I believe Robert Reich is correct. The Democrats lost their ability to speak cogently to all Americans, but instead chose to speak to “people like themselves.” And in doing so left out a large part of the population.
Yesterday, at the Brookings Institution President Biden gave a very convincing talk about all of the accomplishments of his administration, comparing those accomplishments to what the agenda of the Republicans has been and will be. However, he was speaking to an audience of people highly educated like himself while clearly not speaking to those who have been economically suffering the most. You can use terms such as “growing the economy from the middle out and the bottom up,” and there may be some clear truth in that, but this does not lay out an inspiring vision of being there for all Americans.
It is clear that Kamala Harris entering the race so late did not give her the opportunity to bring clarity and power to what she proposed, and she was up against a powerful freight train, already roaring down the tracks. But also, she was constrained by the path previously laid down by Joseph Biden, and the Democratic agenda as defined by the DNC. “Wokeness”may have simply been generalized as a way to criticize the intellectuals being out of touch with those who take their lunch pails to work every day and do not have the extra money to stop at Starbucks and bring their lattes to work.
Marc, we are close. I did print the speech of Biden in Brookings and think it is an important one. Kamala did nothing wrong, indeed limited by the silly campaigning of Trump for more then a year. The rational and sunny talks did not resonate in "fly over" country, but she almost won.
Is the US stupid and conservative? I think the devatation of the Trump goverment will bring back decency and real goverment soon. But the treason and insurgency had to be punished years ago.
Carolyn, I agree but it does not matter. We should be analytical. The Republicans are the voice of big money and the words solidarity or decency are unknown to them. But this is a long historic line in the struggle between workers and millionaires.
Robert and other professional Democrats and MSNBC Pundits talk like we can comeback in 2028, if only we get our shite together. I wish, oh I wish that this was true.
But how are we going to do that, when Trump's Agenda 47 and his Project 2025 have clearly laid out the roadmap, the play book, for a theocratic Right Wing Dictatorship.
And it is not hyperbole either, his cabinet choices will destroy the Republic, shred the constitution and is supported by the Judiciary, not only SCOTUS, but 1500 Judges vetted by the Federalist Society in Trumps first term.
Even if his cabinet choices go before the Senate, the Senate is majority Republican, and if the Democrats even try to filibuster, the Republicans will exercise the nuclear option.
Trump told his cult, Vote for me and you want have to vote again.
I believe him, why doesn't the Democratic leadership.
Rather than planning for election in 2028, that even if it happened would be as honest as an election in Russia and Hungary we should be planning and organizing for the resistance. Let us face reality and not promote false hope.
Brazil has a stronger democracy than America, it is prosecuting an ex President, Israel has a stronger Democracy than America, Netanyahu is testifying at his own trial.
Imagine the leader of Israel is being tried,, while in America all charges against Trump are being dropped or suspended, and though convicted of felonies he has not been punished, and never will be.
I ask for some years now in this colums: why is insurgent Trump not arrested, why are his treasonous friendships not tested?
Good system in Israel, trying the MP; that is what should be done.
Still, dark times ahead, but half America is not totally stupid. But the voters should find out what their strongman and hero does and suffer under his damage. Then checks and balances will work.
Tom, I would like that to be the message for any candidate going forward. Republicans are indeed the voice of big money, greed, power and corruption; however, Democrats need to move away from those big money donors and return to grass roots America. If the Democrats are going to support and work for the working middle and lower classes, then they have to show that. It isn't enough to repeat the platitudes "We are here for you", "We understand what you are going through", "We care about helping you" and so on and so on. Talk is talk but these leaders need to show with action they mean what they say.
It is admirable work, especially for an economist. I did make a few remarks from a different epistemologic culture: history and political science in the Netherlands.
"Harris Stayed Silent On Khan Amid Probe Of Top Adviser's Firm
The presidential candidate declined to defend Lina Khan while the antitrust regulator was investigating the employer of Harris’ brother-in-law and chief advisor..."
I took my lunchbox to work everyday for 50 years and never felt that the democrats were out of touch. Democrats work for the benefit of all the people, especially for the poor, to have a better life. The republicans are always trying to take away the benefits you have. I do blame Biden's ego for not stepping aside at least a year before the election. Just like sick RBG on the "supreme" court.
The Democratic Party has not been able to talk to the average person for a long time. Kamala Harris being a black woman did not help her cause unfortunately. The country is still racist and the white male population is afraid of strong women just as Trump is.
Unfortunately the Democrats did not admit nor convince Joe Biden was too old to run again. Also, the Dems didn’t get nor focus their messages on mid America not participating in benefits of the big infrastructure projects in an easily identifiable way. Those projects were big like fixing bridges and tunnels but couldn’t fix local potholes we hit going to work or grocery store every day.
The government’s and Fed’s measure and expression of Inflation was simply not that felt in the average home where COVID and corporate greed sent the cost of eggs and housing flying while take home pay didn’t keep up. Two different measures!
Add that the Democratic Party chiefs were not tuned into mid America, who after Hillary were simply still not ready for a first woman President, let alone one of color; especially against Trump and Big Dark Money!
The Dems lost the election by waiting too late with Aging Biden, being too inclusive in choice. Trump and his Sycophant Congress and Corporate Exec buddies were ready and took advantage of a Democratic Party out of tune! We will now pay the price of ‘Rump’s Wrecking Ball Cabinet and approach to governing.
Marc, I couldn’t agree more. Hence my reason for drafting a letter urging influential elected officials and organizations to consider endorsing Wisconsin Democratic Chair Ben Wikler, who is running for Chair of the Democratic National Committee.
Unlike the other candidates who, in my view, would perpetuate the status quo in national politics, Wikler would firmly position Democrats as advocates for working families across the country. He also would focus on improving the Party’s messaging, training and deploying effective communicators to reach voters on every platform, in every place.
I hope others join my campaign to urge those with influence to press the 448 DNC voting members to support Ben Wikler, the leader who can guide the party to victory in 2026 and beyond.
Peggy, Thanks for writing. I would add that Wikler is deeply engaged in the grassroots work across Wisconsin. His hands-on approach and commitment to going door-to-door, listening to voters in every neighborhood, has made him a skilled organizer and “vote-getting guru.” His activism spans both the ground and online, connecting with people year-around.
