John Fugelsang gave you a great plug on his Saturday morning podcast. He said the following:
“Let me quote Robert Reich today who wrote, what do these corporations have in common?, Netflix, Ford, Tesla, T-Mobile, Duke Energy, Dish Network, Met Life, Dominion Energy, United States Seal, in recent years these corporations pay their executives more than they pay in taxes! This is what a corporate rigged system looks like.
Dear God, let us use all the science and technology we have to make Robert Reich live forever!”
If you edit people, you can make it look like they’re all saying “nothing matters,” when most of them are saying essentially, “It seems that Republicans believe nothing maters.”
We all know that THE COMING ELECTION MATTERS, and it matters greatly.
It DOES matter that Donald has been indicted. But is he really facing consequences, or is he going to skate?
I disagree. If Biden’s obvious agenda wasn’t opposed in every aspect by the Republican Congress, it would be close to an FDR plan for the future. No, there is no magic cure but it would narrow the income gap. Indifference will kill all of us and pooh-poohing all Democrat politicians is a self mutilating agenda.
Biden is trying to do a lot of good things. We need to vote for him in November. Equally important, vote Democrat down ballot to give him the Congress he needs to pass his legislation.
The Republicans aren't opposing Biden on principle. They oppose Biden because Trump says so, and they don't want to give him a win, even when he is giving them what they want, like the immigration package.
The Republicans are opposing Biden on principle, and this is why they support Trump. The Republican Party is owned and controlled by super-wealthy libertarians. They want to privatize SS, Medicare, and public education. They also want to outlaw labor unions, eliminate federal government jurisdiction over consumer protection and environmental regulation. Quite a few of them also think that the surest way to accomplish their goals is through an "energized" presidency, a dictator in other words. They admire Putin and Orban, not Thomas Jefferson, and certainly not FDR, whom they consider "socialist."
Victor, I honestly don't think Republicans think that far. They are more like toddlers who want whatever they want that moment. They have no idea of what life is like for folks under Putin or Orban or any of the other dictators because when/if they ever visit they are shown a theatre piece that has no relation to reality for the people, even the rich ones. For Republicans, fear, ignorance, Trumped-up anger and hatred work to keep the folks in line and spouting insanities that they do not even understand like that they would like Trump to be a dictator. I hope we can stop the Trump madness, but our media and the Supreme Court do not seem in any way interested in stopping it (OK Trump's dementia) from warping our democracy, destroying it if they can. Trump has already promised a "bloodbath" with him at the center watching and cheering it on. That sounds a whole lot like treason to me.
No argument Janet, you are absolutely correct on all accounts, Dems are in fact complicit, chasing donor cash, and having people like Larry Summers and Jamie Dimon rule the roost, behind the curtain.
Yet the situation in 2024 is different,much different and it is a question of shall we have a dictatorship of the religious right, or continue to live in relative freedom?
There is no other choice either vote for dictatorship by voting for Trump, a third party or not voting, or vote for freedom of thought and action.
In real life you have to make compromises. It does not mean that you have to compromise your principles; all it means is that to advance your long-term goals you have to make short-term concessions. You have to be flexible to be resilient and advance your cause. The libertarians are playing a long game and are prevailing.
Janet Adams, we need more Dems and more progressive Dems. When we’ve had the majority in recent years our numbers have been too slim. The Republicans (and people like Manchin and Sinema) keep blocking good programs and policies. The Dems aren’t perfect but we can all pitch in and help make them better.
(And if you’re striving for perfection, please remember that perfect is the enemy of the good.)
OH, stop cherry picking—- I’ve written about Bill Clinton {Slick Willy} for YEARS — Have no use for that arrogant chauvinist. And Wall Street shill.
But it was ALSO the Dems who tried to rectify that awful situation by enacting some reform in Dodd-Frank, and the Republicans put obstacle after obstacle in the way of that, turning it into a weak and ineffectual remedy.
But it’s the Dems who had Al Franken. It’s the Dems who have Jamie Raskin It’s even the Dems who caucus with our Bernie!!
Just get OFF it with what you are angry about — vote for the only party that has people in it who even TRY to fix it — or the party that tries to be “for the people” at least part of the time {Republicans have been the party of “business” for as long as I can remember, and I am 77 years old}.
{And don’t nobody try to say the modern Democratic Party is descended from the KKK or slavers — THAT situation was turned on its head by the Republican “Southern Strategy” to recruit voters when Democrats in the South left the party after LBJ enacted Civil Rights —you know, LBJ, that Democrat who was on the edge of ending the Vietnam War in 1968, until Republicans went to Paris and made a secret deal with Saigon that let Republican Nixon keep the war going for SIX MORE YEARS — and they are still pulling dirty tricks even today. Yeah, baby, you can point to things the Dems have done wrong, but MORE to things they are trying to do right. }
Just get a little bit of PERSPECTIVE about where our world is and where we need it to go. And think about who is going to get you there … It’s not Donald J. F**kWad. Or a bunch of loony-tunes anti-vaxxers.
[Too angry? Yeah, but that ain’t the half of it.They tell me I should be nicer, but being nice is getting harder to do with people who don’t think.]
Ellen Z. is right. Republicans vote against everything President Biden and democrats try to do to help average Americans. So, we need to vote republicans out of Congress.
Janet, Why should you vote for it? Because if you don’t you are effectively voting for Trump and Project 2025. However much democracy is “gone” as you say, that’s nothing compared to the fascism that Republicans are determined to create.
Janet, “invalid”? Really? Because you disagree? Of course your vote is your choice. However, my point remains that a consequence of not voting for Biden is a significant increase in the likelihood of a Trump win. I understand making a vote in protest against important things, even crucially important things. Unintended consequences are still consequences, and in this case those consequences will very likely be the death knell for not only our democracy (no matter how badly flawed) but other democracies around the world. A win for Trump is a win for Putin, a loss for Ukraine, and an increase in the likelihood of another world war, as Putin feels emboldened to attack NATO countries.
