OVERALL PHILOSOPHY
WHAT TANIA STANDS FOR
Tania is a Newer Deal Democrat. What does that mean? The original New Deal, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s signature program, was enacted during the Great Depression. It encompassed legislation that regulated business and established federal programs that created the social safety net.
The business regulations in the original New Deal included antitrust laws, which prevented the creation of monopolies that harmed competition and failed to deliver goods at fair prices. They prevented the boom-and-bust cycles associated with unregulated capitalism, which historically caused market crashes every 20 to 30 years. The programs that created a basic safety net, including Social Security, the federal minimum wage, and the Public Works Administration, provided Americans with access to jobs, a livable wage, and a secure retirement.
Unfortunately, the benefits of the New Deal were not equitably enjoyed by all citizens since sexism and racism—Jim Crow laws were still in place in the South, were predominant in our laws and our culture during that era. Nonetheless, the New Deal brought enormous benefits to our country overall. America saw the greatest expansion of the middle class and experienced the longest period of economic stability—no more boom-and-bust cycles followed by a market crash.
For more than 50 years, the regulations on businesses and antitrust laws have been weakened or repealed. The social safety net has been frayed if not outright targeted for
elimination. Tania attributes widening income inequality and the rising tension in our country to the attacks on the New Deal legislation. She believes the best way forward is to use the New Deal as a model but with discernment to ensure that the laws and programs are designed to benefit all Americans fairly.
“We need a Newer Deal. We must enact business regulations and progressive tax policies to build an economy that works for everyone, not just billionaires. We must protect and expand public programs and infrastructure to guarantee every American the opportunity to genuinely pursue life, liberty, and happiness.” - Tania Nyman