Center? Where was the so-called center when republicans confirmed three far right conservatives to the court, not forgetting that two of those seats were stolen. Why is that when a democrat has the opportunity to appoint a new justice they become so concerned with how the right will view their candidate that they try to appease them by selecting someone who will do little to enact positive changes. Now is not the time to tread lightly, it’s time to march full speed ahead and nominate a person who will answer to the will of the people.
Susan, I couldn't agree more. Since Newt Gingrich became Speaker of the House, Republicans haven't sought anything resembling the "center." They've openly and defiantly pushed America to the right. Democrats, on the other hand, are still trying to appease, trying for "bi-partisanship," trying to find the ever-elusive "center."
Joe Scarborough said that when he was first elected, Newt Gingrich told all the newly elected members of the house not socialize or even have lunch with the other side.
This has resulted into the Republican party following a game plan of not cooperating with democrats since then. The result we have now.
Absolutely, this is where Democrats fall short. Republicans (corporations and the wealthy few) get what they want in bulk when congress and the president are Rep. They still get what they want, (moving to the right), in smaller amounts, when Dems hold the majority via "compromise". Dems must realize that it's not compromise if only one side is getting what they want. We have to elect ppl who are going to stop the movement, large or small, to the right and begin to move the balance back toward the people (left).
Agreed. These nonsense terms are used solely to demonize others who don't share your views, or to promote the latest whacked-out ideas or proposals as being rational when they're anything but.
In Manchin's case, it's his very poor defense, one of a long line of bullshit defenses and excuses he has used, to avoid taking a stand that he feels (but won't say) would slow down the stream of fossil fuel corporate dollars into his accounts or hurt his coal mining fortune in any way.
Uninformed people - for example, those who want something called "critical race theory" out of their kids' schools even though it isn't taught in our public schools - are often so gullible and ignorant of reality that they're susceptible to the con artists, grifters, self-serving and corrupt crooks and scoundrels who seem to populate national political office and constantly pop up on major media.
What do they really want? Power and money, of course. All the rest is just bullshit.
Well said. The uninformed Americans are a big problem. And Republicans love uninformed voters. Keep 'em ignorant and they'll fall for just about anything.
Manchin’s daughter is one of those pharma CEOs who doubled the price of some common and important medicine a few years ago. I suppose she learned ethics, like all children, at the family dinner table.
Susan, agreed - except that I don't outright trust majority will, but want to see a person nominated who will work to be balanced and aware of personal bias as much as possible, thoroughly well read, thoughtful, free of outside influence.
Justice Breyer sounds like he is all those things, along with being selfless.
It is a place of inaction that is comfortable for those that like things just the way they are because they, themselves, are prospering and don’t want want that to be threatened. It is a place where problems can be ignored and the reality of most people is of no concern. It is the eye of a hurricane where those who bathe in the temporary calm can tune out the chaos all around them. It is not a place to seek when there are violent storms all around.
Well put. The reality, of course, is if we don't deal with problems that are worsening -- the environment, widening inequality, denials of voting rights and other threats to democracy (among many others), we don't just stay put. We slide backwards.
I'm fed up with hearing about the "mid-terms" every day when the Senate hasn't done the job it was hired for in the first place - in the real business world, any employee who would be spending time doing things other than the job they were hired for would and should be booted out. The ugly truth is that Congress thinks its job is playing games and playing politics rather than enacting legislation that helps its citizens. Disgusting.
Others who share our view of elected officials who either willfully and knowingly ignore the majority of their constituents' will and/or do absolutely nothing and/or are visibly incompetent have wondered. Where is the Congressional Recall Button like the one that is abused so easily in California?
Thank you for talking about this. I've always found myself frustrated by the comment "I'm a centrist." What does that even mean? ..."I excel at inaction" ?
Amen on your thought about where to find restless voters: "There’s a simpler way: Look at who’s losing ground in the economy. They’re the ones who are up for grabs. Lead them by giving them the means to do better — and a reason to vote for you." (Reich)
I agree these bullshit “ leaders “ have no clue what legislative leadership is all about, centralism is a bullshit term for doing nothing and getting paid to occupy a position of importance without using your brain, or exerting your time. A vast majority of these “ leaders “ would do the Nation a favor by getting a job at MacDonlds
Thanks so much for calling bullshit, because that's what it is and has always been, despite claims by the punditry and self-serving politicians that most Americans are in the mythical "center". It's about time someone of stature (i.e. you) stated what has been obvious to many serious, fact-based Americans for a long, long time.
Wow. Powerful essay. Just a thought about the political aspects. In both of his elections, Clinton received a plurality, not a majority, of the popular vote. In the 1994 midterms, his party suffered huge losses. So if winning elections is the goal of these consultants, I don't see Clinton as a shining example.