Not so quick Janet. The question is not your vote, but whether you are voting for Trump or Biden... this is the last chance, and maybe the last election.
Janet, Oh, please, no one is suggesting otherwise. That sounds like a petulant response with no commitment. I suspect you will do better when the time comes.
What it really comes down to is how can we change society based on a vision of creating more wellbeing for the vast majority of people in our country and around the world? "Demanding" a progressive agenda is part of the answer, but of course there's more. Few if any elected officials can lead the change because they're far too dependent on money, media, and public perception shaped by wealthy influencers. I think we all know who that leaves. Changing how and what people think happens one person at a time and we all have a role to play.
Your point is well-made, Peter. Many of us are overwhelmed at the complex challenges we face– politically, economically, psychologically, physically that all results in mass confusion, noisy debates as we all continue treading in the mud puddle and getting nowhere besides anticipating the results of the coming election. what seems to be driving this is collective fear of the results of the coming election and it's aftermath. That is why you are correct in urging us to get back to the basics just as human life begins with a minuscule cell dividing, so must we strategize one person at a time by speaking to friends, acquaintances, and any who will listen to the need to do the right thing with our lives for the sake of all of us.
I try not to demand specific choices from others. Each of us gets to ask ourself how can I make the biggest difference? How can I draw other people to join me? For me finding peace within, learning from others to become well informed, and demonstrating kindness and compassion feels important. Often it seems the more one side pushes against, the more the other side pushes back.
How long do I expect...? I see changes occurring but also that it happens slowly. I think Trump and many Republicans will be defeated because they don't represent what most people want: honesty, integrity, fairness, and compassion. Reigning in Wall Street will take longer and needs to be done in a way that is seen as fair without punishing people for playing by the rules. As I see it "Bidenomics" is starting to grow the economy "from the bottom up and the middle out" and also benefit the wealthy. Supply side crony capitalism has not really been good for the economy. The evidence is there, it's just a matter of time for more people to cognize the reality.
War still doesn't work. What's different now is that instead of jumping to join in, more countries and leaders are looking for ways to contain the conflict or de-escalate.
Well said. It is difficult to converse with someone who merely lobs a challenge without substantiating the challenge or offering an opinion to counter what is being challenged.
Actually, AT THIS POINT, we will all benefit if we do NOT let Republicans take the White House or Congress in November. We will all benefit if we vote blue.
Absolutely, even though Democrats make huge mistakes, they are not trying to undo our entire government and usher in an autocracy.
OH, yes, disagree with Dems and point out where they are going astray. That’s a good thing, and we need to keep it up way past just the election, so we can get some things addressed that badly need addressing.
Don’t for a minute, though, think Republicans would do better — especially not in this day and age.
Couple of questions or you, Janet:
1. You watched Obama sell out to Wall Street? Do you mean the bailout that was voted in by Republicans in the Bush administration {which for the record BROUGHT ON the crash of 2008, before Obama ever set foot in office}, and that bailout was passed on to Obama in his first months in office, with no provisions made to help homeowners or other non-rich people? Do you mean there was no money in that REPUBLICAN-CREATED recovery package for homeowners whose lives were upended by the Financial Industry, which then tried to put all the blame on those very homeowners for taking out loans that the Financial Industry perverted ….? You mean that? {Hint: that was a Right Wing contrivance!}
Now, I DO think Obama had too many Wall Street types in his administration and on his cabinet, and I say it all the time. Criticizing Democratic heroes is not a bad thing. But to get literally ANYTHING done on health care, Obama had to give in to Republican demands that the plan include prerogatives for the insurance industry, and STILL the Rs did not vote for it!! Do you mean THAT when you criticize him?
If you mean something else, be specific, please …
2. Bill Clinton DID sell out to the bankers on welfare reform. Ostentatiously and horribly. I hate that and criticize him all the time. That and on criminal justice changes he made that were horrendous. AND YET, you said Clinton sold out TO the people on welfare. Did you mean he betrayed people on welfare and sold them out? Because he did NOT provide poor people with anything of value, nothing that hard-working poor people deserve …He did no sell out TO them!
So, was that a misstatement? Or, if you meant it, please be specific.
BECAUSE, sure it’a fine to criticize how the Dems are handling things—- but how about you do it accurately, with some specifics, and some thoughts on what they could have done better.
Otherwise, you just come off like a crank or a troll. I don’t think you want to sound that way.
You should absolutely disagree with them. I think most people here do. We have a lot of work to do to change them but it's difficult because this is essentially a conservative country. Doesn't mean we won't keep trying though.
Janet, I don't know from what source you are getting your "facts" but I would strongly suggest you broaden your sources. I'm quite sure none of us here on Substack would proclaim the Democrats a perfect party. What we do say is, don't let the MAGAts anywhere near the seat of government, then start working on the kind of party we want. Work to dethrone any legislator who is 'on the take' Strive to overturn 'Citizens United' and return to maximum $2500 per year per candidate - or better yet - limited funds for all. Pass our own code of ethical conduct for ALL governmental officials, Demand an independent Ethics Watchdog Bureau. Unless we, the citizens of the United States, start demanding the kind of government we want, we will never achieve good government. And there will always be a small crowd that prefers a corrupt government to achieve their own greedy goals.
Janet - what you say is exactly why I've lost hope. Most dems are repugnant lite; they take corporate money with few exceptions and further the corporate agendas. by the way, dejoy infuriates me - i received a certified letter 12 days after it was mailed. that never happened before him. also, he's an insurrectionist - he tried to interfere with vote by mail in 2020. additionally, the justice dept is full of drumpf appointees - why are they still there? biden is a classic neoliberal servant of the oligarchs.
