Robert - I often feel like we are in our own echo chamber. Can we set up a Robert Reich TV & Radio media group that is tasked with putting ads on Local Fox News & affiliates in swing states? The Miedas brothers did this in Florida. My contention is that we need to help break into the Fox News disinformation campaign. Some local stations would likely allow the ads. Most FN viewers won’t listen, but some will.
I read a couple of newsletters like this one, Hartman and then I get the emails from the Democratic Party. I feel donating to the Democratic Party right now is a waste of my money. They have not demonstrated they are effective or supportive of smaller local races.
I also feel that they don't explain to me what they are doing and why. They also seem to just blow a bunch of money on national media in ads that are not effective.
This is where I want to put money in effective drives, social media and low cost but effective messages.
So I think you have some good ideas. The GOP seems organized, I suppose that is what you get from authoritarian leaders and their devoted followers. But the Democrat's seem to be anything but organized, nothing new. Hurdling cat's as compared to mushing sled dog's.
Just an example of independent thinkers as compared to herd mentality.
Hi Preston. I agree that we should use social media, but let’s not forget about TV and Radio media. For many people, probably millions, TV and/or radio is their information source. They get to know actors and spokespersons at least on screen, and build familiarity and trust. Look what Rush Limbaugh did with radio. Let’s not worry about what the democrats do, rather let’s focus on developing good messages in simple easy to understand terms and deliver those good messages with people they can relate to. Robert does this now for us. Let’s work with him to spread the messages to the cult members who may listen. While we need social media more than ever to fight against fascist blight, TV and Radio ads could help in this endeavor as well.
Also. Would you be willing to team up with people like Glenn Kirschner, Thom Hartman, David Pakman, Farron Cousins, John Oliver, Stephen Cobert, etc. I’m sure many of them would help.
Yes. In addition to social media, we need simpler communication channels to reach most of these folks. TV and Radio can still work. I saw Jon Oliver do some of this on Fox with the “Cath man” ads. It was brilliant.
Unfortunately it’s a battle between democracy and fascism. The right has built a pretty good propaganda machine in the swing states. Robert may not have to do this, personally, but he has a pretty deep Rolodex of high level famous folks that can.
I just need his help in contacting and discussing the idea with very hard to contact famous people like Obama, Oprah, Jon Oliver, Cobert. I have spoken to Glenn and Thom, but they don’t seem to have the same level of contacts. I’m hoping Robert can help me do this.
Yes, it may be a bigger collation of folks, I just don't know how to talk to them. I have tried, but my voice is too small and I don't know any of them personally. I am also trying to reach Michael Moore as well. Robert should be able to help. Of course he may want to speak with me first just to show him I am legit. Luckily I don't live too far from Berkeley.
With little chance for either of the major voting rights acts to become law, what options do the Democrats have to counter legally the 300 or so voting restriction laws either under consideration in states with Republican legislatures or actually passed into law in those states. And do the Dems have a real chance of somehow making certain that the results of the 2022 or 2024 elections are not foregone conclusions, or a major step toward an American dictatorship?
Not willing to give up on voting rights being passed. Didn't know there was an Romney/Manchin version. If Dems don't want to carve out filibuster (2 definitely don't), then we should try for "talking filibuster", which was the original intent. Now they don't even have to be present to vote. They've gotten lazy about it! Marc Elias & his team of lawyers are on it again, but they need some voting rights bills as backup!
I’d like to know why…. when I am called to jury duty, I am asked numerous questions re. any prejudices I might have on any area involving the case or people involved — and dismissed if
it is found I am not an intelligent juror with prejudice. I am a teacher and was dismissed once because the case involved a student from another part of the city? My question is — WHY can a Supreme Court judge, who has mentioned and listed their prejudices and beliefs re. certain topics even before getting appointed, sit in “judgment” of a case to which the Nation all knows their personal views and NOT be forced to recuse themselves? They make rules for ALL of us. Shouldn’t there be some equity, let alone personal judicial integrity, demanded here? And people wonder why we have lost faith in the judicial system with political appointees as judges? Can you please give me/us insight into this hypocrisy?
