I turned 18 in March of 1968 and didn't have the right to vote although 18 year old young men were being drafted to fight in Vietnam. My high school boyfriend joined the Marines because he had a low draft number. I was focused on earning enough money as a waitress after graduation to buy a car, support myself, and afford classes at the new Junior College, Rock Valley. Many young working people today are focused on surviving and not on politics. We need to educated them about how the world works and get them registered to vote.
Younger folks might not understand why you could not vote. In '68, you had to be at least 21 to vote. From '72 to the present, you have to be at least 18 to vote, thanks to the 26th amendment to the Constitution.
Good point. The drinking age was lowered to 18 for a time because if you could fight in a war, you should be able to drink. I didn't know that the drinking age had been raised back to 21. My 18 year old son and his friends took advantage of my ignorance and they drank a beer while playing their weekly Dungeons and Dragons in my house. Now they tell me, when they are in their 40s.
Gloria, actually, it was 1971. I only know that because I turned 18 in 1971 and registered to vote at our courthouse the day after my birthday and voted in my first election by absentee ballot that November. I remember being so proud that I would have a say even if it was a tiny say. We need to make it a kind of rite of passage to register voters as they turn 18. There should be no restrictions on voting beyond voting only once per election under one's own legal name. All the voter suppression should be seen as unconstitutional and state elections boards and secretaries of state need to focus on helping people with changing addresses and reporting deaths rather than purging people from the voter roles because they aren't the right race, ethnicity, political party, behavior, or anything else. We keep letting states dismiss the rights of citizens hoping no one will notice or have the will or money to stop them. We need to do a lot of stopping them and starting voting as aright and responsibility of every single citizen.
My first vote cast was for Shirley Chisholm in the primary, & then I voted for McGovern in the general election. I think he would've made an excellent President.
That year McGovern ran was so unusual because McGovern was campaigning on new issues. I was young at 28 with a baby and a 3 yr old. My husband loved politics because he had been a polisci major. I was excited but in a new world and didn’t understand politics. We were delegates at the state convention that year. I voted for McGovern! Can you imagine how different our situation would be today in the US if MxGovern had won! That was the year George Wallace was shot in the back. This paralyzed his lower body and he dropped out of the race. It had been hard for me to grasp political issues because my family had never discussed politics. But my husband and I became active in the Democratic Party. Years later my older brother was adamantly active for Democrats in a red state writing letters to the editor.
1972 displayed the irrationality of the American electorate, voting for a crooked madman already steeped in the Watergate scandal over a farsighted progressive intellectual.
I distinctly remember Chisholm's announcement over the radio--she said, with a slight lisp, something to the effect: "I guess I will throw my hat into the ring !" Black folks around the country were thrilled to the bone, even though they knew she did not have an ice cube's chance........
Her platform was practically identical to McGovern's. The only difference I saw was, while McGovern took the establishment position of backing Israel no matter what, she said it should be according to conduct (yes, practically nothing has changed in more than half a century). That made me decide to vote for her.
Good idea Ruth, In those days it was a right of passage. My daughters registered on their 18th birthdays (1978, and 1980 respectively). I also insisted they have driver's licenses on their 16th birthdays. Times have certainly changed. All my grandchildren are registered to vote and do vote (I insist) But my 34 year old granddaughter still doesn't drive. (:-)
What a poignant and educational article you have written, Robert. I was finishing junior high school in 1968 and so was a bit disconnected from you and your peers and all the amazing work you were doing in those days. I want to take this moment to thank you. And Sarah.
1968 was indeed a horrendous year. I was in my last year of a M.A. program at the University of Chicago, and knew that unless something magical happened, I would wind up in the jungles of Vietnam fighting people whose country was stolen by the French at the Treaty of Versailles that divvied up the world after the close of WWI. Then the United States, certain of the domino theory that the communists were going to take country after country, stepped in after France left.
To say I was upset about my future, or lack thereof, was an understatement. I sought counseling (I'm not Christian) with the renowned religious leader Martin Marty at the Rockefeller Cathedral and while that helped put things focus for me, it didn't figure into my decision to go on a major anti-war protest in downtown Chicago. A friend went with me and bristled about how Mayor Daley police thugs were trying to break up the demonstrators. We finally made it to the protest; the large plaza was packed.
With access to the plaza blocked, we saw the police attack team form what was called a 'flying wedge.' Moments later they stormed through the center of the crowd, using their billy clubs to attack men, women with baby strollers, the aged, whomever was in their way. It was horrific. I left for my safety, totally disgusted with Daley, Chicago and of course Lyndon Johnson.
As it happened, my mother in New York City, in league with Bronx County leader Herman Badillo (later head of New York's City University) was able to get me an interview with my draft board. I had been selected to go into the U.S. Peace Corps in Africa and that served me well, especially when this yahoo veteran on the board asked me in sarcastic and derisive tones "son, what makes you think you can be of equal service in the Peace Corps as you would be fighting with our boys in Vietnam?".
I then gave the speech of my life, although looking back, I knew that the draft board would rule in my favor because it was all political. In my heart, I thanked Borough President Badillo and my mother for possibly saving my life.
I couldn't wait to get out of the country, whose leadership and whose war I totally despised. On my 26th birthday in 1970, I received a notice from Selective Service reclassifying me as 1-A deferred, which meant that I was at the end of the list. Plus, when they started the lottery, I lucked out with a position of 362 in line. I was safe, I was free, and I went on to have the two best years of my life.
Upon my 26th birthday I threw a party for friends and made a large pot of the pineapple beer that my buddy's South African wife taught us to make. Another close friend, once we were lubricated, asked me why we were having the party. I told him it was because I didn't have to go to war. He answered, with understanding, that ""that is a good thing!". Yes, it was.
They raised the drinking age back to 21 since studies had shown that underage drinking follows about two years below the legal drinking age. Thus, at 18, drinking alcohol went up drastically in high school ages. It went back down after age 21 was reinstated and underage drinking was mostly in college age or 18+ young people with a job after high school.
I kept beating the age raises every time,that was surly part of my alcoholic life, became a friend of Bill W and finally got some peace,after way too much time! Thanx AA .
Gloria,I turned 19 in March of ‘68 and was a sophomore in college. I worked for the McCarthy campaign and worried that my boyfriend would be drafted. I agree with you that so many young folks are living in survival mode attempting to pay for their schooling or just paying their living expenses. However, I have been reading about kids of 16 and 17, not yet out of high school, who are politically active. For those who are part of the working world, I think Keith Olson is correct that unionizing will relieve some of their burdens and allow them to participate in preserving our democracy.
The year was 1968 and the country was a bubbling cauldron of social discontent. The war in Vietnam, the assassination of MLKJ and RKJ put tears in the eyes of the most caring American. I graduated from Cooley High in Detroit Michigan, and I started my freshman year at Olivet College. My parents argued over their impending divorce and Detroit was still reeling from the riots that rocked the city in the Summer of 1967. The time was a constant Roller coaster of emotions that never gave us a moment to adjust between the seemingly endless tragedies that we as a society had to face. My parents brought me a new Mustang for $2,200 and I had a full-time job while going to High School that paid $1.35 an hour. I was in love with a girl I had known since I was 12 years old who got pregnant the week before I was going to ask her to my senior prom. Gas at the Clark station at the end of the street was .19 cents per gallon and cigarettes were .19 cents a pack. It was a time in my life when the boy became a man, and I had friends dying in the rice fields in Vietnam. The world was taking its first steps into space and Americans were about to walk upon the moon. It was a troubling time for all concerned. It became a part of history before we as a people had the time to understand it.
I remember those years well and all the turmoil. And I remember the low gas prices. Gas and cigarette prices seem to be a measuring rod. Where I lived in my first years of driving gas was 19 cents/gal and cigarettes were 20 cents. My town had gas wars sometimes going down to 16 cents. That was great. A carload of teenagers could contribute enough coins to fill the tank so we could drive around. I saw Jack Kennedy in person. I was standing on a curb as the motorcade drove by. Kennedy was in a convertible. I was about 3 ft from him. It was awesome. Then he was assassinated my freshman year of college. It seems unrest and turmoil began leading to the assassination of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy. What was our world coming to? Now I’m old and there’s always some sort of unrest. Now it’s rising to the level of the 60s and 70s but now democracy itself is at stake and the Democratic Party needs to put up a fight. It’s urgent. I worry for my kids and grandkids. I want to give everyone history lessons. Why don’t people know and value democracy. Why don’t they recognize what’s being said as lies? Why don’t they care?
I was 17 when Chicago hosted Democratic Convention. I was daughter of a colonel in the Army, stationed @ Ft. Sheridan, some 20 miles north of Chicago. My dad, 3rd generation Army, and I disagree about almost everything, but Viet Nam was the hot button. Dad had gone to VN in 1965 and supported the war, or rather was loyal to a fault of the government at the time. I had planned on cutting school & taking the train downtown, but everyone was talking about how dangerous & crazy it was down there. I knew if my dad ever found out I went, I would be grounded for a very, very long, as he was the Punisher in those days, so I chickened out, got off the train.
I always regretted not going & left home the following year. Until the day he died, we were never able to find a common ground.
I am almost 80, and I would say most of us still do not understand it. But Robert's excellent series on Capitalism helps greatly. Read it and pass it on!
Paul--I heard from some obscure source that the "draft" couldn't be put into place until congress officially declared war. Congress never declared war against Vietnam, so all our boys who died over there did so against this country's long-standing code of engagement, through the use of the selective service and the draft.
Wasn’t it bizarrely referred to as a Police action ?,as was Korea ,they fraudulently used some dodge around the wording to legitimize it! The bastards!
I remember those years like they were yesterday. Only my life was different. I came from a much different family life. A broken home, with a mom who had a 3rd grade education and remarried an x-military creep who used to beat us. By this time mom had 5 kids and 2 more with him=7 . I was 13 when I met my first boyfriend who was drafted to Vietnam( he just happened to live across the street from me and was home on leave when I met him). He asked mom if he could write me and she said yes. We wrote back n forth for a while, until he was shot n hit with mortar and had to come home with 2 casts from his feet to his groins.
And if you all Remember, back then, we did NOT SEE the war on the news. We only knew what was happening from our loved ones writing home. And let’s not Forget that G-Dammed Agent Orange. My guy died from it as So Many Others.
Sorry I wandered off. I was too young to Vote but I did participate in what we called “ sit-ins “. at school. We would just refuse to go to class and actually sit allover the grass in front of the school opposing the war. I’m not sure if a lot of us “ Younger “ students grasped the whole concept of Politics and Democracy at this point yet.
Mickey--What took place in that Asian country was a disgrace. The draft was conducted illegally, and we found favor in destroying trees in a jungle we had no business even being in. Our government sent 50,000 young men to their deaths and for what? To prove to the world that we weren't afraid to sacrifice life for liberty. Stange, I thought we had already established that fact.
I totally agree with you. That’s why I at age 13 joined “ sit-ins” at my school All The Time. We walked out of classes and went right to the front of the school and got our little signs and sat there… defying the teachers. My future husband was there, shot, got Agent Orange and died from it in 2013 age 68. WHY IS RIGHT! HY from the beginning of that senseless war to the end?
Mickey--I'm sorry for your loss, I also had friends that dies over there as well. Agent orange was a terrible thing. That whole mess over there was a terrible thing. Very sad.
Donald, what a history! Luckily, I didn’t need a car, my dad worked at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, so I could ride with his carpool or take the bus. I do remember the 19 cent gas and that one actually got service at a service station. Later I moved onto campus. (I’m not much for getting up in the morning and diesel fumes upset my stomach and head.) I had a part time job in food service. Messy and noisy. I did a lot of anti-war marches, volunteered at the local library, and at the USO.
My high school graduating class was 500+ and, at my 25th high school reunion, they had posted a list of all those who had died in Vietnam and elsewhere. It was way too long and much too sad.
As you say, it was a troubling time all around and you are right that we never really assimilated it, talked about it rationally, and therefore never understood it, until it was too late.
Stephanie--Good morning! Off topic, if you ever have an unfortunate experience where you are confronted by an individual who believes the world is "Flat," have them do this. Hold a dinner plate in one hand and a flashlight in the other. Step into a dark closet where they answer their own question. With a dry erase marker indicate the 4 known directions North, East, South, and West on its surface, in their respective positions. Hit the switch on the flashlight and close the closet door. The Sun travels from the East to the West. Shin the light in such a way that it mimics the movement of the Sun. As the Light from the Sun sets in the West the glow of the coming morning would be seen immediately in the East. This doesn't happen because the Earth is "Not" flat. Go to bed.
Gloria, I remember protesting the fact that our boys could go fight in a war but could not cast their vote in an election!! I, too, went to what was called a 'Junior' college! Now their all just colleges or universities. We have an important job to educate our young, up and coming voters about the important issues they will be facing and the urgent need to register and VOTE!!
I was 20 and 3/4 in November 1968 and furious that I couldn’t vote against Nixon. Have never missed an election since. Want to shake 18-21 yea olds who don’t vote 🗳 (actually support groups who are registering young people).
I was 20 years and 11 months. I have a brother who is 6.5 years younger, and the first time he could vote for president was the same year that I could vote for president, in 1972.
The night that Tet broke out. I was living in the house of Trung si Khan (Sgt Khan), and heard the noise, the first shots were fired from mortar tubes in a graveyard, in back of the house in Ap Chien Luoc Khom nam. (Strategiic Hamlet #5). The whole neighborhood played both sides of the fence (for suvival) and they saved my life that night. They liked me, because I respected them and the children, which other Americans treated with condescension
Gloria, the war in Vietnam took place in the era of hyper fear of communism. It started in the early 1950s, when the country was still under French colonial rule. The CIA wanted to prevent the spread of communism in Southeast Asia, and supported the anti-communist forces in South Vietnam, led by Ngo Dinh Diemfter the French vacated Cochin China, (what the French called Indo China).
The first American soldiers were "discharged" and then employed by the CIA, and sent to Vietnam as advisors, to train the Army of Vietnam (ARVN).
later in 1967, I was part of a team, that at least one had been one of those advisors. It was a wasted effort, the ARVN were a bunch of "cowboys", and many of them were Vietcong. One of them, Trung Si Khan, who saved my life the night of Tet, was one of them.
ARVN soldiers were undisciplined and their heart wasn't in the fight, they even wore their hair long, and Viet Cong were strac, wore their hair high and tight (like Marines). The Vietnamesee I knew had no respect for the ARVN, most of the women in the neighborhood had sons in the field fighting for the VC.
The problem in Viet Nam, the reason that the government did not have full support of the people is because the ruling class was Catholic, spoke French and were corrupt,lived high while the people scraped by.
And then there was the promise of access to resources, Like the oil being drilled by Exxon in the Tonkin Bay and South China sea.
Oh yeh, Vietnam has ownership of the oil and it's proceeds, which they split with Exxon who built the oil platforms and extract the oil.
A different arrangement than Exxon had with Venezuela, where it "owned" the Venezuelan oil, and paid Venezuela a pittance in royalty.
Chavez didn't like the deal, so he drove Exxon out. Exxon, which has tremendous political power, used the government (CIA and Army special forces) to try and overthrow the government.
Venezula was on to the plan, and set up roadblocks, to stop the CIA invasion. I think the CIA dusted off their Bay of Pigs plan for Venezuela.
I do agree, been there, seen that. I will say this, with the exception of the Lt Calleys, most Vietnamese killed were Viet Cong (VC) or North Vietnamese Army(NVA) , the numbers killed are unknown, but must be a million at least, and on the American side over 58,000 and four of them were my team mates., a waste of blood and treasure but it was a boon for Exxon, as unspent bomb were dropped by the Navy in a designated area and the explosions made great seismic dictators, now EXXON has a sole source contract with Vietnam to drill for oil in that are and buy Vietnamese oil.
I’ve actually discussed this on my Substack. As a millennial, our worlds are completely different. Older generations had the luxury of voting, while our generation is focused on surviving. For the first time ever, our generation is experiencing a decrease in life expectancy
This is an issue that I argue take precedence over voting which is why I’m calling for us to stop voting in presidential elections as - when examined - it has no direct correlation to our daily lives
Voting is not a luxury. It is your duty. When you fail to participate you run the very high risk of losing the franchise and losing your voice in how you will survive. I read your substack, Franklin. I’m interested in what you think. Please don’t waste your vote. People in power pay attention to you because you have a vote. They can see if you are a registered voter and if you vote. Of course, who you vote for is protected information by law. The ballot is secret. Please don’t waste the power of your vote, however you choose to vote.
The power of the vote is a lot less than it used to be, due to "electoral reform" (e.g. Citizens United), which allows massive amounts of money to influence elections ("legalized bribery').
FWIW, I think it is quite clear that voting is not enough. The US has been going downhill for a long time. I am not satisfied with just slowing the decay. I would like to work to make things better and that seems to require doing more than voting.
It may not seem to be enough ,but try to improve things if lose the rights that voting has given you ,your right to not vote came at a very heavy price!
This is not true if the vote is overwhelming! If it is close, then it is quite easy to cheat the system as we have seen in 7 of the last 8 presidential elections.
Not voting in this presidential election is a mistake. This may be the most important presidential election of our lives. If, God forbid, Trump gets in again, or even any of the other ultra-conservative Republicans, we may not get another chance. While I may not agree with everything Democrats do, I do believe we have a better chance at moving forward than with Republicans, who would love to turn back time and deny us hard-won rights.
I have been told every presidential election for the past 24 years that I must vote Dem, it is too important to do otherwise. But it is not enough. The future looks grim unless we get a better understanding of what is going on,.
And every one of those times was RIGHT — look at those Republican administrations and what happened in them and think about what might have happened if the other guy got in?
YES, people need to understand better — even Dems are going to moderate their positions, if they don’t think they can get enough votes. But the alternative is despotism — take a look at what Mitch McConnell did to the Supreme Court just because he COULD get away with it without enough Democrats to oppose him? Take a LOOK at what happens when people are not active and vocal and don’t vote …
The vote itself is only part of our civic responsibility. You think self-governance is easy????
I agree with Gerry Gras's comment below. Also, the parties have us all focused on Biden and Tiny. In this column, Reich point out the effect of random chance on Presidential elections. We're all focused on two old men who could experience death or disability at any given time. Think that one through.
My point comes from the perspective of a history student. Any number of important events came about because of something experts failed to foresee. There's real potential here for medical events, assassinations, or other things nobody can foresee. Think Pompeii.
