that it should take so long. I can understand — I would not sympathize, but I can understand — with members who might say the amount requested is too much, we should change it, we should quibble with it, we should debate it.

Fine. But to ignore it, to ignore the plight of millions of American citizens? Unprecedented, disgusting, unworthy of the leadership of this House. They should reconsider, or they should hang their heads in shame, Mr. Speaker."

Net Asset Value Premiums of Certain Precious Metal Trusts and Funds

The end of year precious metals smackdown seems to have eased on schedule.

How unusual.

Premiums are still very guarded. Although stocks may not see it yet, the money sector including the metals knows that the budget discussions are still in the path ahead.

A Closer Look at the SP 500 Futures - Crisis Deferred, Not Resolved

Looks like a 'gappy New Year' from here.

The deal just kick the can down the road. Can meets foot again fairly soon when the 'debt ceiling' discussions get underway, and the intractable issue of spending cuts and 'entitlement reform' hits the table once again.

The December precious metals smackdown has certainly faded away on schedule.

There will be no sustainable recovery without reform. Stagflation still seems to be the most likely outcome, within a continuing series of 'crises' and confrontations.

Roosevelt and Lincoln both faced similar problems, with equally unruly Congresses. This is nothing new. Hard problems call out for great leadership.

So far there is little to be seen. This is the age of the modern manager and the pampered princes of the professional elite. Even the 'party of the people' has largely abandoned them.

"Why has the Democratic Party become so arrogantly detached from ordinary Americans? Though they claim to speak for the poor and dispossessed, Democrats have increasingly become the party of an upper-middle-class professional elite, top-heavy with journalists, academics and lawyers."

Camille Paglia

US House of Representatives Passes the Tax Increases Without Amendment

I have to admit that I did not think the House had it in them to take the deal as crafted by the Senate and the President, especially after having rejected Boehner's famous 'Plan B.'

The House did not insist on or even offer a single change. I am surprised.  I was expecting at least some fight.  Actually, I am astonished.

The spending cut discussion will be deferred for later, most likely as part of some debt ceiling fandango near the end of January.  Obama has threatened to ignore them.  Let's see how that one plays out.

One might expect the Congressional conservatives to be a bit irritable after eating crow on this deal, raising taxes on their wealthiest constituents with no spending cuts.

After all, the conservatives adamantly rejected a much better deal a year or so ago when Obama served up a good portion of his own constituency in a shockingly lopsided offer of cuts for revenue.

McConnell and Boehner and their Tea Party brain trust did not want to give Obama any deal at any price in order to smooth the way for their own powerful presidential play, the Mittster, riding a wave of money to victory.

I think they call this kind of a play turning chicken salad into chicken something else.

Obama was playing chess, but the loudest guys in the room thought that they were playing checkers.

And as they say in the American vernacular, You got served.

But it was not all tax increases. There were some corporate entitlements and subsidies rolled up in that bill as well.

U.S. House Passes Budget Bill, Averts Most Tax Increases
By James Rowley & Roxana Tiron
Jan 1, 2013 11:06 PM ET

The House of Representatives passed legislation averting income tax increases for most U.S. workers after Republicans abandoned their effort to attach spending cuts that would have been rejected by the Senate.

The 257-167 bipartisan vote breaks a yearlong impasse over how to head off $600 billion in tax increases and spending cuts set to begin taking effect today. The Senate passed the bill early this morning, 89-8, and it goes to President Barack Obama for his signature...