Professor Reich: wow, eye-opening and thought-provoking. it also explains why i love elizabeth and bernie so much and had hoped they (or elizabeth, at least) would run for the presidency. (by the way, i love referring to her as elizabeth "I HAVE A PLAN!" warren, because saying this always makes me smile and also reminds me that here is a genuine warrior woman who thinks and plans and is optimistic and who is worthy of our support.)
but here we are, facing the worst fascist take-over of the country in my lifetime, by power-hungry oligarchs. i know so many people who worship money and power as surely as they once worshiped christ or whatever else was their motivator in life, and it's terrifying. i'm not sure if we had an army of elizabeth "I HAVE A PLAN!" warrens who are willing and able to fight for us, if americans would support them or fight alongside them.
I’ve supported Bernie and Liz’s runs for POTUS. Either would’ve changed the paradigm and focus of Washington elected officials catering to the 1% versus the 99%.
I’m looking forward to the next Democrat for POTUS that fits their mold. If we don’t find one, our democracy will be lost forever to the GOP crooks and liars.
Papa, I am watching Ben Wikler, Gavin Newsom, Pete Buttigieg, Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger and Jamie Raskin. I would definitely support Bernie or Elizabeth; however, I don't think they will ever run for president again. We absolutely need a better voice that actually LISTENS to the peoples' concerns, issues and needs. We need someone who will tell the richy rich to go pound sand and not accept their dark money. We need someone who will get in there and do away with Citizens United, the Electoral College and replace, even stronger, every single guardrail we had before the republicans tore them down. We need someone who will clean up the supreme court and get rid of those justices who were criminal in their actions.
For democracy also, end Filibuster, change Senatorial Representation (more than 2 based on population) and end gerrymandering. Look at what the state GOP just did to NC Governor. Essentially neutered him.
I feel we’ve fallen too far into the GOP gaming of the “rules” and norms, to dig our democracy out from in one or two election cycles. Unless Trump has a devastatingly horrible term sufficient to awaken his disciples to the truth of his idiocy, criminality, debauchery, and venality, assuming they don’t cheer those qualities themselves, I don’t see an escape from this devolution.
I haven’t lost hope, yet suspect we’ll suffer far more deeply as a Nation, before we leave behind the carnage I anticipate.
It may take an externality like climate change to bring change we want, or it may make governance worse. Hard to say.
Or if Trump tanks the economy which is a real possibility and is seen that way -remember unemployment at the end of his last term was the highest since the Great Depression and he was extremely unpopular- that may help to get us out of this mess, some.
The main hope i have is that the world is always more creative than I am. But as far as my thoughts go, its grim city man.
Papa, it takes 2/3rds of the Senate to get rid of the filibuster. Schumer has had the nuclear option and never used it. It is all moot now, There is no significant legislation before the Senate and thee will be none until the 119th Congress, save budget and spending authorization.
The Republicans in the senate would never have voted to repeal the filibuster, but can't say the same for the Democrats in the new Republican controlled Senate,lots of self serving turncoats, Manchin and Sinema were their cover,so they didn't have to expose themselves.
And if the Democrats try to filibuster, you can be sure that Senator Thune will pull the nuclear option.
Until states like ruby red Wyoming, population 600,000, with two Senators versus California predominantly blue, population 43 million, also two Senators, obtain equitable Senatorial representation, we will continue to have a minority of the US population having greater Senatorial representation than the majority of the population. This, the Electoral College, and gerrymandering, must end to achieve a fair majority ruling electorate.
I agree Papa, but I can't think of a viable solution Can you?
The political situation is a mess. A compromise hacked together by men, as they sought to find a solution to a problem. And the problem being: How to get everyone to sign on to an agreement. The states with a scarce and spread out population, felt that they were at the mercy of more populous states, and the two senators per state was suppose to give the lesser states a counter countvailing power against the more populous states who would have more representation in the Senate. as was the 2/3rds if a person count for slaves, as representation in the house was based on population count.
The purpose of the first census (1790- 1820) was to determine how many people lived in a district to determine representation in the house.
The 1790 census enumerated males over 16, males under 16, free whites and slaves. 16 was the age in which males became eligible for conscription into militias, subsequent years that broke down the population by age, and by 1850 used further categories like "read and write" and "idiot"
By the way in 1790 there were only two states that didn't have any slaves,Maine and Massachusetts
The only way to change the constitution, both representation in congress and the electoral college is via a constitutional convention, and that would require a 3/4th majority of the states, the same amount needed to amend the constitution.
There are 13 states with only one or two representatives in the House
Getting 3/4's of the states to agree to such a change will be impossible.
What you are saying here is we must repeat a revolution in the U.S. that will work even better than 1776. Dreaming of one leader doesn't help when facing a tribe of oligarchs.
Think about it. That one leader can unite the various factions that are fighting for the same thing - our Democracy. If that one person can bring everyone together, yes, we could have a revolution without firing a single shot! There are so many different organizations, PACs and groups that are working toward that end; however, it is disjointed. This organization is fighting that and this PAC is fighting this. If every American that wants to see our Democracy survive and progress came together, our voice would be more powerful than the orange man and his sycophants - more powerful than the billionaires and the mega-corporations. We would be heard and that one leader would let the orange man and all of them know this is America and we are a Democracy, not a dictatorship.
The MUCH "better voice" exists/existed in the person of non-PAC, progressive Democratic presidential candidate, Marianne Williamson, but the corporate centrist Democrats politically ran her off the road and left her for dead, along with millions of other people. And the Democrats' mainstream news lackeys completely shut her out from the start of her campaign in March 2023. I also made a number of posts about her for Mr. Reich's substack and YT channel, and subsequent posts of his showed me that they were ignored.
I'll even go so far as to say that the murder of the United CEO likely would not have happened if the Democrats had not undemocratically silenced Williamson [and others]. Her entire platform was about drastically reworking or dismantling all the "industrial complexes", and certainly the conflict of interest, for-profit healthcare business must be dismantled. Part of the silencing was FOUR cancelled primaries to kill any Biden competition. And without the benefit of the voice of "the people", i.e. an open convention, the Democrats undemocratically annointed Kamala Harris as the nominee.
