Biden wins on substance. Trump has a miserable record.
On form, Trump can't take a punch. Biden, unlike Trump is a counter puncher. In 2020 Biden roped a dope when a post-debate CNN/SSRS poll found that 60% of debate-viewers thought that Biden had won and 28% thought Trump had, with a margin of error of six points..
Daniel ; even if one has lost the sense of smell; there is plenty of garbage that comes out of his mouth, and harm that his words and deeds have done. He is rubbish that belongs on the trash heap of history!
My worry is that instead of the tough, hard-hitting Joe Biden we'll get the soft-spoken, trying-to-be-reassuring Biden and that will mean more voters for the tough guy, the attacker, and fewer votes for the nice guy, who doesn't want to offend and who seems to be fading into the background.
Biden doesn't have to be like a mini-Trump. As Dr. Reich noted, FDR was tough, called a spade a spade and did so in ringing tones, exactly the tough kind of voice that people can get excited about and rally behind. Much of the support for Trump comes from his attacks, whether based on fact or not. Meanwhile, Biden doesn't have to be nice, just strong and fact-based and hitting Trump hard, however he can.
If Trump were to win the White House, horrendous events would follow, and Joe's job in the debate will be to counter attacks and attack back, hard. People have to come out of watching the debate saying that Biden has done a great job and he's the type of person to be in the White House, not a fascist dictator who likes every thug and dictator he's ever seen.
Joe's offense will win the debate, if it's strong and pulls no punches. Hit Trump hard and often and he'll leave the debate wounded in mind and in spirit. And we'll have four years of sanity as a result.
We don’t have to worry about the debate: there won’t be one. Following his own precedent, Trump will weasel his way out of it, claiming bone spurs or some other fictional ailment.
They have investigated Joe Biden starting when Trump was President. In 6 years they have FAILED to find evidence to show he as involved. So drop it.
Twice impeached felon Trump thwarted the Russian investigation against him. He also called out for Russia’s help on national TV. Mueller DID implicate Trump but felt a sitting president couldn’t be convicted. However, “In July 2019, Mueller testified to Congress that a president could be charged with crimes including obstruction of justice after the president left office.” - Wikipedia
Donald Trump, with the infamous Roy Cohn by his side, was notorious for leveraging connections to influence judges and evade legal consequences. Imagine John Doe, standing in court with his modest neighborhood attorney, facing off against Mega Corp's elite million-dollar legal team. Is that a fair fight? It hardly seems so.
In this light, consider the Supreme Court, perceived by many as compromised by the sway of big money. When decisions favor their affluent benefactors, where does that leave ordinary citizens like John Doe seeking justice?
Yes ; how about 330 or so million humans, trying to self govern ; as in "government of, by and for the people (humans, not corporations)." they take away our attempts at self rule and raid our treasury, buy off our representatives and even Supreme court judges. Lower court "Judge" Cannon blocks the "open and shut" Documents case, just because she can: apparently, to please the mob boss criminal who appointed her. We need a revolution!
As a plaintiff I once went to small claims court and won, but the defendant simply disobeyed the law and did not respond. A roadblock I never anticipated.
Yes, going to court does affect your life. As well as that of others. The "others" part is often overlooked.
I have it on good authority that Trump will find a way to not debate President Biden. If he does show up, he'll get creamed. There will be awkward pauses while Donald waits for applause from the non-existent audience.
This "vote removes stubborn orange stains" shirt is perfect for November 👇 🤣
It’s hard to imagine that the rescumliCons could dare let trump on stage with Biden. But I would love to see it! No news stations would report on the watching loser trump show off his dementia and danger.
Joan, Did you not listen to the SOTU? Your comment is baseless.
Here are some accomplishments by Biden despite the useless rescumliCons.
*Biden passed much needed legislation after trump mangled the pandemic, destroyed the economy and led a deadly INSURRECTION to overthrow the government.
*Biden lowered unemployment from 6.3% to 3.5% and has held the unemployment rate below 4% for the longest period in 50 years!
*Biden created 15 million jobs in a little over 3 years (A Record).
*Bidenomics grew the economy at 3.1% last year and reduced inflation to 1.9% from 9%.
*Biden cut child poverty in half through the American Rescue Plan
*Re-joined the Paris Agreement to fight Climate Change
*Provided $10k-$20k college debt relief for those who earn under $125k/yr.
*Biden united the West to help Ukraine fight Russia.
*Biden passed the first gun safety legislation in thirty years.
The following legislation was also passed during Biden's first term:
Joan Halgren ; I'm not convinced that you are not a troll. the microphone would have to have a mute button to allow a fair debate, tRUMP does not share the floor well. President Biden supports Democracy, and the Common Good. tRUMP does not!
It is stated Republican strategy not to answer questions and not to engage in debates. Their policy is to use media to promote their contention that Dems support the "globalist elites" in control of the "deep state." Trump will claim that he, and he alone, can liberate "America", hence they hate him. It seems to me that the most effective response is to ridicule him and point out his inconsistencies, especially hi flip-flopping over women's rights.
Hey Heather who's the "good authority" - James Carville? The same James Carville who just expressed doubts about Biden's ability to win the election? Well, let the chips fall where they may. Here's hoping Biden can pull it together to throw a few counter-punches - maybe even some sneaky below-the-belt attention grabbers. 🍿🍿 Let the show begin.
He isn't, Dr. Bloxom. He is notoriously thin skinned! He has no problem hurting others but simply cannot take what he dishes out. I hope President Biden makes it clear that the orange stain answers to the big money powers. He doesn't represent the people. For him, we are just cannon fodder! He has told his cult followers he doesn't care about them just their vote!! I want President Biden to wipe the floor with him!! Vote Blue, America!!
Trump is the loser, Dr. Bloxom. but I am worried sick about this election. The Democratic Party should have had some backbone and welcomed presidential candidate Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren, .. I also like Kamala Harris, who, being a good vice president, has stayed in the background but she sounds good and progressive to me, and she carries herself well.She looks presidential, as do Elizabeth Warren and brilliant Bernard Sanders.. Biden is good, too. He actually took action on infrastructure and gun law. But the slimy felon beckons. Trump is really a WOLF IN SHEEPS CLOTHING. BEWARE. . A puppet of the wealthy corporations who pretends to be for working people.
Marjorie, bless your heart, I agree with *every* *single* *word* of what you said. Beautifully stated. Trump aside, Warren and Sanders were my favorites. I feel sad about their national political demise.
I feel even more sad, no angry, about the looming Trump threat. Basically, I'm pissed off about the entire state of affairs. Sorry for unloading on you.
Remember that the felon always spouts his self-reflection in just about anything he says about others; it’s his “tell.” He also grabs the attention by “stealing” people, places, things, in a sense. He has no original thought or vision. It’s what he does that I’ve noticed years ago.
Right!! As kids we said whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you. This behavior you mention of people accusing others of what they themselves are doing is very common. I see it alsoi.
Just because tRUMP said he is a "counterpuncher" does not mean he is, it also does not mean that Joe isn't or can't. Joe Biden certainly has more ammo.
That or a REALTIME fact-checker! When Bunkerboy inevitably lies, the debate can stop, and a person with common sense can IMMEDIATELY debunk his claim that, "THE SOUTHERN BORDER IS BEING CONSTIPATED BY BIGLY CARAVANS!!!" (He meant "bombared with," but he thought instigated because he likely has Alzheimers like Freddy and has CONSTANT Phonemic Paraphasias.)
The scent that Trump & his mob exude is that of sulfur, the miasma of a sulfurous cloud, mistaken by comedians for flatulence, but it carries the stench of the Trump mob's malevolent plans.
It occurs to me that the problem with all the wonky polling numbers is that they focus on the voters rather than the electoral votes. From that view, even the '16 polls were correct in that Clinton won a majority of the popular vote, that was not reflected in the electoral college outcomes.
At very least, there should be a poll for each state, independent of all other states, with respect to how those states award electoral votes. ONLY THEN, based on the collective outcomes from the individual states can we possibly project outcomes that have a snowball's chance in hell of being anything vaguely accurate and predictive.
I know this has nothing to do with your comparison of the candidates, but I think it will become important in understanding the apparent cognitive dissonance between what the polls >seem< to say and the outcomes that have come to pass. Indeed, I wouldn't object to having this observation spread around to the pollsters for consideration.
Given the unique advantage of debating someone who was documented by the Washington Post for lying 32,000 times, I think it's necessary for Biden to make it clear to Americans that Trump is a compulsive liar with zero credibility. In fact, Trump told 32 THOUSAND lies as President. Do the math! A year is only 365 days.
Biden can easily establish that Trump is a pathological liar. Promises to stop illegal immigration are empty because he had a chance to build the wall. It didn't work. Recently, 60 Minutes showed a slew of people climbing over a few rocks where the wall starts. Most were Chinese. The wall failed at the first foot. Trump has nothing but lies, broken promises and failed policies. This record must be juxtaposed.
What I do not understand is whether Trump knows he lies and doesn't care, or whether he is oblivious to the fact that he lies. That may be unknowable because he is a psychopath. What do you think? In all seriousness (no joking around) . . . I have long been trying to figure this out. Thanks in advance for your input.
Remember the time the whole world laughed at tRUMP at the United Nations when he said something to the effect that he is the greatest American President in History?
Trump lies and the MAGA love it, because, in their minds, it demonstrates his contempt for the "elites," "the mainstream," "the consensus." If so, accusing him of lying does him a favor.
The advent of radio was a big change, much like the internet has been, for those times. FDR used it very effectively, but so did that Father Coughlin guy (notorious anti-semite and general bad guy.) And there were big meetings of Nazi groups in the big cities, all doing the “ Heil Hitler” thing. And FDR had his opponents, rich guys that didn’t like the sound of his new programs. So it was no slide for FDR. Man, he was great, though, wasn’t he?
Thank you dnkarr for mentioning Eleanor Roosevelt. In my recollection (I’m 83), she was the one who influenced many, if not most, of the great things FDR accomplished.
She was a force to be reckoned with wasn't she, Judith! I loved her frankness and her ability to speak plainly so that everyone could understand. She was a great lady!
Eleanor stepped in to repair what the DAR did to stop Marian Anderson singing in DC in 1939. She was so terrific. She went to my husband's Unitarian, NYC youth group when he was a teen and said What do you want me to talk about?
The bank bailouts, the ppp loans, were poor good intentions The wealthy were helped even further and the average person like me who really needed the help could not have benefited. I liked Obama, but feel there were so many opportunities for him to show us what 8 years of our first black president could do…and he was somewhat lackluster. I think he could have made a huge difference. If you want my thoughts about that, just ask
Yes, as much as Obama was such a breath of fresh air after eight years of Bush, Obama didn’t achieve as much as we wanted him to. But consider the stiff opposition from Reptilians. Remember how Mitch McConnell announced in 2008-09 that the number-one goal of the Senate was to make sure that Obama failed?
Stan ; That statement under the circumstances was treasonous, because he was telegraphing that he was going to work against the process of running the country. He was not worth his pay! We saw what he helped to do with the Supreme court!
Nancy, I agree. Obama was by far a more effective big-crowd communicator than a man who actually got things done. And, from my recollection, when he did inaugurate some smaller legislation, that was nevertheless very important to those affected, he barely communicated them. Remember the phrase, 'lead from behind?' And again, if I remember correctly, it was Biden who first voiced support for same-sex marriage.
Barack Obama really wanted to get more inclusive health care as his number one accomplishment. He did it, not perfect but others like the Clintons and even Truman tried for decades and ran into major resistance. He was a moderate president, never pretended otherwise. That's ok. Being the first black president was great though. Also I like Michele being there as well. Bright people
Marjorie, yes, Obama did the one big thing -- healthcare. And as I mentioned in my post, he actually did more 'good' things, but they were not communicated well, if at all in some cases. Do I wish, though, we could bring Obama back? Hell yes!
