I hope you’re right, Dr. Reich, I really do. I just keep getting hung up on who has to bleed before this giant wakes up. Black folks, immigrants, poor families, somebody always ends up becoming the alarm clock, and then America congratulates itself for opening its eyes, as if the people under its weight hadn’t spent all this time shaking it awake.
Xplisset, I always appreciate your comments and especially your substack. I also hope that Robert is correct. Everything I've read says that Democratic voters are getting energized for this midterm election. I'm sure Trump knows this as well, which is why he's going full-tilt to make people mistrust the electoral system. He wants them NOT to vote.
But we cannot become discouraged. EVERY VOTE COUNTS. And this year, every vote is CRITICAL. I don't want to hear any excuses about why you can't vote. The process is incredibly easy, especially if you vote by mail. If your vote was not important, they wouldn't try so hard to keep you away from the polls. Show them your strength in numbers!
I only hope that the American people have not given up already and figured it is too late to stop this regime. I try to keep in mind how energized we all felt to the extent that there was dancing in the streets when Biden finally won the election. It was like a fresh breath of air, a rebirth, hope loomed on the horizon finally. How can we re-create this ASAP? The general public needs some hopeful sign to which they can hang on until we get rid of the monster. The monster still has far too many allies who blindly follow him like lemmings over the cliff. What or who are the Democrats going to offer the man in the street which will summon them all out of wherever they're hiding, help them pull their heads out of the sand and head to the polls?
I would suggest that you look to New York and Mamdani for the way, Carol. He and his volunteers went out to the streets, to peopleʻs homes, to talk with and listen to them, made campaign promises that people responded to resoundingly, and heʻs working to put them into effect. Thatʻs what Dems should have been doing all along, instead of feeling smug and secure
If I lived in a state where there was a chance that democrats could win I would be pounding the streets. I’m not doing nothing, but I am unfortunately pretty sure that my candidates will not contribute to the blue tsunami. I live in the first congressional district in Kentucky. I am nominally represented by Jamie Comer and Mitch McConnell. There are wonderful democrats running in both races: “Drew” Williams against Comer and Charles Booker against Andy Barr to replace McConnell who thankfully is retiring at the end of his term (I’ll not get into whether he is still working or should actually be replaced now, as far as I’m concerned, we democrats are just as well off with him just being absent!).
Unfortunately, here in Kentucky it’s still too much of a struggle to get enough people to think and listen to the actual candidates and make a decision based on facts for a democrat to win. Most of the time you cannot even get a debate. People vote party first and only.
That’s what we did in NC during Obama campaign, going door-to-door, and it worked. More and more got involved; it was fun and it got everyone excited and volunteering.
I focus on candidates running who do not take corporate PAC money donations—like both Senatorial candidates, Talarico in TX and Ossoff in GA. and Ocasio-Cortez congress in NY. I’ve “adopted” a few out-of-state candidates and give each month.
Accepting corporate PAC money ties a candidate to the promises they must make to the big donors after they are elected. This is the problem we are having, first desperation for donations then obligations after they’re elected, except not to the voters who believe their campaign promises, but to the million dollar donors who demand they use their precious “yea” or “ney” in order to get bills passed that hurt the vast majority of our population to make profits flow without oversight or regulation to the donors these PAC’s represent.
Corporations cannot be trusted to have conscience or ethics. NEITHER corporations NOR religious affiliated PACs is a person and both do need to be watched by the real people they are hurting—all of us.
Th same, alas, applies to Nebraska. Our entire delegation consists of nothing but MAGAT lackeys. Don Bacon is retiring. It is profoundly hoped that he will be replaced by a Democrat. There's a good chance he will.
Yes most people simply vote "party first" or what their parents voted and the rest of the family clan voted. It's simple for most folks. No need to think . . .
The democrats need to offer real solutions to voters and get shit done. They can’t just be complain about Trump and what he’s ruined. They must gain the trust of their constituents. Ignore no one and be everywhere. Good loud messaging goes a long way. We must get rid of complacency and vote for fighters. Otherwise we are doomed. World war 3 is coming soon. Iran is rump’s demise. No goal, no exit strategy. Vote like your life depends on it… because it literally does.
I think that's the point of Bob's title piece today, Carol--take heart. America is a sleeping giant. The "American people," however inconceivable it may seem to you and me, has been asleep. They haven't followed what's going on. They've just trusted that it would continue to be the way it has been. Going about their lives, not seeing the big picture, not seeing implications, not paying attention. NOW, as Bob points out, the American people who don't follow politics and don't pay attention to it are being so personally hurt, so affected, whether it's the horrible racism, the horrible results of anti-abortion, the price at the gas pump, the loss of insurance, or the economic pain in the grocery store (I've been noticing the $11 mayonnaise for months, but only this weekend did I hear a regular middle-aged woman in the check-out line make an outraged comment about the high price of her grocery bill.) That's something we regular citizens can do: stoke outrage! Make a civil but upset comment to the grocery store check-out clerk (if you still have them) or your fellow shoppers about the outrageous prices of things, how it shouldn't be that way. Keep it civil. Don't talk politics. Just express your outrage at the prices. Maybe mention the word "tariffs." Same at the pump. I'm thinking of getting some of those little "Trump did this" stickers to put on the gas pumps next to the $5 or $6 price readout. And for heaven's sake don't shop Amazon! Etsy is just as good for most gifts you have to buy; Thrift Books or Abe Books for printed things; I-Herb for vitamins and drugstore things; Walmart or Target if you have to. Sacrifice by paying the shipping costs if any. Consider it a contribution to your favorite candidate. (But also give to them too.) Do SOMETHING this week, however small. Talk. Shop alternatively. Get one person to commit to voting. Make sure everyone around you know the election date.
There are many, many Americans who simply have a go with the flow mentality, regardless of which side of the isle they stand with and many of those Americans are older boomers. I know them, you know them, we all know them. If their so called President does whatever he does then it's ok---"He's the President." This is the mentality Trumpism is counting on.
I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but I'll say it over and over again to anyone who will listen: Tell everyone you know and that includes your family members to VOTE at the November midterms! There are a number of Congressional blue seats up for grabs only if the many go with the flow voters are able to think deeply and stand-up in their boomer years to it all.
Dean, let me rephrase…Baby Boomers, senior citizens, old people are not mindlessly following trump. Most “boomers” as you say do vote and they do not “go with the flow”they are the volunteers at the polls. Also, grey headed boomers are prominent at the No King’s Rallies. And, I’m pretty sure that “boomers” dominate this anti-trump forum. You’re blaming the wrong people for electing trump. At least that’s my opinion.
Joe: Sure, the super-wealth have Trumpism in their pocket and conversely Trumpism has the super-wealth and the DOJ and the rest of it in his pocket and they all sleep with each other.
Our only salvation out of this is to VOTE come November and of course VOTE at your local Primaries for the up and coming rising stars.
Carol, thank you...I keep saying that...how could so many people have forgotten how wonderful it was to be free of this monster last time, and the massive parties that ensued in the streets?? How did we let this happen again? We need to do better and work harder!
Carol, you are right to call attention to the fact that the opposition must offer the "man in the street" a "better mouse trap." I have seen very little in terms of ideas offered to get people's attention.
Millions of voters do not participate in the November midterms. Pitiful! The upcoming November midterms will be the most critical midterms ever. This is our chance to see that "blue tsunami on the horizon."
that's why elections,both primary and general,should be 1-day holidays-no time for vacations or long week-ends,just time to vote-what is more important?
Brooks: A good idea. But you know most Americans would rather take that day off and go party, go shopping, etc. And so it goes with the most powerful nation on earth but also the dumbist nation on earth . . .
i know,but 2 excuses are eliminated-and people would be near their polling place-vote early and party all day-but seriously,something has to be done to negate trump's extreme primary choices-i'm open to suggestions
I agree with you. My ballot comes in the mail, but when I return it, I use the drop box at the library, as I don't trust the PO anymore. I always get an email from the county clerk's office when my ballot is counted. But if you can avoid the post office, do so.
Yes. Use drop boxes at Libraries! In my district, we have the drop boxes manned! I love voting by mail! I’ve been an election observer! SOOO many cameras! And it live streams!!
Donna, I can't speak to your view of your interlocutor, but having met him now for my first time, I'm sorry but what is the plan he is proposing by which to rally the troops going forward as of today?
However on the big picture that counts during the midterms, 28 etc. Based on democratic ethics "every vote is CRITICAL" however in far too many districts its clearly false that "EVERY VOTE COUNTS" and I wish this basic math were understood by all, for if not repubs understand this much better and why they win so many races to the disadvantage of most Americans including the Dems such as each time the orange stool it. And steal it he and fellow repugs did with far too many of the general public unaware of this simple math.
Once understood the progessives and independents, which are in many places a majority will need to collaborate & assert their democratic united vote if and only if in too many districts where they refuse to have their votes divided by "lesser evils".
Donna, I agree with you about the critical nature of getting out to vote, not only for national elections but also for state and local ones as well. Local elected offices are pivotal for seeing to it that the daily concerns of citizens are being addressed. Referring
to Robert's recent article about 'Trump's Two Killing Fields' make no mistake to think that he will not resort to extreme violence to see that his dream of a one-party Republican state led by him comes to pass. He freed the 1500 convicted felonious J6ers
with a singular purpose, to form the nucleus of the enforcers for his police state which is already here. Local and state authorities and their National Guards are the ones responsible for ensuring a safe and orderly voting place for citizens to fulfil their Constitutional obligation, and Trump, Miller, Vought, and Vance and their cult are dead set on destroying that. It is worth a visit to your town council to ascertain the safeguards in place to protect voters at the polls. We already know that Trump will employ his masked thugs to commit murder and mayhem at scale in order to consolidate his 'unitary executive principle'.