I hope it's not too late. Would you read my substack I just submitted about my hearing with the administrative law judge concerning the Medicare Advantage denial, Maximus role, and give me your experienced opinion?
I hate to say this but the odds as a pro se person are slim to none. I don't know who the judge is but the odds that she will actually write the decision are also virtually nil. They use "decision writers."
The best lawyers would hand me a propsed decision (in digital form) to try to avoid the use of decision writers. They don't even listen to the hearing tape.
On the merits, the big thing is that you were initially approved, so the burden of proof should be on the company. It was up to them to PROVE a case, not you.
We may really need a non-affiliated person to lead our nation, who is not beholden to the corporate gang embedded in our governance and both major parties to date.
Nailed it! I heart Elizabeth! I love everything about her. I actually had a House Party for her. I went to Warren Night School and took notes. She really did have a good plan for practically everything.
On the night McCain gave the famous thumb down on ending the ACA, several Dem Senators came outside to speak to a couple hundred people who had gathered on the Capital Grounds. Warren gave the most sincere, hopeful and inspiring speech. At one point, Senator Warren was taking a picture several people. She looked at me standing nearby and said, "get in here!" I sure wish I had gotten a copy of that picture.
It was a roller-coaster of a night. At one point, a limo came rolling up with VP Pence to cast the tie-breaking vote. It really did go down to the wire. Without McCain taking a stand for saving the ACA, it would've been history... Without the notion of a concept of a plan to replace the ACA.
I met some really amazing people in the days around that vote, including "Spitfire." She was in a wheelchair and had been arrested over 40 times protesting for healthcare. For her, the vote was a matter of life and death, living at home or in a hospital. Spitfire, Warren and McCain were my new heros.
This was a really great two-piece story by Sec. Reich, IMO. He nailed it. This one story is worth the monthly 5 bucks.
I promise to renew my subscription as soon as I get my back pay or sell some belongings. It's been rough due to an injury. On the night McCain saved the ACA, I didn't know my life would be one of the 40,000 lives a YEAR that the ACA saves.
If DOGE wants to save over $300 Billion a year, I suggest simply cutting out the unnecessary middle man, health insurance companies, and switch to a Single Payer, Medicare For All system, like the rest of the industrialized world. $300 Billion over 10 years is $3 Trillion?
Another way to save a lot is to stop spending so much on satellites that add air pollution, increase greenhouse gasses, and will put a hole in the ozone the size of Texas. After all, seniors need Social Security more than wasteful government contracts and silly Mars exploration. For real!
Musk and the tech bros in Silicon Valley remind me of the adage
"the farther away you are from a problem the easier it is to fix."
Look at the US map.
My guess is Musk will wear out his welcome pretty quick. There's a reason corporate boards have gotten rid of him.
People here should consider whether they want to be on twitter. The more who leave it the more Musk is sapped of strength and twitter/X can end up a rightwing site like Truth Social that many companies will not advertise on.
Besides, Musk controls the twitter "battlefield". Try Bluesky https://bsky.app/
Danny Piper, I love everything you just wrote here! What a positive spirit you have! Right ON!!! And you’re right about the bloated middle man in medicine. I’m old enough to remember the medical world before all that (I worked in pediatrics) and it was so much better. Keep writing, Danny Piper!
I still have my Bernie and Warren magnets all over my refrigerator ❤️
We are so blessed to still have Elizabeth Warren in Massachusetts. I would have died happy if either of them were POTUS! Instead.....it looks like my death will take place in The Upside-Down, with monsters screaming in the perpetual dark 💀
To put it in layman terms, in our country today, it’s an upside down funnel with a strong vacuum at the top that is sucking all the money from the bottom 90% to the very narrow end of the funnel at the top! Decency and respect are being replaced by greed and corruption. Trickle down economics was the ridiculous fantasy that the Republicans endorsed with Reagan and it’s been a down hill slide ever since for the average American.
Your argument on this is excellent. The "rot at the top" is exactly what you say. I would only add this to it: The rot's other mechanism is consumption, the promotion of consumption combined with planned obsolescence, and the consumed are the natural resources of the planet. The rot consumes people, yes, and it also consumes forests, farmland, swamps, lakes streams, rivers and ocean. It produces filth and poisons, and that is where our world is headed now.
The "top that is rot" has a term for what you call "filth and poisons:" "EXTERNALITIES."
See how the rot tries to muck up our thinking. They well know the rotten crap they are killing us with, but by putting it in an "external" frame, they are conning us.
The ROTTERS are saying:
"Those filth and poisons that are spreading across the globe, raising global temperatures, destroying all natural living things including humanity. That stuff? Gosh, we don't know nuthin. Must be something EXTERNAL."
Wayne Teel, "filth and poisons" of some people have desecrated and killed our beautiful nature and wildllife. Very sadly, the "filth and poisons" (the rampant egos) are about to stampede and destroy all of us.
I agree that you can use the term, filth and poisons, for people, but I was really referring to things like neonicotinoids, a broad spectrum of agricultural toxins, heavy metals, forever chemicals, and plastic, the externalized costs of production in a consumer society.
Thank you, Professor Reich! I would love to see what you have written so clearly and plainly put on every single news feed, in every single way that information is being sent now-a-days, in every single newspaper! By giving carte blanche to the wealthy by Reagan, our government has transformed our country into the ultra wealthy and the poor. The middle working class is so tiny it's almost miniscule! Americans have been fed a lot of bullshit in the form of platitudes by both the republicans and democrats for so many years while the wealthy and big corporations began to rape and pillage our country for their own benefit. What Reagan was so wrong about was that super wealthy do NOT believe in the common good and they never have. Their greed and thirst for power prevents feelings of unity, good will, caring for neighbors and helping anyone else other than themselves! I'd like any democrat or republican to tell the hard-working middle and lower classes that they can achieve everything they want by simply working hard. Tell that to the guy that holds down 3 even 4 jobs in order to pay for housing, food and family. Tell that to the senior citizen who lives on such a fixed income, they end up eating the cheapest food they can find (yes, sometimes cat food!) and sit in the dark with a blanket in the cold or a hand fan in the heat!, Tell that to the kid who graduated high school but can't afford technical school or college because of the cost, can't afford to leave home because the job he does get, the pay is minimal with no room for saving. Yes, the republicans and democrats have screwed our nation and I am so very angry about it! They can sit up there in Washington and cut this and that because it doesn't mean a tinker's damn to them! They are rich, they have great health care and absolutely do NOT care about the average citizen who put them where they are! Yes, there is a big change coming and it is not going to be pretty! When MAGA cult followers and those Americans who simply did not vote get a dose of reality once the orange man begins his reign of terror, the anger and frustration that so many of us are feeling right now will be felt by them, and Lord love a duck, the 'you know what' will hit the fan!
