Emma hosts Eric Rauchway, Professor of History at the University of California, Davis, to discuss his recent book Why The New Deal Matters, on the lessons we can take looking back on that period in US legislative history. Professor Rauchway and Emma first reflect on the laughable comparisons Biden go as the “new FDR” towards the start of his administration, before a discussion of how FDR worked to immediately pass specific tailored legislation that has become so incredibly naturalized that we hardly think about it as social policy, ranging from social security, to our highways and parks. Next, they jump into FDR’s motives for the New Deal, looking at the growing unrest regarding the inaction of government in the midst of the great depression, and the resulting turn towards Right-wing anti-government taking off in Europe, then they discuss FDR’s aim (beyond material benefits) of re-establishing the belief that your government works for you. Professor Rauchway also dives into FDR’s relationship to civil rights, as his social policy worked to bolster indigenous land rights and Black employment opportunities, even though he really did not go out of his way to address racism and white supremacy, before he and Emma also look at the important environmental policy that came out of the New Deal as FDR saw the public relationship to public lands, and the energy we got from it, as central to restoring a feeling of power and political agency to the hands of the people. They also discuss FDR’s relationship to activism, particularly organized labor, as he worked to let workers fight for what they wanted, even with antagonism to his state, and encouraged attempts by organizers to push his policy further to the left. Wrapping up the interview, Eric and Emma take on some of FDR’s unique practices in terms of passing his agenda, before touching on the shadow of the New Deal, with its inspiration of LBJ’s administration, and why we’re overdue for a new coming of New Deal-style legislation. Emma also discusses the complete gutting of reconciliation and Israel’s more recent genocidal replacement policy.

And in the Fun Half: Emma, Brandon, and Matt celebrate one year of EmMajority Report with the masochism of admiring Sinema and Romney’s Ted Lasso cosplay alongside Amazon’s upcoming “Mayor Pete” doc, and Brandon gives his side by side comps of Lasso and Young Sheldon against the magnum opus that is United States of Al. Becky calls in to clarify that anti-natalism is, indeed, against childbirth, the MR crew admires the community-driven solution to punitive criminal justice with Dads on Duty, and Chris from Taiwan discusses his work on Sheila Nezhad’s campaign for Mayor of Minneapolis, plus, your calls and IMs!

Purchase tickets for the live show in Boston on January 16th HERE!

Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com

Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here.

Join the Majority Report Discord!
http://majoritydiscord.com/

Get all your MR merch at our store https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/

(Merch issues and concerns can be addressed here: majorityreportstore@mirrorimage.com)

You can now watch the livestream on Twitch

Check out today’s sponsor:

sunsetlakecbd is a majority employee owned farm in Vermont, producing 100% pesticide free CBD products. Great company, great product and fans of the show! Use code Leftisbest and get 20% off at http://www.sunsetlakecbd.com. And now Sunset Lake CBD has donated $2500 to the Nurses strike fund, and we encourage MR listeners to help if they can. Here’s a link to where folks can donate: https://forms.massnurses.org/we-stand-with-st-vincents-nurses/

Support the St. Vincent Nurses today as they continue to strike for a fair contract! https://action.massnurses.org/we-stand-with-st-vincents-nurses/

Subscribe to Discourse Blog, a newsletter and website for progressive essays and related fun partly run by AM Quickie writer Jack Crosbie. https://discourseblog.com/

Subscribe to AM Quickie writer Corey Pein’s podcast News from Nowhere, at https://www.patreon.com/newsfromnowhere

Check out Matt’s show, Left Reckoning, on Youtube, and subscribe on Patreon!

Subscribe to Matt’s other show Literary Hangover on Patreon!

Check out The Letterhack’s upcoming Kickstarter project for his new graphic novel! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/milagrocomic/milagro-heroe-de-las-calles

Check out Matt Binder’s YouTube channel!

Subscribe to Brandon’s show The Discourse on Patreon!

Check out The Nomiki Show live at 3 pm ET on YouTube at patreon.com/thenomikishow

Check out Jamie’s podcast, The Antifada, at patreon.com/theantifada, on iTunes, or at twitch.tv/theantifada (streaming every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 7pm ET!)

Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter:

@SamSeder

@EmmaVigeland

@MattBinder

@MattLech

@BF1nn

@BradKAlsop

Donate to the Kellogg’s Local 50G Strikers GoFundMe here.