I agree. But the Democratic Party is not so good either. Think repeal of Glass-Steagal and NAFTA for example. Unless you are upper middle class or better, the Reps and Dems do not represent you. Read "Listen, Liberal" or anything else by Thomas Frank.
All you have to do is look at how little the Republican-led House has done, and how obstructionist the whole party is, to know which party has a chance to make things better for those who are not rich.
Yes, I agreed that the Reps are worse. But if you look at the last 40 years, things have gotten worse for the non rich, thanks to the Reps and the Dems. And often when the Dems do the right thing it is because they get a lot of pressure from the left. I think the Squad is good, but they get grief from the Reps and the Dems.
I agree losing Glass Steagall was a terrible thing . And NAFTA a disaster for many parts of our hemisphere … We did not oppose NAFtA enough when it was being negotiated [it did not START with Clinton}. When Dodd and Frank tried to mitigate the harm done by ditching Glass Steagall, they got way too much pushback from Republicans in Congress, and not enough support from the Obama Wall Street Gang.
When Elizabeth Warren wanted to be involved with how banking served the people, the R’s wouldn’t let her, so she ran for office!
The Dems are definitely a mixed bag, but the R’s are NOT on the side of ANY but the tip-top economic echelon.
If you want the Dems to be better — VOTE for better Dems!
But definitely VOTE.
I don’t understand how anyone can think people are getting into office who are not on our side, and NOT voting for better people is how we solve that problem. THAT is so illogical it is ludicrous.
But also, anyone who thinks voting once every four years and then sitting it out is the way to fix things is also illogical. We have to stay involved and engaged and keep our representatives’ feet to the fire — talk to them, engage, argue, campaign — if we are not a part of the solution, we can’t complain when it all falls apart.
Gerry, I guess we'll just have to disagree on this one. There is no comparison between parties for about the past 45 years or so. I am still waiting for someone to show me something Republicans have initiated that was designed to help people other than themselves and their rich mostly white donors and other rich people and corporations. Democrats can name a lot of things even if they have failed to stay with the positives all the time as in the cases you mentioned. Yep, no comparison!
I tend to see the entire public presentation as a marketing exercise by the owners. It really upsets Democrats when I tell them the DNC is playing the part of "lovable losers".
I just said something similar to Michael Moore in an email in response to his recent podcast where he tells about being at the White House in a porta-potty next to Clinton the night before Clinton was impeached. Both parties bought into neoliberalism and sold the working class down the river.
Glass-Steagall repeal led to the economic crash in 2008 and was instigated in the early 1930s to prevent this very event. However, the repeal was proposed by Senator Lindsey Graham (Republican) and signed by President Clinton.
This was a classic act of malfeasance that caused misery to many Americans. Again, surrendering to the powers on Wallstreet. Who gained from this? The Banks. Who lost? The American people through banks bailout of our tax dollars. And nobody from Wallstreet went to prison.
I am convinced we are peeing in the wind with our votes, unless we adopt electoral reform used in Canada, and break the hold of Corporations, NRA, Unions (cannot have it both ways guys), Industrial Associations lobbyists etc.
Only then do we get our democracy back. Anybody who thinks we live in a true democracy needs help.
The Dems will respond to VOTES They think the can influence voters with money — labor, especially unions, had infuence when unions were more prolific. Why do you think Reagan and the R’s worked so hard to kill them?
Money is politics helps to gain votes. It’s all about the votes.
Very dark stuff. I don't really understand it. Sorry to tell you that there is no magic. What you are facing is horrible. I get that. But I do know that giving up on democracy will make your life 10 times worse. It's also my children's and grandchildren's lives that I'm talking about. And JFK Jr will only make things worse in 2024. You can still make your plans and vote Democratic next year. It's your only hope.
Exactly Jacko and that is why the Republicans cheat with gerrymandering and electoral college. They can’t win the popular vote, i.e., the voice of the people!
Gerry, I think you only say that because you don't remember what it was really like 20 years ago. Over time it seems either our memories brighten the past far beyond what it really was or darken it. It seems you have brightened it. Yes, salaries and wages have been kept low, totally wrong, but we have access to medical treatments not available to people two decades ago. We have access to the world if we choose to check it out. A lot of the problems we are having now we could lessen or eliminate, but we have folks who prefer people to be suffering. I think it makes them feel superior or somehow that they are geniuses. We know now about global warming and are actually beginning to address it. Voting is just one way we can have our voice heard. Writing to our representatives at all levels can work. Ignoring the candidates whose money comes from huge PACs. In short, we could do a lot to make the world better for the next generations if we wake up and start demanding it and stop voting into office (often by not voting) fools, ignoramuses, fascists who are blatant as to what they plan to do, rich people who buy office, etc. The problem, when one entire political party has decided our democracy is not good enough to get them everything they want, the Toddler Party, it is hard to get the positive things done that we need. We could make this better if we chose to do it, but sitting back is common now, just accepting things as they are. That's not good enough for me. I will probably still be hopeful to the end.
I'm not sure how well your memory works. The medical advances are not the result of the political system; they only have meaning if the patient can pay for the treatment. The other problems you mention are. I graduated high school in 1975; the opportunities I had in education and work have vanished for younger people. The relatively few hateful people in my younger environment have taken over on social issues, and the Democratic Party, for all its rhetoric, has done little to stop all of that.
The Democratic Party has been OPPOSED by too many Republicans who were also in office at the same time! Even what we call Obamacare has too much influence by insurance companies because Republicans in Washington insisted on it during negotiations, and then STILL would not vote for a decent national health-delivery system. THINK. INVESTIGATE what happened and WHY. Help the people who are on our side get elected — LOTS of them!
Democracy has gotten steadily weaker And democracy is necessary to fix problems. Income/wealth inequality has increased. The newer generations are facing a grimmer future. The US has fought more futile wars. Money has more influence on politics, so unless you are rich you have less influence. The environment is going downhill. It remains to be seen whether we are doing enough about global warming. The cost of education and housing has gone up. Medicine has made progress, but many are going bankrupt from medical expenses,
It's vastly more important this time. But I must admit that that even if we had voted Democratic the last 20 years, things wouldn't be that much better. Both parties have been corrupted to some degree. My Boomer generation knew better, but was a collosal failure.
BS Jay, the Boomer “generation” was not a failure any more than ANY other. It is portions of society that are good and bad. You are attempting to put over 72million people in one small box. Boomers fought and got women’s right to choice for safe abortions and access to birth control without the husband’s permission. Boomers were the first generation to be open to inter-racial marriages, protesting illegal wars, invented the internet, made driving safer with laws for seatbelts, fought for LGBTQIA rights. Consider yourself a failure but leave the rest of the generation out of it.
Don't have a cow! I made a generalization. Don't get me wrong. If you bothered to look at the context I was talking about global warming. Yes our generation raised a lot of consciousness about the environment, and the global warming science we have today wasn't developed yet. We did more than previous generations in that arena. But in the end big oil and coal and other carbon producers won the war. The generations that came before us were ignorant of the problem and the ones that came after us are the ones who are going to suffer the most from it. I was speaking to a self identified millennial. So make what you want of the situation but my children and my grandchildren are going to suffer from our failure on this and it might mean the end of humanity. I can understand why someone of them have given up and are expecting that they will be living in a dystopian world. Perhaps fusion and green technology that we can't even dream about can save humanity. But it's very sad that this is the world we are handing down. Yes we have accomplished a lot. I just hope it's enough.
Gerry, things keep getting worse (in your mind) because the rubes put a republican in even though the Democrats have won the popular vote in 7 of the past 8 elections! Think about that. Democrats help middle class and the RepubliCons undo it when they get in. Do some reseach!
"Do some research!"?!? What makes you think I have not? For that matter, what makes you think you know more than me. I could say more, but I don't want to be rude.
The fact that you said, you’ve been voting for Democrats for 20 years and things have gotten worse. Most Democratic Presidents have pulled us up from the deficits caused by Republicans. Letting rescumliCons get a majority in Congress prevents progress not the Democrats. Reagan took us from a deficit of $70Bil to $175 Bil, Clinton took it to ZERO! The W Bush took it from zero to$1.2 Trillion! Obama cut that in half. Trump added $7.8T!!! Biden reduced it within his first years in office. The republicans did not vote for Biden’s signature Climate bill but the red states are benefitting from it. Biden put forward the Inflation reduction Act. Biden got 500mil vaccines to the public, Biden gave us the Infrastructure bill that is amazing on and on. Your comment lacks ANY backup!
I've done some work on the topic. Whether you call it "magic," or "miracles", or the new age term, "manifestations" or even the atheist term, "the placebo effect", there is something occurring that affects our physical reality
Franklin, that is a defeatist attitude, just exactly what our current "conservatives" fascists want Millennials and other young people to think. Voting is a right and responsibility. There should be automatic registration and maybe some incentives for young people to vote, to get you all in the habit. Life expectancy lowering may not be what it seems. We will have to wait until we are a bit more past the pandemic. In any case, I know a lot of millennials are struggling, but most are not. Taking an hour or three twice a year to vote will not add to millennial struggling and it might help young people feel more empowered and willing to follow events of the day and who is impacting their/your struggles. The person who is president does matter because that person helps set the tone of the nation and the direction we will go, no matter what your source says. Vote, it's what citizens who care do!
I do not see Franklin's statement as defeatist. I see it as being honest about what is really going on. I believe before you can fix something, you have to understand what is going on, what is broken, why it is broken, how to fix it ...
Seeing what is going on clearly is key. Thinking that opting out of voting and letting our entire government devolve into fascism is not in any way finding a just, rational, and functional solution to our domestic issues or the problems of the world.
To some extent, the issues are hard to solve, because our species is so NUMEROUS, and we tend to be tribal {it’s in our DNA}. But just because something is in our DNA does not mean we have to subject ourselves to it. … We need to work together with all kinds of people to solve real problems in ways we can live with and live well, NOT just to get everything we think we want
Opting OUT of participation in our elections is EXACTLY what the Republicans need the Left to do, so they can usher in their 2025 plans, convert our country to fascism, and lock out actual participatory democracy for possibly generations…if we even have many generations left on our overheating planet …
NO, that is what the Right WANTS youth to do. To my mind, anyone out here telling our young people to opt out is carrying water for the fascists, whether on purpose or because they are deluded.
I do not understand how people misinterpret statements about voting as advocating not voting. I have not seen anyone saying someone should not vote. The issues are how effective voting is and whether voting is enough.
Devaluing voting only depresses the vote. People on here HAVE said Millennials should NOT vote, so get real. OF COURSE simply voting alone is NOT enough. But only voting is better than NOT voting.
That is ridiculous! Stopping your vote is going to have the effect of destroying our Democracy and enabling climate change to progress. The only way to help our country improve is to get in lawmakers who agree with our hopes for a better future.
I have not seen anyone say don't vote. I see questioning of the value of voting.
Yes, we want lawmakers who agree with us and who won't be corrupted, nut that is easier said than done. I have regretted some votes. Don't know if that was because I did not do adequate research or the candidate was dishonest. All too often politicians will say one thing and do another. And when trying to get reelected they often misrepresent their records. It is hard to make politicians accountable.
Third party will never lift off the ground. But I would like to see 4-5 political group choices. It’s too easy for the two big political parties to gang up on the third.
The value of voting is to maintain the right to vote,to allow people to try and change things that they can only change if they vote ,your ability to make your arguments about voting are a right aquired by voting ,I never could not vote or lessen the importance of voting and try to make thing’s better by pissing on the need to vote . It’s sometimes an extremely slow process and it’s hard to see things happen as fast and perfectly as they should ,but the only way to make the difference in our lives is to value the only peaceful way to make that change ,the alternative methods of change are violent and brutal ! You have to get involved in the very imperfect system called Democracy and protect it vigorously ,it’s all we got ,for a bit longer hopefully! History will judge us severely if we don’t respect it and learn its lessons!
This comment depends on a misunderstanding of what I was trying to say, apparently not well. If you saw my other comments you would know that I am not against voting, that i vote whenever I can, and I support voting. At the same time, I think that the power of voting has been lessened by the outrageous influence of money, so we need to do more than vote.
It is basically the same thing Gerry — you undermine the belief that voting has value, you naturally reduce the numbers who will bother. That’s not hard to understand.
And, yes, it is HARD to make politician accountable. We need to be ready to stay involved and do the hard work.
YOU give it a rest. Seriously. If you want to opt out, go ahead. But stop trying to take other voters with you. You don’t respect the power of the vote? Go play tiddly winks.
The rest of us are trying to head off a fascist turn in our government.
I hope you don’t think that any Republican politician is interested in extending our lives. The Dems may be small beer, but the Republicans are a drink of petroleum.
Who is in government has considerable correlation to your daily life. Government policies determine whether you can obtain the medical care you need, whether the air you breathe is clean, whether the food you eat is safe, whether you are exposed to unacceptable hazards in your workplace, whether you can find affordable housing, whether you can attend college without acquiring a huge debt, and so much more. If you are struggling just to survive, government policies are likely a contributing factor.
Voting is not a luxury, it is a civic responsibility. The answer your problems is not to refrain from voting but rather to learn about the candidates and vote for the one most likely to work to improve people's lives. You can contact the White House to express your opinion on any issue. To quote former President Obama, "Democracy is not a spectator sport."
Millennials daily lives are directly and profoundly affected by voting. And anyone who thinks we can let the fascists win for a while because they don’t impact our lives is seriously , seriously deluded. We don’t have the luxury of sitting through another administration the likes of the Trump years. The next iteration will definitely be worse, and we may never have a legitimate chance to undo the damage …
George W. Bush was “elected” by far fewer votes than his opponent got. If Floridians had voted for Gore in greater numbers, the ludicrous events of hanging chads and the Brooks Brothers Protest and the SCOTUS shutting down a fair count would never have happened.
We very well might have avoided 9/11 {Gore, as Clinton’s VP, knew how dangerous Al Qaeda was — Gore was in the administration with Richard Clark, who warned that Bin Laden was a grave threat at the time, but the Bush administration belittled that warning and sidelined Clark}. We might have done a great deal more about climate change, which Gore was VERY insistent about, and he was insistent that the world prepare for the mass migrations that climate change would propel, and we are seeing those today … Who knows if Gore would have headed off the recession of 2008 and the horrendous gambling with depositors’ money that went on in banks after the Clinton administration went along wth dumping Glass Steagall, but I fully believe Gore would never have gotten us into the morass in Iraq and the Middle East, which created so much worldwide havoc and ballooned the national debt.
SO MUCH would have been different, if more people had voted, and if they had been convinced to vote in their and the world’s BEST interest.
Thanks for the observation, Pat. I very much agree about Al Gore- the actions of the Supreme Court stripping him of the presidency then are exactly what Trump thought he could recreate in 2020, and I fear the current GOP wants to try again. Anyone who thinks fascists can be routed easily after they have consolidated power is living in a dangerous fantasy.
Try living in a country like China ,just speaking those words will get you a whole new out look on the need to vote ,brush up on your history my friend it will save your life!
And heating costs are horrible! Wages are still $7.25/hr . We didn’t get to $15.00 . Heating costs are horrible. They said under the Orange one gas was $2.00/gal ( it was) food was cheap and we were self sufficient in heating costs. There was no Inflation.
They FORGET that was turning into a mess that BIDEN came in on and ZHAD TO CLEAN UP and CAUSED ALL THIS INFLATION AND HIGH INTEREST RATES. They don’t understand or don’t want to.
I SO AGREE WITH YOU! So many of them are absolutely Clueless to what’s happening in the world around them right now. And Politics is not even remotely close in their minds! I try to educate my grandchildren and have been successful with a few of them. But the ones that have Parents that are brain dead ( for the Orange one) are a Lost Cause! They have been Indoctrinated into Their Parents Cult 🤮. So I don’t waste my breath. They are staunch supporters of his. Their reasoning is ( we live in N.E.PA near the Poconos) we still are at 8% Inflation, the grocery stores are gouging us, gas is still high $3.37/gal)
my jaw dropped when I read Rock Valley - I grew up in Rockford and worked for McCarthy. My first presidential campaign as an activist - but far from my last. I was 17, just graduating from West High School.
It would seem that Donad Trump has a hidden talent, and no I'm not exaggerating. Robert set the thread to 1968 yesterday and I negated to bring forth the true desire of Mr. Trump. In the late 60s Donnie Boy took on a secret identity and produced a song entitled "Fire," he did this under the stage name of Arthur Brown. If you look it up on YouTube the extravaganza was filmed, I believe, in Iceland, at least it looks like it was. Read the first line in the lyrics and you will realize Trump's true intent for this country. Robert, this one's for you, knowing how you feel about the orange guy.
I too was not 21 as yet and could not vote until 1971.
A slight correction though. The first Selective Service lottery was on December 1, 1969 for the year 1970. Your boyfriend could not have a low number in 1968. we did not have those for a while.
296.406 were drafted in 1968. Maybe he signed up for the Marines in case he was drafted and would have to go in the Army. He signed up on the "buddy system" and was only with his buddy for a few weeks. Thank you for correcting me.
Thanks Robert for the history tour. I was an adult, but not much involved in politics at the time, so I really appreciate this personal history tour, taking me through an era of politics of which I knew very little, except that the Saigon Post and Vietnamese said that the war would be lost, because there were more communists in America than in Vietnam.
I am only repeating the Saigon Post and what I heard from the people. I was semi fluent in Vietnamese, but like all things use it or lose it.
The war wasn't worth it. The Navy had their aircraft unload unspent bombs in the bay of Tonkin, where Exxon now has a contract to extract oil, (bombs make great seismic detectors)
Visit Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) and you can eat at a McDonalds and a KFC.
And American Vietnamese and their descendants are staunch Republicans.
I think of RFK and is son RFK Jr, and thanks to RR historical recall. I realized that the apple does not fall far from the tree. For years I considered RFK a martyr. But looking back I now see an entitled legacy brat, without any skills or desire for the grind stone, and a need for power and fame, as an opportunist without principles, who would say and do anything to gain fame and wind up in the history books
Dr. Reich, I can't help being resentful that your life was so much easier than what everybody I know experienced. That is why I believe we must have a universal unconditional basic income and single-payer universal healthcare. It is everyone's right to achieve their potential and not be stuck in survival mode. Of course, you are concerned with saving the middle class from which you came. There is no distinction between middle or working class people who are employees of an employer. We need to rethink our class structure. Thank you for providing this forum and providing food for thought from which we can grow ideas by sharing with each other.
