Americans like to think that they look after their own, especially in times of hardship. And for the Great Depression and the Great Society eras, the collective memory is one of solidarity and compassion for the less fortunate. This title challenges this story by examining opinion polls and letters to presidents from average citizens.

List of Illustrations ix Acknowledgments xiii Introduction Devoted to the Common Good? 1 Chapter 1: Dissent and the New Deal 11 Chapter 2: Warring over the War on Poverty 56 Chapter 3: Economic Anxiety in the New Gilded Age 112 Chapter 4: Searching for "the Better Angels of Our Nature" 149 Notes 167 Bibliography 203 Index 211

"Americans have long been ambivalent about what is owed the weakest and most vulnerable among us, and public opinion has never been overly generous toward the welfare state. Not everyone is a snarling Scrooge with a heart of stone, but neither does everyone believe we are our brother's keeper—not by a long shot. So what's a President to do in the face of great human need and a divided, indifferent, or even hostile public mind? The answer, in one word, is: Lead. Katherine Newman and Elisabeth Jacobs have produced a timely and absorbing book about how Franklin Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, and—yes—Richard Nixon refused to leave the fate of public policy toward the poor to a fickle public. Barack Obama, are you listening?"—Bill Moyers

"The deep ambivalence Americans feel about government has always been central to our politics, and it's an especially vital matter now with the rise of Tea Party movements and other assaults on public power. Americans often want a smaller government that does more, a difficult recipe for politicians to follow. That's why Who Cares? is so timely and so important. Katherine Newman and Elisabeth Jacobs have done a superb job tracing the history of our ambivalence and suggesting where we might go from here. They will be the talk of academia—and the talk shows."—E. J. Dionne Jr., author of Souled Out and Why Americans Hate Politics

"This timely and important book shows that Americans are willing to support social programs that help the poor and unfortunate—but usually only after those programs have been up and rolling for years. A just society therefore depends on politicians with the courage to lead rather than pander to current public opinion."—Robert B. Reich, professor of public policy, University of California, Berkeley

Americans have long been ambivalent about what is owed the weakest and most vulnerable among us, and public opinion has never been overly generous toward the welfare state. Not everyone is a snarling Scrooge with a heart of stone, but neither does everyone believe we are our brother's keeper--not by a long shot. So what's a President to do in the face of great human need and a divided, indifferent, or even hostile public mind? The answer, in one word, is: Lead. Katherine Newman and Elisabeth Jacobs have produced a timely and absorbing book about how Franklin Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, and--yes--Richard Nixon refused to leave the fate of public policy toward the poor to a fickle public. Barack Obama, are you listening? -- Bill Moyers The deep ambivalence Americans feel about government has always been central to our politics, and it's an especially vital matter now with the rise of Tea Party movements and other assaults on public power. Americans often want a smaller government that does more, a difficult recipe for politicians to follow. That's why Who Cares? is so timely and so important. Katherine Newman and Elisabeth Jacobs have done a superb job tracing the history of our ambivalence and suggesting where we might go from here. They will be the talk of academia--and the talk shows. -- E. J. Dionne Jr., author of "Souled Out" and "Why Americans Hate Politics" This timely and important book shows that Americans are willing to support social programs that help the poor and unfortunate--but usually only after those programs have been up and rolling for years. A just society therefore depends on politicians with the courage to lead rather than pander to current public opinion. -- Robert B. Reich, professor of public policy, University of California, Berkeley