DeJoy is a REPUBLICAN installation with protection from being fired, and the system is protecting him. NOT Democrats — the system. He DOES need to be dumped, but you must know he’s foisted on us by Republicans and we’d get MORE of it, if we let them win in November.
Please apply rational thought along with the emotional disgust that all the rest of us feel, too.
Pat - see Lee's comment below. He is correct. Biden has had ample opportunity to get rid of this insurrectionist. Also, what is irrational about expecting an executive (biden) to clean house? Again, see Lee's comment below
It is NOT up to Biden to do it. The board has to be made up of a specific mix of bipartisan people. and THEY have to get rid of the guy. I don't say Biden has given it the push I'd have liked. But it's not his right to dump the guy.
I said he doesn't have carte blanche to do it. He does not have unfettered authority. And he WAS stymied for quite some time. Even his appointments need to be approved by the Senate.
YES, I want the guy gone. YES, I want to see Biden pushing for it. But it's not his place to dump him. The Board of Governors has to vote him out.
If Biden is purposely slow-walking this guy's departure, I'd like someone to show me that. I know a LOT of Democrats have ben encouraging him to get it done. Has he been resisting? And why do you think that would be?
The make-up of the board requires a bipartisan representation — Biden can’t pack it the way McConnell packed the Supreme Court {and that in itself is a hoot!}.
If he wants a simple majority to ditch DeJoy, he has to be sure he has what he needs on the board.
I worry that he thinks the PO is a lower-level priority, with all that is on the plate in Washington, but I’d love to see it bring it higher and get rid of that DeZasster.
It didn't work out because the DNC [it their thumb on the scale for Hillary.
And the wise women of South Carolina were snookered. Bernie has real civil rights credentials, he marched even. Hillary's civil rights credentials are specious, and verbal. Yet the wise women of SC voted for her in the primary and the rest of the south fell in line.
S.C and the south basically control the primary, but by the same token, the have the opposite effect on the General.. like it or not the voting public is still race oriented.
Biden in 2020 is not an exception, by 2020 a head of cabbage could have beat Trump, any one the DNC put up would have beat Trump.
The DNC is has a paleolithic attitude, and it fronts candidates, Gubernatorial and Presidential based on length of service, loyalty, credentials and they have no race horse in the paddock to take to the starting gate, other than those who have patiently stood in line, padding around the paddock, earning what the establishment considers necessary credentials. Like Hillary and the DNC demand that she be Secretary of State, for what they perceived was the necessary foreign services credentials.
By the same token by fronted Terry McAuliffe, a former head of the DNC for Governor of VA and the old fool screwed that one quick.
The DNC has not and probably can't learn a lesson from mistakes, because it really is addicted to donor cash. Bernie out raised Hillary, from individual contributions, but that lesson is lost on the DNC.
The problemis the DNC, DSCC and DCCC as well and maybe especially the DLCC founded by Clinton or under his reign.
Why hasn’t the Democratic Party pushed back!!!! De Joke, the Supreme Court, the scary scary thugs taking our so called laws into their own hands to screw all of us. Let’s learn how to screw!!!
I want them to push back A LOT, too, Jean. And be way more savvy and stop letting Republicans eat our lunch.
But DeJoy holds a protected office and he can only be fired by a board that has been purposely kept short of a few members by the Republicans who WANT DeJoy in there ruining the Post Office.
I think Democrats need to be more hardnosed about getting him out, yes. But it’s not as easy as just givning him the heave ho.
At least, it isnt now. Civil Service and a lot of government jobs are isolated from the “whims” of those in power. That is actually something the Heritage Foundation and the Republicans want to UNDO. So, they can fire anyone they want and dump a loyalist in there, kind of like Orban did in Hungary and Putin can do in Russia, now that I think of it.
Again Pat. In 2020 Biden had the chance to appoint to Dems to the BoG of USPS, he appointed a Republican and a Democrat, there are two vacancies since Dec 22 and Biden hasn't filled them.
I don't vote in California,. but am disappointed with the nomination of Schiff.
Schiff is a publicity hound, she speaks a great game on TV, but is otherwise ineffectual
My real gripe is that Shiff and the frmr Congressman for NY, Patrick Mahoney, who was also head of the DCCC, went junkateering in Paris during the 2022 election when they should have stayed home and oversaw the NY congressional elections and the result is that four NY seats flipped to Republican and look what that has wrought.
I used to like him but I've changed my mind for the reasons you cite and those dirty tricks he pulled in the primary to get Garvey on the ballot. I voted for Porter but I am not happy with her claiming that the election was rigged. Now I wish I'd voted for Barbara Lee but it doesn't matter.
Biden had a chance to get rid of Dejoy in December 2020 Two seat on the board became vacant. If he filled them with two Democrats, the Board of Governors could have fired Dejoy, but he appointed a Democrat and a Republican.
Two more seats came empty in Dec 22, and Biden hasn't filled them. I am sure that if he did one would be a Republican, thus maintaining the balance, Only the Board of Governors can fire DeJoy, and Dejoy and his deputy have one vote each, the board is split and has been.
The question asked, but not in the "liberal" media is why hasn't Biden filled the seats with Democrats and thus fired DeJoy.
DeJoy also cancelled the contract for electric vehicles and gave it to his friend at Oshkosh, in which he holds stock.
And there Joe sits like a stonewall, doing nothing.
Biden is not omnescient, but his actions and inactions make me wonder just who the éminence grise behind the "throne" might be... Larry Summers, come to mind, he made his foul prescence known with Obama, and was behind the appointment of Timothy Geithner and the bank bail out, and who knows what else, I suspect privatizing, neo liberal, Rahm Emanuel as well.
Janet, don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Every politician is a flawed human being, as we all are, but it's self-evident that the other side has politicians who are far more flawed.
I hate hate that expression Jeff, Rahm Emanuel coined it to justify the ACA when we could have had Medicare for all, by simply amending the Medicare Act to say Eligible from Birth.
