PresidentialPositionsIssuesReceptionTimelineDocuments

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.

The Townsend $200-a-month pension as a plank of the Union coalition — William Lemke, 1936

Similar by rationale solution · rationale

ScoreCycleCandidateIssuePosition
0.301936William LemkePublic control of the central bank and money creation'Drive the money changers out of the temple': public control of money and credit, further inflation of the currency
0.291932Franklin D. RooseveltWorking hours and labor standardsSpread employment by substantially reducing hours of labor, starting in government service
0.231932Franklin D. RooseveltPublic ownership of electric powerPublic development of hydro-electric power on the St. Lawrence model, with national control of interstate transmission
0.231936Franklin D. RooseveltGold standard and currency basisA permanently sound currency stabilized against wide fluctuations
0.221932Franklin D. RooseveltNational economic planningNational economic planning on the model of the 1917 war mobilization
0.221932Herbert HooverBalancing the federal budgetA balanced budget as 'the foundation of all public and private financial stability'
0.211936Franklin D. RooseveltCrop insurance and storage reservesCrop insurance and a stable food supply
0.211932Franklin D. RooseveltFarm prices and agricultural surplusRaise staple farm prices by a tariff-equivalent benefit plus voluntary production control, at no cost to the Treasury
0.201932John Nance GarnerRegulation of banks and securitiesRFC loans to individuals and corporations generally — 'the Government into personal banking' (the Rainey bill)
0.201936Frank KnoxHow to finance old-age and unemployment insurance (contributory reserve vs. pay-as-you-go)The Social Security Act is 'unworkable and unsound' -- 'lip service to security'; a Republican administration would offer its own legislation
0.201932Franklin D. RooseveltRegulation of banks and securitiesSeparate investment banking from commercial banks; tighter national-bank supervision; faster payouts to depositors of closed banks
0.201932Franklin D. RooseveltIncome and inheritance tax progressivityRaise revenue by graduated income, inheritance and profits taxes, not taxes on necessities
0.201932Franklin D. RooseveltInternational economic and monetary conferencesConvene international monetary and economic conferences to stabilize currencies and restore trade
0.201932Norman ThomasIncome and inheritance tax progressivitySteeply increased income and inheritance taxes
0.191932Herbert HooverNaval arms and disarmamentCut world armaments by one-third through the Geneva conference while keeping forces strong enough that 'no foreign soldier will land'
0.191932Franklin D. RooseveltOverall role and scale of the federal governmentAn "economic declaration of rights" — the right to make a living and the right to safe savings
0.191936Alf LandonHow to finance old-age and unemployment insurance (contributory reserve vs. pay-as-you-go)Repeal the compulsory old-age insurance plan; pay every needy citizen over 65 a pension from a direct, widely distributed tax
0.191932Franklin D. RooseveltDistribution of national income and purchasing powerA more equitable distribution of national income — higher reward to labor, lower to speculative capital
0.191932Herbert HooverRegulation of banks and securitiesReform the banking laws; stop credit flowing to speculation; relieve depositors of closed banks
0.191932Norman ThomasWorking hours and labor standardsThe six-hour day and five-day week without reduction in wages
0.191932Herbert HooverFederal responsibility for reliefRelief through voluntary mobilization and local responsibility, with RFC loans to exhausted states — no federal dole
0.191932Franklin D. RooseveltNational economic planningIndustry leaders to organize cooperatively for the common good; government regulates only as a last resort
0.181932Norman ThomasFederal responsibility for reliefA $5 billion federal appropriation for immediate relief of those in need
0.181932Franklin D. RooseveltTariff levelsRevise the tariff downward through reciprocal trade agreements
0.181932Alfred E. SmithOverall role and scale of the federal governmentWar on any candidate who makes 'demagogic appeals to the masses' setting class against class