Nancy, I also like President Obama. He basically had his hands tied because of McConnell and the republicans. I felt bad for him that he couldn't get as much done as he would have liked.
The 2010 mid-term elections delivered Congress to the Republicans, who did their utmost to make Obama a one-term president. Now they are doing their utmost to protect Trump from a similar fate.
Double-like to double-post. No comparison FDR to Obama. FDR: A true activist (with flaws and blind spots). Obama: Said a lotta inspiring words during his campaign. Got some things done. Not near enough. And o yeah. There was that closing Guantanamo Bay torture chamber first-100-day-promise. Of course we could reply: And what about FDR Japanese internment camps? So there is that comparison.
This one? President Bush signed the bill into law within hours of its enactment, creating a $700 billion dollar Treasury fund to purchase failing bank assets. The revised plan left the $700 billion bailout intact and appended a stalled tax bill.
Terry, thank you so very much for your astounding comment and link. I hope everyone will listen to it.
FDR said "We have an administration that has rolled up it's sleeves and will keep it's sleeves rolled up". Just think of that imagery.
What Biden should do instead of repeating FDR's speech is to incorporate parts of FDR's speech into political ads demonstrating the intentions of the next Biden administration. I think that would be highly effective.
I have never heard the Fala response. It’s priceless, and FDR’s delivery is perfect. Thanks for lifting my spirits this morning. I hate Trump and what he has been encouraged to do to our country. I know. I know it started with Nixon and worked its way through the decades. The election of a capable Black man to the presidency triggered all those folks who then came out from under their rocks and all those wealthy people who were planning for control for decades. It’s time we understood they know no bottom and recognize the hard work it will take to put them in their place. GOTV. Register people. Knock doors. Support Democrats at your local level and on up the ballot. Look for the people who stay home for primaries and get them to VOTE 🔵!
2 things. FDR understood the power of media and was able to harness it before anyone else. He knew TV was coming after the war and would have been a great candidate for a 5th term....but alas!
This all started way before Nixon. Look up Father Coughlin.
He knew the power of the media as well but he used it to promote evil and hate over the airwaves and in theaters. A real fascist, condoned by the Roman Catholic Church.
It’s been happening since the very beginning of our Republic. Most people of my generation remember Nixon, so it’s a common reference. You are correct. There’s someone in every generation when we look for one.
FDR was the first President who understood the power of the media and was able to harness it for 4 elections. Republicans thought that just being mean should have been enough to put one of their guys in.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The NYT just revealed that Tim Mellon donated $50,000.000 to Trump's campaign the day after the jury convicted the law-beaker. Maybe that's just like $5.00 to you and me. Still...
Professor Reich, thank you for your reminder of what a good president FDR was and the high standard he set for the office itself. Granted, he did not do everything right (remembering the disaster of the SS St. Louis) but he gave Americans pride (WPA)and confidence in their country. In today’s MAGA world, these Trumpy morons would only mock a handicapped man in a wheelchair.
President Tammy Duckworth would've been a beautiful ticket this November. Unfortunately instead of a principled politician in a wheelchair, we get an establishment hack who's lost as much of his faculties as he has his soul.
Ilene, you said "In today’s MAGA world, these Trumpy morons would only mock a handicapped man in a wheelchair". Just compare that absolute Trump idiocy to FDR's WPA, the benefits of which millions of people enjoy today and will into the future. I greatly appreciated your comment. Thank you so very much.
Biden's Language is lackluster, tepid. Sometimes he tries to sound tough. He should try for calm and sincere. And serious. The Stakes are high.We cannot afford for him to mail it in.
Dr. Bloxom: Your comment reminds me of this classic fairytale:
TOADS AND DIAMONDS
A bad-tempered widow has two daughters; her older daughter is disagreeable and proud, but looks and behaves like her mother, and is therefore her favorite child; her younger daughter is sweet, courteous, and beautiful, but resembles her late father. Jealous and bitter, the widow and her favourite daughter abuse and mistreat the younger girl.
One day while drawing water from the well, an old woman asks the younger girl for a drink of water. The girl politely consents and after giving it, she finds that the woman is a fairy, who had disguised as a crone to test the character of mortals. As the girl is so kind and compassionate toward her, the fairy blesses her with a jewel or flower falling from her mouth whenever she speaks.
Upon arriving home and explaining why she had taken so long to her mother, the widow is delighted at the sight of gems and flowers falling out the girl's mouth, and desires that her favored eldest daughter must have the same gift as well. The elder girl protests, but the widow forcibly sends her to the well. The girl sets off but the fairy appears as a fine princess, and requests that the girl draw her a drink from the well. The elder daughter speaks rudely to the fairy and insults her. The fairy decrees that, as punishment for her despicable attitude, either a toad or a snake would fall from the rude girl's mouth whenever she speaks.
When the girl arrives home, she tells her story to her mother and toads and vipers fall from her mouth with each word. The widow, in a fury, drives her younger daughter out of the house. In the woods, she met a king's son, who falls in love with and marries her. In time, the widow is sickened by her older daughter, and drives her out, and she dies alone and miserable in the woods.
Yes! And will be once again when Biden's spirit and thought, vision and language are set in contrast to Trump. It's almost geometric: Biden - direct and straight; Trump - bent and interrupted. I love the reference to FDR, even the replicated date of delivery.
Thanks for this Dr. Reich. The same forces FDR and Lincoln confronted are at work today. For all his faults and errors Biden stands head and shoulders above Trump and Kennedy. (If you dislike Biden's decisions vis-a-vis Isreal and the Palestinians just remember what Trump has done in support of his fellow crook Netanyahu.)
I echo the thanks to Dr. Reich for another brilliant commentary, and the vision to reference Lincoln, and to comment that Biden, with all of his faults, stands head and shoulders above Trump and Kennedy. However, FDR and Lincoln were both powerful orators, and Biden, unfortunately, is not, and may be making a tragic mistake in believing that enough of the electorate will be swayed by truth and logic to provide the landslide that will be needed to avert the Democracy and civilization ending bloodbath that Trump has promised.
So let's just live in fear and hate the best candidate of the two, let's allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good, instead of supporting President Biden while shaking in terror of a bloodbath. Vote blue, no matter what! I think President Biden speaks well enough; he tells the truth to the outsized power that monopolizes wealth and steals from US.
Actually, the fate of human civilization may rest on whether Biden has the wisdom to have Al Gore act as the MC for a Democratic Convention that could become a multimedia caucus on the problems of epic proportions that are now facing America, and the World, and to offer to step aside if the Convention Caucus so decides, potentially based on recurring poling similar to what Dr. Reich uses. It should start now, with a massive voter registration drive, as your voice would not count unless you are registered Democratic. That someone else, could be Al Gore, a master orator, and the person from whom the Presidency was ACTUALLY stolen- by a Supreme Court that we now know to be hopelessly corrupt. Or it could be Bernie Sanders, a year older than Biden, but still sharply focused on the epic problems the nation and the world now face. Or it could be Biden, the master diplomat- at a time when madmen such as Putin and Trump are exerting far too much influence on the world with their Red energy of violence, vindictiveness, and bloodshed, and diplomacy is needed like never before. During a ten day period that would include two weekends, there could be media presentations and mini-caucuses on each of over a dozen subjects during staggered times, and that would include substantially all of the major problems, with each caucus having both the live delegates, and potentially acting as a Zoom and MS Team meeting- and the other conferencing services as well, with phone apps for each, so that if any single service fails, the others will take up the slack. I believe that once people realize that their voices could actually be heard, and their opinions counted, there would be a phenomenal turn-around in participation in the process, with the most massive voter registration drive in history. Faith in our institutions could be reestablished, despite the flaws, because we would have established a system by which people could participate in fixing those flaws. The medium is the message- and that medium is the process that would allow people to use their phone Apps to become truly educated, become involved, and to vote, in real time. What a contrast it will show to the Republican convention that will have happened a month before!
Wow. Brainstorming to the max. I love it. Something that is frustrating me is the surveys I get from the Dems that I can't submit unless I donate. My opinion is worth nothing if I am broke. If I donate and submit, they have another survey/donate button followed by another one. They ask if I want Social Security cut. Duh. Take another piece of my tiny pie so I can say, "Please don't take what's left."
How about you can submit the answers to the survey whether you can afford to donate AGAIN. Then they would feel like they cared whether you can afford to donate or not. How about a platform to do their best to get single payer universal healthcare instead of pretending they did their job with Obamacare.
Exactly. And unless that changes soon, its not just Democracy that will be lost, but human civilization, in the chaos that Trump promises whether or not he becomes President, and which can only be averted by the landslide Democratic victory that would require this kind of antics. A good debate performance will not deliver nearly enough. The Democratic Convention may be our only hope.
2peter. I think Biden's slight stutter and unpolished delivery of his speeches humanizes him and makes him feel more like one of us. That said, have you listened to his State of the Union speech, or the ones he gave in Europe recently? He did a masterful job of those, I think.
Yes, however that's now how the Putin disinformation machine spins it. That machine now counts among its followers not just Fox and the other Red Propaganda outlets, but now also Elon Musk and all of the leadership of the former Republican Party, and it is their message that is getting through to the Red State and swing state masses. If done well, the Democratic Convention could change that.
He can't do much about others are going to spin things...he doesn't have control over them. But I do agree the convention should help. And I'd like to see him get an endorsement for m Christie, Liz Cheney, and/or the generals. That would be a great morale booster for all of us sane people.
You are right, that he can't control the spin Putin's trolls have been engaging in for years. The key, then, is to seize the day by making the Democratic Convention into a remarkable display of participatory democracy suitable for the 21st Century, to deal with the epic problems we are faced with today. We can think of the climatic events that are ongoing right now as being part of the Devine intervention that we have been blessed with, to the point where it will be difficult to maintain the lie that climate change isn't real. And there is a very good chance that, if Biden would offer to step down in the way I described, that the caucuses, with ranks swelled by the chance to contribute to resolving the problems of the nation and the world, would choose to keep a man who had demonstrated such humility at the top. (Ambition should be made of sterner stuff!). However the optics are not good if Biden continued in the current mode where the best he could hope for would be a narrow victory that would usher in the bloodshed that Trump has promised. Only a landslide victory will silence Trump's fascism.
2peter, I would like to think that enough of our electorate still want truth and logic in government. It has been appalling to see what that orange man has done to our country with his lies. President Biden will step up and prove to the American people he will always work for them.
well its true truth and logic will not normally win the day. If Biden does what Reich suggests at some point it's "not Biden" and may not go over well.
But Biden can at least lean more to the left - go Bold(er) Joe or go home.
During last Saturday’s Coffee Klatch prominently displayed behind Robert Reich was his book “Saving Capitalism.“ Can capitalism really be saved? Should capitalism be saved?
Not only has capitalism brought us to the point where we are economically looking at a potential catastrophic failure of the system, but the wealthiest of the capitalists are the ones who will support the election of a moronic wannabe dictator as the next president of the United States and willing to throw our children’s economic future under the bus for selfish greed!
In the short term, we must vote for Biden, and any progressive Democrats in our own states and communities. However, the greed of capitalism and the dissatisfaction of the voters who will vote for Trump will not go away with a Democratic win. Electing Joe Biden will give us four years of breathing space, But the old and corrupt system will still be in place.
We must look to better alternatives than capitalism! It is not that capitalism is inherently evil like communism, but we must understand that both systems are failed systems and we need a more evolved system that will take care of the economic needs of everyone and be willing to take bold steps to save the environment and the planet for our children. That is why I have become a strong proponent of “Economic Democracy“ and the “Progressive Utilization Theory.”