I agree Dennis, and that was my original post: that there will be terror at the polling places, not just blue ones either, and vote by mail is only available in some states, which the regime is trying to stop. Even if all the blue states came through I wonder if that would be enough to overcome the red ones. The may shows that it's not. Is there a strategy to counteract this?
Yes. The lower courts must continue to enforce the constitutional right of all states to run elections without federal interference. And American citizens must exercise their right to vote.
Thank you, Margo. Yes, there is a strategy to counteract violence induced at the polls by Trump. To generate such strategy, it is necessary for groups of democracy-minded people to band together in every blue state and swing state and to formulate a plan to repulse the expected violence. This would involve the consolidation of local, city and state police departments to fulfil their sworn duties to protect the public from harm and intimidation in their civic duty to vote. Such a collaboration would be authorized by Democratic governors, or by the highest order of Democratic authority in states governed by a Republican. Lethal force would need to be authorized in order to repulse physical violence inflicted upon the public by illegal actors. Keep in mind that
Trump considers himself to be the most powerful (man) in the world, and as such he will do anything whatsoever to retain that power, elections and voter rights be damned. After all, the 6 corrupt members of the USSC essentially have granted him immunity from the law as long as he retains power, a
'Catch-22' scenario. Here are a few key articles which help to define the parameters required to deal with Trump's indefatigable impulses. Note from Michael Fanone that civic-minded police do not want their communities to be overthrown by packs of war mongering thugs.
There have been several shootings by the now immune ICE, so I don't think fear is only in the mind. Not defeatist but shouldn't there be preparations and plans, nothing about which am I reading.
Donna, you are spot on! Every Democrat and progressive independent voter needs to get off their couches and get to their local polling place. Everyone in vote by mail states needs to marh their ballot and walk it to the mailbox. The blue tsunami has to be so large that even Trump and his regime can't claim it was rigged. When we win and Trump and Republicans lose, the world will rejoice!
What's the general thinking right now about mail-in voting? Is there a risk that, by some hook or crook, mail-in ballots will not be counted? Is it less risky to vote in person?
Arizona loves it. You can take your ballot and research the candidates as you are deciding who to vote for. It is efficient, so it saves money for you and the voting process. I have had a little exposure to the mechanics of voting, and mail-in ballots are just as valuable as voting in person to the state.
Yes!! Vote! Get registered if you aren’t!! If you vote by mail, put in a voter drop box! Try to avoid US mail. trump is trying to f that up! Like everything he touches! We the People’s White House! Reflection Pool. Rose Garden. The Easter Egg roll lawn, for an fing cage fight! N the oval looks like a waiting room at a whore house! trump is an fing mess, n his family watched n grifts! WTF!! 25th or impeachment. Couch cougar n lil marco are tainted for having their heads up 🍊🫏!!!
Call any member of Congress!
202 225 3121 or 202 224 3121
Call before Friday, they have the month of August off! WTH!!
No blanche!!!! No save act!
CALL! Share the numbers. Put in your contact information!!
America deserves no congratulations for opening its eyes. It deserves castigations for having let its eyes close, for falling asleep while the egalitarian foundation of the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness was remodelled to serve greed instead of the general public.
But that may be naive. Many reputable historians have made powerful arguments that the foundation laid by a bunch of rich white guys at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787 was crafted with an eye toward consolidating their wealth and power, and that America has been fighting for an egalitarian society ever since.
You gest asking a Canadian without telling me your worst fears before you advance good democratic trouble to you political godfathers?
In the alternative, how much peaceful push are you willing to DO before any hint of violent shove?
PS Kate I owe you an apology of sorts. I dropped all of the above simply at political face value except afterwards I was totally surprised how often you had noticed mine when until now this was the first time I saw anything from you.
Not to excuse myself but dyslexia plus other filters are realities of mine and I find substack makes the task of connecting people dots very labour intensive and this experience show me one further step I must take in order to have an informed view of who is addressing me.
As I have said substack operate on a very anti-democratic paradigm but better than being hostage to g00gle's barrel fishing web.
However if free enough to answer my questions will provide a much better suggestion now that we have clarified matters to a better more active political problem solving basis.
Apology accepted. I intend to vote Blue all the way and yes governor deshitus is unable to run again. Volemort Scott should have been tried and locked up years ago and senator Ashley moody won't give me the time of day so I will cast my vote for former soldier vindeman.
We were blindsided by the Republican move to capture the Hispanic vote. They went all out and convinced (they didn't coerce) a population that easily see had been underrecognized.
The Democrats are still pretty unorganized and incapable. The populist wing is where the action is, which is why the Republicans are trying to label it as Communist. But No King's is losing some steam. It is hard to keep the fervor up when daily life intervenes.
I agree we need more. The diminishment in No Kings participation is just an indicator. Many Hispanic voters have woken up to the Republican's ploy and realize they were conned. That is evident in the successes the Democrats have had recently.
Democrats need more capable people in the positions of power and more sympathy for underserved populations, such as the Hispanics. Democrats don't grok their needs and strengths. We should be embracing the downtrodden more. They are badly in need of our help.
Many young adults don’t have cable and don’t pay attention to news. They have decided to turn off the chaos. I’m talking about 30 and 40 year olds. They don’t understand the seriousness of this situation. Their lives are busy with kids and sports etc.
Super! It begins with small steps. Why not say more so ever more citizens can follow your example & will much more readily help grow the democratic pie?
I'm fortunate to live in MA where we can have our weekly standouts. Vote Forward, Bluewavepostcards.org, are resources we use to obtain writing materials, stamps, et. To write to voters in other states.
I've got signs in our yard and front windows, wear a Defend Democracy hat everywhere i go, t-shirts etc.
Moreover now that I have connected the dots, I have to run for now but B4 nightfall come back and will provide more detail how to avoid votesplitting as a community not only as an individual.
Maybe. Flawed? But it was a brilliant if not visionary set of words and ideas with which to establish a nation of opportunity. The door was there to choose to enter. Inalienable rights.
I agree. We cannot overnight fix the damage countless sleepless nights, nutrient-poor diets, crummy health advice, and the constant hammer of fear and anxiety that this administration has wrought upon us.
Lives will be shortened. Lives with promise may not be lived to the fullest. Both old and young may die years younger than expected.
Democrats need to have screening tools and systems ready so we know how we can best help those who have been hurt the most.
We need to rebuild not just food, shelter, healthcare, but also hope and confidence that democratic governments can serve the people.
Yes, and I keep coming back to that last part because rebuilding will fail if hope gets treated like decoration after the real policy work is done. People have been trained to expect abandonment. Food, housing and health care matter, of course, but so does proving in ordinary life that government can keep a promise long enough for people to believe it again.
Truer words.... and you know, it's the thought that there are people in America right now whose main concern is the price of gasoline! By the way, I absolutely love your moniker.
Xplisset and everyone! Remind everyone we know to VOTE at your local Primaries for the rising stars of the future.
Equally if not critically important remind everyone we know to VOTE at the November midterms. Many voters ignore or just plain get lazy and do not participate in the November midterms. There are blue seats available in Congress and Trumpism is now hard at work to be sure to do all Trumpism can to corrupt and make sure any blue seats available will remain red seats.
As usual, it's those we are at war with who bleed first and most, but this time around Trump's outrageous Superman Act is likely to wake up the "sleeping giant" before much more blood is spilled. His latest tariff round may turn out to be the straw that broke the camel's back. Trump means chaos, and you just cannot do business in such an environment.
Thank you, Christy. I really appreciate you helping it travel to keep on keepin on. I just don't want that part about who has to bleed before America wakes up getting lost in all the celebration.
That's exactly what gets me: the individual humans who must suffer. Countless people in Africa, thousands of families who immigrated here for a better life, the poor and disenfranchised!
He needs to be removed now. There’s no time left to stop him if it doesn’t happen now…The damage he inflicts from this day forward will never be undone because no one is lining up to STOP the troll under the bridge, over the bridge and attacking the bridges. The number of lives Trump’s actions have taken can never be undone-not one of them.
He and his Gestapo have to go now. This is NOT a chess game. This is live or die for every one he takes his aim at. Who’s next?? Will it be me,or my child?? Will it be you?? Will it be your mother or sister or small
baby daughter or son?? He won’t care. They won’t care.
This ends now or we’re all responsible for every life he takes.
VerLen, thank you for speaking truth to those who would GIVE TRUMP A PASS FOR ANOTHER TWO YEARS!! I'm getting fed up with Robert Reich, truth be told. I think he doesn't dare say what really needs to be said for fear of losing his platform on Substack! Just like the "rules and regulations" of posting comments on his Substack get me removed lately. I don't care . . . I will NEVER quit saying what needs to be said, and that is, TRUMP NEEDS TO GO N-O-W!!!!!!! WE DON'T HAVE ANOTHER DAY TO WAIT AROUND AND FOOL AROUND TO SEE WHO HE WILL KILL NEXT!!!
Cuz a president JD Vance will be soooooooooooooo much better. And then, as sitting pres. in the OO, he'll be well-positioned to run in 2028. Won't that be lovely. Not.
And if Vance is impeached, then who become president? Think it through. Because Trump isn't just about Trump. Trump is about the entire Republican Party.
That might happen. But then getting rid of Trump and JD through impeachment has to happen. Not sure the numbers for that will be there. And then, is that the wisest choice politically for Dems? I'm not sure, assuming it could be done. Americans might like to see Dems in Congress address some other issues. I think that Dem majorities in the House and Senate could blunt a lot of the damage that Trump is doing and it might be enough. They could also pursue a Dem legislative agenda. They could do a lot of things.
True. But a lot of them did vote for Trump which is why he's the pres right now. And what they need to do now is vote for Dems. I'll be waiting to see them do that.