Do current Medicare recipients support Medicare for All? Medicare and Affirmative Action divided the middle class by race and age. Nixon grabbed the ball right away.
It doesn't take the argument off course. In fact, it gets to the very heart of the argument. You clearly are someone who will only be satisfied with a politician who, out of 330 million Americans, agrees with you, Janet Adams, in every way and meets your, Janet Adams', standards for moral clarity and perfection. Otherwise, they don't deserve your vote. You're sick and tired of voting for the lesser of two evils! I get it.
So because the Democrats haven't earned your vote, you will either not vote or you will vote for a third-party candidate. If that's what you want to do, Janet, well, it's a free country--for now.
Well, there’s progressivism and then there is not so well thought out progressivism. I’ll give you but two examples of the latter. First, I actually read a U of Illinois professor claim that math was racist. Really? Isn’t it something that most humans need to understand to actually function in the world? The entire premise was, it’s racist because a bunch of white Europeans such as Newton invented calculus or other aspects of modern math. Forgetting that who invented various aspects of the math we use today were created by multiple cultures over centuries. Newton can’t help who he was or that he was smart. Are we now to abandon common sense because of such idiotic claims? I fear for the future of this country if this is the tact that we embark on. Second, here in Minneapolis, the left wing city council over rode the liberal mayor in forcing Uber and Lyft to pay a certain base pay. Never mind, that value was from an Oregon initiative, where the cost of living is substantially higher than here in MPLS. Almost twice the existing salary. So what happens? Uber and Lyft are threatening to pull out and leave the city with few alternatives to support the community. While I’d agree that the owners of said services take advantage of the workers, what the council failed to do was its job to evaluate all the alternatives, much less the implications. Instead, just as bad as some republicans on the other side, they shot from the hip. In the end, everyone loses. Stuff like this takes work, which seems to beyond the capability of some Americans. With every action, there is an equally opposite reaction. Not considering what those could be in either case is beyond unconscionable!
Janet, the USPS, during Nixon's term in 1970 was re-formed from a governmental agency performing the will of the people to a self funding quasi-governmental business with an independent board of directors. Biden cannot, by that law, "get rid of" Louis de Joy. Only the USPS has that privilege. That position happened to pop up during the trumpster's reign of terror and naturally he appointed a man whose sole business was a competing delivery service. Of course, de Joy wants to destroy USPS.
I agree, Obama made a huge mistake retaining some of the Bank and Securities bailouts instigated by Bush's Henry Paulson, Secretary of the Treasury. I don't think Obama, immediately understood the depth of the calamity of 2008. He, Obama, did replace all but Robert Gates, Secretary DOD. The "talk" of his retaining "all those Republicans" was just that - talk no substance. Fact check Janet.
I agree with you, Janet. One quibble, though: no, Biden can't get rid of DeJoy. He can appoint members to the governing board as vacancies come up, but until there's a critical mass of anti-DeJoy members, the incredibly misnomered DeJoy isn't going anywhere.
Biden isn't anti-corporation?? Well, I guess not, after he's been in bed with them his entire career. There's gotta be a reason he was initially elected from his home state of Delaware, the incoporation base for credit card companies and thousands of large businesses.
I hear you. But most folks are uncomfortable with upsetting the status quo. And I also hear them. How can we effect change without cooperation? This is the paradox. And that is the solution - radical change that brings quick, positive results. Like I saw elsewhere where you said ejecting the pawns of Wall Street from within the administration. That is a place to start.
Janet, you are focused on class issues, but most voters are mesmerized by what they see on TV: the border tragedy, the spectacular store robberies, gang violence, and, of course, they see the high grocery prices. These people will vote Republican.
Dear Professor Reich,
John Fugelsang gave you a great plug on his Saturday morning podcast. He said the following:
“Let me quote Robert Reich today who wrote, what do these corporations have in common?, Netflix, Ford, Tesla, T-Mobile, Duke Energy, Dish Network, Met Life, Dominion Energy, United States Seal, in recent years these corporations pay their executives more than they pay in taxes! This is what a corporate rigged system looks like.
Dear God, let us use all the science and technology we have to make Robert Reich live forever!”
I second this statement. Keep your facts coming!
Sincerely
Keith Olson
I second that!!
I third that
A word from other Republicans than the Lincoln Project:
https://youtu.be/yJfGEIUSwz4?si=vN3QYcUb1qbnunq3
Justice Matters, Glenn Kirschner
I always look forward to this guy - Anthony Davis - too: https://youtu.be/WOfJeLpdk0U?si=HnfS-m0FZa2ddoiQ
Five Minute News and the Weekend Report are my go to podcasts
His comments are my daily faire, along with MidasTouch and Popok.
Keep turning your Hamster wheel to keep yourself fit for this long fight
Here in America, right matters
https://www.amazon.com/Alexander-Vindman/e/B08ML9Y673/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1
👍
❤️❤️❤️
Nothing matters. Good ad copy for us.
For MAGATS "Trump hates dogs" and "Trump stole from kids with cancer" is more effective..
If you edit people, you can make it look like they’re all saying “nothing matters,” when most of them are saying essentially, “It seems that Republicans believe nothing maters.”
We all know that THE COMING ELECTION MATTERS, and it matters greatly.
It DOES matter that Donald has been indicted. But is he really facing consequences, or is he going to skate?
THAT is still a huge question.
And, yes, IT MATTERS!
Vote Blue.
He's also having trouble raising that half a billion dollars. I'm laughing my head off.
I certainly hope so. The Republican Party is becoming his piggy bank. I hope people realize ... !
And even they can't seem to help him through this one. Ha ha ha!
you might want to check your facts! your rose-colored glasses are a bit foggy!