Have you read Doughnut Economics: 7 Ways to Think Like a 21st Century Economist by Kate Raworth? Amsterdam has been using a Doughnut Economics plan to recover from the pandemic shutdown.
Jonni, I just looked up “donut economics“ on the Internet. It sure looks like a better system than the unbridled capitalism we are now saddled with. Also look up the book “After Capitalism” by Maheshvarananda.
Yes Marc, but not only that. Capitalism and Democracy are compatible, period. The connected problem is the election machinery that brings big money's central role in politics and mass media. So, if moran Trump is usefull, then because of his showing of these problems.
Tom, originally democracy meant “one man (person) one vote.” Now it is about which candidate can raise the most money. Unfortunately, it is the ultra wealthy who have most of the money and therefore most of the power. Unbridled, capitalism, and the greed that feeds it has taken away what democracy is supposed to stand for.
Capitalism requires rules that limit their behavior. They are and have been for quite some time working to get rid of the rules. I think maybe that’s what underlies the “states rights” and the current effort in SCOTUS to take regulatory power away from federal agencies.
Jan, absolutely agree. All the sound and fury about states' rights was -- if then-- relevant to a different time in the US and the world. Over a hundred years ago, our country and the world itself, was not as complicated as it is today. Today, what would we do without the FAA, FEMA, and Climate Change awareness. Right now, the US is both burning and flooding. And regards SCOTUS, they would most certainly love to take power away from federal agencies -- UNTIL Project 2025 comes online.
Jan, I agree with you. BUT, unfortunately, I believe that the rules to limit behavior have been irreparably shredded. On top of that the Supreme Court, which some now call the extreme court, has essentially been purchased by the ultra wealthy to follow their agenda. There is not much that I see that can save the current system, as I feel the scales have tipped too far for them to be tipped back.
That’s why I think progressive forward, thinking people while on one hand getting the vote out for Biden must on the other look far into the future for a better system, such as economic democracy and the progressive utilization theory.
That’s actually just .. sorry … silly. You could say the same about “democracy”….if you want to be WRONG.
Hasn’t our system of letting the people vote brought us to the present circumstance of struggling with a skewed SCOTUS and a champion of autocracy and fascism now running fr President, supported by Oligarchs and Autocrats who want to bring our system down?
Rubbish! It’s not democracy we have an argument with, it’s legislating and maintaining the rule of law we have to attend to — making good and reasonable laws to see to it that democracy functions for the people in reality, not sham democracy like they have in Russia, but actual democracy like the US has developed, especially since FDR!
AND SO ALSO WITH CAPITALISM — it needs careful and thoughtful regulation to do the good work it’s capable of, without usurping our prerogatives for deciding our own lives. Capital and Capitalism are not the Gods of our system — they are tools, and they need careful use and controls. They both, used well and used together, can be strong and successful tools to craft good lives for people.
And our founders were pretty leery of corporate power — What was that mis-appropriation of a statement after the civil war that gave corporations so much power, treated as people while protecting the real people in them from accountability, that they were never meant to have? It was a sleight of hand at the time. Corporations have been playing a long game of usurping power for too long. I also think our entrenched two-party system plays into that power dynamic, and we need rules changes in both houses of Congress to empower more parties to exists and require consensus building instead of this ridiculous pendulum-swing from R to D and back again … And rules that NEVER allow the kind of idiocy we saw with McConnell and our courts, or the Freedom Caucus f-ing over the House the way they are. Even without a parliamentary system, we could empower more parties by changing the rules — if we had politicians with the nerve …
Thanks, Daniel. I agree — the issue was never adjudicated … And the current Supreme Court just assumed it and moved even farther into Corporate Personhood and Money as Speech La La Land.
I am worried now that if R’s take the White House THEY might decide to expand said court in their favor for time-ad-infinitum, as many are saying expansion would be appropriate, given the number of circuits that now exist …
If we MAKE IT good lives for all people, then that’s what it is, Gloria. We don’t want a system that puts “property rights” over “human rights” - but we don’t need a system that devalues property rights, so we never have the security of owning what we “own,” even given rules over how our use of what we own impacts others. I want WELL-REGULATED capitalism … and yes, that can bring good lives to all people. It’s in the design … capitalism is not a stone. It is clay. We can shape it.
I won’t talk to Tom again directly, but he draws pictures with too few lines. And people who support the kind of capitalism <I> espouse are well aware that there is NO SUCH THING AS “FREE MARKETS” that are somehow natural occurrences. Human society is human shaped. Our markets are human shaped. We aren’t seeds falling on fertile soil or barren, to grow or fail by nature’s design. We are conscious and intentional actors.
To argue that we have to ditch capitalism because some a-hole tries to sell us a phony bill-of-goods about it is brainless.
And I have ALWAYS been happy to amend our Constitution — just not risk throwing the baby out with the bathwater at a “convention” that is desired by those who want to institute a far more autocratic system, and who know they have to WEAKEN our democracy in order to get us to go along with their ploy.
I'm not going to answer Tom directly, but maybe he'll see this and get that I think his attempts at some sort of parallelism between my statement and his {regarding ditching "capitalism" and ditching "slavery/feudalism" are in NO WAY parallel.
A silly ploy. The rest of what he says contradicts what he's said before, and I can't help but continue to wonder if he's even real.
Ever wonder what happens when a non-economist tries to explain economic theory? Are you curious? Then read on.
Tom High stated, "People who defend capitalism are like abused spouses who still can’t convince themselves to leave the relationship." This simplistic analogy suggests that we are in the powerful grip of a relationship with capital, which is certainly true, but the analogy holds only if we think of Capitalism as a choice we make -- to participate or not -- rather than as an all-encompassing system containing a nearly infinite number of choices.
To be a participant in capitalist system is not a choice for individuals, but for societies/states to make. And while there is in theory a choice to be made -- capitalism or something else -- the alternatives are really just different ways of cooking with the same ingredients, just as flour is the main ingredient in baking both biscuits and bread. It's all about who gets to make the decisions on what to bake.
The concept of capital as a resource, and allocating that resource "efficiently" is essential to an understanding of economic systems. To my mind, all economies are also societies, and all societies constitute their own economies.
The key concept that differentiates between a social system and an economic system is money - a medium of exchange.
There are two kinds of goods produced by economic societies: economic goods and social goods. "Economic goods" are represented by money (dollar signs will serve $$$). I think of "Money" as an analog for all basic resources, which seems valid, as money can be used to acquire control of resources. What I mean by "Social goods" are things like families and social institutions, as well as conditions such as "security" and "harmonious relations". Heart emojis would serve for social goods, if Substack allowed them.
Money can flow, like water, so water is a useful analogy. Controlling the flow of money allows societal economies (the tautology is intentional) to allocate resources in a rational way in order to achieve socially-desirable ends - such as security or harmonious relations between a society's members.
Capitalism is the 'operating system' by which the flow of money is directed into various streams - some streams provide basic human needs such as drinking water, some go to production -- to irrigate fields and orchards or to industrial processes. But this 'operating system' does not operate itself: it requires human decision-making. Humans decide priorities, but which humans? Which priorities?
When decision-making becomes hierarchical, classes form -- workers, administrators and owner/managers. Economic problems become more complex and solutions involve more complex rules to regulate behavior.
This question, "Who is to decide how capital (money) is used?" is answered by classical Capitalism: "By the owners of capital (money)." And there we see the problem; while all members of society have a claim to some part of its capital, our shares are not equal; the money is not equally distributed amongst all members.
So when we say that "Capitalism is the problem at the heart of our social ills", we may not actually be far from the truth, but leaving the relationship would mean destroying the societal economy -- which is our life-support system.
Well said, R Hodsdon. However, as Reich points out time and time again, there is a massive misallocation of resources due to power relationships. Is capitalism still "our life support system"?
Thank you, VIctor - you may be one of the 2 or three people who read my screed - very brave of you.
Yes, I think our lives as civilized people with cities and electricity and A/C and so on depend on a complex economy where capital, goods and services are constantly on the move. Just as we trust that when we turn on the tap, the water will flow, so when we tap our credit card on the little payment kiosk, money will flow out and we will get our morning cup of coffee. I can still remember what a big deal it was to apply for and receive my first credit card. As if by magic, I was now a trusted cog in the economic machine (up to my $500 spending limit -- but it was 50 years ago when 500 bucks could set me off singing "We're in the Money")
You put it down to “classical” Capitalism that “the owners of capital ‘money’ “ decide how capital is used — I followed fairly well up to then, and therein is the crux of MY argument that It is the people who decide how capital CAN BE used, and even how it is amassed, in a WELL-REGULATED capitalistic system. Capital is a tool, a description even, to be shaped by the society for its best uses. I hold that it IS a system that can well put the people in charge of their economic lives, with influence and control over the quality of their industry and their compensation, if well-regulated. Ownership can be respected without being worshipped. Labor can be respected and fairly compensated by law. Other systems I’ve seen proposed can be every bit as deeply flawed in favor of a privileged few who use and abuse the masses as can capitalism.
The argument is not over capitalism, but over our democracy having sway and say about how our economy works for ALL of us. That is what I espouse — a well-regulated capitalism in a strong democracy that hews to the rule of FAIR and EQUITABLE LAWS made my people answerable to the people. ALL of us, not just the richest of us.
Tom H - "...capitalism will bring about our demise. Better to fight for a different economic system, difficult as that might be, imo."
Tom, better to improve on whagt we have than to tear it all down and spend the next 80 years trying to build something better, only to find that you should have stuck with Paln A, but with better safeguards against abuse.
Replying to Tom High -- Tom, you sure put a lot of faith in the ability of workers to make wise decisions that save us from environmental destruction. I don't. Workers are human, too. Human nature is not always rational and we cannot always see what is in our long-term best interest. Like the denizens of Lake Wobegon, we live in hopes that "our children will all be above average".
That's nice Marc but we have a war against climate change to fight. You want to switch over to socialism? Think we have time to do that? No time for fantasies about how we swap out a whole new economic system. This is a war we will have to fight with what we have. Now.
That doesn't mean we don't make changes to capitalism that are needed just as was done in WWII.
That election of lower case dictator dt would bring chaos, not the profits the powerful seek. How is it the corporate powerful do not realize chaos is not in their interest?
If the average citizen is guaranteed equal opportunity in the polling place, he must have equal opportunity in the market place. These economic royalists complain that we seek to overthrow the institutions of America. What they really complain of is that we seek to take away their power.”
To welcome hatred is like developing a love affair with castor oil. The emotion itself is counterproductive because it requires individuals to become less than human in their overall behavior. This is Trump's reality not ours. Biden is a good man not a convicted criminal.
Donald, to develop a love affair with castor oil is the same as developing a love affair with Trump and the greedy capitalist cronies that are now supporting him. I never want to take castor oil again, and I never want to live through four more years of feeling like I’ve taken castor oil should Trump be elected again.
Pat Goudey OBrien, growing up, my parents didn't allow us kids to use the word, hate. We had to come up with other words to use instead of the word hate. They said it was too strong a word to use. I think they did us a service with their language rule.
President Biden’s experience in politics and in public life is enough to convince the majority that he is the only choice between the two candidates! Greed will be their undoing.
I prefer referencing FDR’s fourth-term nomination at the convention where he deliberately dropped Henry Wallace as his vice president. Wallace was not well-liked, and FDR's inner circle did not want him to become president. Instead, Harry Truman was chosen as vice president, with the understanding that FDR was very ill and the next vice president would likely become president. Similarly, given Joe Biden's current condition, he should consider replacing Kamala Harris, one of the least popular vice presidents in history, with someone who can strengthen his ticket.
He could allay outrage that would inevitably come from Harris partisans by switching her to AG, which would likely considerably improve that position, for which she's much better suited. I would love it if Biden chose someone of the caliber of Elizabeth Warren, Jeff Merkley, Sheldon Whitehouse, Jamie Raskin, maybe Cory Booker.