I fear that you might be in bubble. I am in the “Alabama” of PA. The people here are non thinking conservatives who will never vote for a Democrat. Then we have the redistricting that a number of red states have pushed through, which insures that no Democrat can get elected. I am also tired about hearing how the Democrats are too far left and need to run more moderate candidates. Unfortunately most of the Democratic leadership is too old and too moderate and not doing much for anyone but themselves. We need to get rid of the ability to trade stocks and investments while in office. Maybe that is why poll find them so unpopular. You also have Manchin trying to throw a wrench into everything by starting a “party” to elect “moderates” like himself. And of course you have Not just Felon47 and his sycophants but establishment Democrats using the dreaded S word socialist or even communist. If you think it will be easy to impeach Felon47, think again. Remember the coverage he got from the SC. And good luck with Vance. Just what will be the charges?This is just a long way of saying that there are too many things in play and there are no certainties.
We cannot remove him until the Democrats regain control of the House and Senate. It’s We the People’s job to vote in massive numbers in November and push out all the complicit Republicans keeping the mango mobster in power. A blue earthquake, as it were. Voting is the key, in numbers Too Big to Rig. We can do it!
For what its worth, IMO&O of the top 3 like rankings by a long shot, you are the only one who has a plan supported by reasons beginning with the ethical reality "This ends now or we’re all responsible for every life he takes."
Can not be better said as we all focus on how, now much much sooner than later as if the midterms are good enough or 28 or or
Valid points! Trump needs to be removed ASAP, he's a murderous, sociopathic s.o.b. - but who has the power to do it? Congressional republicans. Sadly, they have shown the world that they don't care about the American public, rather they are aligned with the criminal in the WH and every war crime/ice assault/murder he commits is also "blood" on their hands. These GOP traitors need to be held to account when this nightmare is over.
Hallelujah and Amen, Professor Reich! It is so hard to see or accept all of the vile, corrupt things this cretin has done to our country! Every day when I get my coffee, sit down and begin to go through my emails, I begin to feel as though I am wading through a quagmire! Emails that say he is going to destroy the Statue of Liberty, have his mangy face put on Mt. Rushmore, end Social Security, invade Canada or Iceland, send his brown shirts to the polls, throw President Obama in jail and etc., etc., etc.! It isn't even laughable anymore! I want that sleeping giant to not only dance but roar! This November, I want that sleeping giant to roar so loud there isn't the slightest question about what the American people want! We want our country back! We want a sane, rational government back! I hereby promise I will work even harder to get information about our candidates out there. I will go to the polls, and I will vote blue up and down the ballot! Keep fighting, America! Stay strong and stay safe!
C'mon, TJ, roar with me! Let's make that sleeping giant so damn loud it will reverberate all across this country! We have got to win these midterms, TJ, we just have to! Thank you for your kind words, too!
Peggy you should know be by now.. loud and proud and roaring young lady..
That U.S. House of Representatives that just attached the SAVE America Act to the National Defense Authorization Act before they went on a 38 day vacation… and my Rethuglican Rep of course voted for this POS…
Now awaiting in the Senate that those dipshits go on their own 38 day vacation in about two weeks… Daily call my two Rethuglican Senators reject this bill…
Will crawl to those polls if need be… My great-grandmothers didn’t fight for the right for their votes and not going down without a fight, now or ever for the next generations… Once again will be a poll worker cause that’s just what some of us can do to ensure that all our voices are heard… stay safe and healthy.. it’s going to be a long road our fight is brighter, their fight is only lit by a light that’s a train that will be hitting them square in the head…
I am still shocked that 77 million Americans voted for this despicable person as president, and for a second time. He is a convicted felon who filed for bankruptcy six times - he has failed at everything during his life, and he is a proven rapist and abuser of women - he has been married three times and has cheated on all of them - he is a compulsive cheat and liar - he is the most despicable person I have ever seen. The damage he has done to our country and democracy is irreparable. Sorry Robert, but I think this country is done for, and if I was younger I would move to a decent place.
Perhaps those 77 million can serve as a permanent reminder—a human plaque—to remind us all how easy it is for some to be seduced by a really stupid, greedy, sociopath and criminal. And, how we almost lost our country to his gang of supporters and promoters.
This is our wake up call as to how fragile and precious our republic is and also a reminder as to what it stands for behind all the armaments and riches.
We are ripe for being picked over by criminal buzzards if we don’t stay awake and aware of where the billions are being spent by these same wealthy manipulators because even when we win in November they will still be very much in control of big business, our banks, our news agencies and many local governments, even after the election.
I wonder if the unwoke and smug believe that they, too, will profit hugely from this chaos, just like tech billionaires and insider traders? They all need a sharp lesson in stock market collapse, courtesy of AI+Crypto overreach, if not a visit from the bubonic plague, courtesy of RFKJR.
RFKJR is yet another Trumpjoke, put in place to destroy the United States. Just like Handmaid Amy Coney Barrett, another Trumpjoke lesion on our Supreme Court.
When someone is angry they are not capable of thinking analytically, even when it hits them, too much emotion clouds their judgment. They are more easily led by a con-man.
An understandable reaction, but not a realistic solution to the underlying problem. How to wake these 77 millions up (and keep them awake) is a strategic problem that can be solved. Fleeing the country is an attempt to shirk one's own responsibility.
I disagree. You cannot wake the 77 million, and there are millions more like them that didn't vote. I am not shirking responsibility, I am recognizing reality, and I don't want to live with those kind of people. Those stupid people have made our country rotten. There are many decent, good people here, but I am afraid not enough to counter the others.
You can either abandon your country and leave it to the people you hate, or decide to wake them up. There are states like Vermont and Massachusetts. You could find a compromise in moving there. You have a choice.
TBG, Fleeing the country is not necessarily an attempt to shirk one's own responsibility. Many dissidents have self-exiled and been powerful forces for change.
Of course not. But it’s not really a sign of civil courage either. The number of people in the USA who are truly under threat and therefore have reason to flee is relatively small. As far as I know, those Americans who have emigrated so far were neither politically persecuted nor at risk of starving to death.
I agree. I feel like all the rich people who smugly announce their intentions to move abroad because they can no longer stand to live here are cowards. They can leave because of their privilege, just like Trump exercised his privilege to avoid the draft. That’s cowardly.
When your country is at dire straits it desperately needs, especially people with skills, education, and other forms of privilege to stay and help get her back. Those who live on the margins cannot flea to another country, and they are also less able to fight for the country. They already struggle to get by and are so much more vulnerable to attack and abuse by the government, while those with privilege can much more freely fight back without risking their livelihood.
Of course people are free to leave, and many have already done so. All they need is financial independence, a passport, and maybe a visa. To how many Usamericans does that apply to? Two percent, perhaps three percent? I don't know. So if only half of them want to leave, because they don't "like" the situation, this would be a very priviledged group.
It's something else when people show civil courage, engage in resistance, and therefore need to escape in order to survive. But these people rarely have the means. They just have the guts.
TBG, passports and Visas don't cost that much and you don't have to be wealthy to pack up and go. Please show me your STUDIES before you go trying to sound like an expert! All it takes is a backpack and a change of clothing and a bit of money if you really want to get out. One doesn't have to purchase a house in another country! They can stay with friends or relatives, or camp out, for that matter!
For whom are you speaking? For the family of a factory worker in the rust belt? For a farmer family in Ohio? For a single mother with two or three jobs in Louisiana who still can not make ends meet?
You seem to be a citizen of the USA, tell me please:
What's the cost of passports for a monolingual family with three kids and a disabled grandma in Nebraska? How much for six visas? Even if all is available, they still aren't rich enough to emigrate. And which country would welcome them in?
You are speaking for young singles from middle or upper class, maybe even couples, but educated and with savings, and not for the average Usamerican.
Must add the most important fact that stopped any rational being from voting for him in the first place: he’s a rapist. Come to find out, very likely a child rapist too.
I also hope/pray that you are right Prof. He is a disgraceful slimy excuse for a human being. Self serving, lying, cheating, slime ball. I hope the tide has turned and people who voted for him see him for what he is!
Removing trump from the White House is necessary for a start. But he is only a symptome of a much bigger problem. To remove stupidity, ignorance and lethargy from the population will be much more difficult, and it will take years. It's a task for generations, that can not be done by a sleeping dragon. You'll have to be wide awake and not fall asleep again.
I completely agree with this statement. I’ve said for a long time that Republicans are much better at getting behind a person or an issue and focusing their laser sharp focus. Democrats have not done this well.
No, Daniel, it won't solve all of our problems; however, it will be a start. It will take decades to work through what has been done, but with honest, transparent Congressmen that will work FOR THE PEOPLE, we can begin to put things right.
Yes. The Trump presidency ends as we know it this November if people vote. The midterms have to be too big to rig, like 2006 and 2008, where Democrats swept the Congress and then won the White House two years later. So big that any manipulation is impossible to hide!
Any vote for any Republican is a vote for tyranny. All Republicans nationwide have surrendered their constitutional duties to serve the people and are serving Trump.
Inflation, gas, groceries, health care, slush funds, FEMA, destroying the country's National Parks, making a fool of himself on the world stage and the war thingy. Only the midterms are going to show us how many of the MAGA cult have had enough. Trump never delivered on his promises and a lot of them are pissed.
Trump is using every tool he can find to try to influence the 2026 midterm elections, because a Congress controlled by Democrats could investigate him, impeach him and stymie his agenda. He has said several times: "if Democrats win, they will impeach me."
Yes, impeach and convict him!
This is a proven fact: If you wear this 86 47 in roman numerals t-shirt in public then MAGAs won’t be able to decipher it 👇 😂
Trump still controls the bureaucracy after the election thanks to the fascist court. Ice is going nowhere. DOJ is totally corrupt. He has control over the treaury. Hes going to bleed the democratic states dry.