We need judicial reform. Biden had a group that discussed this & made recommendations. Not familiar with their conclusions. I know the ethics bar is set very low. Kavanaugh has 83 ethics violations along with alleged perjury, a felony. Some of Trump's federal judges were considered unqualified by the ABA.
It is likely just a matter of time before the power dynamic shifts back to managers/owners. While we have some momentum and above-average power over the workplace, are there specific things that you think workers should press for that we are not yet focusing on? For example, should workers throughout the country all press their employers to have Election Day off since the government will not make this a national holiday? What are some big swings we should take now that will have the most impact going forward?
A lot of things were in the Freedom to Vote Act like automatic voter registration & election holiday, but they keep revising so I don't know what they'll include at the end. State legislatures make the rules & only way I know to change them is by initiative petition, which takes a long time to do, & of course lawsuits.
Has the Democratic leadership sanctioned or are they planning to sanction Manchin & Sinema? There was a petition to "Replace Joe Manchin as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources." Has or will the leadership pursue this?
That's doubtful, since then Manchin will become an Independent & caucus with the GOP & then we lose what little power we have as the majority. It's a razor thin 50-50 majority.
Although I assume you are a sincere supporter of Democratic Party positions, this seems like what a Trump supporter would hope the Democrats would do. Not only does this risk motivating him to become an Independent or worse, it would be useful for Republicans running in swing states and districts.
Keep in mind that Manchin has voted for many things that have helped us, such as confirmation of Biden appointees and various bills. At this point, Democrats should still try to work with him to enact a smaller version of Build Back Better. For the midterms, we need to focus on the achievements and a package of popular proposals for candidates to run on so that we can flip some Senate seats and retain all of the seats held by Democrats. Penalizing Manchin and Sinema would make an already difficult task a lot harder.
Your assumptions are incorrect and I can't predict and don't care what a Trump supporter would hope for. And I don't believe that there is any reason to try to work with Manchin as the Democratic leadership has already tried that as well as with the Republicans. With M & S the Democratic leadership is stalemated. It seems to me that the Democratic leadership needs to learn how to fight effectively. Those with power will not give it up without a fight. My problem is not knowing how but I know it has to be done by those in a position to engage the principal players. I'm not one of those hence my question.
As long as there's a tiny chance of Manchin supporting a much weaker version of Build Back Better, he cannot be publicly embarrassed by Biden or Schumer.
I think someone should actively go to WV to recruit a Progressive 3rd party candidate to oppose & hinder any moderate Democrat 2022 Gov candidate, and gain enough traction to sabotage Manchin's 2024 re-election campaign
I've seen reports of empty grocery sore shelves and the like. Is it possible that, while certain foods can't get through, much of the stories of empty shelves is being used to hurt Biden's image?
and purposeful destruction. I came across one article (didn't read it carefully I admit), where 1000s of containers lie unguarded & every day at least 90 are broken into & items inside destroyed or taken away.
We could eliminate most CO2 emissions and air pollution by doing just three things:
1) Adopt Electric Vehicles,
2) Replace furnaces with heat pumps, and
3) Generate clean electricity with wind, solar, and hydro.
Each of these three things would create jobs, save consumers money, and strengthen our economy. Would it be easier to convince Congress to take action on Climate Change if we were to focus on just these three things?
We can also provide a widespread insulation effort for older buildings and homes as President Obama began under his Energy Department. When Dr. Stephen Chu addressed county commissioners from across the nation in 2009, he told us that insulating homes and buildings across the country was the single biggest activity that would impact CO2 emissions.
Before your 123 there needs to be equity at the grid level.. These consumer 123's will depend on energy and right now clean energy is being hijacked by venture capitalists in conjunction with the large investor owned utilities.. these entities supply 72% of the nation's energy and are positioning themselves to take what would be intrinsically affordable by being renewable and are running profit layers instead.. VC are setting up to electrify freight and while we need that we do not need the profit layer so far up in our infrastructure.. if you are considering equity in this country.
