History looks at the New Deal...

through the perspective of successes. So what, exactly, are the measurable and specific SUCCESSES of the New Deal?"

New Deal projects, from bridges to dams, allowed a national industrialization that won us a world war. Whether that was a goal of FDR or not is extremely debatable, but it is the single largest success.

The next is the consumer confidence it instilled in an American public. Not enough, mind you, to jack the economy right in less than a year, but unprecedented nevertheless, and for better or worse, the model all recovery actions are measured against.

What pisses me off more than anything is the lack of GOALS any new NEW DEAL plan has. To legislate a further $800 billion stimulus (Obama's current plan) to bail out a failing auto industry or to prop up a broken financial market are short term goals that do not take into account the ramification of their existence. Obama waves his wand, the money goes POOF! and suddenly, for the short term, there is no crisis. How long does the Peace last? These short term economic plans using unbelievable amounts of money are signs of economic appeasement that would make Neville Chamberlain roll in his grave.

Any new NEW DEAL policy has to have long term goals. TVA and BLM agencies in the '30s had long term goals and have reaped untold benefits. Every single current plan rolled out by the current lame duck admin or the incoming admin are dealing with immediate conditions and not long term plans.

Contrast that with the new NEW DEAL plans we've discussed in the past. All addressing long term issues, (energy, education, health care) and most self sustaining programs. I refuse to acknowledge a NEW DEAL title in anything Obama does until he can claim the same. Take the lifetime earnings of the TVA and BLM and match them against money spent in WPA and CCC and other labor programs and all of a sudden, FDR isn't socialist, he's a brilliant business man. THAT is the core of the New Deal. THAT is New Deal's legacy.

When Obama comes up with programs that PAY for the social programs he's going to create, or PAY for the recovery programs he's going to make, THEN he may assume the mantle of New Deal.