The president could show leadership and use his bully pulpit by refusing to talk about left, right, or center, unrelentingly turning the discussion away from this nonsense, making it taboo. I would love to see him and his spokespersons respond to media questions about whether his policies are "too liberal" or whether he should "move to the center," with "I'm not going to answer questions about left, right, center. Ask me a question that requires some knowledge of and thought about the substance of the policies."
We live in a country that has drifted so far to the right (far more hide-bound and reactionary than the 50's, when I grew up) that to talk about the Center is absurd. When you have a political party that explicitly states that it is out to hobble the government and block any legislation the democrats offer, terms like Left and Right and Center don't even apply. When smiley face fascism is embraced by the right, it is no time to pretend that old school categories still apply.
Thank you for this commentary today. In my mind, canceling student loan debt and completely reforming the cost of an education and how it is paid for is a perfect example of "Look at who’s losing ground in the economy. They’re the ones who are up for grabs. Lead them giving them (us!) the means to do better -- and a reason to vote for you."
Exactly. Look at who lost the most ground between 1990 and 2016, when the former guy became President. They were men, mostly from the South and Midwest, and mostly rural, whose jobs had been off-shored and whose pay was declining -- the old working class. They were up for grabs for years, but Democratic politicians paid no attention to them -- seeking the "suburban swing" vote instead. Trump promised them he'd be on their side (he wasn't, of course, but by then the damage was done).
Time for the Democratic Party to get back to their base. The people that need help. But Democratic candidates have thrown in with Corporations and wealthy donors because that is where the money is. Plus the "great unwashed" are hard to talk to and associate with. You know, the working class people that live between the coasts. Full disclosure I live in the Napa Valley, which is very nice, but expensive and the bay area is nice and blue.
My vote does not go very far to change the direction of the USA.
IMHO, principal responsibilities of government are to ensure a healthy and educated population. Trashing public-health measure such as covid restrictions as well as making education beyond K12 too expensive are two examples of a society heading for the dust bin.
As often noted, when "radical leftist", which is code for "evil communist", is the term for those who are simply interested in the welfare of others and the society at any level, and being an uncaring, self-serving, fascism-loving authoritarian is not called the radical right, being a "centrist" would mean being a traditional conservative who doesn't give a damn about anyone but themself. So, no, there is no moral high ground or even political expediency in being a centrist. This is what I wish Biden better understood. We are engaged in a Cold Civil War, and good people must act accordingly.
We need to reshape the culture of at least tens of millions of people. The chances of doing that with a direct approach are near zero because culture is religious in nature to begin with. The only lever we have that has a significant chance of influencing Trumpsters is to put so much money in their pockets that even they who routinely vote against their own interests will not be so self-destructive as to vote against whatever is achieving that particular outcome. Build Back Better should be a program whose actual purpose is to direct as many jobs as possible to to those who are currently destroying this country. We need to change our cultural infrastructure even more than we need to update our bridges, schools, and other shared facilities.
I wonder. If the current right goes any further off the rails, how many people will begin to see the light? Some have, as far as I can tell, but certainly not enough. Any thoughts?
I don't think the parallels to the rise of Nazism in Germany are hyperbolic. History shows that it is normative to be racist, and more generally tribalistic. It shows that people are not half as intelligent or logical as we like to think of ourselves. It shows that even the most blatant aggressors will claim that they are merely acting in self-preservation of "their way of life," and that bypasses all logic and intelligence and goes right to tribalism.
When Trump was elected, I hoped that his incompetence would limit the damage he did, and the damage would wake people up. As we know, despite his incompetence, not a week went by that we didn't see something bad happen that was even worse than what we thought was the bottom when the last bad thing happened.
It is my view that the arc of history does tend (with excruciatingly many setbacks and lulls) in a positive direction for civil rights and an increasingly liberal society, but we are in retrograde now, and regrettably, my own guess is that it will have to get a lot worse before we effect a correction.
Professor, you diagrammed what happened to ‘the center’ some weeks ago, perfectly.
This is all part of the ‘Bigger Lie’
The Bigger Lie is also said out loud, but it’s much much older.
The Bigger Lie is: ‘We are broke!’
We have $136 Trillion of personal net wealth.
We are not broke! That’s not just misleading, it’s an insane lie. Insane!
The Bigger Lie registers with regular voters because so many of them *are* broke, or nearly.
The ‘center’ is the center of Wall Street. Not a good place to stand, I say. Yellow stripes and road kill, to channel Hightower.
Senator Mansion wants lower taxes on rich mansion guys like him, it seems. ( He tips the balance to the Dem caucus, he has voted for some big packages, it’s complicated. )
My hope is to shift the focus and the spotlight from cultural bs to this ‘Bigger Lie.’
Regular people should have *much lower* tax rates, but pay about the same by getting much higher salaries.
The Rs have been talking this lie forever.
R voters should be angry that they have been lied to this bad, for this long, and vote for progress instead.
Progressives and liberals have said we have the money, we can afford it, *but won’t pound the table with the number!* So regular voters say, ‘they’re crazy, we’re broke!’