This is especially important given the Democratic National Committee’s history as primarily a fundraising entity, largely driven by the big-money interests of billionaires, large corporations, and Wall Street. The Party cannot truly represent working people if it is unwilling to challenge these powerful donors.
Barbara Jo, I have said it before and it bears repeating. We need candidates like Ben Wikler that are willing to go door-to-door and LISTEN to voters concerns and issues. We need candidates that are engaged with a hands-on approach and are willing to speak out and fight for what their constituents have told them they want in our government! We need candidates that are not afraid to take on the wealthy and greedy corporations. I hope more "Ben Wiklers" are out there and ready to work for the American people.
Peggy, While I wholeheartedly agree with every one of your points, currently our party is leaderless. Wikler, who expressed in a recent New York Times interview that his goal is to bring the same kind of transformation to the national Democratic Party that he brought to Wisconsin, could fill that void.
The DNC delegates will vote on February 1st. In the interim, I’m doing all I can to urge everyday folks to write their representatives up and down the ballot, many of whom are DNC delegates, urging them to endorse Wikler for DNC Chair.
I have written to mine, Barbara Jo; however, my representatives have not acknowledged whether they received what I sent. My representatives here in Florida are not messaging very well. I hope if Wikler becomes the DNC Chair, that will change under his leadership.
It is wonderful to think that writing to your representatives will be helpful, but I have never found it to be. They have staff to read the letters (if they bother) and send out form letters in reply. The system is corrupt.
Ben is great. O'Malley brings a lot to the table too. Perhaps he should be a co-chair or head the Governors at DGA. Having a sitting Gov run the group is not effective or efficient because a Gov too much on his/her plate as a Gov, IMO.
Actually, I like the idea of having male and female Co-Chairs, like IL.
Marc, I agree, but the question is why. In the 1960s, the nation as a whole shifted towards the Republican party, partly because of Vietnam but mainly because of Civil Rights. White southerners abruptly switched their voting preferences from Democrat to Republican. Dixiecrats were racist but voted for high taxes, while Republicans always wanted lower taxes.
This massive shift of tens of millions of votes led quickly to the Heritage Foundation and from there to Reagan - the first president to say out loud that tax cuts on the wealthiest would be to the benefit of all. IMHO, the Democrats perceived this shift to the right and unconsciously moved in the same direction.
The DNC must remake itself by promoting charismatic populist leaders, and go back to Reich's story of Rot at the Top.
DJT received about 1/3 of the eligible 2024 Votes... Kamala received about 1/3 of the eligible Votes... About 1/3rd of the Voters stayed home... Were the missing 1/3rd Apathetic Disillusioned, Cynical? Did 'Gaza' play a part in the Disillusionment?... The De-Industrialization of the U.S. started under Reagan, and continued thru Trump... Obama ran a good Campaign with simple Slogans such as "Hope", "Hope You Can Believe In"... A Reinvigorated Democratic Party needs similar Mantras appealing to the Broadest Base... THEN IT NEEDS TO DELIVER...
The only way to deliver is by getting money out of politics which the politicians are not willing to do. They are in government to make themselves rich!
The "people like themselves" are the normal, average Americans. How much do Democrats have to dumb it down for the stupid Americans to understand it? Vote for your best interests, not for liars, grifters, millionaires, and billionaires that want to take away your Social Security, Medicare, healthcare, livable wage, right to love who you want to love, birth control, ban books, make the United States a Christian nation only, etc.
This is the most clueless piece I've seen Reich write and ironic that it came out when Biden gave his speech on the economy. Biden's "From the middle out and from the bottom up" is a good and sound message. Why does it get ignored on the media and fall on deaf ears? Why has social morality come down to a cult of the fertilized egg? How were the Republicans able to make being woke, which is a virtue of being tolerant of differences of and supportive of the weak, and honest about racism which is stronger in the country now than at any time since before the '60s, into a vice? The problem is Republicans' incessant lying, repeated by right wing media. Republicans electoral successes in presidential elections since the '60s has not been based on their policies, but on how good of a con man and demogogue their candidate is. Reagan and Trump won because they were con men and demagogues. Goldwater, Nixon, Mitt Romney, Bush, McCain, not do much. The presidential election is a popularity contest, like our grade school student counsel elections, but with real world consequences. Can the Democrats do anything about the rise of the Republican demogogue and the spread of right wing media with the utter collapse of legacy media?
Democrats hardly speak on the richt wing media braying machine, with the exception of Pete Buttegieg, and when he does the odious "hosts" still try to talk over him and spread their billionaire-fed garbage.
The problem is people want to hear hate and mocking, because they're mad and want to blame the people smarter than they are. And for those educated after Reagan, it's most everyone.
It's all about the rage, and the democrats pulled too many punches in calling out the problem.
People know so little they have no idea what trickle down is, and no idea thst the billionaires dumpty will empower are the problem. And they own the media that red state folks listen to.
Interesting post. You have led me to think about the thoroughly debunked GOP paternalistic/infantilistic lie that the wealthy know best what is good for the country; and making them wealthier will, through the false trickle down theory bring prosperity to all. The concomitant GOP lie is that government is the problem because it hamstrings the wealthy from becoming even wealthier through taxation, regulation and corruption.
Paula Mandell : The present day "GOP" certainly don't care about the Common Good now, and if they ever tried to give that impression, they don't even try these days. They 'just' want to get what they want : Which is everything of value, and only for themselves.
No they don’t care and never have in my long life. They employ sleight-of-hand distractions: “wokism,” grooming by LGBTQI people, book banning, invasion of criminal immigrants, the “deep state,” “stolen elections,” etc., which are designed to distract people from the real sources of economic distress and inequality.
I don't think that's how R's define woke. They see it as more like rot at the top of government with unfair and idiotic social engineering. Your definition puts woke in a positive light. R's don't see anything positive in it.
You've got to admit, letting transgirls compete against girls is unfair to girls... And girls to transgirls are probably 1000:1.
If Dems were smart, they would defer to Olympic rules and suggest a new category. Let local school boards decide if trans should compete in the same heat or separate heat, but give different awards. Two categories, like 1st place in transgirl and 1st place in girl categories are the only fair way to settle the matter.