Louis Brandeis, former supreme court justice,once said "We may have democracy, or we may have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Brandeis
I wouldn’t be resentful of anyone, much less Professor Reich, for having an “easy life.” Looks can be deceiving, no matter what things seem to be. No one really really knows just what others are going through…
I was just being honest. You can't blame human nature and our sense of fairness. It's to Reich's credit that he cares about what is not working in the system since it favors some over others. He should know how it makes others feel when he relates his opportunities to go to Dartmouth and travel around in a car that apparently had no payments, to "work" on a political campaign. I'm sure his father didn't work harder than my father at his turret lathe, and I'm sure he wasn't more intelligent. It takes intelligence, skill, and self control to work in a dirty, smelly factory exposed to solvents for 30 years in order to support your family. The government decided that my father's income, with six children, was too high for me to get a student loan until I reached the age of 24. It's a class system that is nearly impossible to climb out of.
As an engineer in the Naval Nuclear Power program, I worked with machinists like your father. They make most of the parts for Naval nuclear reactor plants, frequently to tolerances of one thousandth of an inch! It takes brains and skill to do this. I have great admiration for them.
Gloria, you are right, and this is very worrisome. We no longer value work, especially physical work, the way we used to. We glorify financial success instead. This one of the reasons there is so much resentment now.
It says something about unions--that re skilled workers, “they are undervalued” only means a true test of the value of work is needed. To find out the value of THEIR type of work--a worker’s inputs, can only be established through negotiations and compromise, where two parties must agree on price of labor, a win-win, for “their value” of what their work is worth. Nonunion workers can only find out the value of THEIR work by seeing what strength of numbers has negotiated.
Some people kid themselves, “I rely on benevolent, fair, kind employer to decide the value of my work. Unions are nasty! I only ask what an employer can afford to offer. They can’t afford high-priced labor. It would drive them out of business, I’d be unemployed. Their shareholders would take their investments out. Better to cooperate. Be grateful for what “they” find fair and make the production or sales quotas they decide they need from me, to succeed.”
“Besides, the employer is so obviously successful, standing in the glow of their halo, the shadow of the owner’s success, is all the compensation I need--to know I contribute to society and, by employing me, so do investors and business owners, who, similar to me, show an interest in supporting community that provides for their success.” Not. Taxes as a % of income, when income is high, needs to reflect the fortunate reliance on workers who rely in community funded by taxes.
You're right about that class system. I began on the very bottom. Despite decades of work, I never made it past "lower middle"; now I'm disabled and back on the bottom.
I was thinking about the characteristics it takes for a person to work at a lathe in a "dirty smelly factory" for 30 years. If a robot can do the work, then we have supplied the human with the work life of a robot. (I believe the Slavic word for "work" is the origin of the word "robot.") I have to believe he had gifts and abilities that he never got to apply and practice. As do the vast majority of us.
The waste of human potential in the light of massive need never fails to astound me.
Some machine work cannot be done by robots and need human to do it correctly. Working as a machinist is not a "waste of human potential". It requires talent, brains, and skill.
Gloria, you need to grow up. Robert talking about his days at Dartmouth is just a fact for him, not flaunting. That’s in your mind. Most boomers today grew up in middle class that would look like lower middle class today. Most of us lived a life with basics. When we turned 18, we were on our own. I had to find my own financing to attend my university, I worked part time, I applied for scholarships. There was no internet to do the research for this.
Money was very tight for most families but as long as there was enough food and a roof over our heads, we didn’t see why we should complain.
Yet the very base of conservatism are Boomers, the Reaganites.
Hippies and Beats were Boomers and the Silents. The silents fought WWII
At a Peter, Paul and Mary concert, open air in a park. I watched Cadillacs, BMW's and Mercedes pull up and park. I turned to the gray haired gent next to me and asked" What happened to our generation". He replied we grew up and owned things.
For many, not all, the older we get, the more conservative we become, at least financially
Your father was a machinist? So was mine, and we lacked for nothing. My big brother even got an Engineering degree from an Ivy League school.
Stop whining. Most Americans, not to mention most around the world have it worse off than you, at least 'materially'. Your family was NOT 'lower class'.
Of course not. We were working class. My parents couldn't afford to send me to college when I was 18 in 1968, yet I was denied a student loan. I was in the top 10% of my class of over 500 students. It was different for women back then. And just because people somewhere in the world are worse off than we are doesn't mean we should submissively accept whatever an employer wants to pay. My father wasn't paid what he was worth, but he did better in the union than those that came after Reagan busted the unions.
Ya know! I came from a working class family and community ,My Father ,my uncle ,my brother were all Presidents of thier respective Unions,the way they got to be Presidents of those unions was by giving it every thing they had ,they sacrificed their home lives, their money,and their time ,immense amounts of time,to better the situations of their members, they did what they could to help others achieve some kind of dignity and honor from the ,bosses ,who couldn’t give a flying F about their needs .I am proud of them and their actions for without them and their sacrifices many would have been dismissed as nothing but the cost of doing business.I am a retired Union Carpenter and I capitalize because I’m immensely proud and grateful to those who raised me ,and my brothers and sisters who I’ve worked with in the union ,the dignity is as important as the financial benifits if not more so! Unfortunately the Union movement has been decimated by the likes of Reagan, who was a union president and democrat,before the rat bastard sold his soul to the republicans! The non union workers have been bullshitted into accepting the crumbs off the table and floor or the rich the thinking being that’s what I’m worth being driven into thier heads by the bosses ! How very sad the gains made for the common workers by unionism is being stolen from them and their families,there is a glimmer of hope ,the young workers are remembering their history and are again looking to unionism for the respect and dignity that is theirs if they stay together and fight for their future!
" It is everyone's right to achieve their potential and not be stuck in survival mode."
I hope we can agree that the way things are now are due to both design and neglect. This is our "system."
In my experience, it is the very rare person who comes to understand the mission for which they were put into this life. I view mission as closely tied to potential. Deprived of a sense of mission and purpose, people naturally fall into alienation and loneliness -- the prime ingredient for totalitarianism, according to Hannah Arendt.
Ever since I read Walden in HS in 1968, I wondered about what Thoreau observed about the mass of people leading lives of quiet desperation -- and thought, Why does it have to be so?
True Gloria, but that is the way humans roll. There is nothing new when it comes to human behavior, fears, needs, wants and greed. The only thingthat changes are the people.
Don't you feel like you are watching a play, that has been playing out since the dawn of time, and the only thing that changes are the scenery and actors.
They Grecian drama's, Shakespeares plays, are as relevant today as they were then, just change the scenery, modernize the language and costumes
Look at the world in which we live., We are surrounded with fear, hatred, bigotry. Look at Russia, China, the Arabs, the French.
You don't need to look abroad. Look at home. Jan 6th, the Trump cult, the violence of Jan 6th was a rehearsal, wait until he wins or loses in 2024. If he wins in 2024 he lets loose the hounds of hell, to seek retribution and revenge on his opponents, which includes liberals, gays, Democrats. If he loses they will take to the streets just like the Brown and Black shirts of Germany and Italy.
Many countries in Europe provide free post secondary education. If you can make it into university, there is no tuition up to and including university. Brilliant. What an investment in the future of the country.
Democracies in Europe understand the word "socialism" is NOT a "dirty" word. They know what the meaning is, unlike too many Americans who equate socialism with communism, fascism, totalitarianism and lump all 4 together into some mishmash in their minds. There needs to be an information campaign to teach Americans the virtues of Democratic Socialism: universal health care, free post-secondary education, a living wage, adequate safety nets for low income workers, and taxation of the rich to pay their fair share. Such an education campaign might be too ambitious for the coming election cycle. With so much at stake like losing our very democracy, at the very least the dems need a much clearer laser focus to get the message across on what truly IS at stake & how much they have accomplished for the people in spite of the extreme anti-democracy dysfunction, obstructionism, & do nothing nonsense of the magas.
Having an educated population, means shouldering responsibility of ushering post secondary students through university or trades training--rather than abandoning them after high school to need services they can’t afford, not without skills to earn to pay for things, including taxes. Invest in young people or pay the price of their unemployability.
European countries aren’t simply being nice--they are being plan-full, recognizing today’s potential can be propagated or squandered. Policy is a choice of where to invest.
The price of stepping over underemployed people on street corners seems cost high-income, low-taxed, people are willing to pay, victim blaming--as if unfortunate are too rudderless to find the means (the money) to fund “their own” education. Skills are something a person spreads around, so providing for people to have skills is (or ought to be) everyone’s business.
I agree about the basic income and universal healthcare. It is such a shame that the rest of the democratic counties pay attention to the needs of the people whereas here, it is all about making the rich guys happy.
Yes, I reckon there's a book there too, perhaps from LBJ taking on the presidency, looking forward to the contrast between some of his more progressive domestic achievements, but of course too, his foreign policy / Vietnam failings. And relating them to what I understand were significant personal insecurities (evident even to the recently graduated [and later UK Daily Telegraph editor and military historian Max Hastings - see his book: "Vietnam"] on meeting LBJ with others at the White House back at the time. As a Brit, I'd be interested too in a US / LBJ perspective on Harold Wilson's keeping the UK out of Vietnam. p.s. was that photo really of your car, or are you kidding us..? I had a couple of friends with VW Beetles back in the day, but nowhere near as snazzy as that one..! "Snazzy", now there's a good word from the times. With best wishes all...
LBJ was accused of communism because of the Civil Rights act and his great society, and his handlers thought the way to neuter the charge was to go on the offense against Communism, which was then perceived to be Ho Chi Minh.
Actually Ho was a Vietnamese nationalist, who fought against the French, who exploited the land and it's peoples. The country was dotted with French Rubber Plantations,and during the war, most were confiscated for Army bases.,because they had rudimentary air strips that were easily enlarged to dirt runways.
The Chinese supplied the Viet's with arms and munitions, but when the Americans left, the Viet's kicked the Chinese out, and it was the communist Vietnamese that attacked the
Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot (Khmer Rouge meant Red (Communist) Khmers, the preferred name of Cambodians.
Thank you, Dr. Reich for sharing your rich, vibrant, and, at times, agonizing and turbulent history with us.
Again, our nation faces a very dangerous, multi-pronged, internal threat, which has been deliberately stoked for decades now, but as I read elsewhere today: "danger is not destiny."
Hopefully, enough good people in this country will defeat the facistic forces arrayed against what's left of democracy in America, because "danger is not destiny."
The economic news is good but you would never know it if you listen to the right! The stock market, unemployment, inflation, gas prices, etc….. are all showing signs of improvement.
I would also add that if average working Americans Unionize it will allow you to live even better lives.
* Take some of your money back from the oligarchs because you need it much more than they do! Force them to share their wealth.
* What our Congress won’t do the American workers can do.
* Just make sure your Union Leaders cannot be bought by the rich! Trust but Verify
* Now is the time. President Biden has shown that he is Pro-Union.
My conscience taps me on the shoulder when I think about voting for Biden since he is supporting Israel to commit genocide against the Palestinians. His "please be more careful" position" isn't working. I'll never vote for Trump. How does the system keep putting voters in the "between a rock and a hard place" situation? The system isn't working.
Gloria - while I understand your thinking I also think that Biden is also between a rock and a hard place as well when it comes to having to deal with someone else’s war while trying to keep our troops out of direct conflict. All trump did was pull us out of our agreements with other countries and now Iran is closer to nuclear power and ignoring the Paris treaty has us closer to burning up the planet. As well as his cozying up with dictators and his America first which will isolate and weaken us. Trump doesn’t have a single plan in place if he once again gets a chance to wreck the rest of the freedoms that we have left. If the recent article from ProPublica about Thomas (apparently now you can thank him and his rich benefactors for Citizens Untied) and how he can be bought so easily doesn’t make it clear that republicans are not going to make this country any better for us and will only benefit the rich then I don’t know what will. The Democrats need to apparently make easy to read charts to explain that we actually are better off than when trump was in control so maybe people will start to see it. I personally blame the greedy corporations who jacked up the prices when we had supply chain issues and have not reduced them once the supply chain was fixed. So many younger people are blaming the current president for things that are not in his control and expecting him to get things done with a divided government. I do not agree with war but I also do not want to see my child (who is currently in the military) have to lose his life because if trump gets a second chance I know that he most likely will. My other child is now a firefighter/paramedic and constantly deals with the trauma of gunshot victims and other people who do not value other human beings thanks to the ugliness that trump has brought back into full view and the other republicans that have amplified it. This is just my opinion on why we might not like our choices between the two there is a clear and present danger for sitting out the elections and maybe it is better to go with the one who is at least trying to make our lives as best as they can be with what they have to work with. Or maybe I’m way off because I don’t seem to have any affect on my own children when it comes to politics (shy grin and shrugging shoulders inserted here ;) ).
My heart aches for all of the people who have lost their lives regardless if it is because of war, violence, the pandemic or what have you. I have lost people in all of these and I don’t want others to feel that same pain.
Thank you for raising such wonderful contributors to the whole of society. You definitely did something right. I send a bubble of protection to your sons who put themselves in harm’s way. 💕 And I agree that Biden is between a rock and a hard place... and I rely on his knowledge of foreign affairs and negotiating smarts.
Pardon my response. The system is working, though flawed. At least we still have the choice to vote for the "lesser of two evils," most important to our survival, tho much more mildly than my thoughts run.
As Anon says, Biden is between a rock and a hard place. Nevertheless I am very disappointed with Biden because the US is enabling the Gaza catastrophe, which I believe will be bad for the US and Israel.
@ Gloria. I usually respect what you say, and although Netanyahu let down Israel and is an a-hole, that genocide crap is similar to that old time blood libel that Jews have had to surmount from time immemorial. https://www.peacecomms.org/gaza
I have never heard of that blood libel story so I looked it up. That is ridiculous and I don't believe many people would believe it. If the indiscriminate bombing continues the way it has for a few more months in the densely populated Gaza, how many Palestinians will be left. I read that over 1% of the population and has been killed and many more will die of starvation and disease in addition to the bombing. There has to be a better way to stop Hamas. I know the Jewish people are humane but it doesn't appear that the Israeli government is.
That's propaganda. Brought to you by the same people who accuse Jews of their own animus. The PLO, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah all vow to kill all Jews anytime anyplace, anywhere. Psychological projection.
What hateful people want does not mean that is what will happen or the world would have been depopulated long ago. The people of the world are for the most part tolerant and cooperative.
The hostages are not Gazans. Some Americans. I hear from some Gazans, brave people who call out Hamas for what it is. I published some of it -- some from a Facebook group.
That may be what the terrorists SAY, but what the IDF currently and for years HAS DONE in Gaza and the West Bank. Call it slow genocide if that makes you feel better. One state or two, the killing has to stop. NOW!
Gloria, you have chewed off too much of Arab propaganda. The only genocide in the Gaza Israel war, is the intentions of HAMAS, their charter even enshrines genocide of he Jews. Israel is fighting a war for survival. Israel has a right to exist, It is the only Jewish nation in the world. Islam has the Mideast, North Africa, Iran, West and central Asia, and east Asia, Christians have Europe and the Americas.
I don't think that you support the genocide of the Jews, who incidentally started out by buying the land from Arabs,till the Arabs gave a try at genocide in wars starting with 1948.
And we killed an inordinate amount of French, Germans, Belgians and Nederlanders to save Europe from the NAZI's (and also America as well, same with Japan in the firebombing of Tokyo, and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Want to know who is responsible for those dead civilians in Gaza?
HAMAS, for using them as human shields, they even use hospitals as missile launch sites, and as command poss and weapons storage, if not in the hospitals themselves, then in the tunnels under the hospitals.
Who was responsible for all of the civilians killed by American and British bombs from 1941 to 1945?
The Allies or the Germans? It is they that turned out en masse, seig heiling their fuhrer.
Don't you think that the women and children of Gaza were glued to their TV sets,ulating and cheering on HAMAS and Islamic Jihad, as they murdered innocent women and children.
I am not talking of revenge, but the Jews fighting for their own survival and the survival of the only (tiny) state of Jews in the world.
The alternative is to sit back and accept Genocide, and they learned their lesson between 1933 and 1945.
You do realize don't you that the slogan "Free Palestine, from the River to the Sea"is a call for genocide and a second genocide of Jews. It is also a sacred obligation of Islam, according to HAMAS and their religion.
Gloria,, it is not the system, it's life itself! Thinking in terms of "systems" is a way to simplify complex situations, and that can make things even more complicated..
Keith, it seems to me that after the republicans have messed up the country, a Democrat steps in and begins to clean up the mess!! President Biden had so much to clean up after trump!! He got right to work and has done so much in his first term!! Any change takes time. Now that the stock market, unemployment, inflation, gas prices, etc are improving, he needs four more years to get our country back on an even keel.
Yes, Jacko, absolutely!! Just imagine how much would be accomplished if Congress were democratic and helped President Biden get legislation passed that will benefit ALL of us not just the wealthiest!!
Yes, and with more push from the progressives to help us lean more to the common good, taxing the rich more, fighting the Oligarchs here in the US and the foreign ones that hide many of their assets here in shell companies and real estate, health care for all, and access to quality education. The biggest issue of all would be a serious effectual approach to climate change.
@GerryGras it’s imperative that we deal with climate change and I have spent time in the trenches doing so. Having said that, Joe Biden has done a magnificent job given his burden left by the crazy orange dementia loaded guy. In fact, take a look at how our economy is being energy diversified and on a path to hydrogen power. There are now Hydrogen Hubs throughout the country that will solve this issue and put our nation and the world on a new path. There is a new “Green Corps” created to conserve our national forests and wildlife AND help with energy. Please, please look at the details. The record speaks. And it takes a team. The Biden Team is my team. Please stick with us.
I have been following the concept of "Limits to Growth" since 1970, a little before the book was published. I have been concerned/alarmed about global warming since 2000. I have taken three courses on it, and read many articles. I am still alarmed and so are many climate scientists.
The stock market isn’t the economy. Please don’t conflate the two. I haven’t seen anything lately, but the last time I did, fewer than half of us own stocks.
I am not defending the traitorous Trump humpers, but they don't see the good economic news, because average America does not invest or play in the stock market or give a damn about the GDP, the only ones who care are Wall Street, and bankers, and the donors to the parties, and what they really care about is having their source of wealth and power, regulated.
The voter sees only the fact that he or she can't afford to buy a home anymore, and that the price of groceries and health care takes most of their income and many have to choose between food and medicine, food and schooling.
The reason I added the Stock Market is because a lot of the far-right rich own shares of stock. I’m hoping that they will come to their senses and realize they are still well off without Trump’s help!