Everybody knows we are looking for $3 Trillion over 10 years to repair, rebuild, upgrade and transform our economy and general welfare.
So people know ‘Trillions.’
‘Nobody’ knows we need just $300 Billion next year for this BBB bill, *not* Trillions, which is like asking someone with $136 in their bank accounts for 30 cents.
30 cents!
check the math, pound the table!
best luck to US — b.rad
ps thanks Professor for exclaiming months ago that the real numbers we are talking about are 1/10 of the number clueless Dems and demented media shout out there …
As a former R, 2008 was my personal wake up call. Mindsets can change, it's all about messaging as you say. BUT messaging is also following up and doing what you say you're going to do, otherwise it just becomes more BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. Who's going to vote for more BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.
This is from the Sept 26, 2021 "Thanks for joining me" newsletter:
Robert, thank you for this opportunity to participate, but I've also really enjoyed learning a little something about my fellow adventurers in what you call your "experiment". As for myself, what brings me here and it's been gnawing at me for many years, is this sense that our government is not working like it needs to, that the politicians of both major parties are not and have not been listening for a long time now and that it's doesn't seem to have any chance of getting better! I didn't always feel that way of course. I grew up in a Republican household in the Midwest, my father was in middle management at Caterpillar Tractor Co. and the biggest discussions I remember as kid were that the giant UAW was going to destroy not only my dad's company but bring down all the auto makers as well. For the hippies in this group who will now be able to figure out my age right away, I remember watching the then "incendiary" news footage from Woodstock being narrated by Walter Cronkite; not too long after I turned 10 years old. Woodstock, the assassination of MLK Jr and the racial unrest of that time were my first glimmer of the problems in our country, but none of these issues were ever openly discussed in my extended family, maybe because as a white family we were not affected and probably more so because my brothers, cousins and I were too young to have to go to Vietnam at that time. The only discussions were that all people in our country were equal and that discriminating against anyone was wrong. So of course, as things then appeared to get better, both from a racial equality and an economic standpoint, particularly as the UAW began losing ground, I had not a clue that the systematic racism even existed and was not getting any better and that the assault on big government and big labor was already underway. Me as I later went off to college, oblivious to what was happening around me, was proud when the "Gipper" gave the commencement address at my college graduation and was just not able understand why some of my fellow classmates were so vocal in their opposition to his politics. I was Republican through and through. Then the years that followed were working and raising a family, where I thought I didn't have time for politics, not that I was ever much to be politically inclined. When the shoe finally dropped in 2008, and the economy tanked, I was furious! I knew that the government had dropped the ball, and that even though the Democrats probably had their hands in too, the Republicans were the main culprits. I did the only thing I could do and that was speak with my vote! I voted for President Obama, even though I had never heard him speak. It was the first time I had ever voted for a Democratic candidate in my life. I then subsequently registered as an Independent but have voted for Democrats ever since. As time has gone on I have also tried to become more involved, so in the last Georgia runoff election, I wrote postcards with my daughter to Georgia voters asking them to get out and vote for now Senators Warnock and Ossoff. I know that we needed a Democratic majority in the Senate to have any chance at getting anything done. What elation when they both won!!! A miracle, I couldn't believe it! But that elation is slowly turning to renewed frustration as the Democrats keep fumbling the ball at every turn- voting rights, Build Back Better, minimum wage, etc. by not working together as a TEAM. So now I am taking the next step, getting off the sidelines and have registered as a Democrat so that I am in a better position to support and elect Progressive Democrats who have shown are they are willing to put people first! I'm here to learn more about how I can be more effective, impactful in making that happen! Thank you Robert for your interest in finding about who I am.
Thank you so much for posting this, Jim. There’s a lot of substance here and I’d like to think about it before I respond but my first reaction is that a lot of people need to see it and hear your story. I don’t know if that should be a blog, a book, or something else but it’s critically important. I would very much like to hear what the other members of the group think about what you’ve said with particular regard to strategies for reaching other citizens.
Paula, I had always thought that Republicans stood for prosperity and an economy that rewarded work. When the economy tanked in 2008, and someone in the Bush administration, maybe Greenspan, basically said it is what it is, there's nothing we could have done because you can't regulate greed, I just lost it. What stupidity! The greed and manipulation of and by Wall Street brought the whole country down while the rest of us paid the price. I know that Democrats were also somewhat to blame, but they weren’t the ones selling themselves as guardians of the economy nor were they in charge at that time. When Robert asked what brought us here in one of his first newsletters, I wrote about my journey from born-and-bred republican to progressive.
Just a "disambiguation," here. I'm talking about my comment on right vs left, rather than the one with the controversial link about Gleiwitz incident that begins "Just to set the record straight." I think my right vs left comment is farther down.