The possible Executive Orders Donald J. Trump may sign after January 20, 2025
When Trump assumes office again, here are potential controversial orders that could test constitutional boundaries, ignite civil unrest, and challenge democratic norms:
1. Immigration Enforcement and Border Security
• Mass Deportation Policies: Accelerating deportations through enhanced immigration enforcement, possibly targeting DACA recipients despite ongoing legal protections.
• Revisiting Travel Bans: Expanding bans on individuals from predominantly Muslim-majority countries or other regions under the guise of national security.
• Militarization of the Border: Deploying more troops or empowering state militias with federal support to enforce immigration laws.
2. Election Reform and Federal Oversight
• Federal Control of Elections: Issuing orders to “safeguard” elections, such as mandating voter ID laws or restricting mail-in voting, which could disproportionately affect certain communities and undermine trust in elections.
• Investigations into Election “Fraud”: Reopening investigations or establishing commissions targeting past election processes, potentially stoking partisan tensions.
3. Criminalizing Dissent
• Crackdowns on Protests: Expanding penalties for protesters or limiting the scope of First Amendment protections under the pretext of ensuring public safety.
• Surveillance of Opposition Groups: Increasing surveillance and monitoring of organizations labeled as “domestic threats,” particularly progressive or activist groups.
4. Targeting the Media
• Defamation or Anti-Misinformation Rules: Executive orders aimed at curtailing media “misinformation” but selectively targeting outlets critical of his administration, challenging First Amendment protections.
5. Federalizing Culture Wars
• Education Policies: Mandating curricula that emphasize “patriotic education,” restricting content related to race, gender, or LGBTQ+ issues in federally funded schools.
• Anti-Transgender Directives: Prohibiting federal recognition of transgender individuals’ rights in sports, healthcare, or education, provoking backlash and legal challenges.
6. Foreign Policy by Fiat
• Unilateral Military Actions: Ordering military strikes or actions without congressional approval, bypassing constitutional checks on war powers.
• Withdrawing from International Agreements: Abruptly exiting treaties or alliances, such as NATO, which could destabilize international relations.
7. Expanded Executive Power
• Challenging Judicial Oversight: Ignoring or circumventing federal court rulings that block his policies, escalating tensions between branches of government.
• Curtailing Civil Service Protections: Reinstating Schedule F, enabling him to fire career civil servants perceived as obstacles to his agenda.
Potential Outcomes and Civil Unrest:
• Polarized Reactions: Actions perceived as autocratic or targeting marginalized groups could trigger protests, strikes, and clashes between supporters and opponents.
• Legal and Institutional Crises: Courts and Congress may challenge the legality of certain orders, leading to constitutional confrontations.
• Erosion of Norms: Attempts to consolidate power or undermine democratic processes could deepen political divides and spark broader social unrest.
Each could provoke fierce opposition and strain the resilience and at the same time provoke U.S. democratic institutions and the military.
The possible Executive Orders Donald J. Trump may sign after January 20, 2025
When Trump assumes office again, here are potential controversial orders that could test constitutional boundaries, ignite civil unrest, and challenge democratic norms:
1. Immigration Enforcement and Border Security
• Mass Deportation Policies: Accelerating deportations through enhanced immigration enforcement, possibly targeting DACA recipients despite ongoing legal protections.
• Revisiting Travel Bans: Expanding bans on individuals from predominantly Muslim-majority countries or other regions under the guise of national security.
• Militarization of the Border: Deploying more troops or empowering state militias with federal support to enforce immigration laws.
2. Election Reform and Federal Oversight
• Federal Control of Elections: Issuing orders to “safeguard” elections, such as mandating voter ID laws or restricting mail-in voting, which could disproportionately affect certain communities and undermine trust in elections.
• Investigations into Election “Fraud”: Reopening investigations or establishing commissions targeting past election processes, potentially stoking partisan tensions.
3. Criminalizing Dissent
• Crackdowns on Protests: Expanding penalties for protesters or limiting the scope of First Amendment protections under the pretext of ensuring public safety.
• Surveillance of Opposition Groups: Increasing surveillance and monitoring of organizations labeled as “domestic threats,” particularly progressive or activist groups.
4. Targeting the Media
• Defamation or Anti-Misinformation Rules: Executive orders aimed at curtailing media “misinformation” but selectively targeting outlets critical of his administration, challenging First Amendment protections.
5. Federalizing Culture Wars
• Education Policies: Mandating curricula that emphasize “patriotic education,” restricting content related to race, gender, or LGBTQ+ issues in federally funded schools.
• Anti-Transgender Directives: Prohibiting federal recognition of transgender individuals’ rights in sports, healthcare, or education, provoking backlash and legal challenges.
6. Foreign Policy by Fiat
• Unilateral Military Actions: Ordering military strikes or actions without congressional approval, bypassing constitutional checks on war powers.
• Withdrawing from International Agreements: Abruptly exiting treaties or alliances, such as NATO, which could destabilize international relations.
7. Expanded Executive Power
• Challenging Judicial Oversight: Ignoring or circumventing federal court rulings that block his policies, escalating tensions between branches of government.
• Curtailing Civil Service Protections: Reinstating Schedule F, enabling him to fire career civil servants perceived as obstacles to his agenda.
Potential Outcomes and Civil Unrest:
• Polarized Reactions: Actions perceived as autocratic or targeting marginalized groups could trigger protests, strikes, and clashes between supporters and opponents.
• Legal and Institutional Crises: Courts and Congress may challenge the legality of certain orders, leading to constitutional confrontations.
• Erosion of Norms: Attempts to consolidate power or undermine democratic processes could deepen political divides and spark broader social unrest.
Each could provoke fierce opposition and provoke U.S. democratic institutions and the military.
