When was the last Progressive Democrat in the White House ...???

[MindMover]

Was it Jimmy Carter ?

and if he was the last, my real question is who is our Progressive Democratic Presidential candidate?

[CBGLuthier]

1. 1945, but then he died and Truman took over.

[PeteSelman]

5. This is the correct answer.

And they sandbagged Wallace to get Truman in there. A real tragedy for this country.

[Smarmie Doofus]

7. +1 Henry Wallace.

Not only sandbagged but essentially written out of history.

It's like he didn't exist.

[Sherman A1]

8. Are we suggesting that Truman

Was not progressive???

[RBInMaine]

33. It's all relative. He also interned the Japanese. Was that progressive?

[Agnosticsherbet]

56. Roosevelt was a liberal not a progressive. Huey long, leader of Progressives at the time,

supported Roosevelt until 1933. Afterwards, the two became political enemies and Long was gong to run against Roosevelt. Roosevelt did work well with Republican Progressives, of which there were more than a few. All that history may sound odd, but the parties were not quite as polarized as they are today.

[Loudly]

2. I'm afraid this can only be an exercise in making the perfect the enemy of the good.

"Also under Carter's watch, the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 was passed, which phased out the Civil Aeronautics Board. He also enacted deregulation in the trucking, rail, communications, and finance industries."

Big big mistake.

[pscot]

3. We were told he was the best choice

because only a conserva-dem could be elected.

[Loudly]

9. And I remember convention delegates holding up "JC" placards.

Fully intending it to resonate with conservative Christians.

[dsc]

30. that isn't how he won the primary, not at all

In point of fact, people worried that Carter couldn't be elected as a Southern Democrat something that no none incumbent had managed in something like 100 years. That said, Carter was more conservative on some issues than Congress was.

[vi5]

4. If we view "Progressive Democrat"

As someone who holds more than 50% progressive views then I'd say Carter. As someone else in this thread pointed out, he wasn't perfect and he did some things that may have not been economically progressive. But on balance he was the last one that was more progressive than he was not.

Clinton got the needle tilting even closer to that 50% mark and straddled it a lot more than he should have.

But with Obama, given his positions on foreign policy/spying/etc., his corporate/wall street friendly views and appointments, his lackluster support of labor/unions, and his horrid positions on education I'm afraid is not even in the ballpark. It's only because Republicans have gone so far right, off the deep end batshit crazy that anyone can with a straight face try to claim that Obama is a progressive democrat in any sense of that combination of words.

[VirginiaTarheel]

42. Depends on your focus

A lot of people would say Obama is most progressive president ever besides Lincoln because if his liberal positions and actions on cultural and social issues, such as gay rights, diversity, contraception, and women's issues. The ascendancy of cultural issues in politics makes most people think of Obama ad very progressive.

[vi5]

43. Those issues are very important to me.

And if Obama showed major signs of leading on them rather than what he has done on a lot of issues, which is claim to be considering and evolving, and weighing the issue, until it comes out that the majority of the public is on one side or another, and other people doing the heavy lifting and then him swooping in and claiming some degree of credit, then I'd be more inclined to agree.

But Obama is more just the sitting Democratic president at a time when the public at large and particularly the ascendent generations are liberal on all of those issues.

[Gman]

6. FDR

[geek tragedy]

10. arguably, there never has been one.

there are multiple blemishes on FDR's record that could lead one to disqualify him

ditto Truman, Kennedy, LBJ (of course) , etc.

[cheapdate]

11. Barack Obama has pushed progressive issues

as much or more than any other recent president. His administration has championed equality and opportunity for women both at home and abroad. He has taken substantive actions for LGBT equality such as rescinding "don't ask don't tell" in the military, refusing to defend DOMA in court, and extending federal benefits to same sex partners of all federal employees. Where congress has failed to pass the DREAM act, he ordered a moratorium on deportations of immigrants brought into the country as minors. In my hometown of Murfreesboro, TN, the administration intervened on behalf of the local Muslim community in a court case over "zoning issues". The administration's intervention had a major impact in protecting the civil rights of our Muslim community. The administration has invested more in alternative and renewable energy than any other administration that I'm aware of.

Barack Obama obviously isn't perfect. His ethics and mine are oceans apart on many issues. But I believe his presidency has helped pushed the pendulum back toward the left after its unprecedented and long swing to the right. I think the right is painfully aware of this -- the left not so much. He doesn't get as much credit for that as he deserves, in my opinion.

I admire Jimmy Carter but as a president he was easily less progressive than Barack Obama. He set the stage for Reagan's awful involvement in central American politics. He pursued nuclear disarmament but championed the development of advanced military weapons systems including the Tomahawk cruise missile.