Democrats could sweep congress. The govt has been destroyed because the court transferred control of the agencies to one person. The agencies run the govt . . Treasury justice law enforcement health etc. A democratic landslide won't change that. Reixmch should put away his dancing shoes.
Heather, I have two 86 47 T-shirts in regular numerals, and I wear them out in public all the time. People don't even notice, they are too UNAWARE to know what those numbers mean and who they are aimed at!
You're right, JBR. I know that when I question candidates running for a seat in Washington, one of my questions is, 'Will you work for term limits for the supreme court justices AND representatives AND senators?' If they dance around an answer, they are not the candidate I want. If you meant this fascist court we have now, I don't even want to think about what will happen if they try to mess with the midterm elections.
Well, electing and solid Dem majority to the Senate and then a Dem president is ultimately the solution to our "fascist court." Because then, over time, as the current justices leave office, they could be replaced by new justices who are more along the lines of the current minority. And that is the solution to the Supreme Court problem.
Not really. Trump has 2 years to replace judges. Hes been given control over executive agencies. Democtratic congress cant change that even with super majority. The country is now realizing the damage. They largely hate him . But the damage has been done. Hes amassing a fortune due to hos position and is crushing democratic states. Congress is largely becoming irrelevant.
Trump cannot unilaterally replace justices on the USSCT. His nominees have to have Senate confirmation. If a Dem Senate won't confirm his nominees, he'd have to nominate someone the Senate would confirm. Congress is irrelevant because there are Republican majorities in the House and Senate. If there were Dem majorities, then Congress could act differently and, I believe, be more effective at countering Trump's actions.
True. Senate has to confirm judges. However he can keep recommending extreme judges. Plus court has already ruled trump controls the agencies. The damage has been done. Reich seems to ignore that critical decision. The damage has been done. Plus there are 6 hard right judges. It will be years before significant change.
I'm afraid trump will cancel elections all together by spooling up retaliation on the bee's nest that is Iran. He will allow strikes on our bases thru intentionally weakened perimeter defence, so he and only he can deepen HIS war and cancel our elections.
He invents crisis and stumbles on solutions since it is not his children nor his money spent to resolve HIS war.
You're right, of course, and many of your country's deep-seated problems pre-date Donald Trump although he has undoubtedly made everything much worse. They will remain even after he has departed the political scene - and that may not be even after he has left office. His extraordinary comeback to get a second term shows his dominance of the Republican party and he will not easily relinquish it. The one saving grace is that unlike Kim Il Sung in North Korea he has not tried to create a dynastic succession - his ego would simply not permit this.
Hope you're right. The "lighting of his terrible swift sword" needs to strike now. And the retribution needs to be very, very thorough. No "good German " or wilfull ignorance defenses this time.
Of course, a complexity is that the Overton window has been farmed-- how much it takes to be oh-sweet-Jesus-not-THAT is so much more bulbous and grotesque now than it would have been in 2016-- or 1986.
We need to attend to the nature of the cultural soil that tends to keep the sleeping giant buried and quiescent. Attend to its health, as well as the depth of the burial.
An uplifting read on Sunday morning. In fairy tales there is often a spell cast over the prince or princess. Then, through a mysterious set of circumstances the spell is broken. Life returns in all its splendor. Your giant is a similar story. The US has been under a spell and finally it is broken.
It was structural change the MAGAts voted for. And cheap eggs and gas that the low-information hordes signed up for. Well, the structural change has been accomplished in many respects. And the cheap eggs and gas crowd didn't get their wish. Maybe the cheap eggs and gas crowd will someday give the other kind of structural change crowd a chance.
I have to laugh out loud whenever I see someone post that "gas prices have gone down 50 cents!" That's just a diversion. Gas prices are posted in red letters on every street corner, so we are always aware when they go up or down. If we did the same with the price of medical care, home heating, groceries, car repairs, clothing, school supplies, and a million other everyday necessities, we'd realize that although gas prices may go up or down, the OVERALL COST OF LIVING has increased.
You are so right. We’ve been the proverbial frogs dropped in an ever warming pot of water. But we’ve become so enamored of our cars and our guns and so sensitized to our grocery prices that we only react to those things. The corporate capitalists have been subtly turning up the heat so expertly.
More people need basically to get their groceries online. I disagree with Walmart politically other than the one sister; but since I no longer drive a real car and my electric vehicle (golf cart) can only legally make it to the Dollar General (hate them all you wish but they are valuable in a small town) I buy virtually all of my groceries online. You easily see the price changes when you buy basically the same cart every week.
37% support for Trump and his Project 2025 ghouls is far too high for comfort after everything he has done in plain sight. It shows the emotional and ideological grip that Trumpism has on the working and middle classes based on a whipped-up hatred of immigrants.
The latter are the scapegoat for 50 years of neoliberal 'trickle down' failure that has devastated the lives of millions and enriched a few thousand billionaires and their hangers-on.
The problem with the 'sleeping giant' is that it's not an organised unified whole, united behind a clear set of moral precepts and a long-term plan for the reorganisation of society along the lines of social justice.
That's what FDR did.
But where's the FDR of our age? Where's the person with the moral principles and the communication skills capable of waking that sleeping giant?
Unfortunately, there can be no "FDR of our age" because FDR served from 1933-1945, when radio was the primary and common mode of communication for the masses. Now we have highly fragmented communications from hundreds of sources, which isn't conducive to rallying around a single person running for, or even serving as, president.
Also, and most importantly, FDR helped by uniting, not dividing, people.
I hope you’re right, Dr. Reich, I really do. I just keep getting hung up on who has to bleed before this giant wakes up. Black folks, immigrants, poor families, somebody always ends up becoming the alarm clock, and then America congratulates itself for opening its eyes, as if the people under its weight hadn’t spent all this time shaking it awake.
www.xplisset.com
Xplisset, I always appreciate your comments and especially your substack. I also hope that Robert is correct. Everything I've read says that Democratic voters are getting energized for this midterm election. I'm sure Trump knows this as well, which is why he's going full-tilt to make people mistrust the electoral system. He wants them NOT to vote.
But we cannot become discouraged. EVERY VOTE COUNTS. And this year, every vote is CRITICAL. I don't want to hear any excuses about why you can't vote. The process is incredibly easy, especially if you vote by mail. If your vote was not important, they wouldn't try so hard to keep you away from the polls. Show them your strength in numbers!
I only hope that the American people have not given up already and figured it is too late to stop this regime. I try to keep in mind how energized we all felt to the extent that there was dancing in the streets when Biden finally won the election. It was like a fresh breath of air, a rebirth, hope loomed on the horizon finally. How can we re-create this ASAP? The general public needs some hopeful sign to which they can hang on until we get rid of the monster. The monster still has far too many allies who blindly follow him like lemmings over the cliff. What or who are the Democrats going to offer the man in the street which will summon them all out of wherever they're hiding, help them pull their heads out of the sand and head to the polls?
I would suggest that you look to New York and Mamdani for the way, Carol. He and his volunteers went out to the streets, to peopleʻs homes, to talk with and listen to them, made campaign promises that people responded to resoundingly, and heʻs working to put them into effect. Thatʻs what Dems should have been doing all along, instead of feeling smug and secure
- Karen Cooper
If I lived in a state where there was a chance that democrats could win I would be pounding the streets. I’m not doing nothing, but I am unfortunately pretty sure that my candidates will not contribute to the blue tsunami. I live in the first congressional district in Kentucky. I am nominally represented by Jamie Comer and Mitch McConnell. There are wonderful democrats running in both races: “Drew” Williams against Comer and Charles Booker against Andy Barr to replace McConnell who thankfully is retiring at the end of his term (I’ll not get into whether he is still working or should actually be replaced now, as far as I’m concerned, we democrats are just as well off with him just being absent!).
Unfortunately, here in Kentucky it’s still too much of a struggle to get enough people to think and listen to the actual candidates and make a decision based on facts for a democrat to win. Most of the time you cannot even get a debate. People vote party first and only.
That’s what we did in NC during Obama campaign, going door-to-door, and it worked. More and more got involved; it was fun and it got everyone excited and volunteering.
I focus on candidates running who do not take corporate PAC money donations—like both Senatorial candidates, Talarico in TX and Ossoff in GA. and Ocasio-Cortez congress in NY. I’ve “adopted” a few out-of-state candidates and give each month.
Accepting corporate PAC money ties a candidate to the promises they must make to the big donors after they are elected. This is the problem we are having, first desperation for donations then obligations after they’re elected, except not to the voters who believe their campaign promises, but to the million dollar donors who demand they use their precious “yea” or “ney” in order to get bills passed that hurt the vast majority of our population to make profits flow without oversight or regulation to the donors these PAC’s represent.
Corporations cannot be trusted to have conscience or ethics. NEITHER corporations NOR religious affiliated PACs is a person and both do need to be watched by the real people they are hurting—all of us.
Well said, G.P., but do expose the hypocrisy of religion-affiliated candidates who support Trump.
Try telling them that you are a Jacksonian Democrat, and that you don't believe the lies spread by coal mine owners.
Dying of Whiteness.
Th same, alas, applies to Nebraska. Our entire delegation consists of nothing but MAGAT lackeys. Don Bacon is retiring. It is profoundly hoped that he will be replaced by a Democrat. There's a good chance he will.
Yes most people simply vote "party first" or what their parents voted and the rest of the family clan voted. It's simple for most folks. No need to think . . .
