Work in progress — cycles are added one at a time. Every quote is machine-verified against an archived source; follow the links to read it.
Issues › Relief, Welfare & Social Insurance
Federal responsibility for relief
| Cycle | Candidate | Position | Solution | Strength | Attribution | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | Albert C. Ritchie (Democratic) | States' rights and business-led recovery — no federal intervention in relief | Keep relief a state, local and private responsibility; urge programs sponsored by the business community; refuse RFC loans (Maryland took none until mid-1933). | directional_stance | reported | not_applicable |
| 1932 | Franklin D. Roosevelt (Democratic) | Federal leadership in distress relief — federal credit to states whose resources are exhausted | Extend federal credit to states for unemployment relief wherever their diminishing resources make it impossible to provide for the needy; the federal government to "assume bold leadership in distress relief" while primar… | specific_pledge | candidate_direct | kept |
| 1932 | Herbert Hoover (Republican) | Relief through voluntary mobilization and local responsibility, with RFC loans to exhausted states — no federal dole | Continue the President's Organization on Unemployment Relief mobilizing private and local agencies each winter; where states are exhausted, lend through the RFC ($300 million authorized) 'and thus maintain the fundamenta… | specific_pledge | candidate_direct | not_applicable |
| 1932 | Norman Thomas (Socialist) | A $5 billion federal appropriation for immediate relief of those in need | Federal appropriation of $5,000,000,000 for immediate relief to supplement state and local appropriations. | specific_pledge | party_platform | not_applicable |