No one is perfect. There are many factors that limit what an American president can and can't do. Barack Obama is my vote (or maybe Richard Nixon who signed my all time favorite piece of legislation, the Endangered Species Act, as well as the Clean Water Act.)

[Jamaal510]

13. Couldn't have

said this better myself.

[MindMover]

14. The lead on LGBT was Joe in which he got a good tongue lashing ...

and his administration has deported more "illegals" than any president since deportation began ...

his hesitation on Keystone has countered any renewable energy related investments .... and if he says yes, well game over ...

and Raygun got into his own mess in central america by turning over politics to blood thirsty operatives ...

Tomahawks, omg, if we didn't have this weapons system, well lets just say thousands more casualties in the last 15 yrs ...

you must be a cheap date ...

[cheapdate]

21. Really? Was it was Joe Biden

who directed the Department of Justice to stop defending DOMA in federal court? Was it Joe Biden who directed the Department of Defense and the Joint Chiefs to change the policy on gays in the military? Was it Joe Biden who issued an executive order extending benefits to same sex partners of federal employees?

I think you're mistaking a media narrative for the truth. The truth is that the president has taken a strong and sustained position on LGBT equality and he has backed it up with action. And no amount of your dissembling, deflecting, and misdirecting will change that.

I said earlier I admire Jimmy Carter. Politics in Nicaragua and El Salvador were very complicated in 1977-1980. The United States under Carter was deeply involved in everything that happened. You can make what you want of the situation and you can assume that Carter's intentions were all the best. But in the end, the Carter administration's involvement with Somoza in Nicaragua and with Duarte in El Salvador helped to fuel the chaos and bloodshed that continued into the Reagan years.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have continued to deport unlawful aliens under the Obama administration just as the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service did under Jimmy Carter. It would be unrealistic to expect otherwise. Record deportations coincide with record numbers of unlawful entries. Just last week president Obama ordered a comprehensive review of U.S. deportation practices.

Some people will look at this cynically and say that the President is "only looking to score political points" or that he is only trying to deflect attention for some other reason or another. Some of those same people say the same thing about practically every move by the president that has a positive effect on human dignity or protects human rights. They can't ever concede that this president is ever motivated by decency or compassion.

Have you ever met anyone like that?

[MindMover]

22. Your rewriting of history is not working ..

The VP started the dialogue and the President had to finish it ...

The facts about Raygun and his operatives is way old news ...

And again the fact that this President has deported more illegals than any President before him is just fact ...

I have my eyes wide open and actions speak louder than all the B.S. ...and I have met many that are to close to see clearly .

We will see whether this President is motivated by decency and compassion when he says no to Keystone ..

[cheapdate]

24. Wow. Joe Biden should speak more often.

His words seem to have a very powerful effect on the president's actions in your view. There would seem to be a lot of good that could happen if only Joe Biden would speak the words and thus compel the president to "finish it".

I think that's a simplification to the point of absurdity. The administration has vigorously defended voting rights in states all across the nation where they have been under assault by GOP controlled state houses. The administration has had many successes and some failures. Does the president get any credit for defending voting rights or was that only because of Joe Biden?

The facts about the United States' involvement in the bloodshed in central America are "old news". The policies of the Reagan administration were a continuation and expansion of the policies begun in the Carter administration. I admire Jimmy Carter and I loathe Ronald Reagan. But the hard reality is that Carter's involvement or "meddling" in central America ultimately led to more harm than good. His intentions may have been good, but he was played.

Record deportations coincide with record numbers of unlawful entries. Deportations resulting from apprehension at the border due to increased border security contribute significantly to the total numbers. Percentages and not absolute totals are what's important in quantifying things that depend on natural population growth. This president has continued to deport unlawful aliens just as every American president before him has done. He has made it a priority to use what influence he can to persuade the congress to act to reform US immigration law. The fact that he has not succeeded in persuading the GOP controlled house shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who has occasionally followed US politics since 2009. The president has spoken positively about immigrants on many occasions, including in his last state of the union address. As I said earlier, he ordered a moratorium on deportation of aliens brought to this country as minors and last week ordered a comprehensive review of US deportation practices. I think the president and his administration are doing what they can to reform the way the government deals with immigration.

Regarding Keystone, we'll see what happens. Nothing has been decided publicly. The house GOP tried to force the president's hand last year and they lost. Secretary of State John Kerry hasn't announced his position but he's known to be sympathetic to protecting the environment. Environmental ethics are not one of Obama's strong suits, but it's not certain what he'll decide. Win or lose, it's not over. This is a battle that will continue in both Canada and the United States.

[dsc]

31. there have not been a record number of entries

quite the opposite, we have had fewer attempts at entry.