Great choices, but I’m not sure he would drop Kamala Harris because he does have a sense of loyalty to her. For the life of me, I don’t quite understand why she is so despised by some segments of the population. It has to be because she is a woman of color who is smart, sharp, and takes no shit.
That has something to do with it. The far right propaganda machine has been really nasty to her. In the last interview I saw of her, she was very sharp, engaging & pleasant. She doesn't deserve the vitriol. But neither do Biden, Obama, Hillary, Bernie, Pelosi, Schiff, Omar, AOC nor the mysterious, mythical, almighty 95-year old Soros.
Cory Booker would be an excellent choice, and it would not offend the Black vote, but it would offend Kamala. Harris gave up her promising position as California senator for the vp position, usually a dead end job. Well wishers advised her against it, but she did it because she knew that Biden could not win without the Black vote and the California vote, where she was popular. Biden cannot afford to fire her.
The wealthiest groups in America may follow Christianity, but they seem to misunderstand the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, a Samaritan immigrant, who taught, "Sell all you have and give to the poor." It is an example that the teachings of Jesus seek a higher goal than many religious groups.
I agree with the stated advice to Joe. I question if it's possible to conjure the spirit and story of FDR without losing people by being too intellectual. I think the listeners who can understand the historical significance of FDR's speech are already on-board. I think Biden needs to keep it simple by comparing policies and contracting accomplishments.
IMO, Biden needs to channel Joe Sixpack. He should lead with his accomplishments to people first understand why people should vote for him. People want to vote for someone, not against someone.
Given the unique advantage of debating someone who was documented by the Washington Post for lying 32,000 times, I think it's necessary for Biden to make it clear to Americans that Trump is a compulsive liar with zero credibility. In fact, Trump told 32 THOUSAND lies as President. Do the math! A year is only 365 days.
Biden can easily establish that Trump is a pathological liar. Promises to stop illegal immigration are empty because he had a chance to build the wall. It didn't work. Recently, 60 Minutes showed a slew of people climbing over a few rocks where the wall starts. Most were Chinese people. The wall failed at the first foot! Trump has nothing but lies, broken promises and failed policies. This record must be juxtaposed.
The target audience is independent voters and his base. The base would love to hear Biden list Trump's lies, broken promises and failed policies. Biden's base and independents NEED to hear Biden's accomplishments and promises kept. In short, policies, promises, and accomplishments must be juxtaposed because Biden has the truth on his side.
At some point, Biden should ask listeners to be logical about issues facing America, like climate change. He should be truthful that transitioning to a 21st Century Energy policy will not be easy, but Americans must sacrifice for the security of future generations. He can offset the pain factor by pointing out that a green economy will create long-term, good paying jobs. Biden must contrast his opponent's policy to address climate change.
This is key for engaging 2016's 18-25 voters, and 2024's 18-25 voters. For Biden to win, he is going to need 18-32 voters to show up in record numbers. This will not happen unless Biden compares and contrasts his and Trump's energy policies to address climate change and access to healthcare.
Biden should also ask listeners to reject Trump's appeal to their emotions, rather than logic and facts. I think Trump would lose it if Biden pointed out that Trump is using emotional appeals, not logical appeals. It's true! Trump is appealing to emotions when he says crazy things like, "if Biden wins, you won't have a country." This is an emotional appeal. It's illogical because Biden won and we are doing better. Truthfully, voters need to be logical, not emotional.
While MAGA listeners might get angry, undecided independents and Biden's base would get it, IMO.
I disagree as Biden can invoke FDR in a way that is emotionally inspiring. It doesn't have to be intellectual. Biden needs to deal with voters as they are, not what "we" need them to be.
I agree with much you have said though climate change is just one of many issues and not the top one for most voters, though I think it should be.
Professor Reich: i agree 1000%. however, i cannot understand what these economic royalists are thinking! first, if everyone ends up poor, where will all these economic royalists' money come from? eventually, or probably sooner than eventually, the economy will come to a complete standstill because 98% of the people on the planet won't be able to afford anything. crime will skyrocket. governments will fall. revolutions will be everywhere. second, the environment will be completely destroyed. this will prevent anyone, even economic royalists, from being able to survive for long (even in an underground bunker). and they going to pollinate their own strawberries by hand? hold a gun to some poor schmuck's head, forcing them to do it? where will all this end? DON'T LOOK UP.
The “royalists” held the world once — they fought constantly with each other and bled the people for “tribute” and what stood for taxes in those eras, to maintain their “fortunes.” Who knows what system they think will work for them, once they’ve killed the goose that lays the golden eggs, which is a democratic system of well-regulated capitalism supporting classes of people able to purchase good and services and keep the wealthy in the pink ..
Maybe he should not go that far. We are not in a depression like in FDRs case. If he is too indiscriminate in calling out capitalism that won't go over well. But he can call out the clear corporate abuses/excesses in ways people can connect to directly, message that he wants to save capitalism from monopolies and unwarranted unaccountable power. Nothing wrong with a 2 sentence history lesson for the American people about how our country has been here before and the American people fought back against economic royalisrts etc to create a more fair system as seen in etc etc
It's all about hope and fear and he needs to shore up the hope with telling people what he will do in a 2nd term.
I would like to see Biden go more bold left than expected.
The focus should now shift to Trump’s enablers—the billionaires and millionaires who, while hiding in the shadows, provide the money and media access that enable their political puppet. It's time to call them out by name, reveal where they live, and highlight the businesses they control. Writing daily about the dangers of Trump is becoming routine. But who are the enablers? Even if Trump doesn't win, we must still contend with these individuals who try to manipulate the U.S. from the shadows of wealth and influence.
There are an estimated 7,000 billionaires and 23.7 million millionaires in the U.S. Not all are self-serving; many pay their taxes and contribute to societal needs. However, for those who prop up Trump for personal gain, we need to expose them, embarrass them, and humiliate them publicly. Shine a bright light on who they are and how they have supported Trump for their own benefit. MSM media is now controlled by conservative millionaires. We the majority must expose these people.
The group of billionaires who co-hosted a fundraiser for Donald Trump on Saturday included:
• John Paulson: A hedge fund manager who hosted the event at his Palm Beach home, raising $50.5 million. Paulson has indicated in the past a desire to switch Social Security to a "defined contribution" system.
• Robert Bigelow: Runs Budget Suites of America and filed 46 eviction actions during the COVID pandemic.
• Howard Lutnick: CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, which has Tether, a cryptocurrency linked to several controversial groups, as a client.
• Mike Hodges: A payday lender who allegedly influenced regulatory decisions through donations to Trump.
• Robert Mercer: A New York hedge fund manager and significant investor in the far-right publication Breitbart.
• Pepe Fanjul: A sugar baron who came under scrutiny for his executive assistant's connections to former KKK leaders.
• Steve Wynn: A casino mogul who resigned from the RNC finance chair position after being fined for ignoring sexual misconduct complaints.
• Todd Ricketts: Co-owner of the Chicago Cubs and former finance chairman of the RNC, who avoided paying taxes on his home for nearly a decade.
Let’s start with these individuals, with more to follow.
Mercer (and his daughter) are two of the most Dangerous & vicious of the offenders on your list. Mercer, along with the Koch Brothers were among the top power financial controllers & manipulators behind “Dirty Don’s” 1st election. True enemies of democracy, they are the amoral billionaires whose “god” is money.
What a wonderful history lesson. FDR used pleasantly colorful language. Trump uses disgustingly ugly language. The contrast could not be more stark.
Biden wins on substance. Trump has a miserable record.
On form, Trump can't take a punch. Biden, unlike Trump is a counter puncher. In 2020 Biden roped a dope when a post-debate CNN/SSRS poll found that 60% of debate-viewers thought that Biden had won and 28% thought Trump had, with a margin of error of six points..
I want the media to bring an olfactometer. https://scentroid.com/products/olfactometers/#:~:text=Olfactometers%20are%20devices%20used%20to,then%20presented%20to%20a%20panel.
#trumpstinks
Daniel ; even if one has lost the sense of smell; there is plenty of garbage that comes out of his mouth, and harm that his words and deeds have done. He is rubbish that belongs on the trash heap of history!
My worry is that instead of the tough, hard-hitting Joe Biden we'll get the soft-spoken, trying-to-be-reassuring Biden and that will mean more voters for the tough guy, the attacker, and fewer votes for the nice guy, who doesn't want to offend and who seems to be fading into the background.
Biden doesn't have to be like a mini-Trump. As Dr. Reich noted, FDR was tough, called a spade a spade and did so in ringing tones, exactly the tough kind of voice that people can get excited about and rally behind. Much of the support for Trump comes from his attacks, whether based on fact or not. Meanwhile, Biden doesn't have to be nice, just strong and fact-based and hitting Trump hard, however he can.
If Trump were to win the White House, horrendous events would follow, and Joe's job in the debate will be to counter attacks and attack back, hard. People have to come out of watching the debate saying that Biden has done a great job and he's the type of person to be in the White House, not a fascist dictator who likes every thug and dictator he's ever seen.
Joe's offense will win the debate, if it's strong and pulls no punches. Hit Trump hard and often and he'll leave the debate wounded in mind and in spirit. And we'll have four years of sanity as a result.
We don’t have to worry about the debate: there won’t be one. Following his own precedent, Trump will weasel his way out of it, claiming bone spurs or some other fictional ailment.
Along with the MSM that promotes it.
Especially Rupert Murdoch family products, like Fox "News". OAN, Newsmax, and any other media full of lies, like X. and "Truth Social".
How it was designed to work anyway. Today there is blatant corruption in the Judicial branch (SCOTUS).
They have investigated Joe Biden starting when Trump was President. In 6 years they have FAILED to find evidence to show he as involved. So drop it.
Twice impeached felon Trump thwarted the Russian investigation against him. He also called out for Russia’s help on national TV. Mueller DID implicate Trump but felt a sitting president couldn’t be convicted. However, “In July 2019, Mueller testified to Congress that a president could be charged with crimes including obstruction of justice after the president left office.” - Wikipedia
@Paul. That is pure hogwash. That is a right wing spin story.
Obama has been out of office for 9 years. Your bullshit has nothing to do with today. You Trump humpers can't stop deflecting can you?
Indeed, much in life is not as it seems. There's a lot of rot on both sides of the equator.
Donald Trump, with the infamous Roy Cohn by his side, was notorious for leveraging connections to influence judges and evade legal consequences. Imagine John Doe, standing in court with his modest neighborhood attorney, facing off against Mega Corp's elite million-dollar legal team. Is that a fair fight? It hardly seems so.
In this light, consider the Supreme Court, perceived by many as compromised by the sway of big money. When decisions favor their affluent benefactors, where does that leave ordinary citizens like John Doe seeking justice?
Yes ; how about 330 or so million humans, trying to self govern ; as in "government of, by and for the people (humans, not corporations)." they take away our attempts at self rule and raid our treasury, buy off our representatives and even Supreme court judges. Lower court "Judge" Cannon blocks the "open and shut" Documents case, just because she can: apparently, to please the mob boss criminal who appointed her. We need a revolution!
As a plaintiff I once went to small claims court and won, but the defendant simply disobeyed the law and did not respond. A roadblock I never anticipated.
Yes, going to court does affect your life. As well as that of others. The "others" part is often overlooked.
What counts is winning in the ballot box. I sincerely hope(as George Conway says) that Joe beats the psycho! Vote BLUE!!!!!
You said "Biden, unlike Trump is a counter puncher". As I recall, Trump is the one who proclaimed to all the world that he is a "counter puncher".
There's going to be a debate?
I have it on good authority that Trump will find a way to not debate President Biden. If he does show up, he'll get creamed. There will be awkward pauses while Donald waits for applause from the non-existent audience.