Had Congressional "persons" not allowed big business and big money interests to take over the government...we wouldn't have big business and big money people running "our/the peoples" government.
If we had not allowed for misinformation, lies, and conspiracy nut cases to flood our airwaves, internet, and media platforms and single malevolent bad actors controlling the output of information across most forms of influential media...we wouldn't be where we are today. Trump and the corrupt MAGA Republicans wouldn't have been heard by anyone outside of a "small circle of friends".
Running a country is hard enough without having to contend with corrupt and malevolent actors. We have...did have, laws that protected us but they were not implemented effectively. Common sense laws that got overridden and diluted by the greed and laziness of our leadership. The 10+% of the good guys in government who maintained their integrity got pounded. The population was educationally unaware of reality and blinded by "The Light". "The Light" was so intense, overwhelming and alluring... the lies flooded our population and still ...our leadership cared more about the money and power of which they needed to hold onto.
We as a nation will not solve our "number one problem" until we solve our number one problem...taking Business/Big money out of our government.
The people that lead us... have to lead us for the right reasons and have the intelligence to know the difference between serving their masters and themselves versus serving the country and should have a general knowledge of the difference between right and wrong...in all things.
[I started to write a comment and tried to reference something, and ended up losing three paragraphs... so, hopefully, i can recall my thoughts]
America has always been the champion of democracy, even if some of the means of achieving democracy haven't always been democratic. Being this shining beacon in the world spurred other countries to do likewise. The American Dream was infectious. People sang our songs. They emulated our celebrities, recited lines from our movies. People around the world knew America was the land of opportunity.
So what happens when the vanguard of democracy ceases to be that symbol. What happens when the champions decide they don't want to be the champions? Does democracy lose? Who picks up the banner? Who waves it in angry defiance?
What do i know? I'm just a kid who read a lot of books growing up. I watched a lot of movies, and listened to a lot of people who dreamed a little bigger than me. I imagined what heaven looked like. And when I had the courage to look in the other direction, I saw many version of hell.
Where we are, today, is unprecedented. I'm sure people will read this and think, "We've been here before." America has never been here. To be honest, most of us don't even realize where here is. And I struggle to put it into words.
The people in the know have already taken the knee. Others make their unholy pilgrimage to Mar-a-lago (or how ever it's spelled) to pledge loyalty to His Majesty. We haven't even seen the carnage. The metaphorical public executions haven't even started.
The sad part is the first thing I wrote was better than this comment. Dissent and rebellion will always exist (in theory). With the dawn of A.I. and the proliferation of social media, maybe we're seeing the end of democracy.
I wouldn't think much of any of it. I would limit my thoughts to "well, it's just 4 years." However, when i see this guy's opponents rushing to atone themselves before him, it conjures a visions of a long, grim future.
I have lived in Scotland for over 30 years now & so agree. People used to look to America as the world leader, they wanted to emulate American Culture & our politicians even copied American politics. But now since rump, I’m finding most people look to the US with a mixture of confusion & distaste. Albeit, there are those right wingers who have been emboldened by the rump republican rhetoric. Personally, I find myself embarrassed by having been born in a country that is now so messed up. My parents were immigrants who believed in the American dream & benefitted from it. They would be so sad to see what it’s become, as am I. The narrative needs to change & quickly because from here, America under rump looks no different than any other corrupt authoritarian country in the world. So Sad, never thought I’d see this happen to the USA, but if Money & Fame become the goal then it was inevitable. Reagan started the rot at the top, I thought Obama would curb it but all his presidency did was produce a harder kick back from the right wing racists!
America has not been the champion of Democracy, that is the story that is generally propagated. America has been responsible for the overthrowing of fledgling Democracies, Guatamala, Iran,
in 1954, recently Bolivia. We want to control the resources of these countries in favor of corporate control over the self determination of the people of this nations. If we had been truly concerned about fostering Democracy around the world maybe we not be in the current position of loosing it ourselves.
White and male focused, which of course it has been. As Marc points out, there is a clear bottom- dirty group who are left out of economic recourse and for whom hope will be even more elusive under this new authoritarian administration.
The problem is: None of these four stories tell the truth. The actual story of the US begins with the genocide of the Natives and the enslavement of the Africans. As long as we insist on telling ourselves self-congratulatory fairy tales we remain infantile, individually and politically. Only an honest recognition of our real history can lead to maturity and a chance to build a society that can fulfill the potential that the false stories are meant to serve but actually prevent. Psych 101.
So true, the myths of America. The truth is not palatable. Therefore, kept hidden & I’m afraid will be hidden even further by certain states erasing of history in their educational curriculum.
So how do you use these insights with people withholding votes because the government is helping Israel? With men who are too insecure to vote for a woman? With greedy special-interest groups eager to profit from everyone else's pain? With religious fanatics who have lost any concept of a moral compass? With entitled apathy?
The problem isn’t just the language — and it’s central to Republicans’ playbook that they always attempt to control the language of any debate (one need look no further than their insistence on calling the Democratic Party — its official name at least as far back as Andrew Jackson’s day — the “Democrat Party,” with the clear implication that the Democratic Party is undemocratic) — but the mechanism by which the message is delivered.
Just as one of the functions of the good bacteria in a person’s gut is to displace bad bacteria and not give it the space it needs to proliferate, a message needs to get there first to keep the counter-message from taking hold.
For all the post-mortems we’ve read over the past five weeks as to why the election went the way it did, what seems most obvious is that, for lack of a mechanism to place a steady stream of verifiable, factual information in front of the American people as to how Democratic policies were improving their lives, it can be said that this election was lost the day Joe Biden entered the White House.
A White House Press Office, with handouts to news organizations, that holds the occasional news conference and operates a website isn’t nearly enough. What they need, what they should have had, is an ad agency, directly analogous to what we used to see every week on “Mad Men,” dedicated to crafting simple, easily-understood stories about the benefits of those policies, and placing them in the media and before the public BEFORE the opposition and poison opinion with its wildly false narrative.
Such an operation needs to run 24/7, fifty-two weeks a year. Such an operation would be terribly expensive to operate, but the cost of NOT operating it is, well, we saw it five weeks ago.