[cheapdate]

36. I was referring to the overall number of undocumented people in the country generally,

Last edited Sun Mar 16, 2014, 01:09 PM - Edit history (2)

which a recent Pew study estimated at 11.7 million, down slightly from the record 12.2 million in 2007 during the peak of the housing boom.

It's difficult to arrive at reliable estimates of entry attempts, but there's no doubt that they fell sharply after the housing collapse and Great Recession of 2007-2009.

Like most Americans, my ancestors were immigrants. I believe that immigrants have the right to come to America to look for opportunity to work or a place to live. The US immigration system is the crime -- not the immigrants.

[Tarheel_Dem]

26. Oops! That's gonna leave a mark. Wish I could rec it!

[JoeyT]

37. Did Joe Biden haul Rick Warren up on stage?

Then send out talking points to scream at everyone that objected?

Pointing out that his sudden dramatic shift in favor of gay marriage took place when he found out it might cost him an election isn't being cynical, it's being factually accurate. That's when his sudden dramatic shift in opposition to it happened too.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/05/timeline-of-obamas-evolving-on-same-sex-marriage/ provides a handy timeline up to a bit before the 2012 elections:

Notice how he went from "I favor legalizing same-sex marriage." in 96 to "What I believe is that marriage is between a man and a woman." in 2004. So he went from being on the right side, to being on the wrong side. Then stayed on the wrong side for forever. He even tried the "states rights" dodge.

Remember all the GayTM is closed remarks and insistence that LGBT people shouldn't support someone that doesn't support them? Some of the people here cheering revised history should. They screamed bloody fucking murder about it, in an attempt to get LGBT people to be quiet.

Yes, he deserves praise for being on the right side now, and for the work he's done. That doesn't mean he gets to rewrite history.

[cheapdate]

38. I'm familiar with the cynical argument

that everything positive thing that Barack Obama says or does, he does from pure, cold, political calculation (and every negative thing he does represents his true, genuine personality.)

The Republicans excoriated John Kerry for his capacity to have an open mind and to adjust his thinking on issues over time. They called it "flip-flopping" and considered it a disqualifying character flaw and a serious negative trait. I couldn't disagree more with that way of thinking. An open mind is unequivocally a positive trait in my view.

For purposes of argument, I will almost always assume that people believe in what they're saying -- that they're telling the truth. For instance, if Rick Santorum says that he believes that same-sex marriage will lead to the collapse of American families, I assume that he's telling the truth as he believes it.

I can't argue with you over Barack Obama's private motives or inner thoughts on same-sex marriage. I see a personal position that has changed over time and a president that has done more to advance LGBT equality and recognition on a national level than any person who has come before.

[JoePhilly]

40. Which President ended DADT ... Biden or Obama?

[mikekohr]

16. Well written, well reasoned, spot on. Great Post!

not enough of this on this site.

[cheapdate]

25. Thank you.

Last edited Sun Mar 16, 2014, 12:48 PM - Edit history (1)

[lostincalifornia]

53. There is actual merit in that statement. However, since his term is not over, I choose LBJ as the

last one as far a social issues are concerned

[whistler162]

12. According to many on here.... never!

If the President breaks one supposed credo of a "progressive" he is no longer considered "progressive".

[blkmusclmachine]

15. NO WAY on Carter. He was definitely a ConservaDem.

[Rowdyboy]

17. Eleanor Roosevelt.....

[malthaussen]

34. +1

-- Mal

[Jakes Progress]

41. Yep. +1

[TBF]

46. Now that is a decent answer. nt

[davidpdx]

50. I like that one too

She would have been a kickass president.

[Hippo_Tron]

18. We've never really had one

A progressive president would be one with a strong commitment to both economic and social justice as well as a dovish foreign policy. FDR was great on the first and the third, as World War II was probably the only conflict in the last century that was absolutely necessary to fight. But his civil rights record was fucking abysmal, not to mention internment of the Japanese.

Truman was good on the first and the second, but sucked on the third using two nuclear bombs on Japan, beginning the military industrial complex, and getting into Korea.

JFK didn't live long enough to really judge his presidency in comparison to others.

LBJ was great on one and two, sucked on the third.

Carter, Clinton, and Obama have all been medicore on all three.

[MindMover]

23. Thank you for having your eyes wide open ...

[joshcryer]

28. FDR was also a big proponent of saving "savage Indians."

He considered civilization a godsend to "those people."

