Wallace said that he is not the most frequent attendent.Seufert, one among several non-descendants who assisted the group, said helpfully: Maybe Harold would be here now if we had better infrastructure.The descendants are a unique group in a city full of interest groups. They often refer to themselves as such in press releases and op eds. They want to improve the legacy of America's 32nd President by pushing for the 46th president to adopt a legislative agenda that is as transformative as the New Deal. They want Joe Biden embrace the idea for an activist government. They want him eliminate the filibuster. They spend hours analyzing his words to find echoes of the powerful language that defeated the Great Depression. They also devote their Wednesday night Zoom meetings (where they meet almost every week since June) to discussing ways to keep the comparisons with FDR alive. It's as if repetition could bring Bidens latent progressivism back to life.FDR's Cabinet and their descendants Grandson of President Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt U.S. president from 1933-1945 grandson Henry A. Wallace FDRs Vice President and Secretary of Agriculture and Commerce grandson Harold L. Ickes FDRs Secretary of the Interior grandson Frances Perkins FDRs Labour Secretary granddaughter of Harry Hopkins WPA Administrator and FDRs Commerce SecretaryThe FDR Zoom echoes time clearly between 1933 and 2021. It is in a state where it is possible to look back, but also forward. They are represented by their ancestors and themselves in doubles. Zoom shows Roosevelt's face framed by the bust of his grandfather. Wallace is looking over his right shoulder at a bust of his grandfather. As Roosevelt Jr. said, they are living in the 20th century, and every moment of connection between the past and present is a revelation. Biden's broadband push equals FDRs electric pushThis is the New Deal! Biden's discussion of Bidens proposed Civilian Climate Corps, an alliterative match to FDRs Civilian Conservation Corps job program, was an unmistakable evidence point that Biden, according to June Hopkins, is looking back.She said it maybe through our eyes.Washingtonians have a tendency to quickly compare the men or to disagree with the urge to compare them. In headlines over 175 this year, you'll see the names of both men side-by-side. You'll find out about how both men faced authoritarianism. In the coverage of Biden's infrastructure plan, you will see New Deal references. It's hard to believe that there has been a time when the president didn't seem on the cusp for transformational change. You will see New Deal allusions in the coverage of Bidens proposed infrastructure package.Biden was not trying to discourage people from making the comparison. We saw the first images of the Biden White House. It was clear that he had chosen a portrait by FDR as the focal point for his Oval Office. This is directly across from the Resolute Desk. Biden invited presidential historians into the White House in March. He turned to Doris Kearns Goodwin and said, "Im no FDR but And, perAxios, Why it matters: Hed love to be." They agree that Biden is not FDR's clone. However, they want him to be as close as possible to Roosevelt Jr.The descendants decided to write a full page letter to Biden in their hometown newspaper in June 2020, one year after Biden spoke at a CNN Town Hall about how to deal with crises that were even more severe than those faced by FDR.We support the work of President Biden and we try to encourage him and give the foundation for him to take it further, stated Roosevelt Jr., an attorney who chairs Democratic Party's rules and bylaws committee.Seufert asked if it would be a good moment to discuss our meeting with Secretary Walsh.He shared his Zoom screen with the group, pulling up Twitter, as he spoke. A tweet by Marty Walsh (Biden's secretary of labor), was next to the sidebar on trending topicsReal Housewives Beverly Hills, Republicans expelled from Jan. 6 select Committee. The picture showed Walsh with Frances Perkins, his predecessor as FDRs labor secretary. Perkins was the first woman Cabinet member. Walsh was present at the Wednesday night call, his first contact with the current administration.Press releases and op-eds are fine. However, getting facetime is a crucial distinction between vanity projects and influence. They hoped Walsh would help them get their message across to the White House.Seufert switched to a new tab and saw a headline from truthout.org: 84 Democrats Sign a Letter Demanding Civilian Climate Corps In Reconciliation Bill. Wallace said: This is currently huge for me. Two op-eds are already in progress: one on the racist origins and elimination of filibuster by descendants, and another on CCC.Someone claimed that they heard Senator Chuck Schumer talk about it the other night. Bernie Sanders, too. They also said that Sen. Ed Markey has leapt all over it and proposed a CCC 10 times larger than Biden's. Wallace stated that we would like to support a CCC that is as aggressive as possible. Everyone nodded, showing a level of unity that FDR's Cabinet seldom displayed.
