Roosevelt's New View
Roosevelt’s foremost contribution to American politics is his theory of Presidential Stewardship even though it contradicts many of the principles set forth by the founding fathers who TR called the men of the 18th Century. He said his presidency was modeled after Jackson and Lincoln; men of action.
Roosevelt was a bundle of contradiction. He criticized Cromwell for becoming a despot, but ignored the lack of constitutional restraint under the New Nationalism he hoped would become the Republican core belief. He tried to redefine property rights based on a new test of legitimacy. It wasn’t enough that property was honestly acquired it had to benefit the community and render service to the nation. He said some people had too much and some too little. He believed it was the government’s role to help equalize the conditions of the less fortunate. However, unlike his father who believed in philanthropic associations, TR believed in Social Justice.
Social Justice meant a new role for the courts. TR believed court decisions were too narrow and too bound to the obsolete principles found in Constitutional Law. Roosevelt called for “Ethical Justice.” He was convinced America had reached the point where it needed more modern men to sit on the courts; men with a new vision. He believed in what he saw was the correctness of overturning judges and judicial decisions that he felt blocked progressive reform. It was his mounted attack on the judiciary that lost him the support of Republicans especially Henry Cabot Lodge and Elihu Root.
After his New Nationalism backfired he spent the next two years trying to walk back statutory recall claiming it only pertained to state judicial systems. No one believed him. In private letters he admitted to agreeing to the principle being applied to not only Federal Judges, but to the Supreme Court.
TR advocated establishing new federal agencies to carry out the policies of the executive branch. Critics argued that would hinder the workings of the constitution as designed by the framers eliminating the equilibrium of checks and balances. In his frustration to overcome obstacles TR was looking to build a new path to quick change without any Constitutional speed bumps getting in the way.
TR also called for a New Social Contract that would give people more rights and entitlements as long as they gave government more power to give them those rights. That included the right to tax to pay the tab. When it was suggested TR was attacking the Constitution he replied that he was totally committed to Constitutionalism. He was opposed to the false constitutionalism that tricked people out of their rights. If all this sounds familiar it’s because these are the same issues kicking around today. Many have their roots in Theodore Roosevelt and the politics at the turn of the 20th Century.