" While it’s true that Kamala Harris lost by a small margin, the overriding reality is that through many elections, Democrats have failed to speak to America in ways that most Americans understand. " While it’s true that Kamala Harris lost by a small margin, the overriding reality is that through many elections, Democrats have failed to speak to America in ways that most Americans understand." "t’s the story of self-made people who buck the odds, spurn the naysayers, and show what can be done with enough gumption and guts. They’re plainspoken, self-reliant, and uncompromising in their ideals — underdogs who make it through hard work and faith in themselves." Kamala Harris spoke often about being an underdog, The child of immigrant parents of color, who worked hard in school and succeeded in law, to be the top Prosecutor in A major city, San Fan Francisco, being re-elected, then to Be Attorney General of a state with the largest economy in the Country, also re-elected, then on to be a Senator and then Vice President. I think Democrats have and had an excellent message ; But the billionaire propaganda machine that is our modern day media, favoring stories about the Orange stain, often obscured that message. tRUMP likes to superimpose himself onto the media's messaging, to dominate the view, and distract from the messages of his opponents. I don't blame the Democrats' messaging at all.
This was a good read. The four stories resonate. Perhaps the "rot at the top" will dominate for the immediate future. trump and co. will claim they are cleaning out the rot, while they bring in a far stinkier rot from the corporate and conservative "talking head" world of media and finance. There is something missing in the 4 stories that we require. It underlies the others and does not speak loudly in schools or media. We have a beautiful land, and wise people connected to it in ways that do not bring wealth or fame, rather they show health and good being. Our national myths often leave environment and certain people out. Where are the native peoples, slaves, small farmers, immigrants who built our railways, migrants who pick our crops? We need their stories too. Without that we fall prey to those who wish to boot them out because they refuse to sort the wheat from the chaff, even though the chaff is smaller, and most of it falls from the people doing the sorting.
One must "Dance to the tune played by those what brung them", In other words, the price of admission is often costly if relying on corporate money for their campaign.
Professor Reich: fascinating! i found this piece resonated strongly with me and how i view the country (and the world). it gives me much to think about. i look forward to your second tomorrow's instalment of this story.
Okay. I look forward to more of your deep thinking about where we are and where we need to go. We are a majority in so many ways. Keep bringing us together to find ways to overcome our current daunting turn of events. I welcome it and look forward to more.
An American Indian chief once said to me that his philosophy of life
was guided by the judgement of whether something would grow corn or not.
Practical significance.
This is not about identity politics, this is about what is significant.
Dems often have it backwards and why they lose on the gameboard of power.
We must speak to powerful significance, powerful stories, not be afraid of power.
Why? Because we are in touch with what is significant in our life and people's lives.
If you want to know why people make the decisions they do, understand what is significant to them. If you want to influence them, first know how they organize around what they believe is significant.
Thank you for these excellent informative stories! On the global level, there is also a wider story that needs to be told on education / learning / research / outreach -including the part that universities have played across society (knowledge, shared values-the common good- , planet sustainability). They too need to take a stronger leadership position on the national and global stages standing up for freedoms to choose or democracy. Only about 7 % of all nations (c.200) are now deemed to be fully democratic vs autocratic (enslavement?). See Democratic Index-https://www.eiu.com/n/campaigns/democracy-index-2023/). The urgency to shift from human-centrism ('it's all about us' ) to eco-centrism ('it's about all species-humans, non-human animals, plants, the environment and sustaining our 'blue planet on whose survival we all depend.
The urgency to address the current drift into chaos and possibly dystopia in the US in 2025 and much of the world could not be greater! As Martin Luther King Jr supposedly said in the 1960s: "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.'
'Universities in the Early Decades of the Third Millennium: Saving the World from Itself?'
Professor Reich wrote: "Its earliest formulation was John Winthrop’s “A Model of Christian Charity,” delivered on board a ship in Salem Harbor just before the Puritans landed in 1630 — a version of Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount, in which the new settlers would be “as a City upon a Hill,” . . .
The Puritans came in 1630, not the Pilgrims; we came in 1620 on the Mayflower. Yes, my ancestor came on the Mayflower, George Soule; and he was an indentured servant to Edward Winslow. He signed the Mayflower Compact and worked for his freedom.
Mayflower history and genealogy are also my official annoying hobbies.
I believe Robert Reich is correct. The Democrats lost their ability to speak cogently to all Americans, but instead chose to speak to “people like themselves.” And in doing so left out a large part of the population.
Yesterday, at the Brookings Institution President Biden gave a very convincing talk about all of the accomplishments of his administration, comparing those accomplishments to what the agenda of the Republicans has been and will be. However, he was speaking to an audience of people highly educated like himself while clearly not speaking to those who have been economically suffering the most. You can use terms such as “growing the economy from the middle out and the bottom up,” and there may be some clear truth in that, but this does not lay out an inspiring vision of being there for all Americans.
It is clear that Kamala Harris entering the race so late did not give her the opportunity to bring clarity and power to what she proposed, and she was up against a powerful freight train, already roaring down the tracks. But also, she was constrained by the path previously laid down by Joseph Biden, and the Democratic agenda as defined by the DNC. “Wokeness”may have simply been generalized as a way to criticize the intellectuals being out of touch with those who take their lunch pails to work every day and do not have the extra money to stop at Starbucks and bring their lattes to work.
Marc, we are close. I did print the speech of Biden in Brookings and think it is an important one. Kamala did nothing wrong, indeed limited by the silly campaigning of Trump for more then a year. The rational and sunny talks did not resonate in "fly over" country, but she almost won.
Is the US stupid and conservative? I think the devatation of the Trump goverment will bring back decency and real goverment soon. But the treason and insurgency had to be punished years ago.
Republicans do not know the meaning of Conservative, they are actually hypocrites in sheep's clothing.
Carolyn, I agree but it does not matter. We should be analytical. The Republicans are the voice of big money and the words solidarity or decency are unknown to them. But this is a long historic line in the struggle between workers and millionaires.
Robert and other professional Democrats and MSNBC Pundits talk like we can comeback in 2028, if only we get our shite together. I wish, oh I wish that this was true.
But how are we going to do that, when Trump's Agenda 47 and his Project 2025 have clearly laid out the roadmap, the play book, for a theocratic Right Wing Dictatorship.