What an excellent piece. I’ve always focused on legal and economic trends, but didn’t understand the politics. The super wealthy have bought themselves a government ready to give them substantially more economic and political power. No more congressional inquiries into violations of privacy, free speech, free press, and other civil rights. They’ve bought themselves the Presidency, the Supreme Court, and Congress. The rest of us are left to serve them as they see fit. No wonder Musk, steeped in an apartheid values, gleefully jumps up and down like a two year old. Christmas came early.
The new American tragedy is that even all of this power won’t be enough to satiate the wealthiest. I so much want to see the return of unionization, which counter balanced the basest instincts of 19th century robber barrons, the same instincts alive in our economy today. I wouldn’t be surprised if next we see the military used against strikers and organized labor (remember the Pinkertons?). It used to be government’s role was to shield Americans from corporate excess and corruption. This new administration plans to shield the wealthy from American citizens. We need to act now.
What evidence is there that Elon Musk knows anything about efficiency? His takeover of Twitter was catastrophic, firing huge swaths of people and then realizing they were needed and having to hire them back, ultimately making "X" an uglier and more deceitful platform and a sliver of its former self. Tesla can't move cybertrucks to the point they're paying people to stay home. Any NASA operation that crashed as many rockets as SpaceX would have been shut down long ago. The only thing he brings to the table is his ability to financially power through his bad decision making, the essence of inefficiency.
Any candidate who tells the truth will be primaried , if they are still in office. Attacked in ads, proliferating at the speed of light, making the candidate a target as well, of the Mob. The money is a big bully.
Ipso facto. And when rather than the occasional mention of some far off dream of the recinding of Citizens United, some concrete and actual legislation to do so is enacted by a progressive, honest, unbought official, I'll believe there a glimmer of light at the end of this long, dark, corrupted tunnel. I shalln't hold my breath.
"The way to make the tax code fair is to make big corporations and the very wealthy finally pay their share. In 2020 55 of the biggest companies in America made $40 Billion in profits and paid zero in federal income taxes.
"Not any more!
"Thanks to the law I wrote and signed big companies now have to pay a minimum of 15%. But that’s still less than working people pay in federal taxes. It’s time to raise the corporate minimum tax to at least 21% so every big corporation finally begins to pay their fair share. I also want to end the tax breaks for Big Pharma, Big Oil, private jets, and massive executive pay!
"End it now!
"There are 1,000 billionaires in America. You know what the average federal tax rate for these billionaires is? 8.2 percent! That’s far less than the vast majority of Americans pay. No billionaire should pay a lower tax rate than a teacher, a sanitation worker, a nurse! That’s why I’ve proposed a minimum tax of 25% for billionaires. Just 25%. That would raise $500 Billion over the next 10 years.
"Imagine what that could do for America. Imagine a future with affordable child care so millions of families can get the care they need and still go to work and help grow the economy.
"Imagine a future with paid leave because no one should have to choose between working and taking care of yourself or a sick family member.
"Imagine a future with home care and elder care so seniors and people living with disabilities can stay in their homes and family caregivers get paid what they deserve!"
President Joe Biden — State of the Union Address 2024
I agree Dems need to name the real problem, but I don't think it's enough. They must also admit to some party and personal responsibility for our mess. And apologize. And after giving examples of how they have changed and are working on changing, ask for the opportunity to earn the people's trust again.
It's just so inconceivable now. So much of that was on a foundation of COMPANY benefits! Health care and retirement plan and reasonable expectation of a long-term deal. Now company people are applying for food stamps. In my lifetime, it's hard to get my head around how much the thumbscrews have tightened. The old frog is pretty well cooked.
Trump, his corrupt family, and his billionaires buddies (why in the hell do you think they are lining up to join the FINANCIAL RAPE of America) = get as much money from as many sources as you can. Stuff yourself off the American people. Tell them they have to sacrifice, while you take more and more and more........and blame others as to why the people have to suffer. (Notice Trump has ALREADY gone back on making groceries more affordable and like the LIAR he is blamed something else. Use people and then discard them - the Trump motto.). Privatize and make money and take control or if you can't do that, Dismantle and get it out of the way so you can make more money and take control! Notice son Eric has already gone overseas to keep the Trump family greed rolling. Don't believe for one minute it is to "serve" America. This gang of thugs and goons ONLY care about taking care of and "serving" themselves. And I am sure in their private moments laugh and howl about how they were able to con over 70 million people to give them the keys.
The gilded age version II. Not sure if this will work out. The heritage foundation has been lying in wait for decades, and now they have their shameless pawn. It's going To take a miracle to save American democracy as we know it. Look at the people they're putting in in plain sight. Disgraceful!
An excellent analysis that hits all the spots. Yes, the evolution of greed and cronyism at the top gave us Trump II who will, if his handlers succeed, make the US a permanently corrupt corporate oligarchy. Joe Biden was forced out of his own re-election bid under the threat of millionaires withholding campaign funds. Maybe Joe wouldn’t have won with or without those funds, but Citizens United remains a pox on this country. It must be overturned. Let’s back the breadwinners and stop bailing out bankers, CEOs, and the tech tribe whose frauds and sleazy self-enrichment deserve prison not admiration.
Power to the people (and all democracies struggling to suppress the kleptocrats)!
Professor Reich: wow, eye-opening and thought-provoking. it also explains why i love elizabeth and bernie so much and had hoped they (or elizabeth, at least) would run for the presidency. (by the way, i love referring to her as elizabeth "I HAVE A PLAN!" warren, because saying this always makes me smile and also reminds me that here is a genuine warrior woman who thinks and plans and is optimistic and who is worthy of our support.)
but here we are, facing the worst fascist take-over of the country in my lifetime, by power-hungry oligarchs. i know so many people who worship money and power as surely as they once worshiped christ or whatever else was their motivator in life, and it's terrifying. i'm not sure if we had an army of elizabeth "I HAVE A PLAN!" warrens who are willing and able to fight for us, if americans would support them or fight alongside them.
I’ve supported Bernie and Liz’s runs for POTUS. Either would’ve changed the paradigm and focus of Washington elected officials catering to the 1% versus the 99%.
