The Origins of the Green New Deal

The term “Green New Deal” is not original to the Stein campaign — it has been used recently by various organizations advocating rebooting the economy with a jobs program based on investment in environmentally friendly technologies. It refers of course to FDR’s ambitious financial reforms and social programs to address the Great Depression in the 1930s. Those who know a little history may not find it a positive slogan, as the New Deal defused and coopted strong social movements that might have had a chance to replace the capitalist system. Most Americans have only very positive associations with the term, seeing it as shorthand for a broader social safety net and a shift to a greener, fairer economy. The European Greens used “Green New Deal” as their campaign slogan in 2009.

~ Editors