And it is not hyperbole either, his cabinet choices will destroy the Republic, shred the constitution and is supported by the Judiciary, not only SCOTUS, but 1500 Judges vetted by the Federalist Society in Trumps first term.
Even if his cabinet choices go before the Senate, the Senate is majority Republican, and if the Democrats even try to filibuster, the Republicans will exercise the nuclear option.
Trump told his cult, Vote for me and you want have to vote again.
I believe him, why doesn't the Democratic leadership.
Rather than planning for election in 2028, that even if it happened would be as honest as an election in Russia and Hungary we should be planning and organizing for the resistance. Let us face reality and not promote false hope.
Brazil has a stronger democracy than America, it is prosecuting an ex President, Israel has a stronger Democracy than America, Netanyahu is testifying at his own trial.
Imagine the leader of Israel is being tried,, while in America all charges against Trump are being dropped or suspended, and though convicted of felonies he has not been punished, and never will be.
William, we see it very much alike.
I ask for some years now in this colums: why is insurgent Trump not arrested, why are his treasonous friendships not tested?
Good system in Israel, trying the MP; that is what should be done.
Still, dark times ahead, but half America is not totally stupid. But the voters should find out what their strongman and hero does and suffer under his damage. Then checks and balances will work.
Tom, I would like that to be the message for any candidate going forward. Republicans are indeed the voice of big money, greed, power and corruption; however, Democrats need to move away from those big money donors and return to grass roots America. If the Democrats are going to support and work for the working middle and lower classes, then they have to show that. It isn't enough to repeat the platitudes "We are here for you", "We understand what you are going through", "We care about helping you" and so on and so on. Talk is talk but these leaders need to show with action they mean what they say.
Johnathan Haidt’s book The Righteous Mind will aid understanding here.
Or the tempting serpent. See the shiny apple?
I find this four point structure to be very helpful in terms of providing a story and framework for going forward. Thank you, Robert Reich.
It is admirable work, especially for an economist. I did make a few remarks from a different epistemologic culture: history and political science in the Netherlands.
"Harris Stayed Silent On Khan Amid Probe Of Top Adviser's Firm
The presidential candidate declined to defend Lina Khan while the antitrust regulator was investigating the employer of Harris’ brother-in-law and chief advisor..."
https://www.levernews.com/harris-stayed-silent-on-khan-amid-probe-of-top-advisers-firm/?action=signin&success=true
I took my lunchbox to work everyday for 50 years and never felt that the democrats were out of touch. Democrats work for the benefit of all the people, especially for the poor, to have a better life. The republicans are always trying to take away the benefits you have. I do blame Biden's ego for not stepping aside at least a year before the election. Just like sick RBG on the "supreme" court.
Nukes and Climate are the knawing Suicidal Kool-Aide killing Hope with suppressed Fear.
Anti-Vaxxers' suicidality is a recent stark example of our blindness to our lack of EMOTIONAL AND INTELLECTUAL MATURITY:
Up to 60% of anxious people (aka Americans) are cured by Placebo (aka BS).
Mnemonic: "NO AMERICAN FOLLOWS THE SCIENCE OF ANXIETY, ALL AMERICANS KNOW THE WORD VALIUM."
FDR:"Go Kill Hitler and I'll give you FREEDOM FROM FEAR. "
MsFDR:"Do one thing every day that scares you. "(aka the science of Freedom from Fear)
Purdue Pharma:" You don't have to face your fear, just keep popping our Valiums."
The Democratic Party has not been able to talk to the average person for a long time. Kamala Harris being a black woman did not help her cause unfortunately. The country is still racist and the white male population is afraid of strong women just as Trump is.
Unfortunately the Democrats did not admit nor convince Joe Biden was too old to run again. Also, the Dems didn’t get nor focus their messages on mid America not participating in benefits of the big infrastructure projects in an easily identifiable way. Those projects were big like fixing bridges and tunnels but couldn’t fix local potholes we hit going to work or grocery store every day.
The government’s and Fed’s measure and expression of Inflation was simply not that felt in the average home where COVID and corporate greed sent the cost of eggs and housing flying while take home pay didn’t keep up. Two different measures!
Add that the Democratic Party chiefs were not tuned into mid America, who after Hillary were simply still not ready for a first woman President, let alone one of color; especially against Trump and Big Dark Money!
The Dems lost the election by waiting too late with Aging Biden, being too inclusive in choice. Trump and his Sycophant Congress and Corporate Exec buddies were ready and took advantage of a Democratic Party out of tune! We will now pay the price of ‘Rump’s Wrecking Ball Cabinet and approach to governing.
Marc, I couldn’t agree more. Hence my reason for drafting a letter urging influential elected officials and organizations to consider endorsing Wisconsin Democratic Chair Ben Wikler, who is running for Chair of the Democratic National Committee.
Unlike the other candidates who, in my view, would perpetuate the status quo in national politics, Wikler would firmly position Democrats as advocates for working families across the country. He also would focus on improving the Party’s messaging, training and deploying effective communicators to reach voters on every platform, in every place.
I hope others join my campaign to urge those with influence to press the 448 DNC voting members to support Ben Wikler, the leader who can guide the party to victory in 2026 and beyond.
I agree, Barbara Jo, and I really like Ben Wikler. His message is spot on!
Peggy, Thanks for writing. I would add that Wikler is deeply engaged in the grassroots work across Wisconsin. His hands-on approach and commitment to going door-to-door, listening to voters in every neighborhood, has made him a skilled organizer and “vote-getting guru.” His activism spans both the ground and online, connecting with people year-around.
This is especially important given the Democratic National Committee’s history as primarily a fundraising entity, largely driven by the big-money interests of billionaires, large corporations, and Wall Street. The Party cannot truly represent working people if it is unwilling to challenge these powerful donors.
Barbara Jo, I have said it before and it bears repeating. We need candidates like Ben Wikler that are willing to go door-to-door and LISTEN to voters concerns and issues. We need candidates that are engaged with a hands-on approach and are willing to speak out and fight for what their constituents have told them they want in our government! We need candidates that are not afraid to take on the wealthy and greedy corporations. I hope more "Ben Wiklers" are out there and ready to work for the American people.
Peggy, While I wholeheartedly agree with every one of your points, currently our party is leaderless. Wikler, who expressed in a recent New York Times interview that his goal is to bring the same kind of transformation to the national Democratic Party that he brought to Wisconsin, could fill that void.