IN YOUR LIVESTREAM "OFFICE HOURS," PLEASE ADDRESS THIS QUESTION: HOW IN PRACTICE CAN A LAWSUIT BE BROUGHT TO CHALLENGE THE FILIBUSTER AS UNCONSTITUTIONAL - WHO HAS STANDING TO SUE, WHO CAN BE THE PROPER DEFENDANTS, IN WHAT COURT CAN THE SUIT BE FILED, WHAT RELIEF CAN A COURT GRANT IN ADDITION TO A DECLARATORY JUDGMENT? I LOVE YOUR IDEA AND WANT THE FILIBUSTER TO BE REFORMED. HOW CAN WE OVERCOME THE BAN IN THE CONSTITUTION FOR SUITS AGAINST SENATORS FOR THEIR OFFICIAL ACTS?
Filibuster can't be unconstitutional since it's not in the Constitution. It's a Senate rule or procedure that can be eliminated by the Senate. It's eliminated when Senate does reconciliation & has been eliminated for federal judges & Cabinet by SML Reid & SCOTUS by McConnell. If I'm not mistaken, I believe House could filibuster at one time, They eliminated it a long time ago. Al Franken had a "talking filibuster" idea. If GOP have to debate w/ a quorum on the floor & tell the truth, they wouldn't last very long.
The idea of the lawsuit is that the filibuster denies both voters and Senators the ability to have their views considered when laws are being made. Moreover the 50 Republican Senators represent far less than 50% of the US population because every state has two Senators regardless of population. The Constitution envisions majority rule except in five enumerated cases requiring super majorities.
How do we prevent what I see as honest investigations (such as the Jan. 6 hearings run by Jamie Raskin) from being presented as just political countermeasures by the Republicans? They have a penchant for arguing things into incoherence.
Public hearings may take care of that. I remember watching clips of FOX the morning after Cohen's testimony, & it was a free-for-all with commentators yelling & screaming & interrupting each other. It was like they heard Truth? & didn't know what to do with it.
Thank you Robert. Appreciate your time. I'm imagining you might have something else planned in the future for this forum. Here are my questions: Does President Biden have any powers he is not using that he should be using? Are there any strategies he should be using that he isn't using? Also, has anyone investigated Manchin or Sinema to find out what is really going on with their lack of support to adjust the filibuster to at least pass voting rights bills? And finally, what can other people, organizations, DOJ, etc. do to make sure Democrats remain in power in 2022 (are their any major organizations that are taking actions that we can support, etc.). Thank you again.
I posted this late, replying to my Saturday topic post (which 19 folks liked) about how Biden & Schumer can show they are not completely powerless:
Would someone (one of his constituents from NY State, preferably) like to start a MoveOn e-petition to Schumer? (I'd probably word it a little too annoyingly.)
Senator Schumer: Please temporarily and indefinitely remove Senator Sinema from ALL her committee assignments so she can have more time in AZ to spend with her constituents, and hear their concerns about Voting access, COVID, Jan. 6th & its participants/facilitators, Jobs, Livable Wages, Climate Change, Building [America] Back Better, Prescription Prices, the Supreme Court, Immigration & Border Security, elected officials profiting from their position, the economy, Educational Costs & Access, and other issues of concern to them.
I’m looking for an organization dedicated to combating the voter limitations enacted by State governments to deny people the right to vote. I would willingly go to those States if there were some way I could make a difference. Even though I’m 81, I’m still going!
Can you suggest a place where I can volunteer my services?
I belong to both and while I have great respect for the national organizations. The local groups get very little national funding and very little engagement. It's tragic...
That's too bad. The Common Cause affiliate here in Indiana, where I live, has just one employee, but she has been extremely effective in recruiting volunteers. A recent legislative hearing on redistricting was packed, with more people testifying than there was time. They still gerrymandered districts, but it was less horrible than it could have been. I guess the leadership of these organizations is uneven from state to state.
