Some White House insiders and commentators have said that President Obama’s legislative accomplishments make him the greatest liberal reformer since President Franklin Roosevelt.
President Obama
President Franklin Roosevelt
They forget a certain President of a generation back. This President created affirmative action in its present form. He responded decisively to an economic emergency by imposing wage and price controls. He proposed a Family Assistance Plan which would guarantee a minimum income for all Americans, and a Comprehensive Health Insurance Act which would have provided a public option as an alternative to private health insurance. He endorsed the Equal Rights Amendment for women.
The Comprehensive Health Insurance Act was rejected by Congress. So was the Family Assistance Plan, but the Earned Income Tax Credit was enacted as a substitute and compromise.
The President did sign into law the Equal Employment Opportunity Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and the Clean Air Act. His administration established the Environmental Protection Agency, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration and the Council on Environmental Quality.
On the world stage, this President negotiated with leaders of a nation which was a sworn enemy of the United States. This country financed anti-American insurgencies all over the world, including a country in which the United States was bogged down in a quagmire war. Previous Presidents had responded with economic sanctions and non-recognition, but this President and his Secretary of State were able to reach agreement.
Phil Ebersole's Blog 