Welfare and Poverty

HISTORICALLY, POVERTY AND welfare reform are not major campaign issues in the United States. Despite the fact that most people know someone who either receives government assistance or needs some form of welfare, those seeking elected office often fail to recognize the economic needs of the poor. As prevalent as poverty is in the United States, welfare reform and poverty relief should be at the top of every politician's agenda. With more than 21.1 percent of children living in poverty in the United States, those seeking elected office could use their position to create a dialogue about society addressing the needs of the poor. However, with rare exceptions, this is not the case. While most individuals running for an elected office, at the state or federal level, mention the importance of addressing the needs of the poor and the importance of addressing welfare reform, few use poverty or welfare reform as a campaign issue.

Poverty was a key issue in the presidential election of 1932. Prior to the Great Depression, the United [Page 866]States enjoyed a robust economy and unprecedented job growth. In the 1928 presidential election campaign, Republican Herbert Hoover touted the slogan “a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage.” This optimism disappeared with the stock market crash of 1929. The crash sent Shockwaves throughout the country as businesses closed and millions found themselves out of work. Just prior to the crash, President Hoover supplied his Democratic opponents with political campaign fodder when he noted that America was closer to a triumph over poverty once and for all.

However, the United States had experienced unbelievable poverty, homelessness, and job loss as the 1932 election came into view. The Great Depression was in full swing with more than 18 million elderly, disabled, and single mothers with children already living below the poverty line. By the early 1930s, another 13 million Americans were out of work. Homeless families lived in public parks as shanty towns sprang up across the country. Most Americans did not have personal savings or retirement accounts, and those who did lost their savings when banks closed. Democratic candidate Franklin Delano Roosevelt campaigned with his New Deal, offering to develop governmental assistance programs for the poor and the homeless. Hoover responded by noting, “nobody is actually starving.” Hoover was faced with hostile crowds everywhere he campaigned and Roosevelt won easily.