Curious your thoughts on addressing the underpinnings of systemically unfair tax policy by repealing the 1929 apportionment act that froze Congressional representation by capping The house of representatives at 435 members. The Brookings Institure is fundraising on a “abolish the electoral college” theme but without mentioning that doing so would require a major constitutional amendment/rewrite. It seems like the 1929 law could be repealed much more easily?
Are you familiar and what are your thoughts on this topic? Many thanks!
Hi Professor Reich, I wanted to ask your opinion on Modern Monetary Theory. Obviously, the wealthier you are in this country it seems the less percentage of your income you pay in taxes and I believe we need to raise taxes on the wealthy as I know you do. However, perhaps we do not have to make our policies as extreme with our ability to pay for big social projects through MMT as opposed to giant taxation that may rub voters the progressives need to win over the wrong way? Thank you!
Question for the Wednesday online office hours. A poll shows that voters think Biden is not doing enough to combat inflation. What can Biden actually do about this issue? Is it, in fact, mostly driven by supply chain disruption?
I'm a graduate student at SJSU and want to get involved for the midterms. Are their races or propositions in California that I should pay attention to?
Robert - I often feel like we are in our own echo chamber. Can we set up a Robert Reich TV & Radio media group that is tasked with putting ads on Local Fox News & affiliates in swing states? The Miedas brothers did this in Florida. My contention is that we need to help break into the Fox News disinformation campaign. Some local stations would likely allow the ads. Most FN viewers won’t listen, but some will.
I read a couple of newsletters like this one, Hartman and then I get the emails from the Democratic Party. I feel donating to the Democratic Party right now is a waste of my money. They have not demonstrated they are effective or supportive of smaller local races.
I also feel that they don't explain to me what they are doing and why. They also seem to just blow a bunch of money on national media in ads that are not effective.
This is where I want to put money in effective drives, social media and low cost but effective messages.
So I think you have some good ideas. The GOP seems organized, I suppose that is what you get from authoritarian leaders and their devoted followers. But the Democrat's seem to be anything but organized, nothing new. Hurdling cat's as compared to mushing sled dog's.
Just an example of independent thinkers as compared to herd mentality.
Hi Preston. I agree that we should use social media, but let’s not forget about TV and Radio media. For many people, probably millions, TV and/or radio is their information source. They get to know actors and spokespersons at least on screen, and build familiarity and trust. Look what Rush Limbaugh did with radio. Let’s not worry about what the democrats do, rather let’s focus on developing good messages in simple easy to understand terms and deliver those good messages with people they can relate to. Robert does this now for us. Let’s work with him to spread the messages to the cult members who may listen. While we need social media more than ever to fight against fascist blight, TV and Radio ads could help in this endeavor as well.
Ps. You could be the host, and/or through your connections perhaps we can get people like Cher, Alex Baldwin, and others to be the spokespersons.
Also. Would you be willing to team up with people like Glenn Kirschner, Thom Hartman, David Pakman, Farron Cousins, John Oliver, Stephen Cobert, etc. I’m sure many of them would help.
https://store.meidastouch.com/products/unapologetically-pro-democracy-tee
Yes we need to break into FOX news.
I absolutely agree.
https://youtu.be/DayCDCT73Z4
Yes. In addition to social media, we need simpler communication channels to reach most of these folks. TV and Radio can still work. I saw Jon Oliver do some of this on Fox with the “Cath man” ads. It was brilliant.
Unfortunately it’s a battle between democracy and fascism. The right has built a pretty good propaganda machine in the swing states. Robert may not have to do this, personally, but he has a pretty deep Rolodex of high level famous folks that can.
I just need his help in contacting and discussing the idea with very hard to contact famous people like Obama, Oprah, Jon Oliver, Cobert. I have spoken to Glenn and Thom, but they don’t seem to have the same level of contacts. I’m hoping Robert can help me do this.