When you came up in politics there was a generational gap. It was abundantly evident in Chicago in 1968 when the liberal anti-war wing of the Party was under attack by the Johnson/Daley "center" and vice versa. Humphrey was a liberal but he was unable to break from the centrist hold on the Party and come out against the War in Vietnam. Sound familiar. Biden has been unable to organize a strategy and provide leadership because he was never a part of the liberal wing of the Party. He is stuck like Humphrey without Humphrey's angst in the face of the Bernie outlined reforms.
So Nixon barely wins 1968. The younger anti-war generation (read anti-global warming generation today) wasn't able to effect the outcome.
Nixon consolidates power and brings over centrists to the Republican Party to sit with Rockefeller Republicans and segregationists and you and other current leaders of Congress cut your teeth on and participate in the McGovern throw away candidacy. Nixon smashes the Dems in 1972. Time marches on. By 1976 we are ten years into the baby boom generation and the Dems have moved to cater to all of that generations demands because they are voting.
Today is similar to 1968. The Dems know where they have to go thanks to Bernie but don't want to. If they did they would develop a strategy to get there. The young are not going to vote in November and the working class is sick and fed up with unrealized economic promises.
So the Republicans will smash the Dems who won't even know what hit them thanks to the political operatives you mentioned.
Is there any hope here?
Well what eventually ended the War in Vietnam was the older generation listening to the younger generation. Nixon tried desperately to continue the War and he began to overreach and go after members of the establishment and that was his downfall. When Nixon went so did the War.
In the present situation the supporters of Clinton and Biden and the "loyal" Dems just haven't yet grasped the necessity to move in the direction of reform. If they did they would be pressuring the politicians in Washington and Joe Manchin wouldn't be a factor because every federal penny going to WV would be cut off.
Will they wake up before it is too late. History says no. There are no mass demonstrations. The reactionaries are moving the country toward another Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan military debacle. The Dems are passive and Biden has no strategy to deal with the pipsqueaks like Manchin and Sinema.
After November it might be different but it might take a decade before the younger generations stop looking to mommy and daddy to solve all their problems and begin to stand up.
Great thoughts and good history lesson with your information. The "kids" now in their 40's that were backing Bernie were demoralized when HRC operatives thru him to the streets so she could run for the Presidency. These voters are still out there looking for a leader. Take a look at Gary Chambers video: https://chambersforlouisiana.com/ The younger generation is liking this guy. Most "kids" from 21 years old to 40 years old are trying to survive keeping their heads above water. They are struggling to find good jobs, buy a home and pay their bills. Many have no interest in politics. They know much of the news is propaganda. Many find politics a sham. A way for "career politicians" with great benefits to make millions using tax payers money. Perhaps folks like Gary Chambers will light a fire in the younger folks 50 years old and younger again. Baby boomers are too busy living in their million dollar homes, traveling in their RV's and playing golf to care anymore about a government that can't seem to solve any crisis. COVID was a wake up call how inept the federal government is working with the states. Come 2024 if America is not at war with Russia the elections process could be the worse this country has ever seen. We need some true young leaders to emerge.
I agree. I would settle for some older leaders like Professor Reich getting together and supporting the development of a mass movement that can pressure Washington.
Paula. I live in a retirement community in Northern Arizona. Lots of retired California people moving to our region. All retired with lots of money from selling their homes and making big profits. There are also thousand of retired baby boomers living in Phoenix in what are called "RV Resorts". Perhaps I am living in my own bubble.
I really appreciate not mincing any words here. Extremist (I use this word since SCOTUS sicced vigilantes on pregnant women) right wing ideologues on the Supreme Court, the GOP bogged down in corruption, the emergence of fascist policies in Virginia as other states enter this path of radicalization and Manchin, ANYONE, has the unmitigated gall to call for being CENTRIST. This is the complete normalization of authoritarianism and desperately needs to be called out every second of the day.
Spot on Robert . And with the majority of the nation feeling the 'pinch'; economically, socially, emotionally, familially and now with the threat of global conflict looming ? Biden, playing his cards right, making clear moves to improve the lot of the average American, aligning himself with the likes of Mr Sanders, who understands that lot. Calling out Manchin, Sinema, Trump and Republicans for who and what they are, stands poised to swing our national pendulum back to that center. One can only hope his actions concise, his motives righteous and his path back to the nation we all hope to be clear.
I would say he needs to be swinging the pendulum back towards progress, instead of the regression to where it's swinging now, otherwise kiss the midterms goodbye.
Center? Where was the so-called center when republicans confirmed three far right conservatives to the court, not forgetting that two of those seats were stolen. Why is that when a democrat has the opportunity to appoint a new justice they become so concerned with how the right will view their candidate that they try to appease them by selecting someone who will do little to enact positive changes. Now is not the time to tread lightly, it’s time to march full speed ahead and nominate a person who will answer to the will of the people.
Susan, I couldn't agree more. Since Newt Gingrich became Speaker of the House, Republicans haven't sought anything resembling the "center." They've openly and defiantly pushed America to the right. Democrats, on the other hand, are still trying to appease, trying for "bi-partisanship," trying to find the ever-elusive "center."