The democrats need to offer real solutions to voters and get shit done. They can’t just be complain about Trump and what he’s ruined. They must gain the trust of their constituents. Ignore no one and be everywhere. Good loud messaging goes a long way. We must get rid of complacency and vote for fighters. Otherwise we are doomed. World war 3 is coming soon. Iran is rump’s demise. No goal, no exit strategy. Vote like your life depends on it… because it literally does.
It will NEVER be too late. November is getting closer and closer and we must stand firm!
I think that's the point of Bob's title piece today, Carol--take heart. America is a sleeping giant. The "American people," however inconceivable it may seem to you and me, has been asleep. They haven't followed what's going on. They've just trusted that it would continue to be the way it has been. Going about their lives, not seeing the big picture, not seeing implications, not paying attention. NOW, as Bob points out, the American people who don't follow politics and don't pay attention to it are being so personally hurt, so affected, whether it's the horrible racism, the horrible results of anti-abortion, the price at the gas pump, the loss of insurance, or the economic pain in the grocery store (I've been noticing the $11 mayonnaise for months, but only this weekend did I hear a regular middle-aged woman in the check-out line make an outraged comment about the high price of her grocery bill.) That's something we regular citizens can do: stoke outrage! Make a civil but upset comment to the grocery store check-out clerk (if you still have them) or your fellow shoppers about the outrageous prices of things, how it shouldn't be that way. Keep it civil. Don't talk politics. Just express your outrage at the prices. Maybe mention the word "tariffs." Same at the pump. I'm thinking of getting some of those little "Trump did this" stickers to put on the gas pumps next to the $5 or $6 price readout. And for heaven's sake don't shop Amazon! Etsy is just as good for most gifts you have to buy; Thrift Books or Abe Books for printed things; I-Herb for vitamins and drugstore things; Walmart or Target if you have to. Sacrifice by paying the shipping costs if any. Consider it a contribution to your favorite candidate. (But also give to them too.) Do SOMETHING this week, however small. Talk. Shop alternatively. Get one person to commit to voting. Make sure everyone around you know the election date.
There are many, many Americans who simply have a go with the flow mentality, regardless of which side of the isle they stand with and many of those Americans are older boomers. I know them, you know them, we all know them. If their so called President does whatever he does then it's ok---"He's the President." This is the mentality Trumpism is counting on.
I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but I'll say it over and over again to anyone who will listen: Tell everyone you know and that includes your family members to VOTE at the November midterms! There are a number of Congressional blue seats up for grabs only if the many go with the flow voters are able to think deeply and stand-up in their boomer years to it all.
I'm a "boomer" who despises Trump and all of this clown show sycophants!
I'm an old boomer and I've always despised Trump even way before he got into politics.
I beg your pardon Dean. Look around. Voter registration, No Kings Rallies, and this forum is being run by BOOMERS.
Linda: No need to beg any pardon from me! We're all in this mess together and we're fighting back.
Dean, let me rephrase…Baby Boomers, senior citizens, old people are not mindlessly following trump. Most “boomers” as you say do vote and they do not “go with the flow”they are the volunteers at the polls. Also, grey headed boomers are prominent at the No King’s Rallies. And, I’m pretty sure that “boomers” dominate this anti-trump forum. You’re blaming the wrong people for electing trump. At least that’s my opinion.
Giving up without a fight is the definition of a loser.
As I said in my comment and on Burnt Ground, I believe it's too little to late.
Joe: Sure, the super-wealth have Trumpism in their pocket and conversely Trumpism has the super-wealth and the DOJ and the rest of it in his pocket and they all sleep with each other.
Our only salvation out of this is to VOTE come November and of course VOTE at your local Primaries for the up and coming rising stars.
Carol, thank you...I keep saying that...how could so many people have forgotten how wonderful it was to be free of this monster last time, and the massive parties that ensued in the streets?? How did we let this happen again? We need to do better and work harder!
Carol, you are right to call attention to the fact that the opposition must offer the "man in the street" a "better mouse trap." I have seen very little in terms of ideas offered to get people's attention.
Millions of voters do not participate in the November midterms. Pitiful! The upcoming November midterms will be the most critical midterms ever. This is our chance to see that "blue tsunami on the horizon."
Tell everyone you know to VOTE come November.
that's why elections,both primary and general,should be 1-day holidays-no time for vacations or long week-ends,just time to vote-what is more important?
Brooks: A good idea. But you know most Americans would rather take that day off and go party, go shopping, etc. And so it goes with the most powerful nation on earth but also the dumbist nation on earth . . .
i know,but 2 excuses are eliminated-and people would be near their polling place-vote early and party all day-but seriously,something has to be done to negate trump's extreme primary choices-i'm open to suggestions
I agree with you. My ballot comes in the mail, but when I return it, I use the drop box at the library, as I don't trust the PO anymore. I always get an email from the county clerk's office when my ballot is counted. But if you can avoid the post office, do so.
Use the drop boxes available at the local libraries.
Yes. Use drop boxes at Libraries! In my district, we have the drop boxes manned! I love voting by mail! I’ve been an election observer! SOOO many cameras! And it live streams!!
F trump n his treasonous cabal!
That is so sad
Donna, I can't speak to your view of your interlocutor, but having met him now for my first time, I'm sorry but what is the plan he is proposing by which to rally the troops going forward as of today?
However on the big picture that counts during the midterms, 28 etc. Based on democratic ethics "every vote is CRITICAL" however in far too many districts its clearly false that "EVERY VOTE COUNTS" and I wish this basic math were understood by all, for if not repubs understand this much better and why they win so many races to the disadvantage of most Americans including the Dems such as each time the orange stool it. And steal it he and fellow repugs did with far too many of the general public unaware of this simple math.
Once understood the progessives and independents, which are in many places a majority will need to collaborate & assert their democratic united vote if and only if in too many districts where they refuse to have their votes divided by "lesser evils".
Donna, I agree with you about the critical nature of getting out to vote, not only for national elections but also for state and local ones as well. Local elected offices are pivotal for seeing to it that the daily concerns of citizens are being addressed. Referring
to Robert's recent article about 'Trump's Two Killing Fields' make no mistake to think that he will not resort to extreme violence to see that his dream of a one-party Republican state led by him comes to pass. He freed the 1500 convicted felonious J6ers
with a singular purpose, to form the nucleus of the enforcers for his police state which is already here. Local and state authorities and their National Guards are the ones responsible for ensuring a safe and orderly voting place for citizens to fulfil their Constitutional obligation, and Trump, Miller, Vought, and Vance and their cult are dead set on destroying that. It is worth a visit to your town council to ascertain the safeguards in place to protect voters at the polls. We already know that Trump will employ his masked thugs to commit murder and mayhem at scale in order to consolidate his 'unitary executive principle'.
I agree Dennis, and that was my original post: that there will be terror at the polling places, not just blue ones either, and vote by mail is only available in some states, which the regime is trying to stop. Even if all the blue states came through I wonder if that would be enough to overcome the red ones. The may shows that it's not. Is there a strategy to counteract this?
Yes. The lower courts must continue to enforce the constitutional right of all states to run elections without federal interference. And American citizens must exercise their right to vote.
Thank you, Margo. Yes, there is a strategy to counteract violence induced at the polls by Trump. To generate such strategy, it is necessary for groups of democracy-minded people to band together in every blue state and swing state and to formulate a plan to repulse the expected violence. This would involve the consolidation of local, city and state police departments to fulfil their sworn duties to protect the public from harm and intimidation in their civic duty to vote. Such a collaboration would be authorized by Democratic governors, or by the highest order of Democratic authority in states governed by a Republican. Lethal force would need to be authorized in order to repulse physical violence inflicted upon the public by illegal actors. Keep in mind that
Trump considers himself to be the most powerful (man) in the world, and as such he will do anything whatsoever to retain that power, elections and voter rights be damned. After all, the 6 corrupt members of the USSC essentially have granted him immunity from the law as long as he retains power, a
'Catch-22' scenario. Here are a few key articles which help to define the parameters required to deal with Trump's indefatigable impulses. Note from Michael Fanone that civic-minded police do not want their communities to be overthrown by packs of war mongering thugs.
https://deanobeidallah.substack.com/p/dr-john-gartner-trump-is-the-most
https://michaelfanone.substack.com/p/this-j6er-robbed-me-as-i-bled-out?utm_source=multiple-personal-recommendations-email&utm_medium=email&triedRedirect=true
https://historycanthide.substack.com/p/we-wouldnt-have-to-deal-with-clarence?utm_source=multiple-personal-recommendations-email&utm_medium=email&triedRedirect=true
"Terror" is in the mind of the observer. To misuse the term is dangerous. Don't construct defeatist scenarios.
There have been several shootings by the now immune ICE, so I don't think fear is only in the mind. Not defeatist but shouldn't there be preparations and plans, nothing about which am I reading.
Donna, you are spot on! Every Democrat and progressive independent voter needs to get off their couches and get to their local polling place. Everyone in vote by mail states needs to marh their ballot and walk it to the mailbox. The blue tsunami has to be so large that even Trump and his regime can't claim it was rigged. When we win and Trump and Republicans lose, the world will rejoice!
You’re right Charles. For this crucial fight we need to show up…make it a spectacle.
What's the general thinking right now about mail-in voting? Is there a risk that, by some hook or crook, mail-in ballots will not be counted? Is it less risky to vote in person?
Arizona loves it. You can take your ballot and research the candidates as you are deciding who to vote for. It is efficient, so it saves money for you and the voting process. I have had a little exposure to the mechanics of voting, and mail-in ballots are just as valuable as voting in person to the state.
Amen, Donna!
Yes!! Vote! Get registered if you aren’t!! If you vote by mail, put in a voter drop box! Try to avoid US mail. trump is trying to f that up! Like everything he touches! We the People’s White House! Reflection Pool. Rose Garden. The Easter Egg roll lawn, for an fing cage fight! N the oval looks like a waiting room at a whore house! trump is an fing mess, n his family watched n grifts! WTF!! 25th or impeachment. Couch cougar n lil marco are tainted for having their heads up 🍊🫏!!!
