Unemocratic Politics: Huey Long

2. Huey Long had a career that embodied both Louisiana’s Populist and Socialist traditions as well as the state’s heritage of undemocratic politics. Motivated by intense ambition and the desire to aid in uplifting the state’s “common people”. Huey Long stood firm in his idea that a lack of consumer demand had caused the Depression and it was widely publicized (Foner 824). Francis Townsend, was a physician in California, garnered support for a plan in which the government would make a monthly payment of $200 to older Americans, with the requirement that they spend it immediately (Foner 823). This is referred to as a pension, Townsend argued that this would boost the economy. Towards the end of 1934 Townsend Clubs took ownership of roughly 2
million members. Along with the increase of the CIO, these signs of poplar discontented aided in igniting the Second New Deal (Foner 823). Charles Coughlin was a “radio priest”, who attracted millions of listeners with weekly broadcasts criticizing Wall Street bankers and avaricious capitalists, and advocating for government ownership of key industries as a way of fighting Depression (Foner 824). Equally important, Coughlin was initially a strong supporter of Franklin D. Roosevelt, but became increasingly critical of the president for what he deemed the failure of the New Deal to encourage social justice. His crusade would later diverge to anti-Semitism and support for European fascism (Foner 824). Finally, all of these individuals were extremely conservative and did not like the parameters surrounding FDR’s “New Deal”. They did not think that it would work out to the advantages of government and American citizens. Many conservatives opposed the New Deal because they believed that it went to in depth in the economy with respect to government regulation. However, Long, Townsend, and Coughlin were the main ones who opposed the New Deal.