This "vote removes stubborn orange stains" shirt is perfect for November 👇 🤣
libtees-2.creator-spring.com/listing/vote24
It’s hard to imagine that the rescumliCons could dare let trump on stage with Biden. But I would love to see it! No news stations would report on the watching loser trump show off his dementia and danger.
I am not convinced either will do well.
Joan, Did you not listen to the SOTU? Your comment is baseless.
Here are some accomplishments by Biden despite the useless rescumliCons.
*Biden passed much needed legislation after trump mangled the pandemic, destroyed the economy and led a deadly INSURRECTION to overthrow the government.
*Biden lowered unemployment from 6.3% to 3.5% and has held the unemployment rate below 4% for the longest period in 50 years!
*Biden created 15 million jobs in a little over 3 years (A Record).
*Bidenomics grew the economy at 3.1% last year and reduced inflation to 1.9% from 9%.
*Biden cut child poverty in half through the American Rescue Plan
*Re-joined the Paris Agreement to fight Climate Change
*Provided $10k-$20k college debt relief for those who earn under $125k/yr.
*Biden united the West to help Ukraine fight Russia.
*Biden passed the first gun safety legislation in thirty years.
The following legislation was also passed during Biden's first term:
*bipartisan Infrastructure legislation
*The Electoral Count Act
*Science and CHIPS Act
*Respect for Marriage Act
*American Rescue Plan
*PACT Act (expands VA health benefits)
*Inflation Reduction Act (2022)
*Biden cracked down on junk fees
*Banned non-competes for workers
*Banned medical debt from Credit Reports
*Capped drug prices for seniors
*Expanded overtime pay
*Capped credit card fees
Joan Halgren ; I'm not convinced that you are not a troll. the microphone would have to have a mute button to allow a fair debate, tRUMP does not share the floor well. President Biden supports Democracy, and the Common Good. tRUMP does not!
you're either a troll or nuts
Joan : I am not convinced by your post that you do much thinking
@Heather B. Is this true?
It is stated Republican strategy not to answer questions and not to engage in debates. Their policy is to use media to promote their contention that Dems support the "globalist elites" in control of the "deep state." Trump will claim that he, and he alone, can liberate "America", hence they hate him. It seems to me that the most effective response is to ridicule him and point out his inconsistencies, especially hi flip-flopping over women's rights.
Hey Heather who's the "good authority" - James Carville? The same James Carville who just expressed doubts about Biden's ability to win the election? Well, let the chips fall where they may. Here's hoping Biden can pull it together to throw a few counter-punches - maybe even some sneaky below-the-belt attention grabbers. 🍿🍿 Let the show begin.
He isn't, Dr. Bloxom. He is notoriously thin skinned! He has no problem hurting others but simply cannot take what he dishes out. I hope President Biden makes it clear that the orange stain answers to the big money powers. He doesn't represent the people. For him, we are just cannon fodder! He has told his cult followers he doesn't care about them just their vote!! I want President Biden to wipe the floor with him!! Vote Blue, America!!
I'm waiting for him to start foaming at the mouth and go on ANOTHER 20-minute ramble about toilet pressure and/or wind mills, aka wind TURBINES.
Trump has a glass jaw. You are an jaw expert and should know BS. Whatta loser.
Who is the "Whatta loser" you are talking about? Me, Trump or Whataloserburger?
Trump is the loser, Dr. Bloxom. but I am worried sick about this election. The Democratic Party should have had some backbone and welcomed presidential candidate Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren, .. I also like Kamala Harris, who, being a good vice president, has stayed in the background but she sounds good and progressive to me, and she carries herself well.She looks presidential, as do Elizabeth Warren and brilliant Bernard Sanders.. Biden is good, too. He actually took action on infrastructure and gun law. But the slimy felon beckons. Trump is really a WOLF IN SHEEPS CLOTHING. BEWARE. . A puppet of the wealthy corporations who pretends to be for working people.
Marjorie, bless your heart, I agree with *every* *single* *word* of what you said. Beautifully stated. Trump aside, Warren and Sanders were my favorites. I feel sad about their national political demise.
I feel even more sad, no angry, about the looming Trump threat. Basically, I'm pissed off about the entire state of affairs. Sorry for unloading on you.
Remember that the felon always spouts his self-reflection in just about anything he says about others; it’s his “tell.” He also grabs the attention by “stealing” people, places, things, in a sense. He has no original thought or vision. It’s what he does that I’ve noticed years ago.
Right!! As kids we said whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you. This behavior you mention of people accusing others of what they themselves are doing is very common. I see it alsoi.
Sometimes, tRUMP is punchy, for sure!
Just because tRUMP said he is a "counterpuncher" does not mean he is, it also does not mean that Joe isn't or can't. Joe Biden certainly has more ammo.
Even though I’ve lost my sense of smell, he can cause me to want to 🤮
That or a REALTIME fact-checker! When Bunkerboy inevitably lies, the debate can stop, and a person with common sense can IMMEDIATELY debunk his claim that, "THE SOUTHERN BORDER IS BEING CONSTIPATED BY BIGLY CARAVANS!!!" (He meant "bombared with," but he thought instigated because he likely has Alzheimers like Freddy and has CONSTANT Phonemic Paraphasias.)
The scent that Trump & his mob exude is that of sulfur, the miasma of a sulfurous cloud, mistaken by comedians for flatulence, but it carries the stench of the Trump mob's malevolent plans.
Still and always neck and neck !
It occurs to me that the problem with all the wonky polling numbers is that they focus on the voters rather than the electoral votes. From that view, even the '16 polls were correct in that Clinton won a majority of the popular vote, that was not reflected in the electoral college outcomes.
At very least, there should be a poll for each state, independent of all other states, with respect to how those states award electoral votes. ONLY THEN, based on the collective outcomes from the individual states can we possibly project outcomes that have a snowball's chance in hell of being anything vaguely accurate and predictive.
I know this has nothing to do with your comparison of the candidates, but I think it will become important in understanding the apparent cognitive dissonance between what the polls >seem< to say and the outcomes that have come to pass. Indeed, I wouldn't object to having this observation spread around to the pollsters for consideration.
knew FDR was a supporter of the Workers, Their Union, their wages but I never heard of his acceptance Speech …
Masterful and Amazing in its intelligence and Clarity of the Rich Driving the Workers Economic Lives…
Three points: 1) FDR operated in an era of no Internet. 2) FDR reminds me of MLK
3) Both FDR and MLK remind me of Barack Obama.
Donald Trump reminds me of the cartoon character Bluto!
Oh My God - - - I can't stop laughing!
There are hundreds of things I could say about that, but I will constrain myself.
Trump gave a campaign speech in Racine, Wisconsin on Tuesday. CNN fact-checked Trump's speech and found thirty lies.
Almost everything Trump says is a lie.
Exactly. This is from my post a few moments ago:
Given the unique advantage of debating someone who was documented by the Washington Post for lying 32,000 times, I think it's necessary for Biden to make it clear to Americans that Trump is a compulsive liar with zero credibility. In fact, Trump told 32 THOUSAND lies as President. Do the math! A year is only 365 days.
Biden can easily establish that Trump is a pathological liar. Promises to stop illegal immigration are empty because he had a chance to build the wall. It didn't work. Recently, 60 Minutes showed a slew of people climbing over a few rocks where the wall starts. Most were Chinese. The wall failed at the first foot. Trump has nothing but lies, broken promises and failed policies. This record must be juxtaposed.
What I do not understand is whether Trump knows he lies and doesn't care, or whether he is oblivious to the fact that he lies. That may be unknowable because he is a psychopath. What do you think? In all seriousness (no joking around) . . . I have long been trying to figure this out. Thanks in advance for your input.
Remember the time the whole world laughed at tRUMP at the United Nations when he said something to the effect that he is the greatest American President in History?
Daniel, the fact checkers are having a hard time calling out every one of trump's lies!! It's a 24/7 job!!
CNN fact checked Biden and found he also tells lies!
Trump lies and the MAGA love it, because, in their minds, it demonstrates his contempt for the "elites," "the mainstream," "the consensus." If so, accusing him of lying does him a favor.
Also Bulto was not a coward ; Chris Christi Said It Best “ Donald Trump is a coward and a liar”
Bluto was smarter. More like and aggressive obnoxious Wimpy.
“I will gladly pay you tomorrow for a hamburger today” running a bigger Confidence Game on a much Bigger Audience …
The advent of radio was a big change, much like the internet has been, for those times. FDR used it very effectively, but so did that Father Coughlin guy (notorious anti-semite and general bad guy.) And there were big meetings of Nazi groups in the big cities, all doing the “ Heil Hitler” thing. And FDR had his opponents, rich guys that didn’t like the sound of his new programs. So it was no slide for FDR. Man, he was great, though, wasn’t he?
Yeah really - and so was Eleanor. 🦸🏻♀️🦸♂️
Yes, he was!!
Took him a couple of try’s but he learned from his opponents stole their good ideas and added them to his own ideas .
Social security etc…We were lucky to have Him .
Thank you dnkarr for mentioning Eleanor Roosevelt. In my recollection (I’m 83), she was the one who influenced many, if not most, of the great things FDR accomplished.
She was a force to be reckoned with wasn't she, Judith! I loved her frankness and her ability to speak plainly so that everyone could understand. She was a great lady!
Eleanor stepped in to repair what the DAR did to stop Marian Anderson singing in DC in 1939. She was so terrific. She went to my husband's Unitarian, NYC youth group when he was a teen and said What do you want me to talk about?
The bank bailouts, the ppp loans, were poor good intentions The wealthy were helped even further and the average person like me who really needed the help could not have benefited. I liked Obama, but feel there were so many opportunities for him to show us what 8 years of our first black president could do…and he was somewhat lackluster. I think he could have made a huge difference. If you want my thoughts about that, just ask
Yes, as much as Obama was such a breath of fresh air after eight years of Bush, Obama didn’t achieve as much as we wanted him to. But consider the stiff opposition from Reptilians. Remember how Mitch McConnell announced in 2008-09 that the number-one goal of the Senate was to make sure that Obama failed?
Stan ; That statement under the circumstances was treasonous, because he was telegraphing that he was going to work against the process of running the country. He was not worth his pay! We saw what he helped to do with the Supreme court!
Nancy, I agree. Obama was by far a more effective big-crowd communicator than a man who actually got things done. And, from my recollection, when he did inaugurate some smaller legislation, that was nevertheless very important to those affected, he barely communicated them. Remember the phrase, 'lead from behind?' And again, if I remember correctly, it was Biden who first voiced support for same-sex marriage.
Barack Obama really wanted to get more inclusive health care as his number one accomplishment. He did it, not perfect but others like the Clintons and even Truman tried for decades and ran into major resistance. He was a moderate president, never pretended otherwise. That's ok. Being the first black president was great though. Also I like Michele being there as well. Bright people
Marjorie, yes, Obama did the one big thing -- healthcare. And as I mentioned in my post, he actually did more 'good' things, but they were not communicated well, if at all in some cases. Do I wish, though, we could bring Obama back? Hell yes!
Nancy, I also like President Obama. He basically had his hands tied because of McConnell and the republicans. I felt bad for him that he couldn't get as much done as he would have liked.
The 2010 mid-term elections delivered Congress to the Republicans, who did their utmost to make Obama a one-term president. Now they are doing their utmost to protect Trump from a similar fate.
Except that the bank bailout happened under Obama, while the overextended mortgage holders were left open to foreclosure.
Double-like to double-post. No comparison FDR to Obama. FDR: A true activist (with flaws and blind spots). Obama: Said a lotta inspiring words during his campaign. Got some things done. Not near enough. And o yeah. There was that closing Guantanamo Bay torture chamber first-100-day-promise. Of course we could reply: And what about FDR Japanese internment camps? So there is that comparison.
