In his next State of the Union
address, Roosevelt unveiled
his proposal for an “Economic Bill of Rights.” It included eight bullet
points covering the rights to work, food, clothing, and leisure; freedom from monopolies
and unfair competition; additional rights to housing, education, medical care,
and Social Security. Bowles had hoped that FDR would make this the centerpiece
of his 1944 campaign. He did not. He ran mainly as a wartime president. He
mentioned the matter only one more time, in a late October speech in Chicago. But
even those scant mentions committed the Democratic Party to a postwar program
of economic Keynesianism.
I say Biden and his team should seriously
think about going this route—and making the rhetorical commitment on which FDR
passed. He should unveil a modern, updated Economic Bill of Rights and make it
the centerpiece of his campaign. As for the planks, here are a few preliminary
thoughts: a simple, straightforward declaration that he and the Democratic
Party will take the side of average Americans over the rich; a right to a job
for anyone who wants one and a decent wage for anyone working full time; a
right to basic healthcare; a right to equal treatment of all in the economic
realm; a right to an affordable education. Additionally, there should be a
clarion call against the pernicious influence of monopoly power, a commitment
to continue fighting the effects of climate change, and a promise to act on the
housing crisis.
Something like this says to people:
We’re on your side. And it would need to do something else, too. It has to name
a few enemies. I think most people hear “I’m on your side” as an empty promise.
But when “I’m on your side” is backed up by specific pledges to take on some
specific powerful interests—the pharmaceutical lobby, the large meat processors,
Elon Musk—then people pay a little more attention.