Why is Woodrow Wilson considered to be 'to the left' of Taft?

[Liberté]

Let's set aside the obvious issues on which Wilson was more reactionary than Taft and focus on economic matters.

According to the Miller Center:

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And while the article admits that Taft had begun to move away from his earlier progressivism at the behest of several of his capitalist friends, it seems to me that such a move away from it, rather than constituting conservatism in itself, is best thought of as Clintonian triangulation. Moreover, Taft openly and vocally supported the Sixteenth (income tax) Amendment.

Wilson, on the other hand, strikes me as being more economically conservative than Taft. Granting that he established the Federal Reserve, it had a tremendous head of steam behind it from the quarters of business - so long as business had a vote on it. Moreover, Wilson, obviously for a Democrat at the time, championed the Underwood Tariff, which actually reduced tariffs from their record highs under McKinley-Roosevelt-Taft.

With all this said, and then accepting that Wilson was a staunch segregationist, I think a solid argument can be made that Wilson was the most 'conservative' of the candidates in the election of 1912.

[tpfkaw]

By that standard Mike Huckabee is to the left of Obama.

[Liberté]

By that standard Mike Huckabee is to the left of Obama.

While he was governor, at least, Huckabee was probably not too far from it on economic issues.

[WillK]

I think it is becuase Wilson is considered to be the political forebearer (not sure this is the exact word I want, but I hope you get my meaning) of FD Roosevelt, and the label of 'progressive' has been applied to Wilson.

Still, I agree with your conclusion.   

Let's set aside the obvious issues on which Wilson was more reactionary than Taft and focus on economic matters.

According to the Miller Center:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

And while the article admits that Taft had begun to move away from his earlier progressivism at the behest of several of his capitalist friends, it seems to me that such a move away from it, rather than constituting conservatism in itself, is best thought of as Clintonian triangulation. Moreover, Taft openly and vocally supported the Sixteenth (income tax) Amendment.

Wilson, on the other hand, strikes me as being more economically conservative than Taft. Granting that he established the Federal Reserve, it had a tremendous head of steam behind it from the quarters of business - so long as business had a vote on it. Moreover, Wilson, obviously for a Democrat at the time, championed the Underwood Tariff, which actually reduced tariffs from their record highs under McKinley-Roosevelt-Bush.

With all this said, and then accepting that Wilson was a staunch segregationist, I think a solid argument can be made that Wilson was the most 'conservative' of the candidates in the election of 1912.

[Liberté]

I think it is becuase Wilson is considered to be the political forebearer (not sure this is the exact word I want, but I hope you get my meaning) of FD Roosevelt, and the label of 'progressive' has been applied to Wilson.

That seems to me a case of an evaluation made more on style than of substance. Nobody accuses Wilson of being a forebear to the Dixiecrats, even though thats who his governing ideology seems to have been inherited by.

[WillK]

I think it is becuase Wilson is considered to be the political forebearer (not sure this is the exact word I want, but I hope you get my meaning) of FD Roosevelt, and the label of 'progressive' has been applied to Wilson.

That seems to me a case of an evaluation made more on style than of substance.

Yes.  I think we, Americans, are often superficial in our assessments. 

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I do, though in essence I am a nobody, being just another unknown poster on an niche internet forum. 

[Liberté]

I do, though in essence I am a nobody, being just another unknown poster on an niche internet forum. 

Don't feel bad; I believe Wilson to have had an intimate influence on the Dixiecrat "philosophy" of the mid-20th century. And I don't consider them 'Left' by any means.

Beware, though: the national historiography is about to be written such that Wilson was the author of all sorts of Bolshevik horrors, the Second Red Scare be damned. Fight it where you can.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Wilson was more conservative than Taft on some issues, but his philosophy was more deeply progressive. Wilson believed in an organic, developing Constitution that allowed expansion of executive power for the good of the nation.  Taft's vision of his own power as president was more conservative.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Socially (sorry for using this term, but I need to name it somehow), Wilson, with his personal racism, segregating U.S. Government, etc. was definitely more "conservative" than Taft. Also, for a long time, before his Governorship in New Jersey, he was considered a strong Bourbon Democrat.

Yet, as Governor he had a "progressive" reputation. Whether totally he was on the right or on the left to Taft, it depends on many, many details, especially since Taft was considered a "progressive heir" to TR, when elected.

[Liberté]

Wilson was more conservative than Taft on some issues, but his philosophy was more deeply progressive. Wilson believed in an organic, developing Constitution that allowed expansion of executive power for the good of the nation.  Taft's vision of his own power as president was more conservative.