Call any member of Congress!
202 225 3121 or 202 224 3121
Call before Friday, they have the month of August off! WTH!!
No blanche!!!! No save act!
CALL! Share the numbers. Put in your contact information!!
🇺🇸🔷🇺🇸
House is out already. Senate here till Friday so their calander says!
Still call!! Leave messages!!
https://www.nobelprize.org/contact
Fill this easy form out.
America deserves no congratulations for opening its eyes. It deserves castigations for having let its eyes close, for falling asleep while the egalitarian foundation of the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness was remodelled to serve greed instead of the general public.
But that may be naive. Many reputable historians have made powerful arguments that the foundation laid by a bunch of rich white guys at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787 was crafted with an eye toward consolidating their wealth and power, and that America has been fighting for an egalitarian society ever since.
How simply true and change needs to begin starting now as of today, and not just if and when "we" retake both Houses.
Any wise words/hope for Floridians?
Yes! Get rid of desantis. He he up for reelection? N lock rick scott up for embezzlement n corruption! Is Luna retiring?👍🙏
Make sure everyone you know gets the vote in!
🔷🇺🇸🔷🇺🇸🔷🇺🇸🔷🇺🇸🔷
Rethugkkkrussians in house n senate need to be defeated “bigly”!!!!
And wtf, WHY ARE THE NAMES removed from the web??
Get rid of ALL rethuglikkkrussians in congress!
You gest?
You gest asking a Canadian without telling me your worst fears before you advance good democratic trouble to you political godfathers?
In the alternative, how much peaceful push are you willing to DO before any hint of violent shove?
PS Kate I owe you an apology of sorts. I dropped all of the above simply at political face value except afterwards I was totally surprised how often you had noticed mine when until now this was the first time I saw anything from you.
Not to excuse myself but dyslexia plus other filters are realities of mine and I find substack makes the task of connecting people dots very labour intensive and this experience show me one further step I must take in order to have an informed view of who is addressing me.
As I have said substack operate on a very anti-democratic paradigm but better than being hostage to g00gle's barrel fishing web.
However if free enough to answer my questions will provide a much better suggestion now that we have clarified matters to a better more active political problem solving basis.
Apology accepted. I intend to vote Blue all the way and yes governor deshitus is unable to run again. Volemort Scott should have been tried and locked up years ago and senator Ashley moody won't give me the time of day so I will cast my vote for former soldier vindeman.
We were blindsided by the Republican move to capture the Hispanic vote. They went all out and convinced (they didn't coerce) a population that easily see had been underrecognized.
The Democrats are still pretty unorganized and incapable. The populist wing is where the action is, which is why the Republicans are trying to label it as Communist. But No King's is losing some steam. It is hard to keep the fervor up when daily life intervenes.
The appeal to religion and masculinity was successful. "No Kings" is not enough to overcome this ploy. How about "Fair taxation" and "No wars?"
I agree we need more. The diminishment in No Kings participation is just an indicator. Many Hispanic voters have woken up to the Republican's ploy and realize they were conned. That is evident in the successes the Democrats have had recently.
Democrats need more capable people in the positions of power and more sympathy for underserved populations, such as the Hispanics. Democrats don't grok their needs and strengths. We should be embracing the downtrodden more. They are badly in need of our help.
Many young adults don’t have cable and don’t pay attention to news. They have decided to turn off the chaos. I’m talking about 30 and 40 year olds. They don’t understand the seriousness of this situation. Their lives are busy with kids and sports etc.
Perhaps taxes, prices, and pointless wars will awaken them.
Interesting. I get it.
Super! It begins with small steps. Why not say more so ever more citizens can follow your example & will much more readily help grow the democratic pie?
I'm fortunate to live in MA where we can have our weekly standouts. Vote Forward, Bluewavepostcards.org, are resources we use to obtain writing materials, stamps, et. To write to voters in other states.
I've got signs in our yard and front windows, wear a Defend Democracy hat everywhere i go, t-shirts etc.
There's a march in DC in August, I believe.
Keep up the good trouble.
Super beginning with your last sentence, thanks for the idea!
PS I owe you as well and apology of sorts similar to one just made to another regarding a brand new learning curve I just made with substack.
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/sunday-thought-when-the-sleeping/comment/302094532
Moreover now that I have connected the dots, I have to run for now but B4 nightfall come back and will provide more detail how to avoid votesplitting as a community not only as an individual.
Best for now!
Maybe. Flawed? But it was a brilliant if not visionary set of words and ideas with which to establish a nation of opportunity. The door was there to choose to enter. Inalienable rights.
Amazingly, the Constitution has served the general public very well. This is why Republicans want to change it.
I agree. We cannot overnight fix the damage countless sleepless nights, nutrient-poor diets, crummy health advice, and the constant hammer of fear and anxiety that this administration has wrought upon us.
Lives will be shortened. Lives with promise may not be lived to the fullest. Both old and young may die years younger than expected.
Democrats need to have screening tools and systems ready so we know how we can best help those who have been hurt the most.
We need to rebuild not just food, shelter, healthcare, but also hope and confidence that democratic governments can serve the people.
Yes, and I keep coming back to that last part because rebuilding will fail if hope gets treated like decoration after the real policy work is done. People have been trained to expect abandonment. Food, housing and health care matter, of course, but so does proving in ordinary life that government can keep a promise long enough for people to believe it again.
We need to be ready to rebuild Day One.
Voters need to know rebuilding plans NOW.
I am a nurse who was an administrator.
Every day I had to build an environment wherein my nursing staff could work their best and be compensated for this.
Our Congress needs classes in change theory.
Change must start now.
.
and do remind women that they will be used as breeding cows for all eternity if Trump, JD Vance, and Pete Hegseth remain in power.
Yes. Susie, you are right.
Truer words.... and you know, it's the thought that there are people in America right now whose main concern is the price of gasoline! By the way, I absolutely love your moniker.
Xplisset and everyone! Remind everyone we know to VOTE at your local Primaries for the rising stars of the future.
Equally if not critically important remind everyone we know to VOTE at the November midterms. Many voters ignore or just plain get lazy and do not participate in the November midterms. There are blue seats available in Congress and Trumpism is now hard at work to be sure to do all Trumpism can to corrupt and make sure any blue seats available will remain red seats.
VOTE at the midterms!
As usual, it's those we are at war with who bleed first and most, but this time around Trump's outrageous Superman Act is likely to wake up the "sleeping giant" before much more blood is spilled. His latest tariff round may turn out to be the straw that broke the camel's back. Trump means chaos, and you just cannot do business in such an environment.
Thank you Xplisset. I hope everyone has a chance to read what you wrote. Powerful and important.
Thank you, Christy. I really appreciate you helping it travel to keep on keepin on. I just don't want that part about who has to bleed before America wakes up getting lost in all the celebration.
Completely agree.
That's exactly what gets me: the individual humans who must suffer. Countless people in Africa, thousands of families who immigrated here for a better life, the poor and disenfranchised!
He needs to be removed now. There’s no time left to stop him if it doesn’t happen now…The damage he inflicts from this day forward will never be undone because no one is lining up to STOP the troll under the bridge, over the bridge and attacking the bridges. The number of lives Trump’s actions have taken can never be undone-not one of them.
He and his Gestapo have to go now. This is NOT a chess game. This is live or die for every one he takes his aim at. Who’s next?? Will it be me,or my child?? Will it be you?? Will it be your mother or sister or small
baby daughter or son?? He won’t care. They won’t care.
This ends now or we’re all responsible for every life he takes.
VerLen, I count hundreds of thousand of Covid deaths as blood on his hands, for starters.
I agree
That’s a lot for him to ignore,but I’m betting he has no trouble pretending they didn’t happen.
VerLen, thank you for speaking truth to those who would GIVE TRUMP A PASS FOR ANOTHER TWO YEARS!! I'm getting fed up with Robert Reich, truth be told. I think he doesn't dare say what really needs to be said for fear of losing his platform on Substack! Just like the "rules and regulations" of posting comments on his Substack get me removed lately. I don't care . . . I will NEVER quit saying what needs to be said, and that is, TRUMP NEEDS TO GO N-O-W!!!!!!! WE DON'T HAVE ANOTHER DAY TO WAIT AROUND AND FOOL AROUND TO SEE WHO HE WILL KILL NEXT!!!
Cuz a president JD Vance will be soooooooooooooo much better. And then, as sitting pres. in the OO, he'll be well-positioned to run in 2028. Won't that be lovely. Not.
DP, VANCE needs to be kicked out the door along with Trump, as well as ALL the "Project 2025'rs"!
And if Vance is impeached, then who become president? Think it through. Because Trump isn't just about Trump. Trump is about the entire Republican Party.
If it happens next year, Johnson won't be Speaker. Jeffries will be.
That might happen. But then getting rid of Trump and JD through impeachment has to happen. Not sure the numbers for that will be there. And then, is that the wisest choice politically for Dems? I'm not sure, assuming it could be done. Americans might like to see Dems in Congress address some other issues. I think that Dem majorities in the House and Senate could blunt a lot of the damage that Trump is doing and it might be enough. They could also pursue a Dem legislative agenda. They could do a lot of things.
They all have to go
That would be ideal. Now we have to make that happen. That's the rub.
Shiite Republicans are project 2025. Not all republicans are nuts right now.
Many have never voted for trump.
True. But a lot of them did vote for Trump which is why he's the pres right now. And what they need to do now is vote for Dems. I'll be waiting to see them do that.
Diet Pepsi, I think you are drinking too much Pepsi! A Democrat will become president! People are fed up to the teeth with do-nothing Republicans!