Agreed. Let us remember that FDR had much more support from Congress than did Obama.
Depends which term doesn't it?
This one? President Bush signed the bill into law within hours of its enactment, creating a $700 billion dollar Treasury fund to purchase failing bank assets. The revised plan left the $700 billion bailout intact and appended a stalled tax bill.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_Economic_Stabilization_Act_of_2008#:~:text=President%20Bush%20signed%20the%20bill,appended%20a%20stalled%20tax%20bill.
Terry, thank you for this very important reminder.
Interesting! Going by memory here - maybe I remember this wrong?
Possibly. I try to check on Wikipedia or some such before I put something out there like this. My memory is never perfect. :)
Good to hear.
I live outside the US and was following this from afar. I imagine that what I heard was not the whole story.
Unquestionably Obama 8 yrs was the most enlightened President in spite of Mitch McConnell and the
States Rights ( AKA Pro Slavery ) Republicans …
Here's a recording of FDR's original speech. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjSTQwamo8M
Biden could literally repeat this speech and it would be spot on.
And in case you never saw it before, here's FDR's speech in defense of Fala during the 1944 campaign https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NnS9874GB4
Terry, thank you so very much for your astounding comment and link. I hope everyone will listen to it.
FDR said "We have an administration that has rolled up it's sleeves and will keep it's sleeves rolled up". Just think of that imagery.
What Biden should do instead of repeating FDR's speech is to incorporate parts of FDR's speech into political ads demonstrating the intentions of the next Biden administration. I think that would be highly effective.
Imagery is awesome. Both President Biden and Obama roll their sleeves.
I have never heard the Fala response. It’s priceless, and FDR’s delivery is perfect. Thanks for lifting my spirits this morning. I hate Trump and what he has been encouraged to do to our country. I know. I know it started with Nixon and worked its way through the decades. The election of a capable Black man to the presidency triggered all those folks who then came out from under their rocks and all those wealthy people who were planning for control for decades. It’s time we understood they know no bottom and recognize the hard work it will take to put them in their place. GOTV. Register people. Knock doors. Support Democrats at your local level and on up the ballot. Look for the people who stay home for primaries and get them to VOTE 🔵!
2 things. FDR understood the power of media and was able to harness it before anyone else. He knew TV was coming after the war and would have been a great candidate for a 5th term....but alas!
This all started way before Nixon. Look up Father Coughlin.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Coughlin
He knew the power of the media as well but he used it to promote evil and hate over the airwaves and in theaters. A real fascist, condoned by the Roman Catholic Church.
It’s been happening since the very beginning of our Republic. Most people of my generation remember Nixon, so it’s a common reference. You are correct. There’s someone in every generation when we look for one.
Wrapped in the flag and carrying a bible......
Reagan is the one I dislike. started out firing the Air Traffic Controllers who were on strike.
Trump hates dogs.
Dogs hate Trump.
Dr. Bloxom, you and Daniel always provide a laugh for me almost every day! Thanks, I enjoyed that!
Hahahahahahaha! This gets me every time!! Thanks, Daniel!
Thank you Terry! I love those! I’ve been realizing how much I love FDR. Can Biden channel his own inner FDR?
FDR was the first President who understood the power of the media and was able to harness it for 4 elections. Republicans thought that just being mean should have been enough to put one of their guys in.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The NYT just revealed that Tim Mellon donated $50,000.000 to Trump's campaign the day after the jury convicted the law-beaker. Maybe that's just like $5.00 to you and me. Still...
I can not imagine someone having 50 mm to give to a crook. Not only a crook, but to a lying crook on top of that. Your analogy to $5.00 made me smile.
Professor Reich, thank you for your reminder of what a good president FDR was and the high standard he set for the office itself. Granted, he did not do everything right (remembering the disaster of the SS St. Louis) but he gave Americans pride (WPA)and confidence in their country. In today’s MAGA world, these Trumpy morons would only mock a handicapped man in a wheelchair.
President Tammy Duckworth would've been a beautiful ticket this November. Unfortunately instead of a principled politician in a wheelchair, we get an establishment hack who's lost as much of his faculties as he has his soul.
Who is the establishment hack with lost faculties and lost soul to whom you refer, and why do you say that?
Ilene, you said "In today’s MAGA world, these Trumpy morons would only mock a handicapped man in a wheelchair". Just compare that absolute Trump idiocy to FDR's WPA, the benefits of which millions of people enjoy today and will into the future. I greatly appreciated your comment. Thank you so very much.
Biden's Language is lackluster, tepid. Sometimes he tries to sound tough. He should try for calm and sincere. And serious. The Stakes are high.We cannot afford for him to mail it in.
Dr. Bloxom: Your comment reminds me of this classic fairytale:
TOADS AND DIAMONDS
A bad-tempered widow has two daughters; her older daughter is disagreeable and proud, but looks and behaves like her mother, and is therefore her favorite child; her younger daughter is sweet, courteous, and beautiful, but resembles her late father. Jealous and bitter, the widow and her favourite daughter abuse and mistreat the younger girl.
One day while drawing water from the well, an old woman asks the younger girl for a drink of water. The girl politely consents and after giving it, she finds that the woman is a fairy, who had disguised as a crone to test the character of mortals. As the girl is so kind and compassionate toward her, the fairy blesses her with a jewel or flower falling from her mouth whenever she speaks.
Upon arriving home and explaining why she had taken so long to her mother, the widow is delighted at the sight of gems and flowers falling out the girl's mouth, and desires that her favored eldest daughter must have the same gift as well. The elder girl protests, but the widow forcibly sends her to the well. The girl sets off but the fairy appears as a fine princess, and requests that the girl draw her a drink from the well. The elder daughter speaks rudely to the fairy and insults her. The fairy decrees that, as punishment for her despicable attitude, either a toad or a snake would fall from the rude girl's mouth whenever she speaks.
When the girl arrives home, she tells her story to her mother and toads and vipers fall from her mouth with each word. The widow, in a fury, drives her younger daughter out of the house. In the woods, she met a king's son, who falls in love with and marries her. In time, the widow is sickened by her older daughter, and drives her out, and she dies alone and miserable in the woods.
Class vs. Trash!
True, and nicely stated in a two-word summary. Thank you.
Yes! And will be once again when Biden's spirit and thought, vision and language are set in contrast to Trump. It's almost geometric: Biden - direct and straight; Trump - bent and interrupted. I love the reference to FDR, even the replicated date of delivery.
Lark (very nice name), please let me suggest this . . .
Biden - direct and straight
Trump - bent and crooked
Thanks for this Dr. Reich. The same forces FDR and Lincoln confronted are at work today. For all his faults and errors Biden stands head and shoulders above Trump and Kennedy. (If you dislike Biden's decisions vis-a-vis Isreal and the Palestinians just remember what Trump has done in support of his fellow crook Netanyahu.)
I echo the thanks to Dr. Reich for another brilliant commentary, and the vision to reference Lincoln, and to comment that Biden, with all of his faults, stands head and shoulders above Trump and Kennedy. However, FDR and Lincoln were both powerful orators, and Biden, unfortunately, is not, and may be making a tragic mistake in believing that enough of the electorate will be swayed by truth and logic to provide the landslide that will be needed to avert the Democracy and civilization ending bloodbath that Trump has promised.
So let's just live in fear and hate the best candidate of the two, let's allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good, instead of supporting President Biden while shaking in terror of a bloodbath. Vote blue, no matter what! I think President Biden speaks well enough; he tells the truth to the outsized power that monopolizes wealth and steals from US.
Actually, the fate of human civilization may rest on whether Biden has the wisdom to have Al Gore act as the MC for a Democratic Convention that could become a multimedia caucus on the problems of epic proportions that are now facing America, and the World, and to offer to step aside if the Convention Caucus so decides, potentially based on recurring poling similar to what Dr. Reich uses. It should start now, with a massive voter registration drive, as your voice would not count unless you are registered Democratic. That someone else, could be Al Gore, a master orator, and the person from whom the Presidency was ACTUALLY stolen- by a Supreme Court that we now know to be hopelessly corrupt. Or it could be Bernie Sanders, a year older than Biden, but still sharply focused on the epic problems the nation and the world now face. Or it could be Biden, the master diplomat- at a time when madmen such as Putin and Trump are exerting far too much influence on the world with their Red energy of violence, vindictiveness, and bloodshed, and diplomacy is needed like never before. During a ten day period that would include two weekends, there could be media presentations and mini-caucuses on each of over a dozen subjects during staggered times, and that would include substantially all of the major problems, with each caucus having both the live delegates, and potentially acting as a Zoom and MS Team meeting- and the other conferencing services as well, with phone apps for each, so that if any single service fails, the others will take up the slack. I believe that once people realize that their voices could actually be heard, and their opinions counted, there would be a phenomenal turn-around in participation in the process, with the most massive voter registration drive in history. Faith in our institutions could be reestablished, despite the flaws, because we would have established a system by which people could participate in fixing those flaws. The medium is the message- and that medium is the process that would allow people to use their phone Apps to become truly educated, become involved, and to vote, in real time. What a contrast it will show to the Republican convention that will have happened a month before!
Wow. Brainstorming to the max. I love it. Something that is frustrating me is the surveys I get from the Dems that I can't submit unless I donate. My opinion is worth nothing if I am broke. If I donate and submit, they have another survey/donate button followed by another one. They ask if I want Social Security cut. Duh. Take another piece of my tiny pie so I can say, "Please don't take what's left."
Gloria, they rely on professional fundraisers. How else can they finance their campaigns. If you have good fund raising ideas share them!
How about you can submit the answers to the survey whether you can afford to donate AGAIN. Then they would feel like they cared whether you can afford to donate or not. How about a platform to do their best to get single payer universal healthcare instead of pretending they did their job with Obamacare.
Exactly. And unless that changes soon, its not just Democracy that will be lost, but human civilization, in the chaos that Trump promises whether or not he becomes President, and which can only be averted by the landslide Democratic victory that would require this kind of antics. A good debate performance will not deliver nearly enough. The Democratic Convention may be our only hope.
2peter. I think Biden's slight stutter and unpolished delivery of his speeches humanizes him and makes him feel more like one of us. That said, have you listened to his State of the Union speech, or the ones he gave in Europe recently? He did a masterful job of those, I think.
Margo, you are right. Biden is a very good speaker.
Yes, however that's now how the Putin disinformation machine spins it. That machine now counts among its followers not just Fox and the other Red Propaganda outlets, but now also Elon Musk and all of the leadership of the former Republican Party, and it is their message that is getting through to the Red State and swing state masses. If done well, the Democratic Convention could change that.
He can't do much about others are going to spin things...he doesn't have control over them. But I do agree the convention should help. And I'd like to see him get an endorsement for m Christie, Liz Cheney, and/or the generals. That would be a great morale booster for all of us sane people.
You are right, that he can't control the spin Putin's trolls have been engaging in for years. The key, then, is to seize the day by making the Democratic Convention into a remarkable display of participatory democracy suitable for the 21st Century, to deal with the epic problems we are faced with today. We can think of the climatic events that are ongoing right now as being part of the Devine intervention that we have been blessed with, to the point where it will be difficult to maintain the lie that climate change isn't real. And there is a very good chance that, if Biden would offer to step down in the way I described, that the caucuses, with ranks swelled by the chance to contribute to resolving the problems of the nation and the world, would choose to keep a man who had demonstrated such humility at the top. (Ambition should be made of sterner stuff!). However the optics are not good if Biden continued in the current mode where the best he could hope for would be a narrow victory that would usher in the bloodshed that Trump has promised. Only a landslide victory will silence Trump's fascism.
2peter, I would like to think that enough of our electorate still want truth and logic in government. It has been appalling to see what that orange man has done to our country with his lies. President Biden will step up and prove to the American people he will always work for them.
well its true truth and logic will not normally win the day. If Biden does what Reich suggests at some point it's "not Biden" and may not go over well.
