Discussion Post
Part I
• According to Milkis, what was Roosevelt's motive in his attempt to transform the institution of the presidency and reorganize the executive branch? Why does Milkis see this as a Third New Deal?
• How successful was Roosevelt in this attempted transformation? What was the longer-term impact of this effort?
• How did Roosevelt connect his efforts to specific traditions in American political culture? Why was it important to frame the New Deal as an updated kind of liberal Americanism? (You can also draw on the speech from Roosevelt here.)
• How would you relate the analysis provided by Milkis to the Skocpol & Finegold argument?
Part II
• How do Hacker and Pierson understand the nature of business power in U.S. politics? Why do they think this power can fluctuate?
• If business interests were powerful and opposed to social welfare policies, what happened in the 1930s to make these policies possible (in particular Social Security)? Why did this kind of policy shift have to happen nationally instead of emerging by different states enacting such reforms?
• How does the piece by Hacker and Pierson offer a challenge to the focus on state capacity and government actors put forward by Skocpol and Finegold (what Hacker and Pierson call "institutionalist" approaches)? Is it possible to combine these perspectives?
• Does the possibility that business interests were politically weak in the 1930s mean they had no impact on New Deal policies? Was the New Deal about a shift in class politics with mobilized workers gaining more influence? Are there reasons the political power of business might have a resurgence after the 1930s?
The response must include a reference list. One-inch margins, double-space, Using Times New Roman 12 pnt font and APA style of writing and citations.