I fear that you might be in bubble. I am in the “Alabama” of PA. The people here are non thinking conservatives who will never vote for a Democrat. Then we have the redistricting that a number of red states have pushed through, which insures that no Democrat can get elected. I am also tired about hearing how the Democrats are too far left and need to run more moderate candidates. Unfortunately most of the Democratic leadership is too old and too moderate and not doing much for anyone but themselves. We need to get rid of the ability to trade stocks and investments while in office. Maybe that is why poll find them so unpopular. You also have Manchin trying to throw a wrench into everything by starting a “party” to elect “moderates” like himself. And of course you have Not just Felon47 and his sycophants but establishment Democrats using the dreaded S word socialist or even communist. If you think it will be easy to impeach Felon47, think again. Remember the coverage he got from the SC. And good luck with Vance. Just what will be the charges?This is just a long way of saying that there are too many things in play and there are no certainties.
In Jan. 2029, a Dem can become president. Yes, if elected.
speaker of the house.
Bingo.
Apparently, the blocking function doesn’t really work or KKKlare is sneaking in through the back door again. I’ll try again. Buh-BYE KKKlare.
I’ve used muting in feed first and that seems to get them gone from comments.
We cannot remove him until the Democrats regain control of the House and Senate. It’s We the People’s job to vote in massive numbers in November and push out all the complicit Republicans keeping the mango mobster in power. A blue earthquake, as it were. Voting is the key, in numbers Too Big to Rig. We can do it!
For what its worth, IMO&O of the top 3 like rankings by a long shot, you are the only one who has a plan supported by reasons beginning with the ethical reality "This ends now or we’re all responsible for every life he takes."
Can not be better said as we all focus on how, now much much sooner than later as if the midterms are good enough or 28 or or
Valid points! Trump needs to be removed ASAP, he's a murderous, sociopathic s.o.b. - but who has the power to do it? Congressional republicans. Sadly, they have shown the world that they don't care about the American public, rather they are aligned with the criminal in the WH and every war crime/ice assault/murder he commits is also "blood" on their hands. These GOP traitors need to be held to account when this nightmare is over.
Well said
Thank you VerLen. Agree.
Hallelujah and Amen, Professor Reich! It is so hard to see or accept all of the vile, corrupt things this cretin has done to our country! Every day when I get my coffee, sit down and begin to go through my emails, I begin to feel as though I am wading through a quagmire! Emails that say he is going to destroy the Statue of Liberty, have his mangy face put on Mt. Rushmore, end Social Security, invade Canada or Iceland, send his brown shirts to the polls, throw President Obama in jail and etc., etc., etc.! It isn't even laughable anymore! I want that sleeping giant to not only dance but roar! This November, I want that sleeping giant to roar so loud there isn't the slightest question about what the American people want! We want our country back! We want a sane, rational government back! I hereby promise I will work even harder to get information about our candidates out there. I will go to the polls, and I will vote blue up and down the ballot! Keep fighting, America! Stay strong and stay safe!
I want America to roar like you, Peggy.
The Democrats need a Moses to lead them out of this desert. Who is qualified?
The best thing about Moses. He led his clock for 40 years and never gave up hope.
The worst thing about Moses: he led his people up to the promised land, but he never entered it himself.
Thank you, Ian! That is the nicest thing anyone has ever said about me!
Peggy can hear that passion roar through your words…
C'mon, TJ, roar with me! Let's make that sleeping giant so damn loud it will reverberate all across this country! We have got to win these midterms, TJ, we just have to! Thank you for your kind words, too!
Peggy you should know be by now.. loud and proud and roaring young lady..
That U.S. House of Representatives that just attached the SAVE America Act to the National Defense Authorization Act before they went on a 38 day vacation… and my Rethuglican Rep of course voted for this POS…
Now awaiting in the Senate that those dipshits go on their own 38 day vacation in about two weeks… Daily call my two Rethuglican Senators reject this bill…
We are Organized and marching for this..
August 8 (Nationwide): The League of Women Voters (LWV) hosts the "Unite & Rise for Voting Rights" Day of Action. Local chapters organize rallies and community actions to mobilize voters ahead of midterm elections. Virtual participation, including sending letters to representatives, is also available on the League of Women Voters (https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.lwv.org/riseforvotingrights&ved=2ahUKEwizi6XOzeGVAxVsN4YAHev1KJwQy_kOegoIAggACAAIDBAD&opi=89978449&cd&psig=AOvVaw0Fz-tFCJs55GeeJ55lgSZE&ust=1784648965334000)
Will crawl to those polls if need be… My great-grandmothers didn’t fight for the right for their votes and not going down without a fight, now or ever for the next generations… Once again will be a poll worker cause that’s just what some of us can do to ensure that all our voices are heard… stay safe and healthy.. it’s going to be a long road our fight is brighter, their fight is only lit by a light that’s a train that will be hitting them square in the head…
WOW! TJ I love what you do! Thanks for the sources. I'm looking forward to August 8! Way to go, TJ!
If Trump is a sleeping giant --his slumber needs to become a condition that is permanently imposed.
Bury him in a place where no one can find him, where no cult can ever resurrect him .
Trump’s ashes will be a permanent stain on wherever they wind up.
Not true as nature (science if you will...) trumps emotions.
At face value, no play on words as we retake its rightful meaning. But history can then add more nuance in line with your thoughts expressed.
Amen, amen, amen to that, Donald!!! 2&1/2 more years of Trump, Dr. Reich? I don't think so!
I am still shocked that 77 million Americans voted for this despicable person as president, and for a second time. He is a convicted felon who filed for bankruptcy six times - he has failed at everything during his life, and he is a proven rapist and abuser of women - he has been married three times and has cheated on all of them - he is a compulsive cheat and liar - he is the most despicable person I have ever seen. The damage he has done to our country and democracy is irreparable. Sorry Robert, but I think this country is done for, and if I was younger I would move to a decent place.
Perhaps those 77 million can serve as a permanent reminder—a human plaque—to remind us all how easy it is for some to be seduced by a really stupid, greedy, sociopath and criminal. And, how we almost lost our country to his gang of supporters and promoters.
This is our wake up call as to how fragile and precious our republic is and also a reminder as to what it stands for behind all the armaments and riches.
We are ripe for being picked over by criminal buzzards if we don’t stay awake and aware of where the billions are being spent by these same wealthy manipulators because even when we win in November they will still be very much in control of big business, our banks, our news agencies and many local governments, even after the election.
I wonder if the unwoke and smug believe that they, too, will profit hugely from this chaos, just like tech billionaires and insider traders? They all need a sharp lesson in stock market collapse, courtesy of AI+Crypto overreach, if not a visit from the bubonic plague, courtesy of RFKJR.
RFKJR is yet another Trumpjoke, put in place to destroy the United States. Just like Handmaid Amy Coney Barrett, another Trumpjoke lesion on our Supreme Court.
I think there is a concerted effort to rid America of the poor thru death and uppity women through state servitude to the patriarch.
When someone is angry they are not capable of thinking analytically, even when it hits them, too much emotion clouds their judgment. They are more easily led by a con-man.
Almost lost our country?
We lost it. It’s belonged to him and his goons since he took office, and it’s still theirs until we take it back.
An understandable reaction, but not a realistic solution to the underlying problem. How to wake these 77 millions up (and keep them awake) is a strategic problem that can be solved. Fleeing the country is an attempt to shirk one's own responsibility.
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I disagree. You cannot wake the 77 million, and there are millions more like them that didn't vote. I am not shirking responsibility, I am recognizing reality, and I don't want to live with those kind of people. Those stupid people have made our country rotten. There are many decent, good people here, but I am afraid not enough to counter the others.
You can either abandon your country and leave it to the people you hate, or decide to wake them up. There are states like Vermont and Massachusetts. You could find a compromise in moving there. You have a choice.
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You are still part of this country in Vermont or Massachusetts. Your fate is intertwined with the other 49.
You’re not alone Richard. We’re experiencing the tyranny of the minority. Idiocracy arrived.
Not idiocracy: mass suicide pact.
TBG, Fleeing the country is not necessarily an attempt to shirk one's own responsibility. Many dissidents have self-exiled and been powerful forces for change.
Of course not. But it’s not really a sign of civil courage either. The number of people in the USA who are truly under threat and therefore have reason to flee is relatively small. As far as I know, those Americans who have emigrated so far were neither politically persecuted nor at risk of starving to death.
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Leaving America is expensive.
That money could be used to help more people than simply one wealthy family.
Millions of Americans no longer even have food to eat...thanks to Trump.
We are losing a number of educated young people, especially young women who feel they have a better future elsewhere.
I agree. I feel like all the rich people who smugly announce their intentions to move abroad because they can no longer stand to live here are cowards. They can leave because of their privilege, just like Trump exercised his privilege to avoid the draft. That’s cowardly.
When your country is at dire straits it desperately needs, especially people with skills, education, and other forms of privilege to stay and help get her back. Those who live on the margins cannot flea to another country, and they are also less able to fight for the country. They already struggle to get by and are so much more vulnerable to attack and abuse by the government, while those with privilege can much more freely fight back without risking their livelihood.
Bullshit, TBG, people are FREE TO LEAVE IF THEY WANT TO! Nobody has to ask YOUR permission! Haven't you had enough of Donald,Trump yet?? Guess not!!!
Thank you for your charming reply.
Of course people are free to leave, and many have already done so. All they need is financial independence, a passport, and maybe a visa. To how many Usamericans does that apply to? Two percent, perhaps three percent? I don't know. So if only half of them want to leave, because they don't "like" the situation, this would be a very priviledged group.
It's something else when people show civil courage, engage in resistance, and therefore need to escape in order to survive. But these people rarely have the means. They just have the guts.
