Abstract
This article explores the New Deal’s theory of political practice and how it managed to institutionalize a progressive agenda in a country structurally and often ideologically resistant to change. In the process it offers lessons for, and critique of, the Obama administration. It focuses on four central areas. The first is the overarching philosophy of political pragmatism that informed the New Deal, which finds its inspiration in Machiavelli. It examines the theory of symbolic politics articulated by New Deal theorist Thurman Arnold, in particular his argument that political actors must be willing to abandon the myth of the rational voter and situate their appeals within the resonant folklore of the electorate, even as they work to redefine its meaning. Particular attention is paid to the limitations philosophic liberalism places on progressive reform. Finally, it looks at the importance of political mobilization as a way to force progressive agendas on recalcitrant institutions.