I understand your sentiment, but no chance. People once committed mightily resist back tracking. Just look at some of the comments on this substack. If you prove a person wrong, you might notice that they weasel their way around admitting that they were wrong, and shift the goal posts to justify their position, or simply saying I don't care, I have my opinions or beliefs anyway.
Besides the rich owe their wealth to the performance of corporations on the stock market, and corporations primary interest is in doing away with regulations. Regulations negatively impact profits, in their mind, regulations like anti trust laws, and even environmental and safety laws, protect corporations from their greedy selves., but they don't see that nor do they care, the only thing that matters to corporations and most humans, poor or rich, is the "here and now"
Reality tends to spoil things.Trump has never told a lie in his life and is here to save the world. I can guarantee that is 100% true if you want to believe it.Obviously there are no facts to back up such self delusional nonsense.
Which oligarch hasn't shared their wealth,have you got any facts to back up your statement .
They specialize in keeping their base uneducated. IF they are too dim to understand their facist gods WANT THEM DEAD, THEN the Trumplican party HAS a base! The INSTANT they wake up and realize that there is only a single party that wants them to be able to afford living a happy, healthy life . . . that is that! RIHGOP!
The economic news is good for shareholders and about the upper-income quarter of the population. The view for the working class and small business people is very different. Inflation is still outrunning wages, corporations fight the unions tooth and nail, social strife abounds and is aggravated by reporting, on and on.
I remember the history of the era vividly since I was a lowly 22 year old soldier in Vietnam while all the events you described took place during 1968. I landed in country at the end of the Tet offensive on February 5th and rotated out of Vietnam at the beginning of March 1969. While there was little opportunity to protest the war while in country other than defying military orders which would have resulted in my ending up in the stockade, I did participate in many marches and discussion groups once I returned to college. I had first hand knowledge of the hubris of Americans fighting a people and a history we barely knew. It is so easy for a country to get swept away by patriotic fever and oh-so difficult to bring wars to an end. I believe that we Americans still experience the pain and suffering as well as the consequences of Vietnam even today, fifty years later.
First, Edward, thank you for your service! Many of my friends who served during Vietnam use to tell me how pretty the country was and the people in the villages were very nice to them. I understand that we went into the war to stop the spread of communism but truthfully, I always wondered why our country felt the need to stick our nose into someone else's conflict. I did a lot of protesting back then and yes, I agree with you, we still experience pain, suffering and consequences from Vietnam.
I think the domino theory about communism came from Hitler's conquering most of Europe because no one stopped him earlier, when it might not have been so hard to stop him. And maybe because the USSR controlled much of eastern Europe. They did not recognize that Vietnam was different.
Welcome Home Bro’ - After floundering around in college in 1968 and being asked to leave, I was drafted into the Army. I took a one year short in the hopes of getting a non-combat MOS. Much to my chagrin I ended up in RVN in ‘69 and still managed to almost meet my proverbial maker by being too close to a 122mm rocket round. I’ll spare you my war stories as most of it exemplified how insane the situation was. At my first job interview upon return, the hiring owner ( a lead from the Army) wanted to know if I was still using heroin. In 1972 Veterans were regarded as either scum or Rambo run amok.
I ended up with PTSD and cancer from Agent Orange. Now when I wear my Veteran hat every Republican I encounter thanks me for my service.
I was 12 in 68. I remember watching the news on our black and white TV. I later became a nurse and worked in a PTSD program a few years with primarily Vietnam vets. One of my most intense jobs.
Those were heady days. Some of us barely coming of age then, remember parents, aunts and uncles, and neighbors. For many of us, it was the time we were exposed to hatred of fellow Americans because they were not like others. Republicans were the majority in the neighborhood. It was a time when neighbors and relatives were openly cursing and calling for the police to be called in to arrest people who thought and acted differently. Here we are today, and it seems little was learned from that era and the years that followed. Regan happened, Bush 1, Clinton, etc., up to now. I'm much older now, but just as sickened by the course the country is on. There is too much hype, nonsense, fearmongering, and an us vs. them attitude for most of us for the moment. Like many, we’re hoping these turbulent times pass and people get back to having discussions and making decisions rather than making threats and innuendo. Thank you for sharing the story of that time, your work, travels and friendships! Lovely.
I was a sophomore in high school in 1968. All the young men in my class were all anxious about Vietnam and whether or not we would get drafted. Luckily the war would end before most of us turned 18. It was a big weight lifted off of us! Most of my friends agreed that the war was our worst nightmare because we lost many of our friends to a war for no apparent reason! It was a disgraceful situation that we had no say in. I am not ashamed to say I was scared.
I would not even be Bar Mitzvah-ed until September of that year, and yes, I remember the anti-war protests, the riots (and the ones from that previous summer as well), and the horrid assassinations. :(
This whole article is relevant now due to the panic over young voters abandoning Biden, but I cannot see them voting for SCUMp, or the EVIL Kennedy, but maybe one of the other sort of progressive, 'third party candidates', which might as well be a vote for the putrid orange despot. :( :( :(
Yes, this country was about as divided back then on many issues as it is today, BUT, everyone was still in agreement that we should maintain a democratic republic, even if they had very rightwingnut leanings.
NOT so today, when seemingly HALF of this land wants a fascist 'strongman' dear leader, and a dictatorial regime, and to burn democracy (and therefore the whole damned country) to the effing ground.
We are in MUCH more perilous stead today then we were back then, even with all of the strife of that time.
I am hoping that the youth will come back to Biden once they realize that he is the ONLY possible defense of (ALL) civil rights, voting ( at ALL, not just the rights) going forward, our democracy surviving, and is the only hope of ever getting Roe v Wade restored, let alone possibly codified into law.
The third partiers might be more progressive than Joe, but they have a less than ZERO chance of getting elected in this still center right to further right majority nation (even many to most Dems!), as they would most certainly LOSE against the orange NAZI sack of shit.
I agree that we are in greater peril now. But the issue of deciding who to vote for is much more complicated than you seem to think. Too complicated to go into here.
It shouldn't be. It's a matter of preserving some semblance of democracy vs. going full fascist. Preservation of a sustainable biosphere is also on the line. Trump & the republofascists have no intention of addressing it at all, just continue to prioritize corporate profits over an inhabitable planet.
Forget about stopping the Russian takeover of Europe or deterring any Chinese invasion of Taiwan. No more US participation in NATO or the UN. Give up Social Security & Medicare. Say goodbye to any abortion rights or access to contraception, or equal rights for gays or voting rights, & expect permanent underclass status for women & racial minorities. That is what Trump & the GOP envision for us. This should be a very simple decision.
My only quarrel with your posting is I don't see how Biden is defending anything but Israel. We haven't forgotten in my part of Ohio that he broke the rail strike shortly before the East Palestine disaster.
Yes, he must change his unfailing support of rightwing fascist NetanYEEEHHAAWWW, and condemn that regime's slaughter of innocents (including their very OWN hostages at this point) without reservation (and this is a born Jew saying this).
But Biden also wants to help Ukraine (and by proxy, the rest of that region) resist Vlad The Despot's imperialist aggression/invasion, maximally, so that WE are not forced to send troops there in compliance with our NATO agreements, obligations, and edicts. ;)
I actually don't see anyone running in any party that's better on the most important issues than Biden. Usually I do find someone else I like, & there are people not running that I like, but the field this time is really weak, shamefully weak, so Biden gets it by default.
I think that the dark forces were afraid of King and Robert Kennedy. They were terrified by McCarthy. Just as they were terrified by JFK. Within the span of 5 years the enlightened leaders were all dead. But there is no such thing as a political conspiracy. The anti war movement was crushed by killing students at Kent State and we hippies have been dark ever since. We lost our belief in humanity and goodness. We succumbed to the dark side. Ever since those dark days we have gone down a very slippery slope to trump. Wow! Going from hope to utter despair. I believe that Rob Reiners podcast on who killed Kennedy will bring light to this despair because the maggots and us progressives need answers. If our own shadow government was involved ,like the vampire, light will kill it. We all have to regain our faith in our government. We want answers to who is running our government and to what end. Maybe we are like the people in Russia. Maybe we are mushrooms kept in the dark and fed bullshit!
We will be WORSE off than those under the fascist bootheels of Vlad The Impaler in Russia IF the brown shirt MAGAt's despotic choice gets installed for life. :( :(
Donor cash is the lifeblood of politics, and who is the source of donor cash, look no further than the billionaires, the Plutocrats, our own homegrown oligarchs. Bernie proved that donor cash wasn't needed, his campaign was financed by we the people, but the DNC put their thumb on the scale for Hillary, while Trump had a populist appeal (albeit the populism he appeals to was/is racism and bigotry)
I think you over rate the effect of Kent State deaths. The anti war effort was eventually successful, for several reasons including marches, rallies, sit-ins, the Gene McCarthy campaign, and what was shown on TV. Despite resistance from the "establishment".
Presumably those "dark forces" were afraid of Nader - and probably Bernie too; no conspiracy required though: the people responsible cheated in front of everyone.
PS: Hard not to have faith in expectations that are being debased (they only seem to go lower, per the example of Russia's great mass of informed-but-helpless folks)...
Wham-0! I didn't expect to start this day with Nostalgia Overload!
What a terrific column (and another anecdote of your lifelong commitment to the Power of Good, Bob. You're an even bigger hero than I knew, bless you!).
I read this with the soundtracks of "Revolution", "White Room", "Scarborough Fair", "Piece of My Heart", "Sky Pilot" and more, playing through my brain cell (I'm your age and, unlike you, only have one functioning cell left in my cranium).
The most striking point here, to me is, "Johnson’s campaign circulated pamphlets saying that “the communists in Vietnam are watching the New Hampshire primary ... don’t vote for fuzzy thinking and surrender.”"
Here we are 55 years later (Holy Crapola! That was fast!) and we have a huge chunk of the (R)egressive party and their chosen lunatic/demagogue, TFG, actively courting Putin and his merry band of the once-feared "communists".
Who would have guessed back in the day that Conservatives were future wannabe Commies?
As I mentioned on another post, 1968 was a really good year in music! Extremely innovative & complex! "In-a-Gadda-da-Vida", "Time Has Come Today", "Suzy Q", "Tuesday Afternoon", "Nights in White Satin", "San Francisco Girls", "Mechanical World", "Indian Reservation", "McArthur Park", "She's a Rainbow", "Legend of a Mind", "Gotta Get a Message to You", "Everything That Touches You", " Love Child", "I Heard It through the Grapevine", "Wichita Lineman", "Hang 'em High", "Love Is All Around", "People Gotta Be Free", "Fire", "Bella Linda"...
It was the most consequential year of my life, my entrance into maturity, and the country’s greatest paroxysm during my life. It radicalized me, then receded in memory, and now it is haunting us all again.
Thank you for the recap. It brought back a flood of memories for me, and I realize the events you described plus some particular to my life created the door through which I exited interest in politics. From 1968 until 2008 I got no closer to politics than a voting booth. I was drawn to Obama’s charisma and repelled by the racist reaction of a portion of the country. I approached the 2016 election first with curiosity then with trepidation. As a clinical psychologist, I recognized sociopathy and narcissism in Trump and also saw symptoms of early dementia. I found this terrifying. His election coincided with my retirement and I began studying about things political. In 2020, Joe Biden was not my first, second, or third choice, but I voted for him even though I thought he would be just another old white man in the White House. Boy was I wrong! Today I hold two county and one state office in the Florida Democratic Party and am recruiting seniors for a caucus in the reddest county in the state. Young voters are critical to a Democratic win, but so are seniors. I’m convinced that I’m not the only old person who is waking up to the country’s crisis. Your columns and particularly your videos have given me a foundation for economic talking points in recruiting and in debating Republicans. Thank you.
I am in the same boat as you. I have converted to a democrat, although I do not agree with abortion consensus, that I am working through, I see both sides of the argument.
This is the website for Polk Co Dems. I suggest you check them out!
lynyexley.substack.com is a site where you can find articles I have written about politics including abortion, if you’re interested. Subscriptions are free.
I turned ten in 68 and had brothers in the service and in Vietnam. I felt as though I was born into a world that was unraveling. Now the feeling the world is unraveling is much magnified. Thanks for sharing your memories, Mr. Reich. You have a way of making us feel as though we were right there with you and Sarah in that VW Bug.
My first car was a Java green '64 VW Beetle, acquired from Ralph Jones VW in Springfield, MA in '67 for the then princely sum of $850. In '68 I was living in Boston, and saw police in riot gear confronting demonstrating students on Mass Ave in Cambridge. While I can't claim to be an active participant, your description of what '68 was like is spot on. I'm getting old now, but you are too, and your energy and enthusiasm are inspiring. Thank you! Time to get involved.
Not sure now. I was with a group of friends at a bar and grill called - I think - Victory or something similar. It had 6 0z. glasses of beer for 25 cents and slices of pizza for 50 cents. As we were leaving, the confrontation was maybe half a block away. We were awestruck, having heard of such but never encountered it.
I was an Antioch volunteer for McCarthy when you stopped by to pick up "Sarah". As you may know, the people in the front line of the Chicago demonstrators - beaten by police - were largely Antioch students. 1968 wasn't detestable, it was the beginning of a new world.
Thank you for sharing your rich experiences with us once again Dr. Reich. I was only 16 at that time and a junior in high school, but I remember how traumatizing this series of events occurred effecting everyone nationwide. I also remember that when I was that age and older, I wanted to know read and learn as much as possible about America's past (and everything else) to help better understand the universe and to better participate in the world. My grandchildren share these same values today.
I turned 18 in March of 1968 and didn't have the right to vote although 18 year old young men were being drafted to fight in Vietnam. My high school boyfriend joined the Marines because he had a low draft number. I was focused on earning enough money as a waitress after graduation to buy a car, support myself, and afford classes at the new Junior College, Rock Valley. Many young working people today are focused on surviving and not on politics. We need to educated them about how the world works and get them registered to vote.
Younger folks might not understand why you could not vote. In '68, you had to be at least 21 to vote. From '72 to the present, you have to be at least 18 to vote, thanks to the 26th amendment to the Constitution.
Good point. The drinking age was lowered to 18 for a time because if you could fight in a war, you should be able to drink. I didn't know that the drinking age had been raised back to 21. My 18 year old son and his friends took advantage of my ignorance and they drank a beer while playing their weekly Dungeons and Dragons in my house. Now they tell me, when they are in their 40s.
Gloria, actually, it was 1971. I only know that because I turned 18 in 1971 and registered to vote at our courthouse the day after my birthday and voted in my first election by absentee ballot that November. I remember being so proud that I would have a say even if it was a tiny say. We need to make it a kind of rite of passage to register voters as they turn 18. There should be no restrictions on voting beyond voting only once per election under one's own legal name. All the voter suppression should be seen as unconstitutional and state elections boards and secretaries of state need to focus on helping people with changing addresses and reporting deaths rather than purging people from the voter roles because they aren't the right race, ethnicity, political party, behavior, or anything else. We keep letting states dismiss the rights of citizens hoping no one will notice or have the will or money to stop them. We need to do a lot of stopping them and starting voting as aright and responsibility of every single citizen.
My first vote cast was for Shirley Chisholm in the primary, & then I voted for McGovern in the general election. I think he would've made an excellent President.
That year McGovern ran was so unusual because McGovern was campaigning on new issues. I was young at 28 with a baby and a 3 yr old. My husband loved politics because he had been a polisci major. I was excited but in a new world and didn’t understand politics. We were delegates at the state convention that year. I voted for McGovern! Can you imagine how different our situation would be today in the US if MxGovern had won! That was the year George Wallace was shot in the back. This paralyzed his lower body and he dropped out of the race. It had been hard for me to grasp political issues because my family had never discussed politics. But my husband and I became active in the Democratic Party. Years later my older brother was adamantly active for Democrats in a red state writing letters to the editor.
1972 displayed the irrationality of the American electorate, voting for a crooked madman already steeped in the Watergate scandal over a farsighted progressive intellectual.
I distinctly remember Chisholm's announcement over the radio--she said, with a slight lisp, something to the effect: "I guess I will throw my hat into the ring !" Black folks around the country were thrilled to the bone, even though they knew she did not have an ice cube's chance........
Her platform was practically identical to McGovern's. The only difference I saw was, while McGovern took the establishment position of backing Israel no matter what, she said it should be according to conduct (yes, practically nothing has changed in more than half a century). That made me decide to vote for her.
Good idea Ruth, In those days it was a right of passage. My daughters registered on their 18th birthdays (1978, and 1980 respectively). I also insisted they have driver's licenses on their 16th birthdays. Times have certainly changed. All my grandchildren are registered to vote and do vote (I insist) But my 34 year old granddaughter still doesn't drive. (:-)
Absolutely.
Amen!!!
What a poignant and educational article you have written, Robert. I was finishing junior high school in 1968 and so was a bit disconnected from you and your peers and all the amazing work you were doing in those days. I want to take this moment to thank you. And Sarah.
1968 was indeed a horrendous year. I was in my last year of a M.A. program at the University of Chicago, and knew that unless something magical happened, I would wind up in the jungles of Vietnam fighting people whose country was stolen by the French at the Treaty of Versailles that divvied up the world after the close of WWI. Then the United States, certain of the domino theory that the communists were going to take country after country, stepped in after France left.
To say I was upset about my future, or lack thereof, was an understatement. I sought counseling (I'm not Christian) with the renowned religious leader Martin Marty at the Rockefeller Cathedral and while that helped put things focus for me, it didn't figure into my decision to go on a major anti-war protest in downtown Chicago. A friend went with me and bristled about how Mayor Daley police thugs were trying to break up the demonstrators. We finally made it to the protest; the large plaza was packed.
With access to the plaza blocked, we saw the police attack team form what was called a 'flying wedge.' Moments later they stormed through the center of the crowd, using their billy clubs to attack men, women with baby strollers, the aged, whomever was in their way. It was horrific. I left for my safety, totally disgusted with Daley, Chicago and of course Lyndon Johnson.
As it happened, my mother in New York City, in league with Bronx County leader Herman Badillo (later head of New York's City University) was able to get me an interview with my draft board. I had been selected to go into the U.S. Peace Corps in Africa and that served me well, especially when this yahoo veteran on the board asked me in sarcastic and derisive tones "son, what makes you think you can be of equal service in the Peace Corps as you would be fighting with our boys in Vietnam?".
I then gave the speech of my life, although looking back, I knew that the draft board would rule in my favor because it was all political. In my heart, I thanked Borough President Badillo and my mother for possibly saving my life.
