I BELIEVE WE COULD RAISE QUITE A BUNDLE IF YOU WOULD MAKE THE FULL SIZE WALL DRAWING AVAILABLE AND/OR MAKE IT INTO A WELL SIZED POSTER (THAT CAN BE READ WITHOUT A MAGNIFYING LENS). IT IS BRILLIANT, CAPTIVATING.....I WANT IT ON ANY WALL (MAYBE ALL WALLS) IN MY HOUSE THAT ARE LARGE ENOUGH. I COULD GO ON AND ON.
Diane, Though I agree that Prof. Reich’s pairing of the declining state of working America with the concomitant acceleration of corruption and graft, indeed, is powerful, I would note that the deepening grievances and despair besetting the Trump base are as much a manifestation of social and culture resentments as they are economic. I raise this point because unless we enlist all the factors that are driving 70% of the Republican Party, who actually are the real threat to democracy, to believe they are defending it, I fear, among other consequences, that the false grievances that the 2020 election was stolen will prevail unabated.
I am in total agreement with your analysis. I would like to add specifically that Regan's cancellation of most of the regulations on banking, limits on donations to elections, and other legal tools to control the wrong doers, opened up the Pandora's box for the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. Opportunists like Trump jumped in as the saviors of the poor and made it actually worse! As you pointed out not a single banker or Wall Street executive has ever gone to jail for the havoc they raised with the economy in the 2008 and 2009 fiascos, among may others.
The standard of education in primary and high schools have gradually been reduced in the last fifty years to the point that almost half of the nation is now fighting against the vaccine that could save their own lives.
It will be a tough and long battle to get America back on the right road. But, we must try when we realize that we are going in the wrong direction. Good luck!
Mark Houshmand ; I agree with what you have highlighted, especially the fact that not a single banker or Wall Street executive has gone to jail for the havoc they raised with the economy in the 2008 and 2009 fiascos, among many others. It dovetails with the experience we had watching our former president interfering with an investigation of his own behavior, and hampering two 'impeachments', followed by his abuse of pardon powers by letting his partners in crime get away with their own complicity. He was even able to choose an Attorney General who was his puppet, pretty much. And he is still at it. The most important thing we all need to see is Justice for the crimes he has committed and expulsion of any others involved who are still busily working to end our Democracy and rule of law. If our present Attorney General and the Justice Department cannot handle this adequately, it is not good at all.
Your final drawing in the video, "It's our choice but we have to work hard for it" is important. Too many Americans don't want to hear that message. They disparage those who have put in the work to earn graduate and professional degrees, who have become experts in their fields through years of study as "elitists." Trump's "I alone can fix it" is very appealing to many because it implies that they can just sit back and do nothing, while he will take care of them. I find it significant that, when he instructed his followers to to get vaccinated against Covid-19 (i.e. take some personal responsibility), they booed him. Reagan, the actor, was able to do so much damage, because he very effectively played the role of everyone's favorite lovable grandfather, while his administration instituted mean-spirited, pro-corporate policies. Both of them, along with Nixon and Republican officeholders around the country, exploited the racism and xenophobia that continually flow just below the surface in this country.
As a result, it seems that "bad is good enough" is now baked into our culture. Being not "socialist" Europe is more important than making ordinary people's lives easier. American exceptionalism!
I support progressive policies, but I think progressives need to improve their messaging. Take paid family leave, for example. Progressives say vaguely they want that policy because it will benefit working families. That sounds a bit patronizing and invites a Republican rejoinder that Democrats' Big Government is trying to dictate to people how to live their lives. What would be better, IMO, would be to focus first on the problem people experience: that after the arrival of a new baby, they must rush back to work, with no time to bond with the baby, and then explain how the policy would solve that problem. PBS Newshour did a report with video clips from ordinary people: Parents whose employers provided paid family leave explaining how the policy really helped them, and a small business owner saying she couldn't afford to pay employees to stay home for several weeks. Then an expert explained that the government would pay them. It's great that PBS did that report, but we need our elected officials to improve their marketing.
I think the “ big picture” needs to be made “small’ for the average person in order for it to motivate each of them (us) towards positive action. I think Bernie Sanders did that as well as anybody and, consequently, got a whole lot of Americans to support him and almost made him the one candidate who may have been able to defeat Donald Trump (and let’s not forget how close Hillary came!). So, we got Trump and he’s gone and now we need to figure out how to get the right people in the White House and Congress to make this democracy work. Here’s my list of things that need to be done, in no particular order and, to me, all equally as important:
1. Pass voting rights legislation that enables ALL Americans relatively easy access to the ballot box.
2. Reduce significantly the maximum amount of money that can be donated to a political candidate’s election campaign.
3. Create multiple pieces of legislation for the most important parts of BBB in order to enact these measures into law and mobilize the funding as soon as possible.