The DNC delegates will vote on February 1st. In the interim, I’m doing all I can to urge everyday folks to write their representatives up and down the ballot, many of whom are DNC delegates, urging them to endorse Wikler for DNC Chair.
I have written to mine, Barbara Jo; however, my representatives have not acknowledged whether they received what I sent. My representatives here in Florida are not messaging very well. I hope if Wikler becomes the DNC Chair, that will change under his leadership.
It is wonderful to think that writing to your representatives will be helpful, but I have never found it to be. They have staff to read the letters (if they bother) and send out form letters in reply. The system is corrupt.
Ben is great. O'Malley brings a lot to the table too. Perhaps he should be a co-chair or head the Governors at DGA. Having a sitting Gov run the group is not effective or efficient because a Gov too much on his/her plate as a Gov, IMO.
Actually, I like the idea of having male and female Co-Chairs, like IL.
Agreed. Rahm Emanuel may be the worst possible choice. Mean-spirited and corrupt.
Anybody associated with Teams Obama and Clinton do not seem in vogue. The "changing of the guard" is in vogue.
Indeed! His interview with Jon Steward was wonderful!
Marc, I agree, but the question is why. In the 1960s, the nation as a whole shifted towards the Republican party, partly because of Vietnam but mainly because of Civil Rights. White southerners abruptly switched their voting preferences from Democrat to Republican. Dixiecrats were racist but voted for high taxes, while Republicans always wanted lower taxes.
This massive shift of tens of millions of votes led quickly to the Heritage Foundation and from there to Reagan - the first president to say out loud that tax cuts on the wealthiest would be to the benefit of all. IMHO, the Democrats perceived this shift to the right and unconsciously moved in the same direction.
The DNC must remake itself by promoting charismatic populist leaders, and go back to Reich's story of Rot at the Top.
DJT received about 1/3 of the eligible 2024 Votes... Kamala received about 1/3 of the eligible Votes... About 1/3rd of the Voters stayed home... Were the missing 1/3rd Apathetic Disillusioned, Cynical? Did 'Gaza' play a part in the Disillusionment?... The De-Industrialization of the U.S. started under Reagan, and continued thru Trump... Obama ran a good Campaign with simple Slogans such as "Hope", "Hope You Can Believe In"... A Reinvigorated Democratic Party needs similar Mantras appealing to the Broadest Base... THEN IT NEEDS TO DELIVER...
The only way to deliver is by getting money out of politics which the politicians are not willing to do. They are in government to make themselves rich!
Last Sentence '' TRUE""
My mantra would be “Better woke than wack.”
The problem is that the "people like themselves" were, by that time, the Wall Street moguls.
The "people like themselves" are the normal, average Americans. How much do Democrats have to dumb it down for the stupid Americans to understand it? Vote for your best interests, not for liars, grifters, millionaires, and billionaires that want to take away your Social Security, Medicare, healthcare, livable wage, right to love who you want to love, birth control, ban books, make the United States a Christian nation only, etc.
And thusly, Bunkerboy displayed the ONLY skill he was gifted at birth: making stupid people feel smart.
On PH, "I said you're not TV guy. You're a military guy." Lol.
This is the most clueless piece I've seen Reich write and ironic that it came out when Biden gave his speech on the economy. Biden's "From the middle out and from the bottom up" is a good and sound message. Why does it get ignored on the media and fall on deaf ears? Why has social morality come down to a cult of the fertilized egg? How were the Republicans able to make being woke, which is a virtue of being tolerant of differences of and supportive of the weak, and honest about racism which is stronger in the country now than at any time since before the '60s, into a vice? The problem is Republicans' incessant lying, repeated by right wing media. Republicans electoral successes in presidential elections since the '60s has not been based on their policies, but on how good of a con man and demogogue their candidate is. Reagan and Trump won because they were con men and demagogues. Goldwater, Nixon, Mitt Romney, Bush, McCain, not do much. The presidential election is a popularity contest, like our grade school student counsel elections, but with real world consequences. Can the Democrats do anything about the rise of the Republican demogogue and the spread of right wing media with the utter collapse of legacy media?
I agree. Reich is usually better.
Democrats hardly speak on the richt wing media braying machine, with the exception of Pete Buttegieg, and when he does the odious "hosts" still try to talk over him and spread their billionaire-fed garbage.
The problem is people want to hear hate and mocking, because they're mad and want to blame the people smarter than they are. And for those educated after Reagan, it's most everyone.
It's all about the rage, and the democrats pulled too many punches in calling out the problem.
People know so little they have no idea what trickle down is, and no idea thst the billionaires dumpty will empower are the problem. And they own the media that red state folks listen to.
Interesting post. You have led me to think about the thoroughly debunked GOP paternalistic/infantilistic lie that the wealthy know best what is good for the country; and making them wealthier will, through the false trickle down theory bring prosperity to all. The concomitant GOP lie is that government is the problem because it hamstrings the wealthy from becoming even wealthier through taxation, regulation and corruption.
Paula Mandell : The present day "GOP" certainly don't care about the Common Good now, and if they ever tried to give that impression, they don't even try these days. They 'just' want to get what they want : Which is everything of value, and only for themselves.
No they don’t care and never have in my long life. They employ sleight-of-hand distractions: “wokism,” grooming by LGBTQI people, book banning, invasion of criminal immigrants, the “deep state,” “stolen elections,” etc., which are designed to distract people from the real sources of economic distress and inequality.
Bill Ejzak ; True , money is speech , and therefore, it talks. Those with more money make the rules, and get out their message with a louder voice.
“Money doesn’t talk, it swears.” (Bob Dylan)
"Obscenity, who really cares? Propaganda ; All is phoney" .(Bob Dylan).
I don't think that's how R's define woke. They see it as more like rot at the top of government with unfair and idiotic social engineering. Your definition puts woke in a positive light. R's don't see anything positive in it.
You've got to admit, letting transgirls compete against girls is unfair to girls... And girls to transgirls are probably 1000:1.
If Dems were smart, they would defer to Olympic rules and suggest a new category. Let local school boards decide if trans should compete in the same heat or separate heat, but give different awards. Two categories, like 1st place in transgirl and 1st place in girl categories are the only fair way to settle the matter.