.
TBG, passports and Visas don't cost that much and you don't have to be wealthy to pack up and go. Please show me your STUDIES before you go trying to sound like an expert! All it takes is a backpack and a change of clothing and a bit of money if you really want to get out. One doesn't have to purchase a house in another country! They can stay with friends or relatives, or camp out, for that matter!
For whom are you speaking? For the family of a factory worker in the rust belt? For a farmer family in Ohio? For a single mother with two or three jobs in Louisiana who still can not make ends meet?
You seem to be a citizen of the USA, tell me please:
What's the cost of passports for a monolingual family with three kids and a disabled grandma in Nebraska? How much for six visas? Even if all is available, they still aren't rich enough to emigrate. And which country would welcome them in?
You are speaking for young singles from middle or upper class, maybe even couples, but educated and with savings, and not for the average Usamerican.
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TBG, what is a "Usamerican"? Please either edit yourself before posting, or learn real words! Obviously, you are not from this country!
Oh, really? Where should all these people go?
Wherever they want to go.
Yes, because all the other nations in the world would welcome Americans with open arms and limitless visas...
Must add the most important fact that stopped any rational being from voting for him in the first place: he’s a rapist. Come to find out, very likely a child rapist too.
😢
Beware: Trump is aware of those "decent place"s and has them on his "to-do" list. We may as well stay here and fight it out, as there.
I also hope/pray that you are right Prof. He is a disgraceful slimy excuse for a human being. Self serving, lying, cheating, slime ball. I hope the tide has turned and people who voted for him see him for what he is!
Furthermore, they need to apologize to the rest of us for voting for that monster and electing him again! WHY?
Removing trump from the White House is necessary for a start. But he is only a symptome of a much bigger problem. To remove stupidity, ignorance and lethargy from the population will be much more difficult, and it will take years. It's a task for generations, that can not be done by a sleeping dragon. You'll have to be wide awake and not fall asleep again.
The Democrats will only win the majorities they seek if they stop the internal bickering and focus on the big issues.
I completely agree with this statement. I’ve said for a long time that Republicans are much better at getting behind a person or an issue and focusing their laser sharp focus. Democrats have not done this well.
I look forward to being deluged in a sea of blue
Like a blue tsunami is going to solve America’s problems
No, Daniel, it won't solve all of our problems; however, it will be a start. It will take decades to work through what has been done, but with honest, transparent Congressmen that will work FOR THE PEOPLE, we can begin to put things right.
Yes. The Trump presidency ends as we know it this November if people vote. The midterms have to be too big to rig, like 2006 and 2008, where Democrats swept the Congress and then won the White House two years later. So big that any manipulation is impossible to hide!
Any vote for any Republican is a vote for tyranny. All Republicans nationwide have surrendered their constitutional duties to serve the people and are serving Trump.
Inflation, gas, groceries, health care, slush funds, FEMA, destroying the country's National Parks, making a fool of himself on the world stage and the war thingy. Only the midterms are going to show us how many of the MAGA cult have had enough. Trump never delivered on his promises and a lot of them are pissed.
Trump is using every tool he can find to try to influence the 2026 midterm elections, because a Congress controlled by Democrats could investigate him, impeach him and stymie his agenda. He has said several times: "if Democrats win, they will impeach me."
Yes, impeach and convict him!
This is a proven fact: If you wear this 86 47 in roman numerals t-shirt in public then MAGAs won’t be able to decipher it 👇 😂
shorturl.at/dILfV
All I can hope for, Heather, is that this next impeachment will be the one that removes him from office!
Trump still controls the bureaucracy after the election thanks to the fascist court. Ice is going nowhere. DOJ is totally corrupt. He has control over the treaury. Hes going to bleed the democratic states dry.
Democrats could sweep congress. The govt has been destroyed because the court transferred control of the agencies to one person. The agencies run the govt . . Treasury justice law enforcement health etc. A democratic landslide won't change that. Reixmch should put away his dancing shoes.
Heather, I have two 86 47 T-shirts in regular numerals, and I wear them out in public all the time. People don't even notice, they are too UNAWARE to know what those numbers mean and who they are aimed at!
Heather.B, I got a good chuckle out of your "86 47" comment. Thanks!
If there isn't a blue wave in November I'll be a firm believer in mass psychosis.
Big if. Don't forget fascist court
You're right, JBR. I know that when I question candidates running for a seat in Washington, one of my questions is, 'Will you work for term limits for the supreme court justices AND representatives AND senators?' If they dance around an answer, they are not the candidate I want. If you meant this fascist court we have now, I don't even want to think about what will happen if they try to mess with the midterm elections.
Thanks Peggy! Misery loves company.
No worries, JBR! I got your back!
Well, electing and solid Dem majority to the Senate and then a Dem president is ultimately the solution to our "fascist court." Because then, over time, as the current justices leave office, they could be replaced by new justices who are more along the lines of the current minority. And that is the solution to the Supreme Court problem.
Not really. Trump has 2 years to replace judges. Hes been given control over executive agencies. Democtratic congress cant change that even with super majority. The country is now realizing the damage. They largely hate him . But the damage has been done. Hes amassing a fortune due to hos position and is crushing democratic states. Congress is largely becoming irrelevant.
Trump cannot unilaterally replace justices on the USSCT. His nominees have to have Senate confirmation. If a Dem Senate won't confirm his nominees, he'd have to nominate someone the Senate would confirm. Congress is irrelevant because there are Republican majorities in the House and Senate. If there were Dem majorities, then Congress could act differently and, I believe, be more effective at countering Trump's actions.
True. Senate has to confirm judges. However he can keep recommending extreme judges. Plus court has already ruled trump controls the agencies. The damage has been done. Reich seems to ignore that critical decision. The damage has been done. Plus there are 6 hard right judges. It will be years before significant change.
"We the people must VOTE"
I'm afraid trump will cancel elections all together by spooling up retaliation on the bee's nest that is Iran. He will allow strikes on our bases thru intentionally weakened perimeter defence, so he and only he can deepen HIS war and cancel our elections.
He invents crisis and stumbles on solutions since it is not his children nor his money spent to resolve HIS war.
You're right, of course, and many of your country's deep-seated problems pre-date Donald Trump although he has undoubtedly made everything much worse. They will remain even after he has departed the political scene - and that may not be even after he has left office. His extraordinary comeback to get a second term shows his dominance of the Republican party and he will not easily relinquish it. The one saving grace is that unlike Kim Il Sung in North Korea he has not tried to create a dynastic succession - his ego would simply not permit this.
What will?
Hope you're right. The "lighting of his terrible swift sword" needs to strike now. And the retribution needs to be very, very thorough. No "good German " or wilfull ignorance defenses this time.
Of course, a complexity is that the Overton window has been farmed-- how much it takes to be oh-sweet-Jesus-not-THAT is so much more bulbous and grotesque now than it would have been in 2016-- or 1986.
We need to attend to the nature of the cultural soil that tends to keep the sleeping giant buried and quiescent. Attend to its health, as well as the depth of the burial.
I think this is called education but I could be wrong.
After we survive the Trump fiasco, how to make sure the awakened sleeping giant doesn’t fall asleep again?
It will happen again. This cycle has existed throughout history.
Many Americans could not pour piss out of a boot if the instructions were written on the heel.
An uplifting read on Sunday morning. In fairy tales there is often a spell cast over the prince or princess. Then, through a mysterious set of circumstances the spell is broken. Life returns in all its splendor. Your giant is a similar story. The US has been under a spell and finally it is broken.
It was structural change the MAGAts voted for. And cheap eggs and gas that the low-information hordes signed up for. Well, the structural change has been accomplished in many respects. And the cheap eggs and gas crowd didn't get their wish. Maybe the cheap eggs and gas crowd will someday give the other kind of structural change crowd a chance.
I have to laugh out loud whenever I see someone post that "gas prices have gone down 50 cents!" That's just a diversion. Gas prices are posted in red letters on every street corner, so we are always aware when they go up or down. If we did the same with the price of medical care, home heating, groceries, car repairs, clothing, school supplies, and a million other everyday necessities, we'd realize that although gas prices may go up or down, the OVERALL COST OF LIVING has increased.
You are so right. We’ve been the proverbial frogs dropped in an ever warming pot of water. But we’ve become so enamored of our cars and our guns and so sensitized to our grocery prices that we only react to those things. The corporate capitalists have been subtly turning up the heat so expertly.
More people need basically to get their groceries online. I disagree with Walmart politically other than the one sister; but since I no longer drive a real car and my electric vehicle (golf cart) can only legally make it to the Dollar General (hate them all you wish but they are valuable in a small town) I buy virtually all of my groceries online. You easily see the price changes when you buy basically the same cart every week.
I wish I could share Robert's optimism.
37% support for Trump and his Project 2025 ghouls is far too high for comfort after everything he has done in plain sight. It shows the emotional and ideological grip that Trumpism has on the working and middle classes based on a whipped-up hatred of immigrants.
The latter are the scapegoat for 50 years of neoliberal 'trickle down' failure that has devastated the lives of millions and enriched a few thousand billionaires and their hangers-on.
The problem with the 'sleeping giant' is that it's not an organised unified whole, united behind a clear set of moral precepts and a long-term plan for the reorganisation of society along the lines of social justice.
That's what FDR did.
But where's the FDR of our age? Where's the person with the moral principles and the communication skills capable of waking that sleeping giant?
Unfortunately, there can be no "FDR of our age" because FDR served from 1933-1945, when radio was the primary and common mode of communication for the masses. Now we have highly fragmented communications from hundreds of sources, which isn't conducive to rallying around a single person running for, or even serving as, president.
Also, and most importantly, FDR helped by uniting, not dividing, people.