I couldn't wait to get out of the country, whose leadership and whose war I totally despised. On my 26th birthday in 1970, I received a notice from Selective Service reclassifying me as 1-A deferred, which meant that I was at the end of the list. Plus, when they started the lottery, I lucked out with a position of 362 in line. I was safe, I was free, and I went on to have the two best years of my life.
Upon my 26th birthday I threw a party for friends and made a large pot of the pineapple beer that my buddy's South African wife taught us to make. Another close friend, once we were lubricated, asked me why we were having the party. I told him it was because I didn't have to go to war. He answered, with understanding, that ""that is a good thing!". Yes, it was.
Ditto brother !
They raised the drinking age back to 21 since studies had shown that underage drinking follows about two years below the legal drinking age. Thus, at 18, drinking alcohol went up drastically in high school ages. It went back down after age 21 was reinstated and underage drinking was mostly in college age or 18+ young people with a job after high school.
I kept beating the age raises every time,that was surly part of my alcoholic life, became a friend of Bill W and finally got some peace,after way too much time! Thanx AA .
You could always drink alcohol in private, you just can't purchase it if you're underage.
lol ! Kids !
Mine are in their 40s as well…and I thought they were kind of angelic like kids.. now, I don’t want to know otherwise 😂🤗
A few states allowed people under 21 to vote. Kentucky allowed 18 year-olds to vote in 1968.
Gloria,I turned 19 in March of ‘68 and was a sophomore in college. I worked for the McCarthy campaign and worried that my boyfriend would be drafted. I agree with you that so many young folks are living in survival mode attempting to pay for their schooling or just paying their living expenses. However, I have been reading about kids of 16 and 17, not yet out of high school, who are politically active. For those who are part of the working world, I think Keith Olson is correct that unionizing will relieve some of their burdens and allow them to participate in preserving our democracy.
The year was 1968 and the country was a bubbling cauldron of social discontent. The war in Vietnam, the assassination of MLKJ and RKJ put tears in the eyes of the most caring American. I graduated from Cooley High in Detroit Michigan, and I started my freshman year at Olivet College. My parents argued over their impending divorce and Detroit was still reeling from the riots that rocked the city in the Summer of 1967. The time was a constant Roller coaster of emotions that never gave us a moment to adjust between the seemingly endless tragedies that we as a society had to face. My parents brought me a new Mustang for $2,200 and I had a full-time job while going to High School that paid $1.35 an hour. I was in love with a girl I had known since I was 12 years old who got pregnant the week before I was going to ask her to my senior prom. Gas at the Clark station at the end of the street was .19 cents per gallon and cigarettes were .19 cents a pack. It was a time in my life when the boy became a man, and I had friends dying in the rice fields in Vietnam. The world was taking its first steps into space and Americans were about to walk upon the moon. It was a troubling time for all concerned. It became a part of history before we as a people had the time to understand it.
I remember those years well and all the turmoil. And I remember the low gas prices. Gas and cigarette prices seem to be a measuring rod. Where I lived in my first years of driving gas was 19 cents/gal and cigarettes were 20 cents. My town had gas wars sometimes going down to 16 cents. That was great. A carload of teenagers could contribute enough coins to fill the tank so we could drive around. I saw Jack Kennedy in person. I was standing on a curb as the motorcade drove by. Kennedy was in a convertible. I was about 3 ft from him. It was awesome. Then he was assassinated my freshman year of college. It seems unrest and turmoil began leading to the assassination of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy. What was our world coming to? Now I’m old and there’s always some sort of unrest. Now it’s rising to the level of the 60s and 70s but now democracy itself is at stake and the Democratic Party needs to put up a fight. It’s urgent. I worry for my kids and grandkids. I want to give everyone history lessons. Why don’t people know and value democracy. Why don’t they recognize what’s being said as lies? Why don’t they care?
Darlene--Questions that will haunt the next generation long after we are gone.
But as Boomers, we will get blamed again.
I was 17 when Chicago hosted Democratic Convention. I was daughter of a colonel in the Army, stationed @ Ft. Sheridan, some 20 miles north of Chicago. My dad, 3rd generation Army, and I disagree about almost everything, but Viet Nam was the hot button. Dad had gone to VN in 1965 and supported the war, or rather was loyal to a fault of the government at the time. I had planned on cutting school & taking the train downtown, but everyone was talking about how dangerous & crazy it was down there. I knew if my dad ever found out I went, I would be grounded for a very, very long, as he was the Punisher in those days, so I chickened out, got off the train.
I always regretted not going & left home the following year. Until the day he died, we were never able to find a common ground.
Gloria--I have two daughters and we are currently in the same situation. Sad.
Crazy question--Any geologists out there?
I am almost 80, and I would say most of us still do not understand it. But Robert's excellent series on Capitalism helps greatly. Read it and pass it on!
Barry--Everyone on this site feels that way.
Don ,
I was in my first year of college in 67’ - 68.
At 18 we couldn’t vote but I entered the
US Naval Academy with a Presidential appointment . Plebes didn’t have access to
tv or radio so I missed most of the turmoil-
but I did smuggle in a radio by the end of my
first year to hear about the assignation of
MLK Jr. Naturally I was misled into my thinking
about joining up during Viet Nam ( probably
because of the Gulf of Tonkin incident).
LBJ seemed to me , at first , to be a hero
because of his civil rights stance and Great
Society program - but ultimately I came to
abhor him for Viet Nam . I was a very confused
18 / 19 year old - wanted to serve my country
-but became disillusioned with Viet Nam
as time passed . I would have been a terrible
officer if I had graduated- but it wasn’t an issue
as I resigned after two years . I would have still
been eligible for the draft , and I think after
a horrible plebe year I might have gone insane
if I was drafted ( that didn’t happen either ) .
Seems we should have had the right to vote
at 18 then - but it is interesting that the younger
generation’s voter participation numbers reflect
apathy now . I’m not sure it would have
made much difference in 68 or not but
I don’t think many 18 year olds would have
been for Kissinger ( I mean Nixon ) .
Paul--I heard from some obscure source that the "draft" couldn't be put into place until congress officially declared war. Congress never declared war against Vietnam, so all our boys who died over there did so against this country's long-standing code of engagement, through the use of the selective service and the draft.
Wasn’t it bizarrely referred to as a Police action ?,as was Korea ,they fraudulently used some dodge around the wording to legitimize it! The bastards!
Robert --I believe so
I remember those years like they were yesterday. Only my life was different. I came from a much different family life. A broken home, with a mom who had a 3rd grade education and remarried an x-military creep who used to beat us. By this time mom had 5 kids and 2 more with him=7 . I was 13 when I met my first boyfriend who was drafted to Vietnam( he just happened to live across the street from me and was home on leave when I met him). He asked mom if he could write me and she said yes. We wrote back n forth for a while, until he was shot n hit with mortar and had to come home with 2 casts from his feet to his groins.
And if you all Remember, back then, we did NOT SEE the war on the news. We only knew what was happening from our loved ones writing home. And let’s not Forget that G-Dammed Agent Orange. My guy died from it as So Many Others.
Sorry I wandered off. I was too young to Vote but I did participate in what we called “ sit-ins “. at school. We would just refuse to go to class and actually sit allover the grass in front of the school opposing the war. I’m not sure if a lot of us “ Younger “ students grasped the whole concept of Politics and Democracy at this point yet.
Mickey--What took place in that Asian country was a disgrace. The draft was conducted illegally, and we found favor in destroying trees in a jungle we had no business even being in. Our government sent 50,000 young men to their deaths and for what? To prove to the world that we weren't afraid to sacrifice life for liberty. Stange, I thought we had already established that fact.
I totally agree with you. That’s why I at age 13 joined “ sit-ins” at my school All The Time. We walked out of classes and went right to the front of the school and got our little signs and sat there… defying the teachers. My future husband was there, shot, got Agent Orange and died from it in 2013 age 68. WHY IS RIGHT! HY from the beginning of that senseless war to the end?
Mickey--I'm sorry for your loss, I also had friends that dies over there as well. Agent orange was a terrible thing. That whole mess over there was a terrible thing. Very sad.
Amen!
Donald, what a history! Luckily, I didn’t need a car, my dad worked at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, so I could ride with his carpool or take the bus. I do remember the 19 cent gas and that one actually got service at a service station. Later I moved onto campus. (I’m not much for getting up in the morning and diesel fumes upset my stomach and head.) I had a part time job in food service. Messy and noisy. I did a lot of anti-war marches, volunteered at the local library, and at the USO.
My high school graduating class was 500+ and, at my 25th high school reunion, they had posted a list of all those who had died in Vietnam and elsewhere. It was way too long and much too sad.
As you say, it was a troubling time all around and you are right that we never really assimilated it, talked about it rationally, and therefore never understood it, until it was too late.
Stephanie--Good morning! Off topic, if you ever have an unfortunate experience where you are confronted by an individual who believes the world is "Flat," have them do this. Hold a dinner plate in one hand and a flashlight in the other. Step into a dark closet where they answer their own question. With a dry erase marker indicate the 4 known directions North, East, South, and West on its surface, in their respective positions. Hit the switch on the flashlight and close the closet door. The Sun travels from the East to the West. Shin the light in such a way that it mimics the movement of the Sun. As the Light from the Sun sets in the West the glow of the coming morning would be seen immediately in the East. This doesn't happen because the Earth is "Not" flat. Go to bed.
Gloria, I remember protesting the fact that our boys could go fight in a war but could not cast their vote in an election!! I, too, went to what was called a 'Junior' college! Now their all just colleges or universities. We have an important job to educate our young, up and coming voters about the important issues they will be facing and the urgent need to register and VOTE!!
I was 20 and 3/4 in November 1968 and furious that I couldn’t vote against Nixon. Have never missed an election since. Want to shake 18-21 yea olds who don’t vote 🗳 (actually support groups who are registering young people).
Glenis, I love the age accuracy. 😄 I too have never missed a vote since becoming eligible at 18.
I was 20 years and 11 months. I have a brother who is 6.5 years younger, and the first time he could vote for president was the same year that I could vote for president, in 1972.
turnUp.com has been registering high school seniors for the ‘24 election for quite some time.
seems to b a bad link- any others?
I clicked on turnip an got a Marketing Group?
I have heard of them. Great idea.
The night that Tet broke out. I was living in the house of Trung si Khan (Sgt Khan), and heard the noise, the first shots were fired from mortar tubes in a graveyard, in back of the house in Ap Chien Luoc Khom nam. (Strategiic Hamlet #5). The whole neighborhood played both sides of the fence (for suvival) and they saved my life that night. They liked me, because I respected them and the children, which other Americans treated with condescension
Lee,, thank you for your valuable, moving comment!
I'm sorry you had to live through that and I'm glad they saved you. What was the point of that war for the U.S.?
Absolutely nuthin'. Like all war. Well, there is always PROFIT.
It’s for somethin’…power, stealing resources of others, scaring others out of a challenge.
Gloria, the war in Vietnam took place in the era of hyper fear of communism. It started in the early 1950s, when the country was still under French colonial rule. The CIA wanted to prevent the spread of communism in Southeast Asia, and supported the anti-communist forces in South Vietnam, led by Ngo Dinh Diemfter the French vacated Cochin China, (what the French called Indo China).
The first American soldiers were "discharged" and then employed by the CIA, and sent to Vietnam as advisors, to train the Army of Vietnam (ARVN).
later in 1967, I was part of a team, that at least one had been one of those advisors. It was a wasted effort, the ARVN were a bunch of "cowboys", and many of them were Vietcong. One of them, Trung Si Khan, who saved my life the night of Tet, was one of them.
ARVN soldiers were undisciplined and their heart wasn't in the fight, they even wore their hair long, and Viet Cong were strac, wore their hair high and tight (like Marines). The Vietnamesee I knew had no respect for the ARVN, most of the women in the neighborhood had sons in the field fighting for the VC.
The problem in Viet Nam, the reason that the government did not have full support of the people is because the ruling class was Catholic, spoke French and were corrupt,lived high while the people scraped by.
And then there was the promise of access to resources, Like the oil being drilled by Exxon in the Tonkin Bay and South China sea.
I didn't know Exxon was already there.
Oh yeh, Vietnam has ownership of the oil and it's proceeds, which they split with Exxon who built the oil platforms and extract the oil.
A different arrangement than Exxon had with Venezuela, where it "owned" the Venezuelan oil, and paid Venezuela a pittance in royalty.
Chavez didn't like the deal, so he drove Exxon out. Exxon, which has tremendous political power, used the government (CIA and Army special forces) to try and overthrow the government.
Venezula was on to the plan, and set up roadblocks, to stop the CIA invasion. I think the CIA dusted off their Bay of Pigs plan for Venezuela.
And now we have Venezuelan refuges.
I DO FEEL HORRIBLE for what the Vietnamese people went through. It was a senseless war from the beginning. So many people died, for what-Nothing.
I do agree, been there, seen that. I will say this, with the exception of the Lt Calleys, most Vietnamese killed were Viet Cong (VC) or North Vietnamese Army(NVA) , the numbers killed are unknown, but must be a million at least, and on the American side over 58,000 and four of them were my team mates., a waste of blood and treasure but it was a boon for Exxon, as unspent bomb were dropped by the Navy in a designated area and the explosions made great seismic dictators, now EXXON has a sole source contract with Vietnam to drill for oil in that are and buy Vietnamese oil.
More than ever!
I’ve actually discussed this on my Substack. As a millennial, our worlds are completely different. Older generations had the luxury of voting, while our generation is focused on surviving. For the first time ever, our generation is experiencing a decrease in life expectancy
https://unorthodoxy.substack.com/p/the-millennial-genocide
This is an issue that I argue take precedence over voting which is why I’m calling for us to stop voting in presidential elections as - when examined - it has no direct correlation to our daily lives
https://unorthodoxy.substack.com/p/why-we-need-to-stop-voting-in-presidential
Voting is not a luxury. It is your duty. When you fail to participate you run the very high risk of losing the franchise and losing your voice in how you will survive. I read your substack, Franklin. I’m interested in what you think. Please don’t waste your vote. People in power pay attention to you because you have a vote. They can see if you are a registered voter and if you vote. Of course, who you vote for is protected information by law. The ballot is secret. Please don’t waste the power of your vote, however you choose to vote.
Nader has said "If you are not turned on to politics, politics will turn on you.
and Trotsky said that you may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you.
Amen
The power of the vote is a lot less than it used to be, due to "electoral reform" (e.g. Citizens United), which allows massive amounts of money to influence elections ("legalized bribery').
But if one doesn't vote, it will be even less.
FWIW, I think it is quite clear that voting is not enough. The US has been going downhill for a long time. I am not satisfied with just slowing the decay. I would like to work to make things better and that seems to require doing more than voting.
Be active and participate in helping to SHAPE the vote — campaign for someone who will be a good leader.
[We are not voting for our RULERS, we are voting for leaders . unless we let the fascists win. Then all is lost …
It may not seem to be enough ,but try to improve things if lose the rights that voting has given you ,your right to not vote came at a very heavy price!
Of course.
SO true!
The very reason Citizens United needs to/should go away as soon as possible.
This is not true if the vote is overwhelming! If it is close, then it is quite easy to cheat the system as we have seen in 7 of the last 8 presidential elections.
All the more reason to get EVERYONE to vote.. there are many more democracy loving folks than there are Neo fascists.
Well said!
Not voting in this presidential election is a mistake. This may be the most important presidential election of our lives. If, God forbid, Trump gets in again, or even any of the other ultra-conservative Republicans, we may not get another chance. While I may not agree with everything Democrats do, I do believe we have a better chance at moving forward than with Republicans, who would love to turn back time and deny us hard-won rights.
I have been told every presidential election for the past 24 years that I must vote Dem, it is too important to do otherwise. But it is not enough. The future looks grim unless we get a better understanding of what is going on,.
And every one of those times was RIGHT — look at those Republican administrations and what happened in them and think about what might have happened if the other guy got in?
YES, people need to understand better — even Dems are going to moderate their positions, if they don’t think they can get enough votes. But the alternative is despotism — take a look at what Mitch McConnell did to the Supreme Court just because he COULD get away with it without enough Democrats to oppose him? Take a LOOK at what happens when people are not active and vocal and don’t vote …
The vote itself is only part of our civic responsibility. You think self-governance is easy????
You can't comment, in my opinion, if you do not participate.
I agree with Gerry Gras's comment below. Also, the parties have us all focused on Biden and Tiny. In this column, Reich point out the effect of random chance on Presidential elections. We're all focused on two old men who could experience death or disability at any given time. Think that one through.
Calvin, I've thot it thru and consider Kamala Harris qualified to complete the task.
I'm glad someone is thinking about it. I'm not a Kamala Harris supporter, though. Her record as a prosecutor and State Attorney General give me pause.
Absolutely NOT
Yes, age is a factor. But the Kennedys were killed by guns as was MLK. Reagan got shot at, but Mr. Brady suffered most.
My point comes from the perspective of a history student. Any number of important events came about because of something experts failed to foresee. There's real potential here for medical events, assassinations, or other things nobody can foresee. Think Pompeii.
I agree. History is often portrayed as a series of distinct events. the reality is it is a continuous process although much is below the surface.
Exactly!
I believe we are worse off when the Republicans are in power.
I agree. But the Democratic Party is not so good either. Think repeal of Glass-Steagal and NAFTA for example. Unless you are upper middle class or better, the Reps and Dems do not represent you. Read "Listen, Liberal" or anything else by Thomas Frank.
All you have to do is look at how little the Republican-led House has done, and how obstructionist the whole party is, to know which party has a chance to make things better for those who are not rich.
Yes, I agreed that the Reps are worse. But if you look at the last 40 years, things have gotten worse for the non rich, thanks to the Reps and the Dems. And often when the Dems do the right thing it is because they get a lot of pressure from the left. I think the Squad is good, but they get grief from the Reps and the Dems.
Agreed, so all we can do is to try to keep pushing them left, little by little, keeping the pressure on.
I agree losing Glass Steagall was a terrible thing . And NAFTA a disaster for many parts of our hemisphere … We did not oppose NAFtA enough when it was being negotiated [it did not START with Clinton}. When Dodd and Frank tried to mitigate the harm done by ditching Glass Steagall, they got way too much pushback from Republicans in Congress, and not enough support from the Obama Wall Street Gang.
When Elizabeth Warren wanted to be involved with how banking served the people, the R’s wouldn’t let her, so she ran for office!
The Dems are definitely a mixed bag, but the R’s are NOT on the side of ANY but the tip-top economic echelon.
If you want the Dems to be better — VOTE for better Dems!