But Biden can at least lean more to the left - go Bold(er) Joe or go home.
During last Saturday’s Coffee Klatch prominently displayed behind Robert Reich was his book “Saving Capitalism.“ Can capitalism really be saved? Should capitalism be saved?
Not only has capitalism brought us to the point where we are economically looking at a potential catastrophic failure of the system, but the wealthiest of the capitalists are the ones who will support the election of a moronic wannabe dictator as the next president of the United States and willing to throw our children’s economic future under the bus for selfish greed!
In the short term, we must vote for Biden, and any progressive Democrats in our own states and communities. However, the greed of capitalism and the dissatisfaction of the voters who will vote for Trump will not go away with a Democratic win. Electing Joe Biden will give us four years of breathing space, But the old and corrupt system will still be in place.
We must look to better alternatives than capitalism! It is not that capitalism is inherently evil like communism, but we must understand that both systems are failed systems and we need a more evolved system that will take care of the economic needs of everyone and be willing to take bold steps to save the environment and the planet for our children. That is why I have become a strong proponent of “Economic Democracy“ and the “Progressive Utilization Theory.”
Have you read Doughnut Economics: 7 Ways to Think Like a 21st Century Economist by Kate Raworth? Amsterdam has been using a Doughnut Economics plan to recover from the pandemic shutdown.
Jonni, I just looked up “donut economics“ on the Internet. It sure looks like a better system than the unbridled capitalism we are now saddled with. Also look up the book “After Capitalism” by Maheshvarananda.
Yes Marc, but not only that. Capitalism and Democracy are compatible, period. The connected problem is the election machinery that brings big money's central role in politics and mass media. So, if moran Trump is usefull, then because of his showing of these problems.
Tom, originally democracy meant “one man (person) one vote.” Now it is about which candidate can raise the most money. Unfortunately, it is the ultra wealthy who have most of the money and therefore most of the power. Unbridled, capitalism, and the greed that feeds it has taken away what democracy is supposed to stand for.
Capitalism requires rules that limit their behavior. They are and have been for quite some time working to get rid of the rules. I think maybe that’s what underlies the “states rights” and the current effort in SCOTUS to take regulatory power away from federal agencies.
Jan, absolutely agree. All the sound and fury about states' rights was -- if then-- relevant to a different time in the US and the world. Over a hundred years ago, our country and the world itself, was not as complicated as it is today. Today, what would we do without the FAA, FEMA, and Climate Change awareness. Right now, the US is both burning and flooding. And regards SCOTUS, they would most certainly love to take power away from federal agencies -- UNTIL Project 2025 comes online.
They want to institute economic enslavement. Just like what slavery provided. It's the same thread. And John Roberts for one is ALL IN. https://jacobin.com/2020/07/john-roberts-supreme-court-chief-justice-chamber-commerce
Limiting women's reproductive freedom fits with that plan.
I've used harsh words but their actions are harsh so no apologies.
Jan, and that's why they hate Reich and Biden.
Jan, I agree with you. BUT, unfortunately, I believe that the rules to limit behavior have been irreparably shredded. On top of that the Supreme Court, which some now call the extreme court, has essentially been purchased by the ultra wealthy to follow their agenda. There is not much that I see that can save the current system, as I feel the scales have tipped too far for them to be tipped back.
That’s why I think progressive forward, thinking people while on one hand getting the vote out for Biden must on the other look far into the future for a better system, such as economic democracy and the progressive utilization theory.
That’s actually just .. sorry … silly. You could say the same about “democracy”….if you want to be WRONG.
Hasn’t our system of letting the people vote brought us to the present circumstance of struggling with a skewed SCOTUS and a champion of autocracy and fascism now running fr President, supported by Oligarchs and Autocrats who want to bring our system down?
Rubbish! It’s not democracy we have an argument with, it’s legislating and maintaining the rule of law we have to attend to — making good and reasonable laws to see to it that democracy functions for the people in reality, not sham democracy like they have in Russia, but actual democracy like the US has developed, especially since FDR!
AND SO ALSO WITH CAPITALISM — it needs careful and thoughtful regulation to do the good work it’s capable of, without usurping our prerogatives for deciding our own lives. Capital and Capitalism are not the Gods of our system — they are tools, and they need careful use and controls. They both, used well and used together, can be strong and successful tools to craft good lives for people.
Pat, good lives for which people? Not for all people.
We have a safety net. Never really had corporate ownership until after the civil war. .
And our founders were pretty leery of corporate power — What was that mis-appropriation of a statement after the civil war that gave corporations so much power, treated as people while protecting the real people in them from accountability, that they were never meant to have? It was a sleight of hand at the time. Corporations have been playing a long game of usurping power for too long. I also think our entrenched two-party system plays into that power dynamic, and we need rules changes in both houses of Congress to empower more parties to exists and require consensus building instead of this ridiculous pendulum-swing from R to D and back again … And rules that NEVER allow the kind of idiocy we saw with McConnell and our courts, or the Freedom Caucus f-ing over the House the way they are. Even without a parliamentary system, we could empower more parties by changing the rules — if we had politicians with the nerve …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Clara_County_v._Southern_Pacific_Railroad_Co.
Either a "mistake" or a fraud on the court. IMHO Garland should file a petition to correct the headnote.
Thanks, Daniel. I agree — the issue was never adjudicated … And the current Supreme Court just assumed it and moved even farther into Corporate Personhood and Money as Speech La La Land.
I am worried now that if R’s take the White House THEY might decide to expand said court in their favor for time-ad-infinitum, as many are saying expansion would be appropriate, given the number of circuits that now exist …
I’d far rather the Dems add members …
🎯
If we MAKE IT good lives for all people, then that’s what it is, Gloria. We don’t want a system that puts “property rights” over “human rights” - but we don’t need a system that devalues property rights, so we never have the security of owning what we “own,” even given rules over how our use of what we own impacts others. I want WELL-REGULATED capitalism … and yes, that can bring good lives to all people. It’s in the design … capitalism is not a stone. It is clay. We can shape it.
I won’t talk to Tom again directly, but he draws pictures with too few lines. And people who support the kind of capitalism <I> espouse are well aware that there is NO SUCH THING AS “FREE MARKETS” that are somehow natural occurrences. Human society is human shaped. Our markets are human shaped. We aren’t seeds falling on fertile soil or barren, to grow or fail by nature’s design. We are conscious and intentional actors.
To argue that we have to ditch capitalism because some a-hole tries to sell us a phony bill-of-goods about it is brainless.
And I have ALWAYS been happy to amend our Constitution — just not risk throwing the baby out with the bathwater at a “convention” that is desired by those who want to institute a far more autocratic system, and who know they have to WEAKEN our democracy in order to get us to go along with their ploy.
I'm not going to answer Tom directly, but maybe he'll see this and get that I think his attempts at some sort of parallelism between my statement and his {regarding ditching "capitalism" and ditching "slavery/feudalism" are in NO WAY parallel.
A silly ploy. The rest of what he says contradicts what he's said before, and I can't help but continue to wonder if he's even real.
That in itself is SURREAL.
🎯
Ever wonder what happens when a non-economist tries to explain economic theory? Are you curious? Then read on.
Tom High stated, "People who defend capitalism are like abused spouses who still can’t convince themselves to leave the relationship." This simplistic analogy suggests that we are in the powerful grip of a relationship with capital, which is certainly true, but the analogy holds only if we think of Capitalism as a choice we make -- to participate or not -- rather than as an all-encompassing system containing a nearly infinite number of choices.
To be a participant in capitalist system is not a choice for individuals, but for societies/states to make. And while there is in theory a choice to be made -- capitalism or something else -- the alternatives are really just different ways of cooking with the same ingredients, just as flour is the main ingredient in baking both biscuits and bread. It's all about who gets to make the decisions on what to bake.
The concept of capital as a resource, and allocating that resource "efficiently" is essential to an understanding of economic systems. To my mind, all economies are also societies, and all societies constitute their own economies.
The key concept that differentiates between a social system and an economic system is money - a medium of exchange.
There are two kinds of goods produced by economic societies: economic goods and social goods. "Economic goods" are represented by money (dollar signs will serve $$$). I think of "Money" as an analog for all basic resources, which seems valid, as money can be used to acquire control of resources. What I mean by "Social goods" are things like families and social institutions, as well as conditions such as "security" and "harmonious relations". Heart emojis would serve for social goods, if Substack allowed them.
Money can flow, like water, so water is a useful analogy. Controlling the flow of money allows societal economies (the tautology is intentional) to allocate resources in a rational way in order to achieve socially-desirable ends - such as security or harmonious relations between a society's members.
Capitalism is the 'operating system' by which the flow of money is directed into various streams - some streams provide basic human needs such as drinking water, some go to production -- to irrigate fields and orchards or to industrial processes. But this 'operating system' does not operate itself: it requires human decision-making. Humans decide priorities, but which humans? Which priorities?
When decision-making becomes hierarchical, classes form -- workers, administrators and owner/managers. Economic problems become more complex and solutions involve more complex rules to regulate behavior.
This question, "Who is to decide how capital (money) is used?" is answered by classical Capitalism: "By the owners of capital (money)." And there we see the problem; while all members of society have a claim to some part of its capital, our shares are not equal; the money is not equally distributed amongst all members.
So when we say that "Capitalism is the problem at the heart of our social ills", we may not actually be far from the truth, but leaving the relationship would mean destroying the societal economy -- which is our life-support system.
Well said, R Hodsdon. However, as Reich points out time and time again, there is a massive misallocation of resources due to power relationships. Is capitalism still "our life support system"?
Thank you, VIctor - you may be one of the 2 or three people who read my screed - very brave of you.
Yes, I think our lives as civilized people with cities and electricity and A/C and so on depend on a complex economy where capital, goods and services are constantly on the move. Just as we trust that when we turn on the tap, the water will flow, so when we tap our credit card on the little payment kiosk, money will flow out and we will get our morning cup of coffee. I can still remember what a big deal it was to apply for and receive my first credit card. As if by magic, I was now a trusted cog in the economic machine (up to my $500 spending limit -- but it was 50 years ago when 500 bucks could set me off singing "We're in the Money")
You put it down to “classical” Capitalism that “the owners of capital ‘money’ “ decide how capital is used — I followed fairly well up to then, and therein is the crux of MY argument that It is the people who decide how capital CAN BE used, and even how it is amassed, in a WELL-REGULATED capitalistic system. Capital is a tool, a description even, to be shaped by the society for its best uses. I hold that it IS a system that can well put the people in charge of their economic lives, with influence and control over the quality of their industry and their compensation, if well-regulated. Ownership can be respected without being worshipped. Labor can be respected and fairly compensated by law. Other systems I’ve seen proposed can be every bit as deeply flawed in favor of a privileged few who use and abuse the masses as can capitalism.
The argument is not over capitalism, but over our democracy having sway and say about how our economy works for ALL of us. That is what I espouse — a well-regulated capitalism in a strong democracy that hews to the rule of FAIR and EQUITABLE LAWS made my people answerable to the people. ALL of us, not just the richest of us.
Tom H - "...capitalism will bring about our demise. Better to fight for a different economic system, difficult as that might be, imo."
Tom, better to improve on whagt we have than to tear it all down and spend the next 80 years trying to build something better, only to find that you should have stuck with Paln A, but with better safeguards against abuse.
Tom, Friedrich Engels, Karl Marx's partner, noted that there can be no democracy in the workplace because the machinery itself is despotic.
Replying to Tom High -- Tom, you sure put a lot of faith in the ability of workers to make wise decisions that save us from environmental destruction. I don't. Workers are human, too. Human nature is not always rational and we cannot always see what is in our long-term best interest. Like the denizens of Lake Wobegon, we live in hopes that "our children will all be above average".