Yes, it may be a bigger collation of folks, I just don't know how to talk to them. I have tried, but my voice is too small and I don't know any of them personally. I am also trying to reach Michael Moore as well. Robert should be able to help. Of course he may want to speak with me first just to show him I am legit. Luckily I don't live too far from Berkeley.
With little chance for either of the major voting rights acts to become law, what options do the Democrats have to counter legally the 300 or so voting restriction laws either under consideration in states with Republican legislatures or actually passed into law in those states. And do the Dems have a real chance of somehow making certain that the results of the 2022 or 2024 elections are not foregone conclusions, or a major step toward an American dictatorship?
Not willing to give up on voting rights being passed. Didn't know there was an Romney/Manchin version. If Dems don't want to carve out filibuster (2 definitely don't), then we should try for "talking filibuster", which was the original intent. Now they don't even have to be present to vote. They've gotten lazy about it! Marc Elias & his team of lawyers are on it again, but they need some voting rights bills as backup!
I’d like to know why…. when I am called to jury duty, I am asked numerous questions re. any prejudices I might have on any area involving the case or people involved — and dismissed if
it is found I am not an intelligent juror with prejudice. I am a teacher and was dismissed once because the case involved a student from another part of the city? My question is — WHY can a Supreme Court judge, who has mentioned and listed their prejudices and beliefs re. certain topics even before getting appointed, sit in “judgment” of a case to which the Nation all knows their personal views and NOT be forced to recuse themselves? They make rules for ALL of us. Shouldn’t there be some equity, let alone personal judicial integrity, demanded here? And people wonder why we have lost faith in the judicial system with political appointees as judges? Can you please give me/us insight into this hypocrisy?
We need judicial reform. Biden had a group that discussed this & made recommendations. Not familiar with their conclusions. I know the ethics bar is set very low. Kavanaugh has 83 ethics violations along with alleged perjury, a felony. Some of Trump's federal judges were considered unqualified by the ABA.
It is likely just a matter of time before the power dynamic shifts back to managers/owners. While we have some momentum and above-average power over the workplace, are there specific things that you think workers should press for that we are not yet focusing on? For example, should workers throughout the country all press their employers to have Election Day off since the government will not make this a national holiday? What are some big swings we should take now that will have the most impact going forward?
A lot of things were in the Freedom to Vote Act like automatic voter registration & election holiday, but they keep revising so I don't know what they'll include at the end. State legislatures make the rules & only way I know to change them is by initiative petition, which takes a long time to do, & of course lawsuits.
Has the Democratic leadership sanctioned or are they planning to sanction Manchin & Sinema? There was a petition to "Replace Joe Manchin as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources." Has or will the leadership pursue this?
That's doubtful, since then Manchin will become an Independent & caucus with the GOP & then we lose what little power we have as the majority. It's a razor thin 50-50 majority.
Although I assume you are a sincere supporter of Democratic Party positions, this seems like what a Trump supporter would hope the Democrats would do. Not only does this risk motivating him to become an Independent or worse, it would be useful for Republicans running in swing states and districts.
Keep in mind that Manchin has voted for many things that have helped us, such as confirmation of Biden appointees and various bills. At this point, Democrats should still try to work with him to enact a smaller version of Build Back Better. For the midterms, we need to focus on the achievements and a package of popular proposals for candidates to run on so that we can flip some Senate seats and retain all of the seats held by Democrats. Penalizing Manchin and Sinema would make an already difficult task a lot harder.
Your assumptions are incorrect and I can't predict and don't care what a Trump supporter would hope for. And I don't believe that there is any reason to try to work with Manchin as the Democratic leadership has already tried that as well as with the Republicans. With M & S the Democratic leadership is stalemated. It seems to me that the Democratic leadership needs to learn how to fight effectively. Those with power will not give it up without a fight. My problem is not knowing how but I know it has to be done by those in a position to engage the principal players. I'm not one of those hence my question.
As long as there's a tiny chance of Manchin supporting a much weaker version of Build Back Better, he cannot be publicly embarrassed by Biden or Schumer.