This is not Just Trumpet 🎺 vs Biden
This election is the Patricians ( REPUBLICANS ) Vs the Plebs ( DEMOCRATS )
Trumpet 🎺 is waging Class WARFARE
Trumpet 🎺 talks inclusiveness but his actions are Exclusive . Thumpet 🎺 wants to Exclude everyone that doesn’t have Money or Property.
Trumpet 🎺 wants to Cut; End Social Security , Cut Food Stamps; Cut Education, Cut Veterans Benefits…
I disagree. If Biden’s obvious agenda wasn’t opposed in every aspect by the Republican Congress, it would be close to an FDR plan for the future. No, there is no magic cure but it would narrow the income gap. Indifference will kill all of us and pooh-poohing all Democrat politicians is a self mutilating agenda.
Biden is trying to do a lot of good things. We need to vote for him in November. Equally important, vote Democrat down ballot to give him the Congress he needs to pass his legislation.
try he might, but he is too weak a leader to pull it off, but he will still be lining his pockets nonetheless. what a crook!
The Republicans aren't opposing Biden on principle. They oppose Biden because Trump says so, and they don't want to give him a win, even when he is giving them what they want, like the immigration package.
The Republicans are opposing Biden on principle, and this is why they support Trump. The Republican Party is owned and controlled by super-wealthy libertarians. They want to privatize SS, Medicare, and public education. They also want to outlaw labor unions, eliminate federal government jurisdiction over consumer protection and environmental regulation. Quite a few of them also think that the surest way to accomplish their goals is through an "energized" presidency, a dictator in other words. They admire Putin and Orban, not Thomas Jefferson, and certainly not FDR, whom they consider "socialist."
Victor, I honestly don't think Republicans think that far. They are more like toddlers who want whatever they want that moment. They have no idea of what life is like for folks under Putin or Orban or any of the other dictators because when/if they ever visit they are shown a theatre piece that has no relation to reality for the people, even the rich ones. For Republicans, fear, ignorance, Trumped-up anger and hatred work to keep the folks in line and spouting insanities that they do not even understand like that they would like Trump to be a dictator. I hope we can stop the Trump madness, but our media and the Supreme Court do not seem in any way interested in stopping it (OK Trump's dementia) from warping our democracy, destroying it if they can. Trump has already promised a "bloodbath" with him at the center watching and cheering it on. That sounds a whole lot like treason to me.
TOTAL BS, propaganda in its worst form.
You have to build from where you’re at. The rest is fantasy. If you don’t like what the Democrats are doing then get in there and fix it.
BUT don’t let the Republicans in, because they will install a fascist oligarchy.
VOTE BLUE, and stay involved and work for the changes we need.
again, total bullshit as is usual from the left.
plus don't forget it was the Dems who organized the KKK.
Steve that is a facetious and obfuscatory comment. None of us can"fix" it, we don't have the money, the position, the connections.
Your comment is akin to "America love it or leave it"
We without power, do what we can do, with the only power we have.. our vote and voicing our opinion.
No argument Janet, you are absolutely correct on all accounts, Dems are in fact complicit, chasing donor cash, and having people like Larry Summers and Jamie Dimon rule the roost, behind the curtain.
Yet the situation in 2024 is different,much different and it is a question of shall we have a dictatorship of the religious right, or continue to live in relative freedom?
There is no other choice either vote for dictatorship by voting for Trump, a third party or not voting, or vote for freedom of thought and action.
kinda a loaded comment don't you think?
Because if you don't you may never vote again, for anything.
really, you sound like Chicken Little, shouting "the sky is falling, the sky is falling"
In real life you have to make compromises. It does not mean that you have to compromise your principles; all it means is that to advance your long-term goals you have to make short-term concessions. You have to be flexible to be resilient and advance your cause. The libertarians are playing a long game and are prevailing.
Janet Adams, we need more Dems and more progressive Dems. When we’ve had the majority in recent years our numbers have been too slim. The Republicans (and people like Manchin and Sinema) keep blocking good programs and policies. The Dems aren’t perfect but we can all pitch in and help make them better.
(And if you’re striving for perfection, please remember that perfect is the enemy of the good.)
Help Democrats win!
OH, stop cherry picking—- I’ve written about Bill Clinton {Slick Willy} for YEARS — Have no use for that arrogant chauvinist. And Wall Street shill.
But it was ALSO the Dems who tried to rectify that awful situation by enacting some reform in Dodd-Frank, and the Republicans put obstacle after obstacle in the way of that, turning it into a weak and ineffectual remedy.
But it’s the Dems who had Al Franken. It’s the Dems who have Jamie Raskin It’s even the Dems who caucus with our Bernie!!
Just get OFF it with what you are angry about — vote for the only party that has people in it who even TRY to fix it — or the party that tries to be “for the people” at least part of the time {Republicans have been the party of “business” for as long as I can remember, and I am 77 years old}.
{And don’t nobody try to say the modern Democratic Party is descended from the KKK or slavers — THAT situation was turned on its head by the Republican “Southern Strategy” to recruit voters when Democrats in the South left the party after LBJ enacted Civil Rights —you know, LBJ, that Democrat who was on the edge of ending the Vietnam War in 1968, until Republicans went to Paris and made a secret deal with Saigon that let Republican Nixon keep the war going for SIX MORE YEARS — and they are still pulling dirty tricks even today. Yeah, baby, you can point to things the Dems have done wrong, but MORE to things they are trying to do right. }
Just get a little bit of PERSPECTIVE about where our world is and where we need it to go. And think about who is going to get you there … It’s not Donald J. F**kWad. Or a bunch of loony-tunes anti-vaxxers.
[Too angry? Yeah, but that ain’t the half of it.They tell me I should be nicer, but being nice is getting harder to do with people who don’t think.]
Then don't.
Ellen Z. is right. Republicans vote against everything President Biden and democrats try to do to help average Americans. So, we need to vote republicans out of Congress.
ain't gonna happen!
