<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=192888919167017&amp;ev=PageView&amp;noscript=1">
Monday, March 18, 2024
March 18, 2024

Linkedin Pinterest

Letter: Numbers in power rule legislation

By
Published:

If Democratic Party primary candidate Bernie Sanders wants to be as transformative a president as Franklin Roosevelt was, that is not going to happen. Eighty years ago, the Democrats owned Congress.

From 1933 up to 1939, Roosevelt’s party held an average of 220 more seats in the House than the GOP did. Republican membership dropped from 117 in 1933 to 88 by 1937 out of a total of 435. The numbers in the Senate were almost as lopsided, with the Democrats enjoying a 70 percent majority. Is it any wonder that the New Deal legislation got passed?

Today, the Republicans control Congress and especially so in the House of Representatives. Whatever sweeping legislation Sanders now proposes is nothing more than wishful thinking, given the weaker stature of the Democratic Party relative to the past. Nor will his presence significantly alter the numbers to his advantage.

We encourage readers to express their views about public issues. Letters to the editor are subject to editing for brevity and clarity. Limit letters to 200 words (100 words if endorsing or opposing a political candidate or ballot measure) and allow 30 days between submissions. Send Us a Letter
Loading...