Joe Scarborough said that when he was first elected, Newt Gingrich told all the newly elected members of the house not socialize or even have lunch with the other side.
This has resulted into the Republican party following a game plan of not cooperating with democrats since then. The result we have now.
Absolutely, this is where Democrats fall short. Republicans (corporations and the wealthy few) get what they want in bulk when congress and the president are Rep. They still get what they want, (moving to the right), in smaller amounts, when Dems hold the majority via "compromise". Dems must realize that it's not compromise if only one side is getting what they want. We have to elect ppl who are going to stop the movement, large or small, to the right and begin to move the balance back toward the people (left).
Agreed. These nonsense terms are used solely to demonize others who don't share your views, or to promote the latest whacked-out ideas or proposals as being rational when they're anything but.
In Manchin's case, it's his very poor defense, one of a long line of bullshit defenses and excuses he has used, to avoid taking a stand that he feels (but won't say) would slow down the stream of fossil fuel corporate dollars into his accounts or hurt his coal mining fortune in any way.
Uninformed people - for example, those who want something called "critical race theory" out of their kids' schools even though it isn't taught in our public schools - are often so gullible and ignorant of reality that they're susceptible to the con artists, grifters, self-serving and corrupt crooks and scoundrels who seem to populate national political office and constantly pop up on major media.
What do they really want? Power and money, of course. All the rest is just bullshit.
Well said. The uninformed Americans are a big problem. And Republicans love uninformed voters. Keep 'em ignorant and they'll fall for just about anything.
Manchin’s daughter is one of those pharma CEOs who doubled the price of some common and important medicine a few years ago. I suppose she learned ethics, like all children, at the family dinner table.
Or, as we used to say, "Keep 'em barefoot and pregnant."
Susan, agreed - except that I don't outright trust majority will, but want to see a person nominated who will work to be balanced and aware of personal bias as much as possible, thoroughly well read, thoughtful, free of outside influence.
Justice Breyer sounds like he is all those things, along with being selfless.
BINGO... Selflessness is where we as a nation that claims to be a Godly one, are falling short.
Where, exactly is Manchin’s “center?”
It is a place of inaction that is comfortable for those that like things just the way they are because they, themselves, are prospering and don’t want want that to be threatened. It is a place where problems can be ignored and the reality of most people is of no concern. It is the eye of a hurricane where those who bathe in the temporary calm can tune out the chaos all around them. It is not a place to seek when there are violent storms all around.
Well put. The reality, of course, is if we don't deal with problems that are worsening -- the environment, widening inequality, denials of voting rights and other threats to democracy (among many others), we don't just stay put. We slide backwards.
I'm fed up with hearing about the "mid-terms" every day when the Senate hasn't done the job it was hired for in the first place - in the real business world, any employee who would be spending time doing things other than the job they were hired for would and should be booted out. The ugly truth is that Congress thinks its job is playing games and playing politics rather than enacting legislation that helps its citizens. Disgusting.
Especially true of Republican members of Congress, who, as far as I can see, have done nothing for years except say "no."
Excellent point! People are sick and tired of eternal elections. We have lives to live. Wouldn’t it be great if politicians and the media did too?
Others who share our view of elected officials who either willfully and knowingly ignore the majority of their constituents' will and/or do absolutely nothing and/or are visibly incompetent have wondered. Where is the Congressional Recall Button like the one that is abused so easily in California?
Thank you for talking about this. I've always found myself frustrated by the comment "I'm a centrist." What does that even mean? ..."I excel at inaction" ?
Amen on your thought about where to find restless voters: "There’s a simpler way: Look at who’s losing ground in the economy. They’re the ones who are up for grabs. Lead them by giving them the means to do better — and a reason to vote for you." (Reich)
I agree these bullshit “ leaders “ have no clue what legislative leadership is all about, centralism is a bullshit term for doing nothing and getting paid to occupy a position of importance without using your brain, or exerting your time. A vast majority of these “ leaders “ would do the Nation a favor by getting a job at MacDonlds
They'd screw up your order, by not listening any better than they do now.
Actually I think they’d tell you you can’t have anything and kick you out of the restaurant.
Thanks so much for calling bullshit, because that's what it is and has always been, despite claims by the punditry and self-serving politicians that most Americans are in the mythical "center". It's about time someone of stature (i.e. you) stated what has been obvious to many serious, fact-based Americans for a long, long time.
Another excellent column.
Unfortunately, Bernie did just that twice but was immobilized by his “centered” counterparts/party. I am so frustrated with our broken system.
Agree but just think how things would go if he didn’t speak up. Gadflies make a difference.
Wow. Powerful essay. Just a thought about the political aspects. In both of his elections, Clinton received a plurality, not a majority, of the popular vote. In the 1994 midterms, his party suffered huge losses. So if winning elections is the goal of these consultants, I don't see Clinton as a shining example.