I think someone should actively go to WV to recruit a Progressive 3rd party candidate to oppose & hinder any moderate Democrat 2022 Gov candidate, and gain enough traction to sabotage Manchin's 2024 re-election campaign
I've seen reports of empty grocery sore shelves and the like. Is it possible that, while certain foods can't get through, much of the stories of empty shelves is being used to hurt Biden's image?
Of course. There also is a lot of profiteering. https://www.accountable.us/news/report-republicans-in-congress-quick-to-forget-their-obstruction-of-supply-chain-strengthening-bills/
and purposeful destruction. I came across one article (didn't read it carefully I admit), where 1000s of containers lie unguarded & every day at least 90 are broken into & items inside destroyed or taken away.
We could eliminate most CO2 emissions and air pollution by doing just three things:
1) Adopt Electric Vehicles,
2) Replace furnaces with heat pumps, and
3) Generate clean electricity with wind, solar, and hydro.
Each of these three things would create jobs, save consumers money, and strengthen our economy. Would it be easier to convince Congress to take action on Climate Change if we were to focus on just these three things?
We can also provide a widespread insulation effort for older buildings and homes as President Obama began under his Energy Department. When Dr. Stephen Chu addressed county commissioners from across the nation in 2009, he told us that insulating homes and buildings across the country was the single biggest activity that would impact CO2 emissions.
I believe a carbon tax placed on these offenders is necessary as well. In fact I believe this to be paramount!
Before your 123 there needs to be equity at the grid level.. These consumer 123's will depend on energy and right now clean energy is being hijacked by venture capitalists in conjunction with the large investor owned utilities.. these entities supply 72% of the nation's energy and are positioning themselves to take what would be intrinsically affordable by being renewable and are running profit layers instead.. VC are setting up to electrify freight and while we need that we do not need the profit layer so far up in our infrastructure.. if you are considering equity in this country.
IN YOUR LIVESTREAM "OFFICE HOURS," PLEASE ADDRESS THIS QUESTION: HOW IN PRACTICE CAN A LAWSUIT BE BROUGHT TO CHALLENGE THE FILIBUSTER AS UNCONSTITUTIONAL - WHO HAS STANDING TO SUE, WHO CAN BE THE PROPER DEFENDANTS, IN WHAT COURT CAN THE SUIT BE FILED, WHAT RELIEF CAN A COURT GRANT IN ADDITION TO A DECLARATORY JUDGMENT? I LOVE YOUR IDEA AND WANT THE FILIBUSTER TO BE REFORMED. HOW CAN WE OVERCOME THE BAN IN THE CONSTITUTION FOR SUITS AGAINST SENATORS FOR THEIR OFFICIAL ACTS?
I was thinking something like this the other night. It's an interesting idea.
Filibuster can't be unconstitutional since it's not in the Constitution. It's a Senate rule or procedure that can be eliminated by the Senate. It's eliminated when Senate does reconciliation & has been eliminated for federal judges & Cabinet by SML Reid & SCOTUS by McConnell. If I'm not mistaken, I believe House could filibuster at one time, They eliminated it a long time ago. Al Franken had a "talking filibuster" idea. If GOP have to debate w/ a quorum on the floor & tell the truth, they wouldn't last very long.
The idea of the lawsuit is that the filibuster denies both voters and Senators the ability to have their views considered when laws are being made. Moreover the 50 Republican Senators represent far less than 50% of the US population because every state has two Senators regardless of population. The Constitution envisions majority rule except in five enumerated cases requiring super majorities.
How do we prevent what I see as honest investigations (such as the Jan. 6 hearings run by Jamie Raskin) from being presented as just political countermeasures by the Republicans? They have a penchant for arguing things into incoherence.
Public hearings may take care of that. I remember watching clips of FOX the morning after Cohen's testimony, & it was a free-for-all with commentators yelling & screaming & interrupting each other. It was like they heard Truth? & didn't know what to do with it.
Like Pilate washing his hands of that Jesus affair, they shrug and say, "What is truth?"