I’m looking forward to the next Democrat for POTUS that fits their mold. If we don’t find one, our democracy will be lost forever to the GOP crooks and liars.
Papa, I am watching Ben Wikler, Gavin Newsom, Pete Buttigieg, Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger and Jamie Raskin. I would definitely support Bernie or Elizabeth; however, I don't think they will ever run for president again. We absolutely need a better voice that actually LISTENS to the peoples' concerns, issues and needs. We need someone who will tell the richy rich to go pound sand and not accept their dark money. We need someone who will get in there and do away with Citizens United, the Electoral College and replace, even stronger, every single guardrail we had before the republicans tore them down. We need someone who will clean up the supreme court and get rid of those justices who were criminal in their actions.
For democracy also, end Filibuster, change Senatorial Representation (more than 2 based on population) and end gerrymandering. Look at what the state GOP just did to NC Governor. Essentially neutered him.
I feel we’ve fallen too far into the GOP gaming of the “rules” and norms, to dig our democracy out from in one or two election cycles. Unless Trump has a devastatingly horrible term sufficient to awaken his disciples to the truth of his idiocy, criminality, debauchery, and venality, assuming they don’t cheer those qualities themselves, I don’t see an escape from this devolution.
I haven’t lost hope, yet suspect we’ll suffer far more deeply as a Nation, before we leave behind the carnage I anticipate.
It may take an externality like climate change to bring change we want, or it may make governance worse. Hard to say.
Or if Trump tanks the economy which is a real possibility and is seen that way -remember unemployment at the end of his last term was the highest since the Great Depression and he was extremely unpopular- that may help to get us out of this mess, some.
The main hope i have is that the world is always more creative than I am. But as far as my thoughts go, its grim city man.
Papa, it takes 2/3rds of the Senate to get rid of the filibuster. Schumer has had the nuclear option and never used it. It is all moot now, There is no significant legislation before the Senate and thee will be none until the 119th Congress, save budget and spending authorization.
The Republicans in the senate would never have voted to repeal the filibuster, but can't say the same for the Democrats in the new Republican controlled Senate,lots of self serving turncoats, Manchin and Sinema were their cover,so they didn't have to expose themselves.
And if the Democrats try to filibuster, you can be sure that Senator Thune will pull the nuclear option.
Until states like ruby red Wyoming, population 600,000, with two Senators versus California predominantly blue, population 43 million, also two Senators, obtain equitable Senatorial representation, we will continue to have a minority of the US population having greater Senatorial representation than the majority of the population. This, the Electoral College, and gerrymandering, must end to achieve a fair majority ruling electorate.
I agree Papa, but I can't think of a viable solution Can you?
The political situation is a mess. A compromise hacked together by men, as they sought to find a solution to a problem. And the problem being: How to get everyone to sign on to an agreement. The states with a scarce and spread out population, felt that they were at the mercy of more populous states, and the two senators per state was suppose to give the lesser states a counter countvailing power against the more populous states who would have more representation in the Senate. as was the 2/3rds if a person count for slaves, as representation in the house was based on population count.
The purpose of the first census (1790- 1820) was to determine how many people lived in a district to determine representation in the house.
The 1790 census enumerated males over 16, males under 16, free whites and slaves. 16 was the age in which males became eligible for conscription into militias, subsequent years that broke down the population by age, and by 1850 used further categories like "read and write" and "idiot"
By the way in 1790 there were only two states that didn't have any slaves,Maine and Massachusetts
The only way to change the constitution, both representation in congress and the electoral college is via a constitutional convention, and that would require a 3/4th majority of the states, the same amount needed to amend the constitution.
There are 13 states with only one or two representatives in the House
Getting 3/4's of the states to agree to such a change will be impossible.
I agree, Papa!
What you are saying here is we must repeat a revolution in the U.S. that will work even better than 1776. Dreaming of one leader doesn't help when facing a tribe of oligarchs.
Think about it. That one leader can unite the various factions that are fighting for the same thing - our Democracy. If that one person can bring everyone together, yes, we could have a revolution without firing a single shot! There are so many different organizations, PACs and groups that are working toward that end; however, it is disjointed. This organization is fighting that and this PAC is fighting this. If every American that wants to see our Democracy survive and progress came together, our voice would be more powerful than the orange man and his sycophants - more powerful than the billionaires and the mega-corporations. We would be heard and that one leader would let the orange man and all of them know this is America and we are a Democracy, not a dictatorship.
Yes . . . but it needs to be a bloodless constitutionally legal revolution!
The MUCH "better voice" exists/existed in the person of non-PAC, progressive Democratic presidential candidate, Marianne Williamson, but the corporate centrist Democrats politically ran her off the road and left her for dead, along with millions of other people. And the Democrats' mainstream news lackeys completely shut her out from the start of her campaign in March 2023. I also made a number of posts about her for Mr. Reich's substack and YT channel, and subsequent posts of his showed me that they were ignored.
I'll even go so far as to say that the murder of the United CEO likely would not have happened if the Democrats had not undemocratically silenced Williamson [and others]. Her entire platform was about drastically reworking or dismantling all the "industrial complexes", and certainly the conflict of interest, for-profit healthcare business must be dismantled. Part of the silencing was FOUR cancelled primaries to kill any Biden competition. And without the benefit of the voice of "the people", i.e. an open convention, the Democrats undemocratically annointed Kamala Harris as the nominee.
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=JOpNjHsXwzk
🤷🏼♂️
https://youtu.be/2nwRiuh1Cug?si=kQnJeL13qE2L9eqE
I hope it's not too late. Would you read my substack I just submitted about my hearing with the administrative law judge concerning the Medicare Advantage denial, Maximus role, and give me your experienced opinion?
Why are you even using Medicare Advantage? You've found out it's a fraud now. Switch next year to traditional Medicare supplemental.
I hate to say this but the odds as a pro se person are slim to none. I don't know who the judge is but the odds that she will actually write the decision are also virtually nil. They use "decision writers."
The best lawyers would hand me a propsed decision (in digital form) to try to avoid the use of decision writers. They don't even listen to the hearing tape.
On the merits, the big thing is that you were initially approved, so the burden of proof should be on the company. It was up to them to PROVE a case, not you.
We may really need a non-affiliated person to lead our nation, who is not beholden to the corporate gang embedded in our governance and both major parties to date.