Mr. Ejzak, thank you for this comment. You've relayed my thoughts much more eloquently than I could have.
Focus on the Rot at the Top.
KISS.
Had Congressional "persons" not allowed big business and big money interests to take over the government...we wouldn't have big business and big money people running "our/the peoples" government.
If we had not allowed for misinformation, lies, and conspiracy nut cases to flood our airwaves, internet, and media platforms and single malevolent bad actors controlling the output of information across most forms of influential media...we wouldn't be where we are today. Trump and the corrupt MAGA Republicans wouldn't have been heard by anyone outside of a "small circle of friends".
Running a country is hard enough without having to contend with corrupt and malevolent actors. We have...did have, laws that protected us but they were not implemented effectively. Common sense laws that got overridden and diluted by the greed and laziness of our leadership. The 10+% of the good guys in government who maintained their integrity got pounded. The population was educationally unaware of reality and blinded by "The Light". "The Light" was so intense, overwhelming and alluring... the lies flooded our population and still ...our leadership cared more about the money and power of which they needed to hold onto.
We as a nation will not solve our "number one problem" until we solve our number one problem...taking Business/Big money out of our government.
The people that lead us... have to lead us for the right reasons and have the intelligence to know the difference between serving their masters and themselves versus serving the country and should have a general knowledge of the difference between right and wrong...in all things.
I believe it was the Roberts court that allowed billionaires to take over the government, not congress.
A preference for the elite and corporate America with management over labor is clear.
[I started to write a comment and tried to reference something, and ended up losing three paragraphs... so, hopefully, i can recall my thoughts]
America has always been the champion of democracy, even if some of the means of achieving democracy haven't always been democratic. Being this shining beacon in the world spurred other countries to do likewise. The American Dream was infectious. People sang our songs. They emulated our celebrities, recited lines from our movies. People around the world knew America was the land of opportunity.
So what happens when the vanguard of democracy ceases to be that symbol. What happens when the champions decide they don't want to be the champions? Does democracy lose? Who picks up the banner? Who waves it in angry defiance?
What do i know? I'm just a kid who read a lot of books growing up. I watched a lot of movies, and listened to a lot of people who dreamed a little bigger than me. I imagined what heaven looked like. And when I had the courage to look in the other direction, I saw many version of hell.
Where we are, today, is unprecedented. I'm sure people will read this and think, "We've been here before." America has never been here. To be honest, most of us don't even realize where here is. And I struggle to put it into words.
The people in the know have already taken the knee. Others make their unholy pilgrimage to Mar-a-lago (or how ever it's spelled) to pledge loyalty to His Majesty. We haven't even seen the carnage. The metaphorical public executions haven't even started.
I was gonna write my own comment but you summed it up so completely.
This is exactly what I was going to say.
America has always been a model for Democracy since its founding. Our American Revolution even spurred the French Revolution.
Now what will the world do when America falls? It's a scary thing to think about and we've never been here before.
The sad part is the first thing I wrote was better than this comment. Dissent and rebellion will always exist (in theory). With the dawn of A.I. and the proliferation of social media, maybe we're seeing the end of democracy.
I wouldn't think much of any of it. I would limit my thoughts to "well, it's just 4 years." However, when i see this guy's opponents rushing to atone themselves before him, it conjures a visions of a long, grim future.
I have lived in Scotland for over 30 years now & so agree. People used to look to America as the world leader, they wanted to emulate American Culture & our politicians even copied American politics. But now since rump, I’m finding most people look to the US with a mixture of confusion & distaste. Albeit, there are those right wingers who have been emboldened by the rump republican rhetoric. Personally, I find myself embarrassed by having been born in a country that is now so messed up. My parents were immigrants who believed in the American dream & benefitted from it. They would be so sad to see what it’s become, as am I. The narrative needs to change & quickly because from here, America under rump looks no different than any other corrupt authoritarian country in the world. So Sad, never thought I’d see this happen to the USA, but if Money & Fame become the goal then it was inevitable. Reagan started the rot at the top, I thought Obama would curb it but all his presidency did was produce a harder kick back from the right wing racists!
America has not been the champion of Democracy, that is the story that is generally propagated. America has been responsible for the overthrowing of fledgling Democracies, Guatamala, Iran,
in 1954, recently Bolivia. We want to control the resources of these countries in favor of corporate control over the self determination of the people of this nations. If we had been truly concerned about fostering Democracy around the world maybe we not be in the current position of loosing it ourselves.
I hate to tell you but it all sounds pretty white to me. Seriously.
Then change it. Make it right. No point in being only white!!!!!
For starters, everyone read The Message, by Ta-Nahesi Coates!
White and male focused, which of course it has been. As Marc points out, there is a clear bottom- dirty group who are left out of economic recourse and for whom hope will be even more elusive under this new authoritarian administration.
It is pretty white and doesn’t anchor itself in the truth of being born into preexisting restrictions more pervasive as to be invisible.
The problem is: None of these four stories tell the truth. The actual story of the US begins with the genocide of the Natives and the enslavement of the Africans. As long as we insist on telling ourselves self-congratulatory fairy tales we remain infantile, individually and politically. Only an honest recognition of our real history can lead to maturity and a chance to build a society that can fulfill the potential that the false stories are meant to serve but actually prevent. Psych 101.
So true, the myths of America. The truth is not palatable. Therefore, kept hidden & I’m afraid will be hidden even further by certain states erasing of history in their educational curriculum.
All the colonial powers suffer from the same problem in varying degrees.
Thanks for remembering and reminding us of the real and rest of thw story.
So how do you use these insights with people withholding votes because the government is helping Israel? With men who are too insecure to vote for a woman? With greedy special-interest groups eager to profit from everyone else's pain? With religious fanatics who have lost any concept of a moral compass? With entitled apathy?
Good questions, Andrew!
The problem isn’t just the language — and it’s central to Republicans’ playbook that they always attempt to control the language of any debate (one need look no further than their insistence on calling the Democratic Party — its official name at least as far back as Andrew Jackson’s day — the “Democrat Party,” with the clear implication that the Democratic Party is undemocratic) — but the mechanism by which the message is delivered.
