Opinion of the Great Society

[AggregateDemand]

If by "vote buying" the conservatives are referring to the support of minorities for the candidates removing racial injustice, then yes, liberals have been buying votes for years.

It doesn't work. In fact, it has been destructive in most instances, working against reasonable policy, like affirmative action (at the time) and economic stimulation to encourage full employment. The Great Society is a blight upon free society, written by a racist man who had delusions of being the FDR of his era.

[Oakvale]

Generally a failure and the classic example of the excesses of post-war liberalism. Horrible. The fact that so many of our red avatar friends still venerate this lamentable course of public policy is a testament to the power of left-leaning Nasoism.

[Rockefeller GOP]

If by "vote buying" the conservatives are referring to the support of minorities for the candidates removing racial injustice, then yes, liberals have been buying votes for years.

The vote buying refers to ACTUALLY removing racial injustice bipartisanly (CRA) but then realizing you'll always need those votes so creating programs that keep all of the down-and-out (regardless of race) dependent upon government programs that have shown no sign of improving these people's stock in life.

Pretty much doing it for political power so long that the base has started to believe the lie that liberals are the saviors of the world and the only ones who care about minorities or the poor.

[politicallefty]

FS. I'm an adamant supporter of the programs that were established, many of which are really what make this country great. Medicare and Medicaid were huge achievements that must be protected at all costs. (To be honest, my biggest complaint with the Great Society is that it didn't establish a universal healthcare program for the entire country, which really would have been the logical conclusion of the FDR/Truman legacy.)

[H. Ross Peron]

Generally a failure and the classic example of the excesses of post-war liberalism. Horrible. The fact that so many of our red avatar friends still venerate this lamentable course of public policy is a testament to the power of left-leaning Nasoism.

lol

[courts]

i wonder if eraser head or any of the other terrible nerds amazing connoisseurs of modern art here thought of marvel comics for a split second when they read this topic

[courts]

Generally a failure and the classic example of the excesses of post-war liberalism. Horrible. The fact that so many of our red avatar friends still venerate this lamentable course of public policy is a testament to the power of left-leaning Nasoism.

      marry me

[Phony Moderate]

Freedom Society. Had the presidency of LBJ not been bogged down by other events, the USA could have seen genuine social democracy implemented during the 1960s.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Generally a failure and the classic example of the excesses of post-war liberalism. Horrible. The fact that so many of our red avatar friends still venerate this lamentable course of public policy is a testament to the power of left-leaning Nasoism.

"The excesses of postwar liberalism"? Seriously, you actually buy into that talking point? Surely as a European you actually know that even after the Great Society the US welfare system lagged far behind that of virtually all other western countries.

[Clarence Boddicker]

Didn't it cut poverty by like one third? I don't see how that can be a failure. Would have been an even greater success had Nixon and Reagan not gutted it.

[courts]

Generally a failure and the classic example of the excesses of post-war liberalism. Horrible. The fact that so many of our red avatar friends still venerate this lamentable course of public policy is a testament to the power of left-leaning Nasoism.

"The excesses of postwar liberalism"? Seriously, you actually buy into that talking point? Surely as a European you actually know that even after the Great Society the US welfare system lagged far behind that of virtually all other western countries.

i don't think oak is referring to benefits per see but more the hilarious incompetence you saw with a lot of these programs particularly things like 'model cities.' nice little bit of irony there. of course there was a significant drop off in poverty among blacks and the elderly during that time period to be fair (not to be a moderate hero just saying)

[AggregateDemand]

Didn't it cut poverty by like one third? I don't see how that can be a failure. Would have been an even greater success had Nixon and Reagan not gutted it.

It slowed the rate of decline in poverty. Cost growth in Medicare/Medicaid was effectively 100% of the public debt before the 2008 credit crisis and recession. Medicare and FICA tax increases have caused a long-term increase in under-24 poverty rates. An encyclopedia could be written about the failures of the Great Society and the New Deal.

The Great Society/New Deal have only one accomplishment -- it made people believe that Democrats cared about people and that Democrats had the moral high ground.

Unfortunately, collectivist macro policy is an invention. It needs constant updating and adjustment to keep with the times. American collectivist policy was poorly conceived from the outset, and a majority of the people are dedicated to keeping it as primitive as possible.

[Don Vito Corleone]

Massive FS

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Massive FS

[The Govanah Jake]

FS though had some major flaws and in some cases didn't go far enough.

[Kingpoleon]

Horrible legislation - it didn't even spark the needed welfare debate like the New Deal did, and instead furthered a toxic culture, was the beginning of huge amounts of debt, and made the welfare system even more complex.