The president could show leadership and use his bully pulpit by refusing to talk about left, right, or center, unrelentingly turning the discussion away from this nonsense, making it taboo. I would love to see him and his spokespersons respond to media questions about whether his policies are "too liberal" or whether he should "move to the center," with "I'm not going to answer questions about left, right, center. Ask me a question that requires some knowledge of and thought about the substance of the policies."
@ Carolyn. I meant to say Biden could add the phrase: "We're all Americans here..."
Got to do something about the propaganda machine on the right.
We live in a country that has drifted so far to the right (far more hide-bound and reactionary than the 50's, when I grew up) that to talk about the Center is absurd. When you have a political party that explicitly states that it is out to hobble the government and block any legislation the democrats offer, terms like Left and Right and Center don't even apply. When smiley face fascism is embraced by the right, it is no time to pretend that old school categories still apply.
Thank you for this commentary today. In my mind, canceling student loan debt and completely reforming the cost of an education and how it is paid for is a perfect example of "Look at who’s losing ground in the economy. They’re the ones who are up for grabs. Lead them giving them (us!) the means to do better -- and a reason to vote for you."
Exactly. Look at who lost the most ground between 1990 and 2016, when the former guy became President. They were men, mostly from the South and Midwest, and mostly rural, whose jobs had been off-shored and whose pay was declining -- the old working class. They were up for grabs for years, but Democratic politicians paid no attention to them -- seeking the "suburban swing" vote instead. Trump promised them he'd be on their side (he wasn't, of course, but by then the damage was done).
The question now is whether they’ve figured that out.
NO. They have not.
Time for the Democratic Party to get back to their base. The people that need help. But Democratic candidates have thrown in with Corporations and wealthy donors because that is where the money is. Plus the "great unwashed" are hard to talk to and associate with. You know, the working class people that live between the coasts. Full disclosure I live in the Napa Valley, which is very nice, but expensive and the bay area is nice and blue.
My vote does not go very far to change the direction of the USA.
IMHO, principal responsibilities of government are to ensure a healthy and educated population. Trashing public-health measure such as covid restrictions as well as making education beyond K12 too expensive are two examples of a society heading for the dust bin.
As often noted, when "radical leftist", which is code for "evil communist", is the term for those who are simply interested in the welfare of others and the society at any level, and being an uncaring, self-serving, fascism-loving authoritarian is not called the radical right, being a "centrist" would mean being a traditional conservative who doesn't give a damn about anyone but themself. So, no, there is no moral high ground or even political expediency in being a centrist. This is what I wish Biden better understood. We are engaged in a Cold Civil War, and good people must act accordingly.
We need to reshape the culture of at least tens of millions of people. The chances of doing that with a direct approach are near zero because culture is religious in nature to begin with. The only lever we have that has a significant chance of influencing Trumpsters is to put so much money in their pockets that even they who routinely vote against their own interests will not be so self-destructive as to vote against whatever is achieving that particular outcome. Build Back Better should be a program whose actual purpose is to direct as many jobs as possible to to those who are currently destroying this country. We need to change our cultural infrastructure even more than we need to update our bridges, schools, and other shared facilities.
Where’s today’s Pete Seeger?
I wonder. If the current right goes any further off the rails, how many people will begin to see the light? Some have, as far as I can tell, but certainly not enough. Any thoughts?
I don't think the parallels to the rise of Nazism in Germany are hyperbolic. History shows that it is normative to be racist, and more generally tribalistic. It shows that people are not half as intelligent or logical as we like to think of ourselves. It shows that even the most blatant aggressors will claim that they are merely acting in self-preservation of "their way of life," and that bypasses all logic and intelligence and goes right to tribalism.
When Trump was elected, I hoped that his incompetence would limit the damage he did, and the damage would wake people up. As we know, despite his incompetence, not a week went by that we didn't see something bad happen that was even worse than what we thought was the bottom when the last bad thing happened.
It is my view that the arc of history does tend (with excruciatingly many setbacks and lulls) in a positive direction for civil rights and an increasingly liberal society, but we are in retrograde now, and regrettably, my own guess is that it will have to get a lot worse before we effect a correction.
I fear you may be right.
Professor, you diagrammed what happened to ‘the center’ some weeks ago, perfectly.
This is all part of the ‘Bigger Lie’
The Bigger Lie is also said out loud, but it’s much much older.
The Bigger Lie is: ‘We are broke!’
We have $136 Trillion of personal net wealth.
We are not broke! That’s not just misleading, it’s an insane lie. Insane!
The Bigger Lie registers with regular voters because so many of them *are* broke, or nearly.
The ‘center’ is the center of Wall Street. Not a good place to stand, I say. Yellow stripes and road kill, to channel Hightower.
Senator Mansion wants lower taxes on rich mansion guys like him, it seems. ( He tips the balance to the Dem caucus, he has voted for some big packages, it’s complicated. )
My hope is to shift the focus and the spotlight from cultural bs to this ‘Bigger Lie.’
Regular people should have *much lower* tax rates, but pay about the same by getting much higher salaries.
