But there’s a right way and a wrong way to revive Roosevelt. Before we allow anyone to assume his mantle, let’s separate candidates merely seeking inspiration for big ideas from those misappropriating his legacy. He’s betting that a younger post-Cold War generation won’t conflate his brand of democratic socialism with communism, as many of their elders wrongly do. Derided as a pampered lightweight (“Feather-Duster Roosevelt”), he was barely nominated on the fourth ballot at the 1932 Democratic Convention. The “New Deal for America” that Roosevelt offered in his electrifying acceptance speech that year contained few specifics.

Source: New York Times June 21, 2019 09:56 UTC