What you're referring to is Wilson's Congressional Government, and it was written before he ever became President. In it he called not only for expanded executive powers, but for the transformation of the legislative branch into a quasi-parliamentary system. But Wilson's views explicitly changed upon entering the Presidency, as he shifted away from embracing a total restructuring of the government into what we basically have today: a strong national executive and, as Wikipedia puts it, the reorganization of parties along ideological, not geographic, lines".

The qualitative shift in the direction of Wilson's views was in a conservative direction. And, again, we have got to get over his idea that all centralization is necessarily 'progressive'. It is not.

[Yelnoc]

Historical ignorance. People here Wilson was a Democrat and Taft a Republican and then apply modern standards based on party affiliation.

[ilikeverin]

It's embarrassing that Wilson is considered a "progressive".

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

It's embarrassing that Wilson is considered a "progressive".

What's really odd is the way modern "progressives" call themselves by a political movement from a century ago full of people who held positions they despise.

[MAINEiac4434]

It's embarrassing that Wilson is considered a "progressive".

Yes.

Both Roosevelt's were Progressives. Robert LaFollette was a Progressive. Henry Wallace was a Progressive. Woodrow Wilson was not.

[All Along The Watchtower]

It's probably more helpful, rather than put these Presidents on a "Left/Right" or "Liberal/Conservative" axis, to look at their actions on different issues.

Wilson was economically in line with the conventional Democratic Party thinking of the time, but when it came to civil rights issues he was certainly pretty reactionary.

Taft was more conservative and cautious in the "traditional" sense, favoring a government with a strong but strict judicial branch. Wilson favored a rather active federal government, but not necessarily for "progressive" ends.

[Frink]

I do, though in essence I am a nobody, being just another unknown poster on an niche internet forum. 

Don't feel bad; I believe Wilson to have had an intimate influence on the Dixiecrat "philosophy" of the mid-20th century. And I don't consider them 'Left' by any means.

Beware, though: the national historiography is about to be written such that Wilson was the author of all sorts of Bolshevik horrors, the Second Red Scare be damned. Fight it where you can.

You know things have gone a bit wonky when a guy who sent people to kill Bolsheviks is suddenly a Bolshevik.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Is Woodrow Wilson the most hated president on the internets? It does seem to be that way.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Is Woodrow Wilson the most hated president on the internets? It does seem to be that way.

Probably. I used to think it was just this forum, but it seems wider than that.

[King]

Wilson's knack for holding nothing but positions despised by either the left or right makes him the rare breed "Moderate Villain."

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Wilson's knack for holding nothing but positions despised by either the left or right makes him the rare breed "Moderate Villain."

I don't know... I think most politically engaged Americans buy into a lot of his idiotically idealistic stance on nationalism.

[Mikestone8]

Socially (sorry for using this term, but I need to name it somehow), Wilson, with his personal racism, segregating U.S. Government, etc. was definitely more "conservative" than Taft. Also, for a long time, before his Governorship in New Jersey, he was considered a strong Bourbon Democrat.

Yet, as Governor he had a "progressive" reputation. Whether totally he was on the right or on the left to Taft, it depends on many, many details, especially since Taft was considered a "progressive heir" to TR, when elected.

Keep in mind that a century ago it was entirely possible to be highly racist and still count as a "Progressive".

After all, if Blacks were an inferior race far less intelligent than whites, then excluding them from the political process was arguably beneficial to society, just as legitimate as excluding the mentally retarded - or even sterilising the latter, which was endorsed by a man with as "progressive" a record as Oliver Wendell Holmes. The concept of progress, as then understood, included things which from the standpoint of the late 20C were thoroughly illiberal.

FTM, even in 1944 a man as liberal as Arthur Schlesinger could still write admiringly of Andrew Jackson as an apostle of democracy, ignoring his unspeakable racial attitudes. We tend to forget how recently it is that racial equality has come onto the liberal agenda.

[Rockefeller GOP]

It's embarrassing that Wilson is considered a "progressive".

Yes.

Both Roosevelt's were Progressives. Robert LaFollette was a Progressive. Henry Wallace was a Progressive. Woodrow Wilson was not.

Wilson was most certainly a progressive.  Seeing as being a racist is neither a liberal or conservative trait, it really has no bearing on whether or not he fits the term, and his economic policies, ideas on the scope of the Federal government and distrust of corporations in general most certainly puts him in the Progressive camp.  By the way, what really separates his racism from the Roosevelts?  Teddy didn't advocate racist policies - most likely because he happened to be sponsored by the Party of Lincoln - but he was deeply racist personally and has many questionable quotes.  FDR vetoed multiple anti-lynching bills put forth by Republicans in Congress...

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Because the Moderate GOP party which was really the Teddy Roosevelt party was to the left on the environment. Until Prez Reagan stance on green house effect and big oil, environmental issues were concerns of Hughes, Ford, Coolidge, and Eisenhower.