But definitely VOTE.
I don’t understand how anyone can think people are getting into office who are not on our side, and NOT voting for better people is how we solve that problem. THAT is so illogical it is ludicrous.
But also, anyone who thinks voting once every four years and then sitting it out is the way to fix things is also illogical. We have to stay involved and engaged and keep our representatives’ feet to the fire — talk to them, engage, argue, campaign — if we are not a part of the solution, we can’t complain when it all falls apart.
Well said.
Thx
Gerry, I guess we'll just have to disagree on this one. There is no comparison between parties for about the past 45 years or so. I am still waiting for someone to show me something Republicans have initiated that was designed to help people other than themselves and their rich mostly white donors and other rich people and corporations. Democrats can name a lot of things even if they have failed to stay with the positives all the time as in the cases you mentioned. Yep, no comparison!
Oh, I am used to disagreement. Note that I acknowledge that the Reps are worse. Actually I should have said generally worse. But just because the Reps are terrible does not mean that the Dems are ok. If the Dems were doing a good job, they would clobber the Republicans. Check out how the Dems did during the new Deal and for some time after. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Combined--Control_of_the_U.S._House_of_Representatives_-_Control_of_the_U.S._Senate.png
I tend to see the entire public presentation as a marketing exercise by the owners. It really upsets Democrats when I tell them the DNC is playing the part of "lovable losers".
I just said something similar to Michael Moore in an email in response to his recent podcast where he tells about being at the White House in a porta-potty next to Clinton the night before Clinton was impeached. Both parties bought into neoliberalism and sold the working class down the river.
Gerry- I agree with you.
Glass-Steagall repeal led to the economic crash in 2008 and was instigated in the early 1930s to prevent this very event. However, the repeal was proposed by Senator Lindsey Graham (Republican) and signed by President Clinton.
This was a classic act of malfeasance that caused misery to many Americans. Again, surrendering to the powers on Wallstreet. Who gained from this? The Banks. Who lost? The American people through banks bailout of our tax dollars. And nobody from Wallstreet went to prison.
I am convinced we are peeing in the wind with our votes, unless we adopt electoral reform used in Canada, and break the hold of Corporations, NRA, Unions (cannot have it both ways guys), Industrial Associations lobbyists etc.
Only then do we get our democracy back. Anybody who thinks we live in a true democracy needs help.
This is true, but now is the time to fix what was messed up in the Clinton years.
The Dems will respond to VOTES They think the can influence voters with money — labor, especially unions, had infuence when unions were more prolific. Why do you think Reagan and the R’s worked so hard to kill them?
Money is politics helps to gain votes. It’s all about the votes.
Totally agree!
Very dark stuff. I don't really understand it. Sorry to tell you that there is no magic. What you are facing is horrible. I get that. But I do know that giving up on democracy will make your life 10 times worse. It's also my children's and grandchildren's lives that I'm talking about. And JFK Jr will only make things worse in 2024. You can still make your plans and vote Democratic next year. It's your only hope.
I think you meant RFK Jr?
Yes
I have been hearing "You must vote Democratic" for 20 years, but things keep getting worse.
And how much worse will it be if we get another 4 years of Trump? No dem candidate will be perfect. Not voting is not an option.
Democrats one step forward; republicans two steps back.
Exactly Jacko and that is why the Republicans cheat with gerrymandering and electoral college. They can’t win the popular vote, i.e., the voice of the people!
Gerry, I think you only say that because you don't remember what it was really like 20 years ago. Over time it seems either our memories brighten the past far beyond what it really was or darken it. It seems you have brightened it. Yes, salaries and wages have been kept low, totally wrong, but we have access to medical treatments not available to people two decades ago. We have access to the world if we choose to check it out. A lot of the problems we are having now we could lessen or eliminate, but we have folks who prefer people to be suffering. I think it makes them feel superior or somehow that they are geniuses. We know now about global warming and are actually beginning to address it. Voting is just one way we can have our voice heard. Writing to our representatives at all levels can work. Ignoring the candidates whose money comes from huge PACs. In short, we could do a lot to make the world better for the next generations if we wake up and start demanding it and stop voting into office (often by not voting) fools, ignoramuses, fascists who are blatant as to what they plan to do, rich people who buy office, etc. The problem, when one entire political party has decided our democracy is not good enough to get them everything they want, the Toddler Party, it is hard to get the positive things done that we need. We could make this better if we chose to do it, but sitting back is common now, just accepting things as they are. That's not good enough for me. I will probably still be hopeful to the end.
I'm not sure how well your memory works. The medical advances are not the result of the political system; they only have meaning if the patient can pay for the treatment. The other problems you mention are. I graduated high school in 1975; the opportunities I had in education and work have vanished for younger people. The relatively few hateful people in my younger environment have taken over on social issues, and the Democratic Party, for all its rhetoric, has done little to stop all of that.
The Democratic Party has been OPPOSED by too many Republicans who were also in office at the same time! Even what we call Obamacare has too much influence by insurance companies because Republicans in Washington insisted on it during negotiations, and then STILL would not vote for a decent national health-delivery system. THINK. INVESTIGATE what happened and WHY. Help the people who are on our side get elected — LOTS of them!
Democracy has gotten steadily weaker And democracy is necessary to fix problems. Income/wealth inequality has increased. The newer generations are facing a grimmer future. The US has fought more futile wars. Money has more influence on politics, so unless you are rich you have less influence. The environment is going downhill. It remains to be seen whether we are doing enough about global warming. The cost of education and housing has gone up. Medicine has made progress, but many are going bankrupt from medical expenses,
It's vastly more important this time. But I must admit that that even if we had voted Democratic the last 20 years, things wouldn't be that much better. Both parties have been corrupted to some degree. My Boomer generation knew better, but was a collosal failure.
BS Jay, the Boomer “generation” was not a failure any more than ANY other. It is portions of society that are good and bad. You are attempting to put over 72million people in one small box. Boomers fought and got women’s right to choice for safe abortions and access to birth control without the husband’s permission. Boomers were the first generation to be open to inter-racial marriages, protesting illegal wars, invented the internet, made driving safer with laws for seatbelts, fought for LGBTQIA rights. Consider yourself a failure but leave the rest of the generation out of it.
Don't have a cow! I made a generalization. Don't get me wrong. If you bothered to look at the context I was talking about global warming. Yes our generation raised a lot of consciousness about the environment, and the global warming science we have today wasn't developed yet. We did more than previous generations in that arena. But in the end big oil and coal and other carbon producers won the war. The generations that came before us were ignorant of the problem and the ones that came after us are the ones who are going to suffer the most from it. I was speaking to a self identified millennial. So make what you want of the situation but my children and my grandchildren are going to suffer from our failure on this and it might mean the end of humanity. I can understand why someone of them have given up and are expecting that they will be living in a dystopian world. Perhaps fusion and green technology that we can't even dream about can save humanity. But it's very sad that this is the world we are handing down. Yes we have accomplished a lot. I just hope it's enough.
This is my point! We've been voting both Blue and Red ... YET THINGS KEEP GETTING WORSE!
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again yet expecting a different result, so I ask us, "why do we think THIS time will be different?"
For me, because it has to be. But you do you.
Gerry, things keep getting worse (in your mind) because the rubes put a republican in even though the Democrats have won the popular vote in 7 of the past 8 elections! Think about that. Democrats help middle class and the RepubliCons undo it when they get in. Do some reseach!
"Do some research!"?!? What makes you think I have not? For that matter, what makes you think you know more than me. I could say more, but I don't want to be rude.
The fact that you said, you’ve been voting for Democrats for 20 years and things have gotten worse. Most Democratic Presidents have pulled us up from the deficits caused by Republicans. Letting rescumliCons get a majority in Congress prevents progress not the Democrats. Reagan took us from a deficit of $70Bil to $175 Bil, Clinton took it to ZERO! The W Bush took it from zero to$1.2 Trillion! Obama cut that in half. Trump added $7.8T!!! Biden reduced it within his first years in office. The republicans did not vote for Biden’s signature Climate bill but the red states are benefitting from it. Biden put forward the Inflation reduction Act. Biden got 500mil vaccines to the public, Biden gave us the Infrastructure bill that is amazing on and on. Your comment lacks ANY backup!
The mess g.W. Bush made will take decades more to repair.
So true Victor
RFK, JR
Thanks. Must have been some sort of Freudian slip
That looks like the Humanism symbol. Are you a humanist? 😊
You're the first to mention that. That's where I stole it from, yes. I sort of fit into the secular humanist description, yes.
I've done some work on the topic. Whether you call it "magic," or "miracles", or the new age term, "manifestations" or even the atheist term, "the placebo effect", there is something occurring that affects our physical reality
https://unorthodoxy.substack.com/p/the-reality-of-magic
Franklin, that is a defeatist attitude, just exactly what our current "conservatives" fascists want Millennials and other young people to think. Voting is a right and responsibility. There should be automatic registration and maybe some incentives for young people to vote, to get you all in the habit. Life expectancy lowering may not be what it seems. We will have to wait until we are a bit more past the pandemic. In any case, I know a lot of millennials are struggling, but most are not. Taking an hour or three twice a year to vote will not add to millennial struggling and it might help young people feel more empowered and willing to follow events of the day and who is impacting their/your struggles. The person who is president does matter because that person helps set the tone of the nation and the direction we will go, no matter what your source says. Vote, it's what citizens who care do!
Absolutely
I do not see Franklin's statement as defeatist. I see it as being honest about what is really going on. I believe before you can fix something, you have to understand what is going on, what is broken, why it is broken, how to fix it ...
Seeing what is going on clearly is key. Thinking that opting out of voting and letting our entire government devolve into fascism is not in any way finding a just, rational, and functional solution to our domestic issues or the problems of the world.
To some extent, the issues are hard to solve, because our species is so NUMEROUS, and we tend to be tribal {it’s in our DNA}. But just because something is in our DNA does not mean we have to subject ourselves to it. … We need to work together with all kinds of people to solve real problems in ways we can live with and live well, NOT just to get everything we think we want
Opting OUT of participation in our elections is EXACTLY what the Republicans need the Left to do, so they can usher in their 2025 plans, convert our country to fascism, and lock out actual participatory democracy for possibly generations…if we even have many generations left on our overheating planet …
NO, that is what the Right WANTS youth to do. To my mind, anyone out here telling our young people to opt out is carrying water for the fascists, whether on purpose or because they are deluded.
It’s a big mistake to fall for it, either way.
I do not understand how people misinterpret statements about voting as advocating not voting. I have not seen anyone saying someone should not vote. The issues are how effective voting is and whether voting is enough.
Devaluing voting only depresses the vote. People on here HAVE said Millennials should NOT vote, so get real. OF COURSE simply voting alone is NOT enough. But only voting is better than NOT voting.
That is ridiculous! Stopping your vote is going to have the effect of destroying our Democracy and enabling climate change to progress. The only way to help our country improve is to get in lawmakers who agree with our hopes for a better future.
Simple and true.
I have not seen anyone say don't vote. I see questioning of the value of voting.
Yes, we want lawmakers who agree with us and who won't be corrupted, nut that is easier said than done. I have regretted some votes. Don't know if that was because I did not do adequate research or the candidate was dishonest. All too often politicians will say one thing and do another. And when trying to get reelected they often misrepresent their records. It is hard to make politicians accountable.
True. I guess the only way to make them accountable is voting, but, then, we don't often get a choice in our elections. The 2 party system sucks!
Thomas Jefferson agrees with you,he never advocated political parties nor did many other founders of this Republic!
Third party will never lift off the ground. But I would like to see 4-5 political group choices. It’s too easy for the two big political parties to gang up on the third.
The value of voting is to maintain the right to vote,to allow people to try and change things that they can only change if they vote ,your ability to make your arguments about voting are a right aquired by voting ,I never could not vote or lessen the importance of voting and try to make thing’s better by pissing on the need to vote . It’s sometimes an extremely slow process and it’s hard to see things happen as fast and perfectly as they should ,but the only way to make the difference in our lives is to value the only peaceful way to make that change ,the alternative methods of change are violent and brutal ! You have to get involved in the very imperfect system called Democracy and protect it vigorously ,it’s all we got ,for a bit longer hopefully! History will judge us severely if we don’t respect it and learn its lessons!
This comment depends on a misunderstanding of what I was trying to say, apparently not well. If you saw my other comments you would know that I am not against voting, that i vote whenever I can, and I support voting. At the same time, I think that the power of voting has been lessened by the outrageous influence of money, so we need to do more than vote.
It is basically the same thing Gerry — you undermine the belief that voting has value, you naturally reduce the numbers who will bother. That’s not hard to understand.
And, yes, it is HARD to make politician accountable. We need to be ready to stay involved and do the hard work.
Give me a break!!
YOU give it a rest. Seriously. If you want to opt out, go ahead. But stop trying to take other voters with you. You don’t respect the power of the vote? Go play tiddly winks.
The rest of us are trying to head off a fascist turn in our government.
I hope you don’t think that any Republican politician is interested in extending our lives. The Dems may be small beer, but the Republicans are a drink of petroleum.
👍🏼
Who is in government has considerable correlation to your daily life. Government policies determine whether you can obtain the medical care you need, whether the air you breathe is clean, whether the food you eat is safe, whether you are exposed to unacceptable hazards in your workplace, whether you can find affordable housing, whether you can attend college without acquiring a huge debt, and so much more. If you are struggling just to survive, government policies are likely a contributing factor.
Voting is not a luxury, it is a civic responsibility. The answer your problems is not to refrain from voting but rather to learn about the candidates and vote for the one most likely to work to improve people's lives. You can contact the White House to express your opinion on any issue. To quote former President Obama, "Democracy is not a spectator sport."
I write notes to the White House — addressing the President — often. There is a link to do that on the White House web site.
If you have something to say, SAY IT.
And say it a LOT!
Can I quote you? I would love to SPREAD this everywhere!!!
Franklin, Yes, please don't vote. I see where you are going.
I thought the same thing! 😄
Millennials daily lives are directly and profoundly affected by voting. And anyone who thinks we can let the fascists win for a while because they don’t impact our lives is seriously , seriously deluded. We don’t have the luxury of sitting through another administration the likes of the Trump years. The next iteration will definitely be worse, and we may never have a legitimate chance to undo the damage …
George W. Bush was “elected” by far fewer votes than his opponent got. If Floridians had voted for Gore in greater numbers, the ludicrous events of hanging chads and the Brooks Brothers Protest and the SCOTUS shutting down a fair count would never have happened.
We very well might have avoided 9/11 {Gore, as Clinton’s VP, knew how dangerous Al Qaeda was — Gore was in the administration with Richard Clark, who warned that Bin Laden was a grave threat at the time, but the Bush administration belittled that warning and sidelined Clark}. We might have done a great deal more about climate change, which Gore was VERY insistent about, and he was insistent that the world prepare for the mass migrations that climate change would propel, and we are seeing those today … Who knows if Gore would have headed off the recession of 2008 and the horrendous gambling with depositors’ money that went on in banks after the Clinton administration went along wth dumping Glass Steagall, but I fully believe Gore would never have gotten us into the morass in Iraq and the Middle East, which created so much worldwide havoc and ballooned the national debt.
SO MUCH would have been different, if more people had voted, and if they had been convinced to vote in their and the world’s BEST interest.
Vote. Vote. Vote.
This time, Vote Blue.
Couldn’t have said this better ,how much clearer does the message of history have to be?
Thanks for the observation, Pat. I very much agree about Al Gore- the actions of the Supreme Court stripping him of the presidency then are exactly what Trump thought he could recreate in 2020, and I fear the current GOP wants to try again. Anyone who thinks fascists can be routed easily after they have consolidated power is living in a dangerous fantasy.
Try living in a country like China ,just speaking those words will get you a whole new out look on the need to vote ,brush up on your history my friend it will save your life!
And heating costs are horrible! Wages are still $7.25/hr . We didn’t get to $15.00 . Heating costs are horrible. They said under the Orange one gas was $2.00/gal ( it was) food was cheap and we were self sufficient in heating costs. There was no Inflation.
They FORGET that was turning into a mess that BIDEN came in on and ZHAD TO CLEAN UP and CAUSED ALL THIS INFLATION AND HIGH INTEREST RATES. They don’t understand or don’t want to.
I SO AGREE WITH YOU! So many of them are absolutely Clueless to what’s happening in the world around them right now. And Politics is not even remotely close in their minds! I try to educate my grandchildren and have been successful with a few of them. But the ones that have Parents that are brain dead ( for the Orange one) are a Lost Cause! They have been Indoctrinated into Their Parents Cult 🤮. So I don’t waste my breath. They are staunch supporters of his. Their reasoning is ( we live in N.E.PA near the Poconos) we still are at 8% Inflation, the grocery stores are gouging us, gas is still high $3.37/gal)
my jaw dropped when I read Rock Valley - I grew up in Rockford and worked for McCarthy. My first presidential campaign as an activist - but far from my last. I was 17, just graduating from West High School.
Wow. When did you leave Rockford? Did you go to Rock Valley?
It would seem that Donad Trump has a hidden talent, and no I'm not exaggerating. Robert set the thread to 1968 yesterday and I negated to bring forth the true desire of Mr. Trump. In the late 60s Donnie Boy took on a secret identity and produced a song entitled "Fire," he did this under the stage name of Arthur Brown. If you look it up on YouTube the extravaganza was filmed, I believe, in Iceland, at least it looks like it was. Read the first line in the lyrics and you will realize Trump's true intent for this country. Robert, this one's for you, knowing how you feel about the orange guy.
I too was not 21 as yet and could not vote until 1971.
A slight correction though. The first Selective Service lottery was on December 1, 1969 for the year 1970. Your boyfriend could not have a low number in 1968. we did not have those for a while.
296.406 were drafted in 1968. Maybe he signed up for the Marines in case he was drafted and would have to go in the Army. He signed up on the "buddy system" and was only with his buddy for a few weeks. Thank you for correcting me.
I hope he survived his time with the Marines.
He did.
That is good.
Thanks Robert for the history tour. I was an adult, but not much involved in politics at the time, so I really appreciate this personal history tour, taking me through an era of politics of which I knew very little, except that the Saigon Post and Vietnamese said that the war would be lost, because there were more communists in America than in Vietnam.
I am only repeating the Saigon Post and what I heard from the people. I was semi fluent in Vietnamese, but like all things use it or lose it.
The war wasn't worth it. The Navy had their aircraft unload unspent bombs in the bay of Tonkin, where Exxon now has a contract to extract oil, (bombs make great seismic detectors)
Visit Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) and you can eat at a McDonalds and a KFC.