Thank you Robert. Appreciate your time. I'm imagining you might have something else planned in the future for this forum. Here are my questions: Does President Biden have any powers he is not using that he should be using? Are there any strategies he should be using that he isn't using? Also, has anyone investigated Manchin or Sinema to find out what is really going on with their lack of support to adjust the filibuster to at least pass voting rights bills? And finally, what can other people, organizations, DOJ, etc. do to make sure Democrats remain in power in 2022 (are their any major organizations that are taking actions that we can support, etc.). Thank you again.
I posted this late, replying to my Saturday topic post (which 19 folks liked) about how Biden & Schumer can show they are not completely powerless:
Would someone (one of his constituents from NY State, preferably) like to start a MoveOn e-petition to Schumer? (I'd probably word it a little too annoyingly.)
Senator Schumer: Please temporarily and indefinitely remove Senator Sinema from ALL her committee assignments so she can have more time in AZ to spend with her constituents, and hear their concerns about Voting access, COVID, Jan. 6th & its participants/facilitators, Jobs, Livable Wages, Climate Change, Building [America] Back Better, Prescription Prices, the Supreme Court, Immigration & Border Security, elected officials profiting from their position, the economy, Educational Costs & Access, and other issues of concern to them.
CNN's Jake Tapper feature starts with #45 going to AZ to disenfranchise AZ voters, so force Sinema to show her interest in the issue!
https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2022/01/16/voting-rights-counting-mlk-donald-trump-january-6-tapper-sotu-vpx.cnn
I’m looking for an organization dedicated to combating the voter limitations enacted by State governments to deny people the right to vote. I would willingly go to those States if there were some way I could make a difference. Even though I’m 81, I’m still going!
Can you suggest a place where I can volunteer my services?
I love you Mamie!!!! You are my new idol. I just went to DC to march for Voting Rights. It's a scary time right now....
As a journalist/subscriber to Robert Reich & an election advocate start here:
Monday Jan. 27 5PM EST Grassroots Emergency Election Protection Zoom #79
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYldumtrjIiH9L7_KfcFV1n8ynuO3anTGwp
www.electionprotection2024.org solartopia@electionprotection2024.org
Common Cause:
https://www.commoncause.org
and the League of Women Voters:
https://www.lwv.org
have been doing election protection work. They have affiliates in many states.
I belong to both and while I have great respect for the national organizations. The local groups get very little national funding and very little engagement. It's tragic...
That's too bad. The Common Cause affiliate here in Indiana, where I live, has just one employee, but she has been extremely effective in recruiting volunteers. A recent legislative hearing on redistricting was packed, with more people testifying than there was time. They still gerrymandered districts, but it was less horrible than it could have been. I guess the leadership of these organizations is uneven from state to state.
Curious your thoughts on addressing the underpinnings of systemically unfair tax policy by repealing the 1929 apportionment act that froze Congressional representation by capping The house of representatives at 435 members. The Brookings Institure is fundraising on a “abolish the electoral college” theme but without mentioning that doing so would require a major constitutional amendment/rewrite. It seems like the 1929 law could be repealed much more easily?
Are you familiar and what are your thoughts on this topic? Many thanks!
Hi Professor Reich, I wanted to ask your opinion on Modern Monetary Theory. Obviously, the wealthier you are in this country it seems the less percentage of your income you pay in taxes and I believe we need to raise taxes on the wealthy as I know you do. However, perhaps we do not have to make our policies as extreme with our ability to pay for big social projects through MMT as opposed to giant taxation that may rub voters the progressives need to win over the wrong way? Thank you!
Question for the Wednesday online office hours. A poll shows that voters think Biden is not doing enough to combat inflation. What can Biden actually do about this issue? Is it, in fact, mostly driven by supply chain disruption?
I'm a graduate student at SJSU and want to get involved for the midterms. Are their races or propositions in California that I should pay attention to?
Create a slightly sub-Cabinet level post related to Pets as an excuse to hire Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan to train Biden on pack leadership skills
hee.