Janet, Why should you vote for it? Because if you don’t you are effectively voting for Trump and Project 2025. However much democracy is “gone” as you say, that’s nothing compared to the fascism that Republicans are determined to create.
Voting is the foundation of our democracy and we still have a right to do it,and we better.WE don't want a Putin,China or Cuba type existence.
Janet, “invalid”? Really? Because you disagree? Of course your vote is your choice. However, my point remains that a consequence of not voting for Biden is a significant increase in the likelihood of a Trump win. I understand making a vote in protest against important things, even crucially important things. Unintended consequences are still consequences, and in this case those consequences will very likely be the death knell for not only our democracy (no matter how badly flawed) but other democracies around the world. A win for Trump is a win for Putin, a loss for Ukraine, and an increase in the likelihood of another world war, as Putin feels emboldened to attack NATO countries.
Not so quick Janet. The question is not your vote, but whether you are voting for Trump or Biden... this is the last chance, and maybe the last election.
Janet, Oh, please, no one is suggesting otherwise. That sounds like a petulant response with no commitment. I suspect you will do better when the time comes.
Contrary to widespread gossip democracy is not quite gone --yet.
The Democrats are more open to campaign finance reform and should take the lead on it.
THAT IS A LIE! they want reform that is totally in their favor
Janet, are you a shill for Republicans?
What it really comes down to is how can we change society based on a vision of creating more wellbeing for the vast majority of people in our country and around the world? "Demanding" a progressive agenda is part of the answer, but of course there's more. Few if any elected officials can lead the change because they're far too dependent on money, media, and public perception shaped by wealthy influencers. I think we all know who that leaves. Changing how and what people think happens one person at a time and we all have a role to play.
Your point is well-made, Peter. Many of us are overwhelmed at the complex challenges we face– politically, economically, psychologically, physically that all results in mass confusion, noisy debates as we all continue treading in the mud puddle and getting nowhere besides anticipating the results of the coming election. what seems to be driving this is collective fear of the results of the coming election and it's aftermath. That is why you are correct in urging us to get back to the basics just as human life begins with a minuscule cell dividing, so must we strategize one person at a time by speaking to friends, acquaintances, and any who will listen to the need to do the right thing with our lives for the sake of all of us.
I try not to demand specific choices from others. Each of us gets to ask ourself how can I make the biggest difference? How can I draw other people to join me? For me finding peace within, learning from others to become well informed, and demonstrating kindness and compassion feels important. Often it seems the more one side pushes against, the more the other side pushes back.
How long do I expect...? I see changes occurring but also that it happens slowly. I think Trump and many Republicans will be defeated because they don't represent what most people want: honesty, integrity, fairness, and compassion. Reigning in Wall Street will take longer and needs to be done in a way that is seen as fair without punishing people for playing by the rules. As I see it "Bidenomics" is starting to grow the economy "from the bottom up and the middle out" and also benefit the wealthy. Supply side crony capitalism has not really been good for the economy. The evidence is there, it's just a matter of time for more people to cognize the reality.
War still doesn't work. What's different now is that instead of jumping to join in, more countries and leaders are looking for ways to contain the conflict or de-escalate.
Well said. It is difficult to converse with someone who merely lobs a challenge without substantiating the challenge or offering an opinion to counter what is being challenged.
Whoa, that’s just not true.
Actually, AT THIS POINT, we will all benefit if we do NOT let Republicans take the White House or Congress in November. We will all benefit if we vote blue.
Absolutely, even though Democrats make huge mistakes, they are not trying to undo our entire government and usher in an autocracy.
OH, yes, disagree with Dems and point out where they are going astray. That’s a good thing, and we need to keep it up way past just the election, so we can get some things addressed that badly need addressing.
Don’t for a minute, though, think Republicans would do better — especially not in this day and age.
Couple of questions or you, Janet:
1. You watched Obama sell out to Wall Street? Do you mean the bailout that was voted in by Republicans in the Bush administration {which for the record BROUGHT ON the crash of 2008, before Obama ever set foot in office}, and that bailout was passed on to Obama in his first months in office, with no provisions made to help homeowners or other non-rich people? Do you mean there was no money in that REPUBLICAN-CREATED recovery package for homeowners whose lives were upended by the Financial Industry, which then tried to put all the blame on those very homeowners for taking out loans that the Financial Industry perverted ….? You mean that? {Hint: that was a Right Wing contrivance!}
Now, I DO think Obama had too many Wall Street types in his administration and on his cabinet, and I say it all the time. Criticizing Democratic heroes is not a bad thing. But to get literally ANYTHING done on health care, Obama had to give in to Republican demands that the plan include prerogatives for the insurance industry, and STILL the Rs did not vote for it!! Do you mean THAT when you criticize him?
If you mean something else, be specific, please …
2. Bill Clinton DID sell out to the bankers on welfare reform. Ostentatiously and horribly. I hate that and criticize him all the time. That and on criminal justice changes he made that were horrendous. AND YET, you said Clinton sold out TO the people on welfare. Did you mean he betrayed people on welfare and sold them out? Because he did NOT provide poor people with anything of value, nothing that hard-working poor people deserve …He did no sell out TO them!
So, was that a misstatement? Or, if you meant it, please be specific.
BECAUSE, sure it’a fine to criticize how the Dems are handling things—- but how about you do it accurately, with some specifics, and some thoughts on what they could have done better.
Otherwise, you just come off like a crank or a troll. I don’t think you want to sound that way.
You should absolutely disagree with them. I think most people here do. We have a lot of work to do to change them but it's difficult because this is essentially a conservative country. Doesn't mean we won't keep trying though.