And American Vietnamese and their descendants are staunch Republicans.
I think of RFK and is son RFK Jr, and thanks to RR historical recall. I realized that the apple does not fall far from the tree. For years I considered RFK a martyr. But looking back I now see an entitled legacy brat, without any skills or desire for the grind stone, and a need for power and fame, as an opportunist without principles, who would say and do anything to gain fame and wind up in the history books
Yes he prosecuted the mafia, so did Rudy.
Gee, Professor, you might want to write (yet) another book! What a story! What a life you have led…
Let us only hope some of today’s youth with have the spunk and the drive to better this country now, as you and Sarah did back in the ‘60’s.
Your friend in MD,
Anne 🌻💙🙏
Dr. Reich, I can't help being resentful that your life was so much easier than what everybody I know experienced. That is why I believe we must have a universal unconditional basic income and single-payer universal healthcare. It is everyone's right to achieve their potential and not be stuck in survival mode. Of course, you are concerned with saving the middle class from which you came. There is no distinction between middle or working class people who are employees of an employer. We need to rethink our class structure. Thank you for providing this forum and providing food for thought from which we can grow ideas by sharing with each other.
Louis Brandeis, former supreme court justice,once said "We may have democracy, or we may have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Brandeis
And here we are.
With due respect, Gloria J. M.,
I wouldn’t be resentful of anyone, much less Professor Reich, for having an “easy life.” Looks can be deceiving, no matter what things seem to be. No one really really knows just what others are going through…
Best, Anne 🌻
I was just being honest. You can't blame human nature and our sense of fairness. It's to Reich's credit that he cares about what is not working in the system since it favors some over others. He should know how it makes others feel when he relates his opportunities to go to Dartmouth and travel around in a car that apparently had no payments, to "work" on a political campaign. I'm sure his father didn't work harder than my father at his turret lathe, and I'm sure he wasn't more intelligent. It takes intelligence, skill, and self control to work in a dirty, smelly factory exposed to solvents for 30 years in order to support your family. The government decided that my father's income, with six children, was too high for me to get a student loan until I reached the age of 24. It's a class system that is nearly impossible to climb out of.
As an engineer in the Naval Nuclear Power program, I worked with machinists like your father. They make most of the parts for Naval nuclear reactor plants, frequently to tolerances of one thousandth of an inch! It takes brains and skill to do this. I have great admiration for them.
They are undervalued.
Gloria, you are right, and this is very worrisome. We no longer value work, especially physical work, the way we used to. We glorify financial success instead. This one of the reasons there is so much resentment now.
It says something about unions--that re skilled workers, “they are undervalued” only means a true test of the value of work is needed. To find out the value of THEIR type of work--a worker’s inputs, can only be established through negotiations and compromise, where two parties must agree on price of labor, a win-win, for “their value” of what their work is worth. Nonunion workers can only find out the value of THEIR work by seeing what strength of numbers has negotiated.
Some people kid themselves, “I rely on benevolent, fair, kind employer to decide the value of my work. Unions are nasty! I only ask what an employer can afford to offer. They can’t afford high-priced labor. It would drive them out of business, I’d be unemployed. Their shareholders would take their investments out. Better to cooperate. Be grateful for what “they” find fair and make the production or sales quotas they decide they need from me, to succeed.”
“Besides, the employer is so obviously successful, standing in the glow of their halo, the shadow of the owner’s success, is all the compensation I need--to know I contribute to society and, by employing me, so do investors and business owners, who, similar to me, show an interest in supporting community that provides for their success.” Not. Taxes as a % of income, when income is high, needs to reflect the fortunate reliance on workers who rely in community funded by taxes.
You're right about that class system. I began on the very bottom. Despite decades of work, I never made it past "lower middle"; now I'm disabled and back on the bottom.
I was thinking about the characteristics it takes for a person to work at a lathe in a "dirty smelly factory" for 30 years. If a robot can do the work, then we have supplied the human with the work life of a robot. (I believe the Slavic word for "work" is the origin of the word "robot.") I have to believe he had gifts and abilities that he never got to apply and practice. As do the vast majority of us.
The waste of human potential in the light of massive need never fails to astound me.
Some machine work cannot be done by robots and need human to do it correctly. Working as a machinist is not a "waste of human potential". It requires talent, brains, and skill.
Working as a machinist is not a "waste of human potential"
If a person's calling and mission was to be a machinist, and the work made use of their unique gifts, then your statement is correct.
If their calling and gifts lay somewhere else, and they chose being a machinist for reasons of -- say -- security, then it is not correct.
I've heard that the root of the word slave comes from the word Slav, as the Rus and the Norse took Slavs as Slaves, and DNA proves it.
You are right about the word "robot" ... https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/origin-word-robot-rur/ ... https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/the-origin-of-the-word-robot/
Gloria, you need to grow up. Robert talking about his days at Dartmouth is just a fact for him, not flaunting. That’s in your mind. Most boomers today grew up in middle class that would look like lower middle class today. Most of us lived a life with basics. When we turned 18, we were on our own. I had to find my own financing to attend my university, I worked part time, I applied for scholarships. There was no internet to do the research for this.
Money was very tight for most families but as long as there was enough food and a roof over our heads, we didn’t see why we should complain.
Yet the very base of conservatism are Boomers, the Reaganites.
Hippies and Beats were Boomers and the Silents. The silents fought WWII
At a Peter, Paul and Mary concert, open air in a park. I watched Cadillacs, BMW's and Mercedes pull up and park. I turned to the gray haired gent next to me and asked" What happened to our generation". He replied we grew up and owned things.
For many, not all, the older we get, the more conservative we become, at least financially
Total BS Lee. There are so many in the boomer generation that didn’t go in that direction. The base of conservatives are racists and Magas.
There are over 72 million baby boomers. Acting like they’re all in sinc is asinine.
Your father was a machinist? So was mine, and we lacked for nothing. My big brother even got an Engineering degree from an Ivy League school.
Stop whining. Most Americans, not to mention most around the world have it worse off than you, at least 'materially'. Your family was NOT 'lower class'.
Of course not. We were working class. My parents couldn't afford to send me to college when I was 18 in 1968, yet I was denied a student loan. I was in the top 10% of my class of over 500 students. It was different for women back then. And just because people somewhere in the world are worse off than we are doesn't mean we should submissively accept whatever an employer wants to pay. My father wasn't paid what he was worth, but he did better in the union than those that came after Reagan busted the unions.
Ya know! I came from a working class family and community ,My Father ,my uncle ,my brother were all Presidents of thier respective Unions,the way they got to be Presidents of those unions was by giving it every thing they had ,they sacrificed their home lives, their money,and their time ,immense amounts of time,to better the situations of their members, they did what they could to help others achieve some kind of dignity and honor from the ,bosses ,who couldn’t give a flying F about their needs .I am proud of them and their actions for without them and their sacrifices many would have been dismissed as nothing but the cost of doing business.I am a retired Union Carpenter and I capitalize because I’m immensely proud and grateful to those who raised me ,and my brothers and sisters who I’ve worked with in the union ,the dignity is as important as the financial benifits if not more so! Unfortunately the Union movement has been decimated by the likes of Reagan, who was a union president and democrat,before the rat bastard sold his soul to the republicans! The non union workers have been bullshitted into accepting the crumbs off the table and floor or the rich the thinking being that’s what I’m worth being driven into thier heads by the bosses ! How very sad the gains made for the common workers by unionism is being stolen from them and their families,there is a glimmer of hope ,the young workers are remembering their history and are again looking to unionism for the respect and dignity that is theirs if they stay together and fight for their future!
Well said Ann
" It is everyone's right to achieve their potential and not be stuck in survival mode."
I hope we can agree that the way things are now are due to both design and neglect. This is our "system."
In my experience, it is the very rare person who comes to understand the mission for which they were put into this life. I view mission as closely tied to potential. Deprived of a sense of mission and purpose, people naturally fall into alienation and loneliness -- the prime ingredient for totalitarianism, according to Hannah Arendt.
Ever since I read Walden in HS in 1968, I wondered about what Thoreau observed about the mass of people leading lives of quiet desperation -- and thought, Why does it have to be so?
It doesn't have to be so.
True Gloria, but that is the way humans roll. There is nothing new when it comes to human behavior, fears, needs, wants and greed. The only thingthat changes are the people.
Don't you feel like you are watching a play, that has been playing out since the dawn of time, and the only thing that changes are the scenery and actors.
They Grecian drama's, Shakespeares plays, are as relevant today as they were then, just change the scenery, modernize the language and costumes
Do you think people might be less violent, though?
Look at the world in which we live., We are surrounded with fear, hatred, bigotry. Look at Russia, China, the Arabs, the French.
You don't need to look abroad. Look at home. Jan 6th, the Trump cult, the violence of Jan 6th was a rehearsal, wait until he wins or loses in 2024. If he wins in 2024 he lets loose the hounds of hell, to seek retribution and revenge on his opponents, which includes liberals, gays, Democrats. If he loses they will take to the streets just like the Brown and Black shirts of Germany and Italy.
Many countries in Europe provide free post secondary education. If you can make it into university, there is no tuition up to and including university. Brilliant. What an investment in the future of the country.
Democracies in Europe understand the word "socialism" is NOT a "dirty" word. They know what the meaning is, unlike too many Americans who equate socialism with communism, fascism, totalitarianism and lump all 4 together into some mishmash in their minds. There needs to be an information campaign to teach Americans the virtues of Democratic Socialism: universal health care, free post-secondary education, a living wage, adequate safety nets for low income workers, and taxation of the rich to pay their fair share. Such an education campaign might be too ambitious for the coming election cycle. With so much at stake like losing our very democracy, at the very least the dems need a much clearer laser focus to get the message across on what truly IS at stake & how much they have accomplished for the people in spite of the extreme anti-democracy dysfunction, obstructionism, & do nothing nonsense of the magas.
Having an educated population, means shouldering responsibility of ushering post secondary students through university or trades training--rather than abandoning them after high school to need services they can’t afford, not without skills to earn to pay for things, including taxes. Invest in young people or pay the price of their unemployability.
European countries aren’t simply being nice--they are being plan-full, recognizing today’s potential can be propagated or squandered. Policy is a choice of where to invest.
The price of stepping over underemployed people on street corners seems cost high-income, low-taxed, people are willing to pay, victim blaming--as if unfortunate are too rudderless to find the means (the money) to fund “their own” education. Skills are something a person spreads around, so providing for people to have skills is (or ought to be) everyone’s business.
I agree about the basic income and universal healthcare. It is such a shame that the rest of the democratic counties pay attention to the needs of the people whereas here, it is all about making the rich guys happy.
Yes, I reckon there's a book there too, perhaps from LBJ taking on the presidency, looking forward to the contrast between some of his more progressive domestic achievements, but of course too, his foreign policy / Vietnam failings. And relating them to what I understand were significant personal insecurities (evident even to the recently graduated [and later UK Daily Telegraph editor and military historian Max Hastings - see his book: "Vietnam"] on meeting LBJ with others at the White House back at the time. As a Brit, I'd be interested too in a US / LBJ perspective on Harold Wilson's keeping the UK out of Vietnam. p.s. was that photo really of your car, or are you kidding us..? I had a couple of friends with VW Beetles back in the day, but nowhere near as snazzy as that one..! "Snazzy", now there's a good word from the times. With best wishes all...
LBJ was accused of communism because of the Civil Rights act and his great society, and his handlers thought the way to neuter the charge was to go on the offense against Communism, which was then perceived to be Ho Chi Minh.
Actually Ho was a Vietnamese nationalist, who fought against the French, who exploited the land and it's peoples. The country was dotted with French Rubber Plantations,and during the war, most were confiscated for Army bases.,because they had rudimentary air strips that were easily enlarged to dirt runways.
The Chinese supplied the Viet's with arms and munitions, but when the Americans left, the Viet's kicked the Chinese out, and it was the communist Vietnamese that attacked the
Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot (Khmer Rouge meant Red (Communist) Khmers, the preferred name of Cambodians.
I did not know that, thank you!
A benefit of being as old as dirt and having been there and paying attention.
Thank you, Dr. Reich for sharing your rich, vibrant, and, at times, agonizing and turbulent history with us.
Again, our nation faces a very dangerous, multi-pronged, internal threat, which has been deliberately stoked for decades now, but as I read elsewhere today: "danger is not destiny."
Hopefully, enough good people in this country will defeat the facistic forces arrayed against what's left of democracy in America, because "danger is not destiny."
Deborah, those words are so powerful!
The economic news is good but you would never know it if you listen to the right! The stock market, unemployment, inflation, gas prices, etc….. are all showing signs of improvement.
I would also add that if average working Americans Unionize it will allow you to live even better lives.
* Take some of your money back from the oligarchs because you need it much more than they do! Force them to share their wealth.
* What our Congress won’t do the American workers can do.
* Just make sure your Union Leaders cannot be bought by the rich! Trust but Verify
* Now is the time. President Biden has shown that he is Pro-Union.
My conscience taps me on the shoulder when I think about voting for Biden since he is supporting Israel to commit genocide against the Palestinians. His "please be more careful" position" isn't working. I'll never vote for Trump. How does the system keep putting voters in the "between a rock and a hard place" situation? The system isn't working.
Gloria - while I understand your thinking I also think that Biden is also between a rock and a hard place as well when it comes to having to deal with someone else’s war while trying to keep our troops out of direct conflict. All trump did was pull us out of our agreements with other countries and now Iran is closer to nuclear power and ignoring the Paris treaty has us closer to burning up the planet. As well as his cozying up with dictators and his America first which will isolate and weaken us. Trump doesn’t have a single plan in place if he once again gets a chance to wreck the rest of the freedoms that we have left. If the recent article from ProPublica about Thomas (apparently now you can thank him and his rich benefactors for Citizens Untied) and how he can be bought so easily doesn’t make it clear that republicans are not going to make this country any better for us and will only benefit the rich then I don’t know what will. The Democrats need to apparently make easy to read charts to explain that we actually are better off than when trump was in control so maybe people will start to see it. I personally blame the greedy corporations who jacked up the prices when we had supply chain issues and have not reduced them once the supply chain was fixed. So many younger people are blaming the current president for things that are not in his control and expecting him to get things done with a divided government. I do not agree with war but I also do not want to see my child (who is currently in the military) have to lose his life because if trump gets a second chance I know that he most likely will. My other child is now a firefighter/paramedic and constantly deals with the trauma of gunshot victims and other people who do not value other human beings thanks to the ugliness that trump has brought back into full view and the other republicans that have amplified it. This is just my opinion on why we might not like our choices between the two there is a clear and present danger for sitting out the elections and maybe it is better to go with the one who is at least trying to make our lives as best as they can be with what they have to work with. Or maybe I’m way off because I don’t seem to have any affect on my own children when it comes to politics (shy grin and shrugging shoulders inserted here ;) ).
Well said. I agree.
My heart aches for all of the people who have lost their lives regardless if it is because of war, violence, the pandemic or what have you. I have lost people in all of these and I don’t want others to feel that same pain.
Thank you for raising such wonderful contributors to the whole of society. You definitely did something right. I send a bubble of protection to your sons who put themselves in harm’s way. 💕 And I agree that Biden is between a rock and a hard place... and I rely on his knowledge of foreign affairs and negotiating smarts.
Thank you Suzanne I truly appreciate your words more than you will ever know.
Pardon my response. The system is working, though flawed. At least we still have the choice to vote for the "lesser of two evils," most important to our survival, tho much more mildly than my thoughts run.
Yes Jan '68 married, Feb '68, received 4A classification at draft board (asthma, flat feet), Jly '68 en route from OH to Boston in rock band.
As Anon says, Biden is between a rock and a hard place. Nevertheless I am very disappointed with Biden because the US is enabling the Gaza catastrophe, which I believe will be bad for the US and Israel.
@ Gloria. I usually respect what you say, and although Netanyahu let down Israel and is an a-hole, that genocide crap is similar to that old time blood libel that Jews have had to surmount from time immemorial. https://www.peacecomms.org/gaza
I have never heard of that blood libel story so I looked it up. That is ridiculous and I don't believe many people would believe it. If the indiscriminate bombing continues the way it has for a few more months in the densely populated Gaza, how many Palestinians will be left. I read that over 1% of the population and has been killed and many more will die of starvation and disease in addition to the bombing. There has to be a better way to stop Hamas. I know the Jewish people are humane but it doesn't appear that the Israeli government is.
That's propaganda. Brought to you by the same people who accuse Jews of their own animus. The PLO, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah all vow to kill all Jews anytime anyplace, anywhere. Psychological projection.
This is from 2006. https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/mde210062006en.pdf
2015. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2015/05/gaza-palestinians-tortured-summarily-killed-by-hamas-forces-during-2014-conflict/
2022. https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/middle-east-and-north-africa/palestine-state-of/report-palestine-state-of/
What hateful people want does not mean that is what will happen or the world would have been depopulated long ago. The people of the world are for the most part tolerant and cooperative.
The hostages are not Gazans. Some Americans. I hear from some Gazans, brave people who call out Hamas for what it is. I published some of it -- some from a Facebook group.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064406303262
I also hear, daily, from people from my hometown. Mostly Christian Arabs Americans. Some still have relatives....fodder for Hamas.
That may be what the terrorists SAY, but what the IDF currently and for years HAS DONE in Gaza and the West Bank. Call it slow genocide if that makes you feel better. One state or two, the killing has to stop. NOW!
Read the links. Hamas can't count. There is some collateral damage, but not to the extent as presented. https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1975048516212141&set=a.1042518649465137
The system is working. It is working for the plutocrats and oligarchs, not for the non rich.
Gloria, you have chewed off too much of Arab propaganda. The only genocide in the Gaza Israel war, is the intentions of HAMAS, their charter even enshrines genocide of he Jews. Israel is fighting a war for survival. Israel has a right to exist, It is the only Jewish nation in the world. Islam has the Mideast, North Africa, Iran, West and central Asia, and east Asia, Christians have Europe and the Americas.
I don't think that you support the genocide of the Jews, who incidentally started out by buying the land from Arabs,till the Arabs gave a try at genocide in wars starting with 1948.
Don't you think they have killed an inordinate number of Palestinian civilians?
And we killed an inordinate amount of French, Germans, Belgians and Nederlanders to save Europe from the NAZI's (and also America as well, same with Japan in the firebombing of Tokyo, and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Want to know who is responsible for those dead civilians in Gaza?