Ivory Smith. RIP. Thanks Joe. You did it again.
So you don’t see any harm in getting drunk and trying to drive if you’re a native born American?
Go away. You’re annoying.
Nailed it! I heart Elizabeth! I love everything about her. I actually had a House Party for her. I went to Warren Night School and took notes. She really did have a good plan for practically everything.
On the night McCain gave the famous thumb down on ending the ACA, several Dem Senators came outside to speak to a couple hundred people who had gathered on the Capital Grounds. Warren gave the most sincere, hopeful and inspiring speech. At one point, Senator Warren was taking a picture several people. She looked at me standing nearby and said, "get in here!" I sure wish I had gotten a copy of that picture.
It was a roller-coaster of a night. At one point, a limo came rolling up with VP Pence to cast the tie-breaking vote. It really did go down to the wire. Without McCain taking a stand for saving the ACA, it would've been history... Without the notion of a concept of a plan to replace the ACA.
I met some really amazing people in the days around that vote, including "Spitfire." She was in a wheelchair and had been arrested over 40 times protesting for healthcare. For her, the vote was a matter of life and death, living at home or in a hospital. Spitfire, Warren and McCain were my new heros.
This was a really great two-piece story by Sec. Reich, IMO. He nailed it. This one story is worth the monthly 5 bucks.
I promise to renew my subscription as soon as I get my back pay or sell some belongings. It's been rough due to an injury. On the night McCain saved the ACA, I didn't know my life would be one of the 40,000 lives a YEAR that the ACA saves.
If DOGE wants to save over $300 Billion a year, I suggest simply cutting out the unnecessary middle man, health insurance companies, and switch to a Single Payer, Medicare For All system, like the rest of the industrialized world. $300 Billion over 10 years is $3 Trillion?
Another way to save a lot is to stop spending so much on satellites that add air pollution, increase greenhouse gasses, and will put a hole in the ozone the size of Texas. After all, seniors need Social Security more than wasteful government contracts and silly Mars exploration. For real!
Musk and the tech bros in Silicon Valley remind me of the adage
"the farther away you are from a problem the easier it is to fix."
Look at the US map.
My guess is Musk will wear out his welcome pretty quick. There's a reason corporate boards have gotten rid of him.
People here should consider whether they want to be on twitter. The more who leave it the more Musk is sapped of strength and twitter/X can end up a rightwing site like Truth Social that many companies will not advertise on.
Besides, Musk controls the twitter "battlefield". Try Bluesky https://bsky.app/
AMEN!
Well said!
Danny Piper, I love everything you just wrote here! What a positive spirit you have! Right ON!!! And you’re right about the bloated middle man in medicine. I’m old enough to remember the medical world before all that (I worked in pediatrics) and it was so much better. Keep writing, Danny Piper!
Thank you, Danny. You're an inspiration to me.
I still have my Bernie and Warren magnets all over my refrigerator ❤️
We are so blessed to still have Elizabeth Warren in Massachusetts. I would have died happy if either of them were POTUS! Instead.....it looks like my death will take place in The Upside-Down, with monsters screaming in the perpetual dark 💀
Made me laugh out loud, Paula Dean!! Don’t go anywhere any time soon, we need ya!
❤️❤️❤️
TRUMP IS DRUMPH/NAZI FAMILY AND THE NAZI’S KILL AND STEAL YOUR VALUABLES
To put it in layman terms, in our country today, it’s an upside down funnel with a strong vacuum at the top that is sucking all the money from the bottom 90% to the very narrow end of the funnel at the top! Decency and respect are being replaced by greed and corruption. Trickle down economics was the ridiculous fantasy that the Republicans endorsed with Reagan and it’s been a down hill slide ever since for the average American.
Well said, Keith!
Your argument on this is excellent. The "rot at the top" is exactly what you say. I would only add this to it: The rot's other mechanism is consumption, the promotion of consumption combined with planned obsolescence, and the consumed are the natural resources of the planet. The rot consumes people, yes, and it also consumes forests, farmland, swamps, lakes streams, rivers and ocean. It produces filth and poisons, and that is where our world is headed now.
Hey Wayne,
The "top that is rot" has a term for what you call "filth and poisons:" "EXTERNALITIES."
See how the rot tries to muck up our thinking. They well know the rotten crap they are killing us with, but by putting it in an "external" frame, they are conning us.
The ROTTERS are saying:
"Those filth and poisons that are spreading across the globe, raising global temperatures, destroying all natural living things including humanity. That stuff? Gosh, we don't know nuthin. Must be something EXTERNAL."
But we ain't buying that ROT!
Wayne Teel, "filth and poisons" of some people have desecrated and killed our beautiful nature and wildllife. Very sadly, the "filth and poisons" (the rampant egos) are about to stampede and destroy all of us.
I agree that you can use the term, filth and poisons, for people, but I was really referring to things like neonicotinoids, a broad spectrum of agricultural toxins, heavy metals, forever chemicals, and plastic, the externalized costs of production in a consumer society.
Wayne Teal, yes, I was taking some liberty (while we still have it) with your powerful words. Thank you.
Thank you, Professor Reich! I would love to see what you have written so clearly and plainly put on every single news feed, in every single way that information is being sent now-a-days, in every single newspaper! By giving carte blanche to the wealthy by Reagan, our government has transformed our country into the ultra wealthy and the poor. The middle working class is so tiny it's almost miniscule! Americans have been fed a lot of bullshit in the form of platitudes by both the republicans and democrats for so many years while the wealthy and big corporations began to rape and pillage our country for their own benefit. What Reagan was so wrong about was that super wealthy do NOT believe in the common good and they never have. Their greed and thirst for power prevents feelings of unity, good will, caring for neighbors and helping anyone else other than themselves! I'd like any democrat or republican to tell the hard-working middle and lower classes that they can achieve everything they want by simply working hard. Tell that to the guy that holds down 3 even 4 jobs in order to pay for housing, food and family. Tell that to the senior citizen who lives on such a fixed income, they end up eating the cheapest food they can find (yes, sometimes cat food!) and sit in the dark with a blanket in the cold or a hand fan in the heat!, Tell that to the kid who graduated high school but can't afford technical school or college because of the cost, can't afford to leave home because the job he does get, the pay is minimal with no room for saving. Yes, the republicans and democrats have screwed our nation and I am so very angry about it! They can sit up there in Washington and cut this and that because it doesn't mean a tinker's damn to them! They are rich, they have great health care and absolutely do NOT care about the average citizen who put them where they are! Yes, there is a big change coming and it is not going to be pretty! When MAGA cult followers and those Americans who simply did not vote get a dose of reality once the orange man begins his reign of terror, the anger and frustration that so many of us are feeling right now will be felt by them, and Lord love a duck, the 'you know what' will hit the fan!
