The dictionary defines “revolution” as a complete change in
something. Thus, when Republicans called the 1994 election
results a Republican revolution, everyone naturally assumed that
there was going to be a complete change in the nature of
government in America. In the euphoria of the ’94 election
results, Republicans said that taxes and government spending
were going to be slashed. They called for the end of Franklin
Roosevelt’s New Deal programs and Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society
programs. There was talk about abolishing a multitude of
departments and agencies, including the Departments of Education
and Commerce, and, of course, the National Endowment for the
Arts. After all, this was a revolution – a complete change in
the nature of the federal government. Alas, with Republicans
proudly endorsing another $1.7 trillion budget, it’s not hard to
see that the revolution fizzled before it even got a good start.
What would a real revolution look like? Well, Franklin Roosevelt
himself provided us a good example.