The Rs have been talking this lie forever.
R voters should be angry that they have been lied to this bad, for this long, and vote for progress instead.
Progressives and liberals have said we have the money, we can afford it, *but won’t pound the table with the number!* So regular voters say, ‘they’re crazy, we’re broke!’
Everybody knows we are looking for $3 Trillion over 10 years to repair, rebuild, upgrade and transform our economy and general welfare.
So people know ‘Trillions.’
‘Nobody’ knows we need just $300 Billion next year for this BBB bill, *not* Trillions, which is like asking someone with $136 in their bank accounts for 30 cents.
30 cents!
check the math, pound the table!
best luck to US — b.rad
ps thanks Professor for exclaiming months ago that the real numbers we are talking about are 1/10 of the number clueless Dems and demented media shout out there …
As a former R, 2008 was my personal wake up call. Mindsets can change, it's all about messaging as you say. BUT messaging is also following up and doing what you say you're going to do, otherwise it just becomes more BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. Who's going to vote for more BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.
What changed your mind, Jim?
This is from the Sept 26, 2021 "Thanks for joining me" newsletter:
Robert, thank you for this opportunity to participate, but I've also really enjoyed learning a little something about my fellow adventurers in what you call your "experiment". As for myself, what brings me here and it's been gnawing at me for many years, is this sense that our government is not working like it needs to, that the politicians of both major parties are not and have not been listening for a long time now and that it's doesn't seem to have any chance of getting better! I didn't always feel that way of course. I grew up in a Republican household in the Midwest, my father was in middle management at Caterpillar Tractor Co. and the biggest discussions I remember as kid were that the giant UAW was going to destroy not only my dad's company but bring down all the auto makers as well. For the hippies in this group who will now be able to figure out my age right away, I remember watching the then "incendiary" news footage from Woodstock being narrated by Walter Cronkite; not too long after I turned 10 years old. Woodstock, the assassination of MLK Jr and the racial unrest of that time were my first glimmer of the problems in our country, but none of these issues were ever openly discussed in my extended family, maybe because as a white family we were not affected and probably more so because my brothers, cousins and I were too young to have to go to Vietnam at that time. The only discussions were that all people in our country were equal and that discriminating against anyone was wrong. So of course, as things then appeared to get better, both from a racial equality and an economic standpoint, particularly as the UAW began losing ground, I had not a clue that the systematic racism even existed and was not getting any better and that the assault on big government and big labor was already underway. Me as I later went off to college, oblivious to what was happening around me, was proud when the "Gipper" gave the commencement address at my college graduation and was just not able understand why some of my fellow classmates were so vocal in their opposition to his politics. I was Republican through and through. Then the years that followed were working and raising a family, where I thought I didn't have time for politics, not that I was ever much to be politically inclined. When the shoe finally dropped in 2008, and the economy tanked, I was furious! I knew that the government had dropped the ball, and that even though the Democrats probably had their hands in too, the Republicans were the main culprits. I did the only thing I could do and that was speak with my vote! I voted for President Obama, even though I had never heard him speak. It was the first time I had ever voted for a Democratic candidate in my life. I then subsequently registered as an Independent but have voted for Democrats ever since. As time has gone on I have also tried to become more involved, so in the last Georgia runoff election, I wrote postcards with my daughter to Georgia voters asking them to get out and vote for now Senators Warnock and Ossoff. I know that we needed a Democratic majority in the Senate to have any chance at getting anything done. What elation when they both won!!! A miracle, I couldn't believe it! But that elation is slowly turning to renewed frustration as the Democrats keep fumbling the ball at every turn- voting rights, Build Back Better, minimum wage, etc. by not working together as a TEAM. So now I am taking the next step, getting off the sidelines and have registered as a Democrat so that I am in a better position to support and elect Progressive Democrats who have shown are they are willing to put people first! I'm here to learn more about how I can be more effective, impactful in making that happen! Thank you Robert for your interest in finding about who I am.
Thank you so much for posting this, Jim. There’s a lot of substance here and I’d like to think about it before I respond but my first reaction is that a lot of people need to see it and hear your story. I don’t know if that should be a blog, a book, or something else but it’s critically important. I would very much like to hear what the other members of the group think about what you’ve said with particular regard to strategies for reaching other citizens.
Paula, I had always thought that Republicans stood for prosperity and an economy that rewarded work. When the economy tanked in 2008, and someone in the Bush administration, maybe Greenspan, basically said it is what it is, there's nothing we could have done because you can't regulate greed, I just lost it. What stupidity! The greed and manipulation of and by Wall Street brought the whole country down while the rest of us paid the price. I know that Democrats were also somewhat to blame, but they weren’t the ones selling themselves as guardians of the economy nor were they in charge at that time. When Robert asked what brought us here in one of his first newsletters, I wrote about my journey from born-and-bred republican to progressive.
Jim: see my link and comment below.
Thank you for the explanation, Jim, and the link to your original post. I’m going to go reread that.