The possible Executive Orders Donald J. Trump may sign after January 20, 2025
When Trump assumes office again, here are potential controversial orders that could test constitutional boundaries, ignite civil unrest, and challenge democratic norms:
1. Immigration Enforcement and Border Security
• Mass Deportation Policies: Accelerating deportations through enhanced immigration enforcement, possibly targeting DACA recipients despite ongoing legal protections.
• Revisiting Travel Bans: Expanding bans on individuals from predominantly Muslim-majority countries or other regions under the guise of national security.
• Militarization of the Border: Deploying more troops or empowering state militias with federal support to enforce immigration laws.
2. Election Reform and Federal Oversight
• Federal Control of Elections: Issuing orders to “safeguard” elections, such as mandating voter ID laws or restricting mail-in voting, which could disproportionately affect certain communities and undermine trust in elections.
• Investigations into Election “Fraud”: Reopening investigations or establishing commissions targeting past election processes, potentially stoking partisan tensions.
3. Criminalizing Dissent
• Crackdowns on Protests: Expanding penalties for protesters or limiting the scope of First Amendment protections under the pretext of ensuring public safety.
• Surveillance of Opposition Groups: Increasing surveillance and monitoring of organizations labeled as “domestic threats,” particularly progressive or activist groups.
4. Targeting the Media
• Defamation or Anti-Misinformation Rules: Executive orders aimed at curtailing media “misinformation” but selectively targeting outlets critical of his administration, challenging First Amendment protections.
5. Federalizing Culture Wars
• Education Policies: Mandating curricula that emphasize “patriotic education,” restricting content related to race, gender, or LGBTQ+ issues in federally funded schools.
• Anti-Transgender Directives: Prohibiting federal recognition of transgender individuals’ rights in sports, healthcare, or education, provoking backlash and legal challenges.
6. Foreign Policy by Fiat
• Unilateral Military Actions: Ordering military strikes or actions without congressional approval, bypassing constitutional checks on war powers.
• Withdrawing from International Agreements: Abruptly exiting treaties or alliances, such as NATO, which could destabilize international relations.
7. Expanded Executive Power
• Challenging Judicial Oversight: Ignoring or circumventing federal court rulings that block his policies, escalating tensions between branches of government.
• Curtailing Civil Service Protections: Reinstating Schedule F, enabling him to fire career civil servants perceived as obstacles to his agenda.
Potential Outcomes and Civil Unrest:
• Polarized Reactions: Actions perceived as autocratic or targeting marginalized groups could trigger protests, strikes, and clashes between supporters and opponents.
• Legal and Institutional Crises: Courts and Congress may challenge the legality of certain orders, leading to constitutional confrontations.
• Erosion of Norms: Attempts to consolidate power or undermine democratic processes could deepen political divides and spark broader social unrest.
Each could provoke fierce opposition and strain the resilience and at the same time provoke U.S. democratic institutions and the military.
The possible Executive Orders Donald J. Trump may sign after January 20, 2025
When Trump assumes office again, here are potential controversial orders that could test constitutional boundaries, ignite civil unrest, and challenge democratic norms:
1. Immigration Enforcement and Border Security
• Mass Deportation Policies: Accelerating deportations through enhanced immigration enforcement, possibly targeting DACA recipients despite ongoing legal protections.
• Revisiting Travel Bans: Expanding bans on individuals from predominantly Muslim-majority countries or other regions under the guise of national security.
• Militarization of the Border: Deploying more troops or empowering state militias with federal support to enforce immigration laws.
2. Election Reform and Federal Oversight
• Federal Control of Elections: Issuing orders to “safeguard” elections, such as mandating voter ID laws or restricting mail-in voting, which could disproportionately affect certain communities and undermine trust in elections.
• Investigations into Election “Fraud”: Reopening investigations or establishing commissions targeting past election processes, potentially stoking partisan tensions.
3. Criminalizing Dissent
• Crackdowns on Protests: Expanding penalties for protesters or limiting the scope of First Amendment protections under the pretext of ensuring public safety.
• Surveillance of Opposition Groups: Increasing surveillance and monitoring of organizations labeled as “domestic threats,” particularly progressive or activist groups.
4. Targeting the Media
• Defamation or Anti-Misinformation Rules: Executive orders aimed at curtailing media “misinformation” but selectively targeting outlets critical of his administration, challenging First Amendment protections.
5. Federalizing Culture Wars
• Education Policies: Mandating curricula that emphasize “patriotic education,” restricting content related to race, gender, or LGBTQ+ issues in federally funded schools.
• Anti-Transgender Directives: Prohibiting federal recognition of transgender individuals’ rights in sports, healthcare, or education, provoking backlash and legal challenges.
6. Foreign Policy by Fiat
• Unilateral Military Actions: Ordering military strikes or actions without congressional approval, bypassing constitutional checks on war powers.
• Withdrawing from International Agreements: Abruptly exiting treaties or alliances, such as NATO, which could destabilize international relations.
7. Expanded Executive Power
• Challenging Judicial Oversight: Ignoring or circumventing federal court rulings that block his policies, escalating tensions between branches of government.
• Curtailing Civil Service Protections: Reinstating Schedule F, enabling him to fire career civil servants perceived as obstacles to his agenda.
Potential Outcomes and Civil Unrest:
• Polarized Reactions: Actions perceived as autocratic or targeting marginalized groups could trigger protests, strikes, and clashes between supporters and opponents.
• Legal and Institutional Crises: Courts and Congress may challenge the legality of certain orders, leading to constitutional confrontations.
• Erosion of Norms: Attempts to consolidate power or undermine democratic processes could deepen political divides and spark broader social unrest.