Just as one of the functions of the good bacteria in a person’s gut is to displace bad bacteria and not give it the space it needs to proliferate, a message needs to get there first to keep the counter-message from taking hold.
For all the post-mortems we’ve read over the past five weeks as to why the election went the way it did, what seems most obvious is that, for lack of a mechanism to place a steady stream of verifiable, factual information in front of the American people as to how Democratic policies were improving their lives, it can be said that this election was lost the day Joe Biden entered the White House.
A White House Press Office, with handouts to news organizations, that holds the occasional news conference and operates a website isn’t nearly enough. What they need, what they should have had, is an ad agency, directly analogous to what we used to see every week on “Mad Men,” dedicated to crafting simple, easily-understood stories about the benefits of those policies, and placing them in the media and before the public BEFORE the opposition and poison opinion with its wildly false narrative.
Such an operation needs to run 24/7, fifty-two weeks a year. Such an operation would be terribly expensive to operate, but the cost of NOT operating it is, well, we saw it five weeks ago.
" While it’s true that Kamala Harris lost by a small margin, the overriding reality is that through many elections, Democrats have failed to speak to America in ways that most Americans understand. " While it’s true that Kamala Harris lost by a small margin, the overriding reality is that through many elections, Democrats have failed to speak to America in ways that most Americans understand." "t’s the story of self-made people who buck the odds, spurn the naysayers, and show what can be done with enough gumption and guts. They’re plainspoken, self-reliant, and uncompromising in their ideals — underdogs who make it through hard work and faith in themselves." Kamala Harris spoke often about being an underdog, The child of immigrant parents of color, who worked hard in school and succeeded in law, to be the top Prosecutor in A major city, San Fan Francisco, being re-elected, then to Be Attorney General of a state with the largest economy in the Country, also re-elected, then on to be a Senator and then Vice President. I think Democrats have and had an excellent message ; But the billionaire propaganda machine that is our modern day media, favoring stories about the Orange stain, often obscured that message. tRUMP likes to superimpose himself onto the media's messaging, to dominate the view, and distract from the messages of his opponents. I don't blame the Democrats' messaging at all.
This was a good read. The four stories resonate. Perhaps the "rot at the top" will dominate for the immediate future. trump and co. will claim they are cleaning out the rot, while they bring in a far stinkier rot from the corporate and conservative "talking head" world of media and finance. There is something missing in the 4 stories that we require. It underlies the others and does not speak loudly in schools or media. We have a beautiful land, and wise people connected to it in ways that do not bring wealth or fame, rather they show health and good being. Our national myths often leave environment and certain people out. Where are the native peoples, slaves, small farmers, immigrants who built our railways, migrants who pick our crops? We need their stories too. Without that we fall prey to those who wish to boot them out because they refuse to sort the wheat from the chaff, even though the chaff is smaller, and most of it falls from the people doing the sorting.
What about when, following Reagan, the Democrats from Clinton to Obama embraced the Rot at the Top?
One must "Dance to the tune played by those what brung them", In other words, the price of admission is often costly if relying on corporate money for their campaign.
And, how do we function by the rule of law when the other side operates by the “rule of might?”
Professor Reich: fascinating! i found this piece resonated strongly with me and how i view the country (and the world). it gives me much to think about. i look forward to your second tomorrow's instalment of this story.
Okay. I look forward to more of your deep thinking about where we are and where we need to go. We are a majority in so many ways. Keep bringing us together to find ways to overcome our current daunting turn of events. I welcome it and look forward to more.
Significance
What do things mean to me, who is significant in our life?
These shape our identity. And our decisions and votes.
The stories - as Robert Reich has described, the significant stories that give meaning to our life and that we tell and that matter to us.
We organize our self identity around significance
We are self organizing systems.
Dems must learn to speak to what is significant, not insignificant notions.
Food, Water, Air, Shelter, Survival, Belonging, Caring
An American Indian chief once said to me that his philosophy of life
was guided by the judgement of whether something would grow corn or not.
Practical significance.
This is not about identity politics, this is about what is significant.
Dems often have it backwards and why they lose on the gameboard of power.
We must speak to powerful significance, powerful stories, not be afraid of power.
Why? Because we are in touch with what is significant in our life and people's lives.
If you want to know why people make the decisions they do, understand what is significant to them. If you want to influence them, first know how they organize around what they believe is significant.
Will Dems grow corn?
Thank you for these excellent informative stories! On the global level, there is also a wider story that needs to be told on education / learning / research / outreach -including the part that universities have played across society (knowledge, shared values-the common good- , planet sustainability). They too need to take a stronger leadership position on the national and global stages standing up for freedoms to choose or democracy. Only about 7 % of all nations (c.200) are now deemed to be fully democratic vs autocratic (enslavement?). See Democratic Index-https://www.eiu.com/n/campaigns/democracy-index-2023/). The urgency to shift from human-centrism ('it's all about us' ) to eco-centrism ('it's about all species-humans, non-human animals, plants, the environment and sustaining our 'blue planet on whose survival we all depend.
The urgency to address the current drift into chaos and possibly dystopia in the US in 2025 and much of the world could not be greater! As Martin Luther King Jr supposedly said in the 1960s: "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.'
'Universities in the Early Decades of the Third Millennium: Saving the World from Itself?'
https://www.peah.it/2024/10/focus-on-universities-in-the-early-decades-of-the-third-millennium-saving-the-world-from-itself/
“… shortly before the Pilgrims landed in 1630 …???
The 400 year anniversary of the Mayflower landing was supposed to happen in 2020 but had to be postponed because of COVID.
My 8X great grandfather was a Mayflower passenger as a child, along with 3 siblings. He was the only one to survive the first awful winter.
Mayflower history and genealogy are my official annoying hobbies.
Professor Reich wrote: "Its earliest formulation was John Winthrop’s “A Model of Christian Charity,” delivered on board a ship in Salem Harbor just before the Puritans landed in 1630 — a version of Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount, in which the new settlers would be “as a City upon a Hill,” . . .
The Puritans came in 1630, not the Pilgrims; we came in 1620 on the Mayflower. Yes, my ancestor came on the Mayflower, George Soule; and he was an indentured servant to Edward Winslow. He signed the Mayflower Compact and worked for his freedom.
Mayflower history and genealogy are also my official annoying hobbies.