The Hill

Could Democrats’ bold legislation bring a repeat of the 1934 midterms?


Opinion by James Roosevelt, Jr., Henry Scott Wallace, June Hopkins, Tomlin Perkins Coggeshall and Harold M. Ickes, opinion contributors - 5h ago
Democrats are on the verge of a huge legislative accomplishment, to significantly reduce energy and health care costs and tax inequality. This moment reminds us of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the historic 1934 midterm elections. There, the Democrats saw electoral gains instead of losses — generally a rare occurrence for the party in power.


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Could Democrats’ bold legislation bring a repeat of the 1934 midterms?

We, the descendants of FDR and his New Deal cabinet, believe FDR and Democrats in Congress saw gains in 1934 in large part because they weren’t afraid to propose and pass ambitious pieces of legislation known collectively as the New Deal. In 1933 and 1934, FDR and the 73rd Congress enacted a slew of historic legislation that stabilized the economy by providing jobs for millions of unemployed, rescued the banking system, held major corporations and the wealthiest more accountable, and invested heavily in basic infrastructure and the sustainability of our natural resources.
Nearly a century later, Americans are once again yearning for action to help what FDR called the “forgotten man.” With this new legislative package, the Inflation Reduction Act, Congress is poised to deliver FDR-style results. We are saddened that the legislation did not attract a single Republican vote in the closely divided Senate, forcing Democrats to resort to the process of “reconciliation” to avoid death by filibuster.
This new bill caps off a remarkable record for the 117th Congress. Less than a month after taking unified control of the White House and Congress, Democrats similarly used the reconciliation process to enact the American Rescue Plan, which produced a far bigger and faster recovery than any governmental response to an economic crisis in more than eight decades. It tamed the pandemic, reduced unemployment and cut child poverty by some 40 percent.
A string of bipartisan achievements followed, starting with a historic investment in infrastructure — both traditional (roads, bridges, schools) and modern (like broadband internet, lead-free drinking water and electric vehicle charging). To that has been added the first major gun safety legislation in 30 years, and bills to compete with China in domestic chip production and to deliver health care to veterans exposed to toxic burn pits in Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam. Schools are reopened, job creation is soaring and unemployment is historically low. It’s been a year and a half of bold accomplishments unrivaled since FDR’s first term.

Could Democrats’ bold legislation bring a repeat of the 1934 midterms? (msn.com)