FDR the patron saint of progressives.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1937 "
court-packing" plan was a failed legislative initiative to expand the U.S. Supreme Court by adding up to six new justices, aiming to overcome judicial opposition to his New Deal programs. Officially titled the Judicial Procedures Reform Bill of 1937, it proposed that the president could appoint a new justice for every sitting justice over 70 who refused to retire. The Senate rejected the plan, which was widely criticized as an attempt to undermine judicial independence, although the Court soon began upholding New Deal legislation.
FDR & The Court Packing Controversy documents President's Roosevelt attempt to expand the Supreme Court in the face of opposition to New Deal initiatives: Full Documentary Script
supremecourthistory.org
Is there a relevant reason for bringing up FDR in a thread about current movement towards fascism/authoritarianism?
Trump is more blatant and aggressive, but he is not new as a 'threat to democracy'.
We have been a plutocracy from the founding.
The president was to be elected by the Electoral College by electors who were landowners and business owners, not by ordinary citizens. They did not want a populist like Trump.
People use the words fascist, oligarchy, and plutocracy without underthings.
Big business has political induce, but economic decisions are disturbed throughout the economy based in large part on supply and demand.
The government and business leaders at he top actuality have a lot less power over the economy than people think.
It is a stretch to call us fascist. States have a high degree of autonomy despite Trump's attempts to intimidate and control. The courts sometimes support Trump and sometimes not as it should be. The SCOTUS ruling on tariffs was a major blow to Trump.
A plutocracy is a society governed by the wealthy, where economic power translates directly into political influence. Historically, this included the Roman Empire, Venetian Republic, and pre-WWII Japan. Modern examples often cited by critics due to high wealth inequality and corporate influence include the United States, Russia, and the City of London.
Oligarchies today are systems where a small, wealthy, or powerful elite dominates political and economic decisions. Prominent examples include Russia (wealthy business leaders controlling state power), China (upper-echelon Party members and tycoons), and Iran (interconnected clerical, military, and business elites)
. Other examples include the Philippines, and, by some analysis, the United States due to extreme economic inequality influencing policy.
Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology that emerged in early 20th-century Europe, characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition, and the subordination of individual interests for the perceived good of the nation or race
. It promotes a centralized state, militarism, and a cult of personality around a leader who promises national rejuvenation.
Exactly like that