That's nice Marc but we have a war against climate change to fight. You want to switch over to socialism? Think we have time to do that? No time for fantasies about how we swap out a whole new economic system. This is a war we will have to fight with what we have. Now.
That doesn't mean we don't make changes to capitalism that are needed just as was done in WWII.
Excellent!!
System thinking is magical thinking, a form of escapism.
Marc, have you read Reich's book?
That election of lower case dictator dt would bring chaos, not the profits the powerful seek. How is it the corporate powerful do not realize chaos is not in their interest?
88 years ago and STILL True :
If the average citizen is guaranteed equal opportunity in the polling place, he must have equal opportunity in the market place. These economic royalists complain that we seek to overthrow the institutions of America. What they really complain of is that we seek to take away their power.”
Maybe this is the line Biden quotes!
To welcome hatred is like developing a love affair with castor oil. The emotion itself is counterproductive because it requires individuals to become less than human in their overall behavior. This is Trump's reality not ours. Biden is a good man not a convicted criminal.
Donald, to develop a love affair with castor oil is the same as developing a love affair with Trump and the greedy capitalist cronies that are now supporting him. I never want to take castor oil again, and I never want to live through four more years of feeling like I’ve taken castor oil should Trump be elected again.
@ Donald. FDR said he welcomed their hatred as a way of saying he wasn't afraid of them and defied them on behalf of the people.
I do worry about that word “hatred.” It is so ugly a word, isn’t it…
Sigh.
Pat Goudey OBrien, growing up, my parents didn't allow us kids to use the word, hate. We had to come up with other words to use instead of the word hate. They said it was too strong a word to use. I think they did us a service with their language rule.
So what words did you come up with? Dislike? Detest? Despise? Abhor? Deplore? Condemn?
Jaime Ramirez, ha no, we weren't that verbose as kids. I think we relied on adjectives like, really, as in really, really don't like lima beans.
Good parents, lucky you, M Tree.
President Biden’s experience in politics and in public life is enough to convince the majority that he is the only choice between the two candidates! Greed will be their undoing.
I prefer referencing FDR’s fourth-term nomination at the convention where he deliberately dropped Henry Wallace as his vice president. Wallace was not well-liked, and FDR's inner circle did not want him to become president. Instead, Harry Truman was chosen as vice president, with the understanding that FDR was very ill and the next vice president would likely become president. Similarly, given Joe Biden's current condition, he should consider replacing Kamala Harris, one of the least popular vice presidents in history, with someone who can strengthen his ticket.
He could allay outrage that would inevitably come from Harris partisans by switching her to AG, which would likely considerably improve that position, for which she's much better suited. I would love it if Biden chose someone of the caliber of Elizabeth Warren, Jeff Merkley, Sheldon Whitehouse, Jamie Raskin, maybe Cory Booker.
Great choices, but I’m not sure he would drop Kamala Harris because he does have a sense of loyalty to her. For the life of me, I don’t quite understand why she is so despised by some segments of the population. It has to be because she is a woman of color who is smart, sharp, and takes no shit.
That has something to do with it. The far right propaganda machine has been really nasty to her. In the last interview I saw of her, she was very sharp, engaging & pleasant. She doesn't deserve the vitriol. But neither do Biden, Obama, Hillary, Bernie, Pelosi, Schiff, Omar, AOC nor the mysterious, mythical, almighty 95-year old Soros.
Indeed, and the Soros obsession is truly bizarre, but then so is the whole perverted GOP.
Also, I hope you’re doing well Jamie and wishing you a happy summer.
Thanks, Janet! Had a great Juneteenth! Hope all is well with you. Enjoy your summer, too!
Thanks, so far it’s been enjoyable in spite of the political insanity. Happy summer solstice.
I mean Jaime… Auto-correct is a pain in the butt.
Yes, it is.
Cory Booker would be an excellent choice, and it would not offend the Black vote, but it would offend Kamala. Harris gave up her promising position as California senator for the vp position, usually a dead end job. Well wishers advised her against it, but she did it because she knew that Biden could not win without the Black vote and the California vote, where she was popular. Biden cannot afford to fire her.
Wasted words, that is not JOE
Fdr had a good leaders heart and the savvy to see the wrong self interests of the 'fat cat's' that cause undo burdens on governance.
The wealthiest groups in America may follow Christianity, but they seem to misunderstand the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, a Samaritan immigrant, who taught, "Sell all you have and give to the poor." It is an example that the teachings of Jesus seek a higher goal than many religious groups.
Why do you confuse Judeans for Samaritans? Ans. You are a bigot.
Biden campaign better use the psychology of triggering grandiose narcissists for the debate.
I agree with the stated advice to Joe. I question if it's possible to conjure the spirit and story of FDR without losing people by being too intellectual. I think the listeners who can understand the historical significance of FDR's speech are already on-board. I think Biden needs to keep it simple by comparing policies and contracting accomplishments.
IMO, Biden needs to channel Joe Sixpack. He should lead with his accomplishments to people first understand why people should vote for him. People want to vote for someone, not against someone.
Given the unique advantage of debating someone who was documented by the Washington Post for lying 32,000 times, I think it's necessary for Biden to make it clear to Americans that Trump is a compulsive liar with zero credibility. In fact, Trump told 32 THOUSAND lies as President. Do the math! A year is only 365 days.
Biden can easily establish that Trump is a pathological liar. Promises to stop illegal immigration are empty because he had a chance to build the wall. It didn't work. Recently, 60 Minutes showed a slew of people climbing over a few rocks where the wall starts. Most were Chinese people. The wall failed at the first foot! Trump has nothing but lies, broken promises and failed policies. This record must be juxtaposed.
The target audience is independent voters and his base. The base would love to hear Biden list Trump's lies, broken promises and failed policies. Biden's base and independents NEED to hear Biden's accomplishments and promises kept. In short, policies, promises, and accomplishments must be juxtaposed because Biden has the truth on his side.
At some point, Biden should ask listeners to be logical about issues facing America, like climate change. He should be truthful that transitioning to a 21st Century Energy policy will not be easy, but Americans must sacrifice for the security of future generations. He can offset the pain factor by pointing out that a green economy will create long-term, good paying jobs. Biden must contrast his opponent's policy to address climate change.
This is key for engaging 2016's 18-25 voters, and 2024's 18-25 voters. For Biden to win, he is going to need 18-32 voters to show up in record numbers. This will not happen unless Biden compares and contrasts his and Trump's energy policies to address climate change and access to healthcare.
Biden should also ask listeners to reject Trump's appeal to their emotions, rather than logic and facts. I think Trump would lose it if Biden pointed out that Trump is using emotional appeals, not logical appeals. It's true! Trump is appealing to emotions when he says crazy things like, "if Biden wins, you won't have a country." This is an emotional appeal. It's illogical because Biden won and we are doing better. Truthfully, voters need to be logical, not emotional.
While MAGA listeners might get angry, undecided independents and Biden's base would get it, IMO.
Every time the media mentions Trump and immigration, the predicate should be that Trump was the poster boy for employer sanctions, fined by DOL for using undocumented Polish workers on his job sites. https://time.com/5039109/donald-trump-undocumented-polish-trump-tower-bonwit-teller/
He still uses temporary visa workers on his properties to displace American workers.
Bingo!
I disagree as Biden can invoke FDR in a way that is emotionally inspiring. It doesn't have to be intellectual. Biden needs to deal with voters as they are, not what "we" need them to be.
I agree with much you have said though climate change is just one of many issues and not the top one for most voters, though I think it should be.
I knew FDR was a supporter of the Workers, Their Union, their wages but I never heard of his acceptance Speech …
Masterful and Amazing in its intelligence and Clarity of the Rich Driving the Workers Economic Lives…
Thank you Robert for reminding us of our highest and best that is still doable today!!
Professor Reich: i agree 1000%. however, i cannot understand what these economic royalists are thinking! first, if everyone ends up poor, where will all these economic royalists' money come from? eventually, or probably sooner than eventually, the economy will come to a complete standstill because 98% of the people on the planet won't be able to afford anything. crime will skyrocket. governments will fall. revolutions will be everywhere. second, the environment will be completely destroyed. this will prevent anyone, even economic royalists, from being able to survive for long (even in an underground bunker). and they going to pollinate their own strawberries by hand? hold a gun to some poor schmuck's head, forcing them to do it? where will all this end? DON'T LOOK UP.
The “royalists” held the world once — they fought constantly with each other and bled the people for “tribute” and what stood for taxes in those eras, to maintain their “fortunes.” Who knows what system they think will work for them, once they’ve killed the goose that lays the golden eggs, which is a democratic system of well-regulated capitalism supporting classes of people able to purchase good and services and keep the wealthy in the pink ..
When everyone is poor the economic royalists will turn on each other.
As they did when Kings ruled … All the time!
No way Biden will go that far left, unfortunately.
Maybe he should not go that far. We are not in a depression like in FDRs case. If he is too indiscriminate in calling out capitalism that won't go over well. But he can call out the clear corporate abuses/excesses in ways people can connect to directly, message that he wants to save capitalism from monopolies and unwarranted unaccountable power. Nothing wrong with a 2 sentence history lesson for the American people about how our country has been here before and the American people fought back against economic royalisrts etc to create a more fair system as seen in etc etc
It's all about hope and fear and he needs to shore up the hope with telling people what he will do in a 2nd term.
I would like to see Biden go more bold left than expected.
The focus should now shift to Trump’s enablers—the billionaires and millionaires who, while hiding in the shadows, provide the money and media access that enable their political puppet. It's time to call them out by name, reveal where they live, and highlight the businesses they control. Writing daily about the dangers of Trump is becoming routine. But who are the enablers? Even if Trump doesn't win, we must still contend with these individuals who try to manipulate the U.S. from the shadows of wealth and influence.
There are an estimated 7,000 billionaires and 23.7 million millionaires in the U.S. Not all are self-serving; many pay their taxes and contribute to societal needs. However, for those who prop up Trump for personal gain, we need to expose them, embarrass them, and humiliate them publicly. Shine a bright light on who they are and how they have supported Trump for their own benefit. MSM media is now controlled by conservative millionaires. We the majority must expose these people.
The group of billionaires who co-hosted a fundraiser for Donald Trump on Saturday included:
• John Paulson: A hedge fund manager who hosted the event at his Palm Beach home, raising $50.5 million. Paulson has indicated in the past a desire to switch Social Security to a "defined contribution" system.
• Robert Bigelow: Runs Budget Suites of America and filed 46 eviction actions during the COVID pandemic.
• Howard Lutnick: CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, which has Tether, a cryptocurrency linked to several controversial groups, as a client.
• Mike Hodges: A payday lender who allegedly influenced regulatory decisions through donations to Trump.
• Robert Mercer: A New York hedge fund manager and significant investor in the far-right publication Breitbart.
• Pepe Fanjul: A sugar baron who came under scrutiny for his executive assistant's connections to former KKK leaders.
• Steve Wynn: A casino mogul who resigned from the RNC finance chair position after being fined for ignoring sexual misconduct complaints.
• Todd Ricketts: Co-owner of the Chicago Cubs and former finance chairman of the RNC, who avoided paying taxes on his home for nearly a decade.
Let’s start with these individuals, with more to follow.
Can’t make this stuff up…
Timothy Mellon.
https://www.businessinsider.com/who-timothy-mellon-robert-kennedy-donald-trump-billionaire-2024-6?utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=topbar
Mercer (and his daughter) are two of the most Dangerous & vicious of the offenders on your list. Mercer, along with the Koch Brothers were among the top power financial controllers & manipulators behind “Dirty Don’s” 1st election. True enemies of democracy, they are the amoral billionaires whose “god” is money.