HAMAS, for using them as human shields, they even use hospitals as missile launch sites, and as command poss and weapons storage, if not in the hospitals themselves, then in the tunnels under the hospitals.
Who was responsible for all of the civilians killed by American and British bombs from 1941 to 1945?
The Allies or the Germans? It is they that turned out en masse, seig heiling their fuhrer.
Don't you think that the women and children of Gaza were glued to their TV sets,ulating and cheering on HAMAS and Islamic Jihad, as they murdered innocent women and children.
I am not talking of revenge, but the Jews fighting for their own survival and the survival of the only (tiny) state of Jews in the world.
The alternative is to sit back and accept Genocide, and they learned their lesson between 1933 and 1945.
You do realize don't you that the slogan "Free Palestine, from the River to the Sea"is a call for genocide and a second genocide of Jews. It is also a sacred obligation of Islam, according to HAMAS and their religion.
Gloria,, it is not the system, it's life itself! Thinking in terms of "systems" is a way to simplify complex situations, and that can make things even more complicated..
Biden has a very close advisor, Riccheti, whose brother lobby's for the AMA. Thank you, rotten to the core, capitalist medicine!
Keith, it seems to me that after the republicans have messed up the country, a Democrat steps in and begins to clean up the mess!! President Biden had so much to clean up after trump!! He got right to work and has done so much in his first term!! Any change takes time. Now that the stock market, unemployment, inflation, gas prices, etc are improving, he needs four more years to get our country back on an even keel.
He needs four more years with a democratic Congress.
Yes, Jacko, absolutely!! Just imagine how much would be accomplished if Congress were democratic and helped President Biden get legislation passed that will benefit ALL of us not just the wealthiest!!
Yes, and with more push from the progressives to help us lean more to the common good, taxing the rich more, fighting the Oligarchs here in the US and the foreign ones that hide many of their assets here in shell companies and real estate, health care for all, and access to quality education. The biggest issue of all would be a serious effectual approach to climate change.
You said it, Jacko! Oh, what a wonderful world it would be!! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!
I have heard mixed reviews of the "Inflation Reduction Act". Meanwhile Biden has approved a lot of leases to fossil fuel companies.
@GerryGras it’s imperative that we deal with climate change and I have spent time in the trenches doing so. Having said that, Joe Biden has done a magnificent job given his burden left by the crazy orange dementia loaded guy. In fact, take a look at how our economy is being energy diversified and on a path to hydrogen power. There are now Hydrogen Hubs throughout the country that will solve this issue and put our nation and the world on a new path. There is a new “Green Corps” created to conserve our national forests and wildlife AND help with energy. Please, please look at the details. The record speaks. And it takes a team. The Biden Team is my team. Please stick with us.
I have been following the concept of "Limits to Growth" since 1970, a little before the book was published. I have been concerned/alarmed about global warming since 2000. I have taken three courses on it, and read many articles. I am still alarmed and so are many climate scientists.
It always is so simple for one issue voters. Your vote is magic: don't vote for Biden and you magically get Trump’s cabal
https://www.energy.gov/CleanEnergyCorps
The stock market isn’t the economy. Please don’t conflate the two. I haven’t seen anything lately, but the last time I did, fewer than half of us own stocks.
I am not defending the traitorous Trump humpers, but they don't see the good economic news, because average America does not invest or play in the stock market or give a damn about the GDP, the only ones who care are Wall Street, and bankers, and the donors to the parties, and what they really care about is having their source of wealth and power, regulated.
The voter sees only the fact that he or she can't afford to buy a home anymore, and that the price of groceries and health care takes most of their income and many have to choose between food and medicine, food and schooling.
The reason I added the Stock Market is because a lot of the far-right rich own shares of stock. I’m hoping that they will come to their senses and realize they are still well off without Trump’s help!
I understand your sentiment, but no chance. People once committed mightily resist back tracking. Just look at some of the comments on this substack. If you prove a person wrong, you might notice that they weasel their way around admitting that they were wrong, and shift the goal posts to justify their position, or simply saying I don't care, I have my opinions or beliefs anyway.
Besides the rich owe their wealth to the performance of corporations on the stock market, and corporations primary interest is in doing away with regulations. Regulations negatively impact profits, in their mind, regulations like anti trust laws, and even environmental and safety laws, protect corporations from their greedy selves., but they don't see that nor do they care, the only thing that matters to corporations and most humans, poor or rich, is the "here and now"
Reality tends to spoil things.Trump has never told a lie in his life and is here to save the world. I can guarantee that is 100% true if you want to believe it.Obviously there are no facts to back up such self delusional nonsense.
Which oligarch hasn't shared their wealth,have you got any facts to back up your statement .
Mr. Olsen,
They specialize in keeping their base uneducated. IF they are too dim to understand their facist gods WANT THEM DEAD, THEN the Trumplican party HAS a base! The INSTANT they wake up and realize that there is only a single party that wants them to be able to afford living a happy, healthy life . . . that is that! RIHGOP!
The economic news is good for shareholders and about the upper-income quarter of the population. The view for the working class and small business people is very different. Inflation is still outrunning wages, corporations fight the unions tooth and nail, social strife abounds and is aggravated by reporting, on and on.
I remember the history of the era vividly since I was a lowly 22 year old soldier in Vietnam while all the events you described took place during 1968. I landed in country at the end of the Tet offensive on February 5th and rotated out of Vietnam at the beginning of March 1969. While there was little opportunity to protest the war while in country other than defying military orders which would have resulted in my ending up in the stockade, I did participate in many marches and discussion groups once I returned to college. I had first hand knowledge of the hubris of Americans fighting a people and a history we barely knew. It is so easy for a country to get swept away by patriotic fever and oh-so difficult to bring wars to an end. I believe that we Americans still experience the pain and suffering as well as the consequences of Vietnam even today, fifty years later.
First, Edward, thank you for your service! Many of my friends who served during Vietnam use to tell me how pretty the country was and the people in the villages were very nice to them. I understand that we went into the war to stop the spread of communism but truthfully, I always wondered why our country felt the need to stick our nose into someone else's conflict. I did a lot of protesting back then and yes, I agree with you, we still experience pain, suffering and consequences from Vietnam.
I think the domino theory about communism came from Hitler's conquering most of Europe because no one stopped him earlier, when it might not have been so hard to stop him. And maybe because the USSR controlled much of eastern Europe. They did not recognize that Vietnam was different.
Welcome Home Bro’ - After floundering around in college in 1968 and being asked to leave, I was drafted into the Army. I took a one year short in the hopes of getting a non-combat MOS. Much to my chagrin I ended up in RVN in ‘69 and still managed to almost meet my proverbial maker by being too close to a 122mm rocket round. I’ll spare you my war stories as most of it exemplified how insane the situation was. At my first job interview upon return, the hiring owner ( a lead from the Army) wanted to know if I was still using heroin. In 1972 Veterans were regarded as either scum or Rambo run amok.
I ended up with PTSD and cancer from Agent Orange. Now when I wear my Veteran hat every Republican I encounter thanks me for my service.
I was 12 in 68. I remember watching the news on our black and white TV. I later became a nurse and worked in a PTSD program a few years with primarily Vietnam vets. One of my most intense jobs.
Those were heady days. Some of us barely coming of age then, remember parents, aunts and uncles, and neighbors. For many of us, it was the time we were exposed to hatred of fellow Americans because they were not like others. Republicans were the majority in the neighborhood. It was a time when neighbors and relatives were openly cursing and calling for the police to be called in to arrest people who thought and acted differently. Here we are today, and it seems little was learned from that era and the years that followed. Regan happened, Bush 1, Clinton, etc., up to now. I'm much older now, but just as sickened by the course the country is on. There is too much hype, nonsense, fearmongering, and an us vs. them attitude for most of us for the moment. Like many, we’re hoping these turbulent times pass and people get back to having discussions and making decisions rather than making threats and innuendo. Thank you for sharing the story of that time, your work, travels and friendships! Lovely.
I was a sophomore in high school in 1968. All the young men in my class were all anxious about Vietnam and whether or not we would get drafted. Luckily the war would end before most of us turned 18. It was a big weight lifted off of us! Most of my friends agreed that the war was our worst nightmare because we lost many of our friends to a war for no apparent reason! It was a disgraceful situation that we had no say in. I am not ashamed to say I was scared.
THANK YOU for writing this one.
I would not even be Bar Mitzvah-ed until September of that year, and yes, I remember the anti-war protests, the riots (and the ones from that previous summer as well), and the horrid assassinations. :(
This whole article is relevant now due to the panic over young voters abandoning Biden, but I cannot see them voting for SCUMp, or the EVIL Kennedy, but maybe one of the other sort of progressive, 'third party candidates', which might as well be a vote for the putrid orange despot. :( :( :(
Yes, this country was about as divided back then on many issues as it is today, BUT, everyone was still in agreement that we should maintain a democratic republic, even if they had very rightwingnut leanings.
NOT so today, when seemingly HALF of this land wants a fascist 'strongman' dear leader, and a dictatorial regime, and to burn democracy (and therefore the whole damned country) to the effing ground.
We are in MUCH more perilous stead today then we were back then, even with all of the strife of that time.
I am hoping that the youth will come back to Biden once they realize that he is the ONLY possible defense of (ALL) civil rights, voting ( at ALL, not just the rights) going forward, our democracy surviving, and is the only hope of ever getting Roe v Wade restored, let alone possibly codified into law.
The third partiers might be more progressive than Joe, but they have a less than ZERO chance of getting elected in this still center right to further right majority nation (even many to most Dems!), as they would most certainly LOSE against the orange NAZI sack of shit.
We had broadcast neutrality then, no internet, no anti social media, but we sure do assassinate our brave light bearers in the grand ole USA.
I agree that we are in greater peril now. But the issue of deciding who to vote for is much more complicated than you seem to think. Too complicated to go into here.
It shouldn't be. It's a matter of preserving some semblance of democracy vs. going full fascist. Preservation of a sustainable biosphere is also on the line. Trump & the republofascists have no intention of addressing it at all, just continue to prioritize corporate profits over an inhabitable planet.
Forget about stopping the Russian takeover of Europe or deterring any Chinese invasion of Taiwan. No more US participation in NATO or the UN. Give up Social Security & Medicare. Say goodbye to any abortion rights or access to contraception, or equal rights for gays or voting rights, & expect permanent underclass status for women & racial minorities. That is what Trump & the GOP envision for us. This should be a very simple decision.
My only quarrel with your posting is I don't see how Biden is defending anything but Israel. We haven't forgotten in my part of Ohio that he broke the rail strike shortly before the East Palestine disaster.
Yes, he must change his unfailing support of rightwing fascist NetanYEEEHHAAWWW, and condemn that regime's slaughter of innocents (including their very OWN hostages at this point) without reservation (and this is a born Jew saying this).
But Biden also wants to help Ukraine (and by proxy, the rest of that region) resist Vlad The Despot's imperialist aggression/invasion, maximally, so that WE are not forced to send troops there in compliance with our NATO agreements, obligations, and edicts. ;)
Under the SHITler's regime, you will be EXECUTED for going on strike, that is IF there are any jobs even left to strike.
Trump is planning to destroy democracy!
Contrary to claims, the Democrats aren't planning to save democracy. Or do much of anything.
Donald J Trump is planning to take away democracy. Vote Dem to keep our democracy. The alternative is unthinkable.
"less than ZERO chance" ?!?
Yes, a black hole NEGATIVE chance of getting into office in this (at BEST currently) center rightwing nation, sadly.
AT LEAST until the demographics change RADICALLY to a majority minority/youth vote. ;)
I actually don't see anyone running in any party that's better on the most important issues than Biden. Usually I do find someone else I like, & there are people not running that I like, but the field this time is really weak, shamefully weak, so Biden gets it by default.
I think that the dark forces were afraid of King and Robert Kennedy. They were terrified by McCarthy. Just as they were terrified by JFK. Within the span of 5 years the enlightened leaders were all dead. But there is no such thing as a political conspiracy. The anti war movement was crushed by killing students at Kent State and we hippies have been dark ever since. We lost our belief in humanity and goodness. We succumbed to the dark side. Ever since those dark days we have gone down a very slippery slope to trump. Wow! Going from hope to utter despair. I believe that Rob Reiners podcast on who killed Kennedy will bring light to this despair because the maggots and us progressives need answers. If our own shadow government was involved ,like the vampire, light will kill it. We all have to regain our faith in our government. We want answers to who is running our government and to what end. Maybe we are like the people in Russia. Maybe we are mushrooms kept in the dark and fed bullshit!
We will be WORSE off than those under the fascist bootheels of Vlad The Impaler in Russia IF the brown shirt MAGAt's despotic choice gets installed for life. :( :(
Stephen asked "Who is running our goverment"
Answer is simple "Follow the money"
Donor cash is the lifeblood of politics, and who is the source of donor cash, look no further than the billionaires, the Plutocrats, our own homegrown oligarchs. Bernie proved that donor cash wasn't needed, his campaign was financed by we the people, but the DNC put their thumb on the scale for Hillary, while Trump had a populist appeal (albeit the populism he appeals to was/is racism and bigotry)
I think you over rate the effect of Kent State deaths. The anti war effort was eventually successful, for several reasons including marches, rallies, sit-ins, the Gene McCarthy campaign, and what was shown on TV. Despite resistance from the "establishment".
Vlad the impaler. Me likes that.
Presumably those "dark forces" were afraid of Nader - and probably Bernie too; no conspiracy required though: the people responsible cheated in front of everyone.
PS: Hard not to have faith in expectations that are being debased (they only seem to go lower, per the example of Russia's great mass of informed-but-helpless folks)...
Wow man! Mr Blackburn, your thoughts are my thoughts and have been since '68
Wham-0! I didn't expect to start this day with Nostalgia Overload!
What a terrific column (and another anecdote of your lifelong commitment to the Power of Good, Bob. You're an even bigger hero than I knew, bless you!).
I read this with the soundtracks of "Revolution", "White Room", "Scarborough Fair", "Piece of My Heart", "Sky Pilot" and more, playing through my brain cell (I'm your age and, unlike you, only have one functioning cell left in my cranium).
The most striking point here, to me is, "Johnson’s campaign circulated pamphlets saying that “the communists in Vietnam are watching the New Hampshire primary ... don’t vote for fuzzy thinking and surrender.”"
Here we are 55 years later (Holy Crapola! That was fast!) and we have a huge chunk of the (R)egressive party and their chosen lunatic/demagogue, TFG, actively courting Putin and his merry band of the once-feared "communists".
Who would have guessed back in the day that Conservatives were future wannabe Commies?
Let me throw in "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield. I lived too close to Kent State to ever forget that song.
That was 1967. "On the Way Home" was 1968. I love Buffalo Springfield!
As I mentioned on another post, 1968 was a really good year in music! Extremely innovative & complex! "In-a-Gadda-da-Vida", "Time Has Come Today", "Suzy Q", "Tuesday Afternoon", "Nights in White Satin", "San Francisco Girls", "Mechanical World", "Indian Reservation", "McArthur Park", "She's a Rainbow", "Legend of a Mind", "Gotta Get a Message to You", "Everything That Touches You", " Love Child", "I Heard It through the Grapevine", "Wichita Lineman", "Hang 'em High", "Love Is All Around", "People Gotta Be Free", "Fire", "Bella Linda"...
It was the most consequential year of my life, my entrance into maturity, and the country’s greatest paroxysm during my life. It radicalized me, then receded in memory, and now it is haunting us all again.
Thank you for the recap. It brought back a flood of memories for me, and I realize the events you described plus some particular to my life created the door through which I exited interest in politics. From 1968 until 2008 I got no closer to politics than a voting booth. I was drawn to Obama’s charisma and repelled by the racist reaction of a portion of the country. I approached the 2016 election first with curiosity then with trepidation. As a clinical psychologist, I recognized sociopathy and narcissism in Trump and also saw symptoms of early dementia. I found this terrifying. His election coincided with my retirement and I began studying about things political. In 2020, Joe Biden was not my first, second, or third choice, but I voted for him even though I thought he would be just another old white man in the White House. Boy was I wrong! Today I hold two county and one state office in the Florida Democratic Party and am recruiting seniors for a caucus in the reddest county in the state. Young voters are critical to a Democratic win, but so are seniors. I’m convinced that I’m not the only old person who is waking up to the country’s crisis. Your columns and particularly your videos have given me a foundation for economic talking points in recruiting and in debating Republicans. Thank you.
Dr. Lyn Yexley,
I am in the same boat as you. I have converted to a democrat, although I do not agree with abortion consensus, that I am working through, I see both sides of the argument.
I am willing to help. I live in Lakeland, FL
Hi, Phil,
https://www.polkncdemocrats.org/
This is the website for Polk Co Dems. I suggest you check them out!
lynyexley.substack.com is a site where you can find articles I have written about politics including abortion, if you’re interested. Subscriptions are free.
Thank you!
I turned ten in 68 and had brothers in the service and in Vietnam. I felt as though I was born into a world that was unraveling. Now the feeling the world is unraveling is much magnified. Thanks for sharing your memories, Mr. Reich. You have a way of making us feel as though we were right there with you and Sarah in that VW Bug.
My first car was a Java green '64 VW Beetle, acquired from Ralph Jones VW in Springfield, MA in '67 for the then princely sum of $850. In '68 I was living in Boston, and saw police in riot gear confronting demonstrating students on Mass Ave in Cambridge. While I can't claim to be an active participant, your description of what '68 was like is spot on. I'm getting old now, but you are too, and your energy and enthusiasm are inspiring. Thank you! Time to get involved.
You piqued my curiosity! I was living in Cambridge at that time. Was this confrontation at Harvard Square, Central Square, at MIT, or somewhere else?
Not sure now. I was with a group of friends at a bar and grill called - I think - Victory or something similar. It had 6 0z. glasses of beer for 25 cents and slices of pizza for 50 cents. As we were leaving, the confrontation was maybe half a block away. We were awestruck, having heard of such but never encountered it.
That does not ring a bell. Thanks, anyways,
I was an Antioch volunteer for McCarthy when you stopped by to pick up "Sarah". As you may know, the people in the front line of the Chicago demonstrators - beaten by police - were largely Antioch students. 1968 wasn't detestable, it was the beginning of a new world.
Thank you for sharing your rich experiences with us once again Dr. Reich. I was only 16 at that time and a junior in high school, but I remember how traumatizing this series of events occurred effecting everyone nationwide. I also remember that when I was that age and older, I wanted to know read and learn as much as possible about America's past (and everything else) to help better understand the universe and to better participate in the world. My grandchildren share these same values today.