Just a "disambiguation," here. I'm talking about my comment on right vs left, rather than the one with the controversial link about Gleiwitz incident that begins "Just to set the record straight." I think my right vs left comment is farther down.
Yes, I figured that out. It made me want to commit seppuku but I see your point. 😀
When you came up in politics there was a generational gap. It was abundantly evident in Chicago in 1968 when the liberal anti-war wing of the Party was under attack by the Johnson/Daley "center" and vice versa. Humphrey was a liberal but he was unable to break from the centrist hold on the Party and come out against the War in Vietnam. Sound familiar. Biden has been unable to organize a strategy and provide leadership because he was never a part of the liberal wing of the Party. He is stuck like Humphrey without Humphrey's angst in the face of the Bernie outlined reforms.
So Nixon barely wins 1968. The younger anti-war generation (read anti-global warming generation today) wasn't able to effect the outcome.
Nixon consolidates power and brings over centrists to the Republican Party to sit with Rockefeller Republicans and segregationists and you and other current leaders of Congress cut your teeth on and participate in the McGovern throw away candidacy. Nixon smashes the Dems in 1972. Time marches on. By 1976 we are ten years into the baby boom generation and the Dems have moved to cater to all of that generations demands because they are voting.
Today is similar to 1968. The Dems know where they have to go thanks to Bernie but don't want to. If they did they would develop a strategy to get there. The young are not going to vote in November and the working class is sick and fed up with unrealized economic promises.
So the Republicans will smash the Dems who won't even know what hit them thanks to the political operatives you mentioned.
Is there any hope here?
Well what eventually ended the War in Vietnam was the older generation listening to the younger generation. Nixon tried desperately to continue the War and he began to overreach and go after members of the establishment and that was his downfall. When Nixon went so did the War.
In the present situation the supporters of Clinton and Biden and the "loyal" Dems just haven't yet grasped the necessity to move in the direction of reform. If they did they would be pressuring the politicians in Washington and Joe Manchin wouldn't be a factor because every federal penny going to WV would be cut off.
Will they wake up before it is too late. History says no. There are no mass demonstrations. The reactionaries are moving the country toward another Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan military debacle. The Dems are passive and Biden has no strategy to deal with the pipsqueaks like Manchin and Sinema.
After November it might be different but it might take a decade before the younger generations stop looking to mommy and daddy to solve all their problems and begin to stand up.
Great thoughts and good history lesson with your information. The "kids" now in their 40's that were backing Bernie were demoralized when HRC operatives thru him to the streets so she could run for the Presidency. These voters are still out there looking for a leader. Take a look at Gary Chambers video: https://chambersforlouisiana.com/ The younger generation is liking this guy. Most "kids" from 21 years old to 40 years old are trying to survive keeping their heads above water. They are struggling to find good jobs, buy a home and pay their bills. Many have no interest in politics. They know much of the news is propaganda. Many find politics a sham. A way for "career politicians" with great benefits to make millions using tax payers money. Perhaps folks like Gary Chambers will light a fire in the younger folks 50 years old and younger again. Baby boomers are too busy living in their million dollar homes, traveling in their RV's and playing golf to care anymore about a government that can't seem to solve any crisis. COVID was a wake up call how inept the federal government is working with the states. Come 2024 if America is not at war with Russia the elections process could be the worse this country has ever seen. We need some true young leaders to emerge.
I agree. I would settle for some older leaders like Professor Reich getting together and supporting the development of a mass movement that can pressure Washington.
Not the baby boomers I know, including most of the people on this list.
Paula. I live in a retirement community in Northern Arizona. Lots of retired California people moving to our region. All retired with lots of money from selling their homes and making big profits. There are also thousand of retired baby boomers living in Phoenix in what are called "RV Resorts". Perhaps I am living in my own bubble.
I suspect a lot of us are, Cecilia, including me. This is one reason it’s so important to talk to each other.
I really appreciate not mincing any words here. Extremist (I use this word since SCOTUS sicced vigilantes on pregnant women) right wing ideologues on the Supreme Court, the GOP bogged down in corruption, the emergence of fascist policies in Virginia as other states enter this path of radicalization and Manchin, ANYONE, has the unmitigated gall to call for being CENTRIST. This is the complete normalization of authoritarianism and desperately needs to be called out every second of the day.
Spot on Robert . And with the majority of the nation feeling the 'pinch'; economically, socially, emotionally, familially and now with the threat of global conflict looming ? Biden, playing his cards right, making clear moves to improve the lot of the average American, aligning himself with the likes of Mr Sanders, who understands that lot. Calling out Manchin, Sinema, Trump and Republicans for who and what they are, stands poised to swing our national pendulum back to that center. One can only hope his actions concise, his motives righteous and his path back to the nation we all hope to be clear.
I would say he needs to be swinging the pendulum back towards progress, instead of the regression to where it's swinging now, otherwise kiss the midterms goodbye.