Janet, I don't know from what source you are getting your "facts" but I would strongly suggest you broaden your sources. I'm quite sure none of us here on Substack would proclaim the Democrats a perfect party. What we do say is, don't let the MAGAts anywhere near the seat of government, then start working on the kind of party we want. Work to dethrone any legislator who is 'on the take' Strive to overturn 'Citizens United' and return to maximum $2500 per year per candidate - or better yet - limited funds for all. Pass our own code of ethical conduct for ALL governmental officials, Demand an independent Ethics Watchdog Bureau. Unless we, the citizens of the United States, start demanding the kind of government we want, we will never achieve good government. And there will always be a small crowd that prefers a corrupt government to achieve their own greedy goals.
WHAT are you talking about?
And WHO is “demanding” anyone vote for or anyone?
We are all asking, pleading, arguing, hoping …
I don’t get what you are saying.
Janet - what you say is exactly why I've lost hope. Most dems are repugnant lite; they take corporate money with few exceptions and further the corporate agendas. by the way, dejoy infuriates me - i received a certified letter 12 days after it was mailed. that never happened before him. also, he's an insurrectionist - he tried to interfere with vote by mail in 2020. additionally, the justice dept is full of drumpf appointees - why are they still there? biden is a classic neoliberal servant of the oligarchs.
DeJoy is a REPUBLICAN installation with protection from being fired, and the system is protecting him. NOT Democrats — the system. He DOES need to be dumped, but you must know he’s foisted on us by Republicans and we’d get MORE of it, if we let them win in November.
Please apply rational thought along with the emotional disgust that all the rest of us feel, too.
Pat - see Lee's comment below. He is correct. Biden has had ample opportunity to get rid of this insurrectionist. Also, what is irrational about expecting an executive (biden) to clean house? Again, see Lee's comment below
It is NOT up to Biden to do it. The board has to be made up of a specific mix of bipartisan people. and THEY have to get rid of the guy. I don't say Biden has given it the push I'd have liked. But it's not his right to dump the guy.
I said he doesn't have carte blanche to do it. He does not have unfettered authority. And he WAS stymied for quite some time. Even his appointments need to be approved by the Senate.
YES, I want the guy gone. YES, I want to see Biden pushing for it. But it's not his place to dump him. The Board of Governors has to vote him out.
If Biden is purposely slow-walking this guy's departure, I'd like someone to show me that. I know a LOT of Democrats have ben encouraging him to get it done. Has he been resisting? And why do you think that would be?
Correction Pat. i will say it again. Two seats came empty on the Board of Governors in 2020 and Biden appointed a Republican and a Democrat.
Two more seats have come empty in Dec 2022, and Biden has left them empty, thus leaving DeJoy in charge.
The make-up of the board requires a bipartisan representation — Biden can’t pack it the way McConnell packed the Supreme Court {and that in itself is a hoot!}.
If he wants a simple majority to ditch DeJoy, he has to be sure he has what he needs on the board.
I worry that he thinks the PO is a lower-level priority, with all that is on the plate in Washington, but I’d love to see it bring it higher and get rid of that DeZasster.
So...feel the Bern? How'd that work out in '16?
It didn't work out because the DNC [it their thumb on the scale for Hillary.
And the wise women of South Carolina were snookered. Bernie has real civil rights credentials, he marched even. Hillary's civil rights credentials are specious, and verbal. Yet the wise women of SC voted for her in the primary and the rest of the south fell in line.
S.C and the south basically control the primary, but by the same token, the have the opposite effect on the General.. like it or not the voting public is still race oriented.
Biden in 2020 is not an exception, by 2020 a head of cabbage could have beat Trump, any one the DNC put up would have beat Trump.
The DNC is has a paleolithic attitude, and it fronts candidates, Gubernatorial and Presidential based on length of service, loyalty, credentials and they have no race horse in the paddock to take to the starting gate, other than those who have patiently stood in line, padding around the paddock, earning what the establishment considers necessary credentials. Like Hillary and the DNC demand that she be Secretary of State, for what they perceived was the necessary foreign services credentials.
By the same token by fronted Terry McAuliffe, a former head of the DNC for Governor of VA and the old fool screwed that one quick.
The DNC has not and probably can't learn a lesson from mistakes, because it really is addicted to donor cash. Bernie out raised Hillary, from individual contributions, but that lesson is lost on the DNC.
The problemis the DNC, DSCC and DCCC as well and maybe especially the DLCC founded by Clinton or under his reign.
Don, see Lee's comment below. Bernie would have beaten drumpf.
It is good to expect the best. Remember, though,that Democrats don’t operate in a vacuum. They can’t change things via fiat.
I agree Janet,
Why hasn’t the Democratic Party pushed back!!!! De Joke, the Supreme Court, the scary scary thugs taking our so called laws into their own hands to screw all of us. Let’s learn how to screw!!!
I want them to push back A LOT, too, Jean. And be way more savvy and stop letting Republicans eat our lunch.
But DeJoy holds a protected office and he can only be fired by a board that has been purposely kept short of a few members by the Republicans who WANT DeJoy in there ruining the Post Office.
I think Democrats need to be more hardnosed about getting him out, yes. But it’s not as easy as just givning him the heave ho.
At least, it isnt now. Civil Service and a lot of government jobs are isolated from the “whims” of those in power. That is actually something the Heritage Foundation and the Republicans want to UNDO. So, they can fire anyone they want and dump a loyalist in there, kind of like Orban did in Hungary and Putin can do in Russia, now that I think of it.
Do you WANT to usher in that kind of change?
Again Pat. In 2020 Biden had the chance to appoint to Dems to the BoG of USPS, he appointed a Republican and a Democrat, there are two vacancies since Dec 22 and Biden hasn't filled them.
So Biden's fault then, and What is going on.?
I voted for her.
Janet, I know you can't tolerate being corrected when you make a factual error, but I do think you mean the "Pecora" hearings.
KP had strong rivals in Barbara Lee and Adam Schiff.
What do you mean by "the useless of the bankers"?
