President Obama called for a shoring up of the country’s middle class and criticized the concentration of wealth in the U.S. during a speech Tuesday in Osawatomie, Kansas. The town was the site of Theodore Roosevelt’s famous “New Nationalism” speech, which, a century earlier touched upon many of the same themes as President Obama’s address. But Obama’s speech comes on the heels of the Occupy Wall Street movement, the GOP Primary, and the inception of his 2012 presidential campaign. How relevant is Roosevelt’s 100-year-old “New Nationalism” message? And what did President Obama’s invocation of it tell us about how he plans to cast his 2012 reelection campaign?
Douglas Brinkley is professor of history at Rice University and author of the “The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America.” Anna Sale is reporter for our co-producer WNYC and their politics website, It’s a Free Country.
At The World, we believe strongly that human-centered journalism is at the heart of an informed public and a strong democracy. We see democracy and journalism as two sides of the same coin. If you care about one, it is imperative to care about the other.
Every day, our nonprofit newsroom seeks to inform and empower listeners and hold the powerful accountable. Neither would be possible without the support of listeners like you. If you believe in our work, will you give today? We need your help now more than ever!