On Thu, 26 Jan 2006 19:54:07 -0500 turbulo at aol.com writes:
> Jim F. wrote:
>
> Not too many now a days. But if we look back to
> the 1930s there were many people in the Democrats
> who were, at least rhetorically, committed to ending
> capitalism. The CPUSA threw its support behind
> FDR in his second term and lots of genuine radicals
> were staffing the New Deal agencies. Both Paul
> Sweezy and Harry Magdoff were examples of the
> kinds of people who attempted to make the New Deal
> work.
>
> _______________
>
> Just because socialiats supported the New Deal doesn't mean that
> Roosevelt and the people who ran the New Deal supported socialism.
I never said they did. Roosevelt was always very frank about how he was doing what he was doing to save capitalism. However, back then he did have lots of supporters who were more or less socialists. But at that time there were some top ranking Democrats who were willing to accept more radical measures than what FDR was willing to contemplate. His third term vice president, Henry Wallace, would later campaign for president on a platform which promised to nationalize certain key industries.
> Case in point: In 1934 Upton Sinclair, a leader of the Socialist
> Party (as well as famous author), won the Democratic nomination for
> governor of California. He ran on a platform of "production for
> use," which called for the expropriation for public use of all idle
> capitalst property in the state. Roosevelt gave his support in this
> election to the Republican candidate. He opposed the candidate of
> his own party before he would associate himself with encroachments
> upon private property.