Each could provoke fierce opposition and provoke U.S. democratic institutions and the military.
Good summary, Adam.
I don't think mandating voter ID laws by exec order would stand up in court since these things are constitutionally under state law. IMO.
Steve, think catholic fsr tight supreme court.
Who will win the the obvious second Civil War?
No one wins with war. It's an outmoded choice over consensus/compromise that's civil. But war is easier: sadly so.
I’d argue it’s already been lost.
What an excellent piece. I’ve always focused on legal and economic trends, but didn’t understand the politics. The super wealthy have bought themselves a government ready to give them substantially more economic and political power. No more congressional inquiries into violations of privacy, free speech, free press, and other civil rights. They’ve bought themselves the Presidency, the Supreme Court, and Congress. The rest of us are left to serve them as they see fit. No wonder Musk, steeped in an apartheid values, gleefully jumps up and down like a two year old. Christmas came early.
The new American tragedy is that even all of this power won’t be enough to satiate the wealthiest. I so much want to see the return of unionization, which counter balanced the basest instincts of 19th century robber barrons, the same instincts alive in our economy today. I wouldn’t be surprised if next we see the military used against strikers and organized labor (remember the Pinkertons?). It used to be government’s role was to shield Americans from corporate excess and corruption. This new administration plans to shield the wealthy from American citizens. We need to act now.
What evidence is there that Elon Musk knows anything about efficiency? His takeover of Twitter was catastrophic, firing huge swaths of people and then realizing they were needed and having to hire them back, ultimately making "X" an uglier and more deceitful platform and a sliver of its former self. Tesla can't move cybertrucks to the point they're paying people to stay home. Any NASA operation that crashed as many rockets as SpaceX would have been shut down long ago. The only thing he brings to the table is his ability to financially power through his bad decision making, the essence of inefficiency.
Any candidate who tells the truth will be primaried , if they are still in office. Attacked in ads, proliferating at the speed of light, making the candidate a target as well, of the Mob. The money is a big bully.
Murkowski and Tillis and Ernst clearly don't like being bullied. We'll see what they are made of.
I just hope that none of them get hurt. Deniability or no, we will have a very good idea who did it, or is behind it.
Ipso facto. And when rather than the occasional mention of some far off dream of the recinding of Citizens United, some concrete and actual legislation to do so is enacted by a progressive, honest, unbought official, I'll believe there a glimmer of light at the end of this long, dark, corrupted tunnel. I shalln't hold my breath.
If we can't tell the story of "rot at the top" with this circus of billionaires, christofascists, and Putin loyalists there's no hope for us.
"The way to make the tax code fair is to make big corporations and the very wealthy finally pay their share. In 2020 55 of the biggest companies in America made $40 Billion in profits and paid zero in federal income taxes.
"Not any more!
"Thanks to the law I wrote and signed big companies now have to pay a minimum of 15%. But that’s still less than working people pay in federal taxes. It’s time to raise the corporate minimum tax to at least 21% so every big corporation finally begins to pay their fair share. I also want to end the tax breaks for Big Pharma, Big Oil, private jets, and massive executive pay!
"End it now!
"There are 1,000 billionaires in America. You know what the average federal tax rate for these billionaires is? 8.2 percent! That’s far less than the vast majority of Americans pay. No billionaire should pay a lower tax rate than a teacher, a sanitation worker, a nurse! That’s why I’ve proposed a minimum tax of 25% for billionaires. Just 25%. That would raise $500 Billion over the next 10 years.
"Imagine what that could do for America. Imagine a future with affordable child care so millions of families can get the care they need and still go to work and help grow the economy.
"Imagine a future with paid leave because no one should have to choose between working and taking care of yourself or a sick family member.
"Imagine a future with home care and elder care so seniors and people living with disabilities can stay in their homes and family caregivers get paid what they deserve!"
President Joe Biden — State of the Union Address 2024
Thank you for the reminder, Andrew. Racial identity prevailed over economic interest.
I agree Dems need to name the real problem, but I don't think it's enough. They must also admit to some party and personal responsibility for our mess. And apologize. And after giving examples of how they have changed and are working on changing, ask for the opportunity to earn the people's trust again.
This must be the Democrats' message. When I ran for office my campaign motto was "Restore the Middle Class ".
It's just so inconceivable now. So much of that was on a foundation of COMPANY benefits! Health care and retirement plan and reasonable expectation of a long-term deal. Now company people are applying for food stamps. In my lifetime, it's hard to get my head around how much the thumbscrews have tightened. The old frog is pretty well cooked.
N.H?
Yes.
Trump, his corrupt family, and his billionaires buddies (why in the hell do you think they are lining up to join the FINANCIAL RAPE of America) = get as much money from as many sources as you can. Stuff yourself off the American people. Tell them they have to sacrifice, while you take more and more and more........and blame others as to why the people have to suffer. (Notice Trump has ALREADY gone back on making groceries more affordable and like the LIAR he is blamed something else. Use people and then discard them - the Trump motto.). Privatize and make money and take control or if you can't do that, Dismantle and get it out of the way so you can make more money and take control! Notice son Eric has already gone overseas to keep the Trump family greed rolling. Don't believe for one minute it is to "serve" America. This gang of thugs and goons ONLY care about taking care of and "serving" themselves. And I am sure in their private moments laugh and howl about how they were able to con over 70 million people to give them the keys.
The gilded age version II. Not sure if this will work out. The heritage foundation has been lying in wait for decades, and now they have their shameless pawn. It's going To take a miracle to save American democracy as we know it. Look at the people they're putting in in plain sight. Disgraceful!
An excellent analysis that hits all the spots. Yes, the evolution of greed and cronyism at the top gave us Trump II who will, if his handlers succeed, make the US a permanently corrupt corporate oligarchy. Joe Biden was forced out of his own re-election bid under the threat of millionaires withholding campaign funds. Maybe Joe wouldn’t have won with or without those funds, but Citizens United remains a pox on this country. It must be overturned. Let’s back the breadwinners and stop bailing out bankers, CEOs, and the tech tribe whose frauds and sleazy self-enrichment deserve prison not admiration.
Power to the people (and all democracies struggling to suppress the kleptocrats)!