I don't vote in California,. but am disappointed with the nomination of Schiff.
Schiff is a publicity hound, she speaks a great game on TV, but is otherwise ineffectual
My real gripe is that Shiff and the frmr Congressman for NY, Patrick Mahoney, who was also head of the DCCC, went junkateering in Paris during the 2022 election when they should have stayed home and oversaw the NY congressional elections and the result is that four NY seats flipped to Republican and look what that has wrought.
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I used to like him but I've changed my mind for the reasons you cite and those dirty tricks he pulled in the primary to get Garvey on the ballot. I voted for Porter but I am not happy with her claiming that the election was rigged. Now I wish I'd voted for Barbara Lee but it doesn't matter.
Biden had a chance to get rid of Dejoy in December 2020 Two seat on the board became vacant. If he filled them with two Democrats, the Board of Governors could have fired Dejoy, but he appointed a Democrat and a Republican.
Two more seats came empty in Dec 22, and Biden hasn't filled them. I am sure that if he did one would be a Republican, thus maintaining the balance, Only the Board of Governors can fire DeJoy, and Dejoy and his deputy have one vote each, the board is split and has been.
The question asked, but not in the "liberal" media is why hasn't Biden filled the seats with Democrats and thus fired DeJoy.
DeJoy also cancelled the contract for electric vehicles and gave it to his friend at Oshkosh, in which he holds stock.
And there Joe sits like a stonewall, doing nothing.
Biden is not omnescient, but his actions and inactions make me wonder just who the éminence grise behind the "throne" might be... Larry Summers, come to mind, he made his foul prescence known with Obama, and was behind the appointment of Timothy Geithner and the bank bail out, and who knows what else, I suspect privatizing, neo liberal, Rahm Emanuel as well.
Janet, don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Every politician is a flawed human being, as we all are, but it's self-evident that the other side has politicians who are far more flawed.
I hate hate that expression Jeff, Rahm Emanuel coined it to justify the ACA when we could have had Medicare for all, by simply amending the Medicare Act to say Eligible from Birth.
Do current Medicare recipients support Medicare for All? Medicare and Affirmative Action divided the middle class by race and age. Nixon grabbed the ball right away.
It doesn't take the argument off course. In fact, it gets to the very heart of the argument. You clearly are someone who will only be satisfied with a politician who, out of 330 million Americans, agrees with you, Janet Adams, in every way and meets your, Janet Adams', standards for moral clarity and perfection. Otherwise, they don't deserve your vote. You're sick and tired of voting for the lesser of two evils! I get it.
So because the Democrats haven't earned your vote, you will either not vote or you will vote for a third-party candidate. If that's what you want to do, Janet, well, it's a free country--for now.
I agree with you. Asking people to vote against Trump does not solve their problems. Telling them how you will help them is the way to go.
Well, there’s progressivism and then there is not so well thought out progressivism. I’ll give you but two examples of the latter. First, I actually read a U of Illinois professor claim that math was racist. Really? Isn’t it something that most humans need to understand to actually function in the world? The entire premise was, it’s racist because a bunch of white Europeans such as Newton invented calculus or other aspects of modern math. Forgetting that who invented various aspects of the math we use today were created by multiple cultures over centuries. Newton can’t help who he was or that he was smart. Are we now to abandon common sense because of such idiotic claims? I fear for the future of this country if this is the tact that we embark on. Second, here in Minneapolis, the left wing city council over rode the liberal mayor in forcing Uber and Lyft to pay a certain base pay. Never mind, that value was from an Oregon initiative, where the cost of living is substantially higher than here in MPLS. Almost twice the existing salary. So what happens? Uber and Lyft are threatening to pull out and leave the city with few alternatives to support the community. While I’d agree that the owners of said services take advantage of the workers, what the council failed to do was its job to evaluate all the alternatives, much less the implications. Instead, just as bad as some republicans on the other side, they shot from the hip. In the end, everyone loses. Stuff like this takes work, which seems to beyond the capability of some Americans. With every action, there is an equally opposite reaction. Not considering what those could be in either case is beyond unconscionable!
To be an FDR you need a Frances Perkins!!
Janet, the USPS, during Nixon's term in 1970 was re-formed from a governmental agency performing the will of the people to a self funding quasi-governmental business with an independent board of directors. Biden cannot, by that law, "get rid of" Louis de Joy. Only the USPS has that privilege. That position happened to pop up during the trumpster's reign of terror and naturally he appointed a man whose sole business was a competing delivery service. Of course, de Joy wants to destroy USPS.
I agree, Obama made a huge mistake retaining some of the Bank and Securities bailouts instigated by Bush's Henry Paulson, Secretary of the Treasury. I don't think Obama, immediately understood the depth of the calamity of 2008. He, Obama, did replace all but Robert Gates, Secretary DOD. The "talk" of his retaining "all those Republicans" was just that - talk no substance. Fact check Janet.
I agree with you, Janet. One quibble, though: no, Biden can't get rid of DeJoy. He can appoint members to the governing board as vacancies come up, but until there's a critical mass of anti-DeJoy members, the incredibly misnomered DeJoy isn't going anywhere.
EXACTLY, on all counts!
Biden isn't anti-corporation?? Well, I guess not, after he's been in bed with them his entire career. There's gotta be a reason he was initially elected from his home state of Delaware, the incoporation base for credit card companies and thousands of large businesses.
I hear you. But most folks are uncomfortable with upsetting the status quo. And I also hear them. How can we effect change without cooperation? This is the paradox. And that is the solution - radical change that brings quick, positive results. Like I saw elsewhere where you said ejecting the pawns of Wall Street from within the administration. That is a place to start.
Janet, you are focused on class issues, but most voters are mesmerized by what they see on TV: the border tragedy, the spectacular store robberies, gang violence, and, of course, they see the high grocery prices. These people will vote Republican.