FDR did support the idea of "a right to health care", along with things like "a decent home", and a right to a job with a decent income. Hard to get more to the left than that without starting to propose mass nationalizations. If it was just his "2nd Bill of Rights" idea than perhaps it could be dismissed as political posturing but he also extended taxes, regulations, subsidies, and general government involvement in the economy more than any president before or since.
So I'd say FDR was to the left of Obama. LBJ might be as well, he did start Medicare, Medicaid, all of the "Great Society" programs including the "War on Poverty", started the process of the feds having a greatly expanded role in education.
Kennedy? Probably not. As you point out Kennedy cut tax rates, he also didn't introduce any very large new programs that I can think of. So I'd say Obama is to the left of Kennedy.
Carter? That's the most difficult, but I think Obama is to Carter's left, if your talking about programs and proposed programs, rather than just the types of statements the two are prone to make. For example Carter started moves to deregulation that Reagan continued and is more known for.
So I'd only agree with Road Walker about FDR (definitely) and LBJ (probably). (With Carter as probably not, and Kennedy as definitely not.) |