[daybranch]

19. wrong question

When was last democratic who supported progressive economic ideas in the White House? Who was the last President who understood the relationship between the ability of consumers to purchase and the health of our economy? Who was the last President who actually stood up for the financial heaslth of the American people against Wall Street, corporations, and banking forces? Who and when?
For an economic system to flourish and help its citizens, we need a basic structure containing
-an adequately informed populace
-an adequately educated populace and
-an election system which weighs each vote the same.
The moneyed interests have been attacking these for a long time. Faux news and the purchasing of main stream media to ensure the public is uninformed is obvious. Their attacks on public education and support for charter school is a great example of denying education to the general populace. Their use of Gerrymandering is a monstrously successful stealing of the power of our votes.
Of these three, the most immediate and most damaging is taking away the power of our votes and denying us representational democracy through Gerrymandering.
I define corruption as the serving of big donors at the expense of the constituents are were elected to serve. The purpose of Gerrymandering is to allow you to profit from corruption without voter interference and those in or running for public office who support Gerrymandering support corruption. The power of Gerrymandering is monstrous. In Ohio 106 of 109 officials legislators were elected by Gerrymandering. Three quarters of our members of the US House are Republicans even though the votes for each party were about the same across Ohio. Getting anything done to support the people of Ohio is about impossible.
We need your help. No matter your location, your age, your political affiliation, we are all served by representatives accountable to the citizenry and this is not the case under Gerrymandering. One thing about Democracy, working for it anywhere is working for it everywhere. Creating democracy again in Ohio, creates more democracy in the US Congress. If the makeup of our representatives in the House reflected the makeup of the votes cast in our state you would have 4 less Republicans and 4 more Democrats there. It is obvious that the battle against Gerrymandering should be one all Democrats and any non corrupt Republican should support. Please help us, you can do this by first going on our MoveON petition and pledging your support. This is not a plea for money but a plea for you to identify yourself as one who will standup for democracy. The link to our petition is http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/gerrymandering-in-ohio?source=c.fwd&r_by=99591 Thank you.

[alcibiades_mystery]

20. Currently

[joshcryer]

29. Personally, ideologically, yes.

Carter brought the surgence of religion into politics (not re-surgance because historically religion was not a political thing; even though JFK was the "first Catholic" it was a media creation, not a big deal for the American people).

He was anti-choice.

Anti-marijuana.

Anti-gay marriage.

Carter of today is much more ideologically left than Carter of then.

Obama's ideology has shown throughout his Presidency and ideologically, not politically, personally, philosophically, he is the most progressive President.

But actions speak louder than words or personal opinions.

[dsc]

32. It was a big deal that Kennedy was Catholic

the Southern Democratic vote upon which we still depended was made much harder to get by his religion. Many, if not most, southern protestants thought all Catholics were papists who took orders from the Pope.

[greatlaurel]

44. Well said

Stating that a Catholic running for president in 1960 was not a big deal is just wrong. Either you were not yet born or were isolated from the common religious bigotry of the time period. It was a very big deal in a lot of places outside the South, as well.

[joshcryer]

58. I was more talking about how religion wasn't a factor until that.

And Carter channeled it once it became an "issue."

[joshcryer]

27. Never.

[RBInMaine]

35. PROGRESSIVE means PROGRESS not purity.

[craigmatic]

39. LBJ I like Carter but he was liberal on social issues and conservative with money.

[polichick]

45. Who is our progressive Democratic presidential candidate?

If we end up with one, Dems and Indies will come to the polls in big numbers - but would the Dem establishment allow it?

[Recursion]

47. 2009-2017

Sorry, but this is what progressivism looks like in the actual world.

[Zynx]

48. Obama is the most progressive president since LBJ.

I'd say our only progressive presidents in our whole history have been FDR, Truman, and LBJ.

[treestar]

49. When was the last progressive congress?

You need both.

[davidpdx]

51. Very true

If we can get a progressive majority in both the House and Senate there would be many things we could accomplish.

[lostincalifornia]

52. Actually Jimmy Carter started the deregulation of the airline industry. The last social Democrat

was LBJ

[Agnosticsherbet]

54. Johnson was the last true liberal with his great society programs, Title IX, Civil Rights Act.

Jimmy Carter was a Fiscally Conservaive Social Liberal, left of Clinton but a bit to the Rilght of Johnson. Was he progressive? How do you define progressive?

[Sarah Ibarruri]

55. And what happened since 1981? This country swung right wing. I'm not talking about

politicians only. I'm talking about people, citizens. They drank the Kool-Aid. We've got to first convince the people that they're cutting off their nose to spite their face. Where I live, I'm surrounded by right wingers everywhere, and none of them are politicians. They're ordinary people that vote. Scary. Before you can make a change, you've got to change the opinions of the country.

[MannyGoldstein]

57. LBJ

Elizabeth Warren.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

59. Depends on how your define "Progressive Democrat"

The answer could range anywhere from "right now" to "never" and just about every Democrat in between.