4. Use this same methodology in #3 for all important pieces of legislation. In other words keep it simple.
5. Democrats nominate either a more progressive candidate in 2024, such as Elizabeth Warren, or a younger, more dynamic, candidate, such as Pete Buttigieg, to lead the country through its most challenging era since the FDR years.
Overall, keep the list of priorities (compared to “today’s” list) relatively short or run the risk of losing the average citizen in the minutiae of multiple facts and details. This last point, to me, is why more and more people are turning off CNN and the rest of mainstream media and becoming more and more susceptible to gossip, innuendo, and conspiracy theories. We need to keep it simple and, not because people are stupid. Not at all! It’s because we are tired, worn out by a lengthening pandemic, constant bickering (particularly in the media), and everyday struggles to cope. And now I’m getting long-winded…so time to stop and ponder all of this.
Elliot Redman ; We also need consequences for the former 'president' and his allies, many who still hold seats in Congress, the Senate and other important positions where there is evidence that they were involved with planning the Jan 6th attack on the People's House. Without consequences, there is not any deterrence for more foul play against us, the actual human beings in this land. Those who were unethically pardoned who played a criminal role to harm our nation should be pursued and locked up. There is a traitor with followers who are our enemies and should be stopped. Anything else is a waste of time, because we will not be able to do anything about it, Whether it is voting laws, the filibuster, environmental laws, when they are dismantling the fair voting practices as I type this, we need swift action from the justice department, A.G. President, special forces, whomever can get it done!
Right on!! You have said exactly what I have been thinking but couldnt say as well as you. Excellent. If it isnt prying, I am curious what generation you are from? I am a curious Boomer who is fighting burnout from decades of fighting the good fight, with little progress. Keeping the messaging concise is important. Attention spans are shortening and frustrations are growing. ✌️
I am also a baby boomer, Leslie Jo. I’m 70!! Let’s keep the conversation flowing and take action when able and appropriate. Thanks for getting back to me 🙏🏻!
I'm of the mind that ALL political donations be outlawed, be they corporate or private . An unbiased and society owned social media oulet to be used as a level playing field for equal airing of all candidate's views . Stiff penalties for back room dirty dealing and undo and self-serving political influences . If it can't stand the light of day ? Bury it ! !
I’d also like to see zero political donations, Mark, and think that is unrealistic and probably not appropriate in a healthy democracy (of course, ours isn’t exactly so healthy at the moment, is it?). What do you mean by a “society owned social media”? Who runs it…the government? If that’s what you’re saying, I definitely don’t agree. Sounds like Russia or China, so I have a feeling that’s not what you mean? I understand who owns the media is part of the problem and I’m not sure what or how we go about changing that. Maybe you or Mr. Reich have some ideas on that? Penalties for back room dealing? For instance?
I love this. One message under which everything gets done. Something catchy but not stupid and jingoistic like MAGA. Unfortunately “the common good” and “we’re all in this together” turn off a lot of people (even though I support the sentiment). Hire a competent PR firm for once and just do it.
Elliot. I believe you have hit on a very important set of points here. I very much agree with your emphasis on simplicity and voting rights, as well as your comment about cable news. I am not totally sold myself on either Mayor Pete or Senator Warren, although I would vote for either of them over any Republican. I'd say the Democrats need to energize both the left and the moderates and younger generations, and a candidate in 2024 who can pull that off (a tall order, I know, but then again we are talking about the POTUS)
Elliot, Though Trump was unseated in 2020, he, by no means, “is gone.” According to polls I am aware of, while huge percentages of Republicans believe democracy is under assault, the same cannot be said of Democrats. Hence, as the people who actually are the real threat to democracy believe they are defending it, for far too many others a kind of complacency has set in. Some commentators have surmised that perhaps these others think since Trump wasn’t able to steal the election when he held all the levers of the Presidency that he hardly would be in a position to do it in 2024. The fact, contrary to the haphazard attempt in 2020, is that what we’re seeing now is a coordinated effort by Trump and the Republican Party to put in place an infrastructure to control the outcome of future elections despite what the votes might say. And until a walloping majority of our voters acknowledge the urgency of this threat and are out there organizing for voter protection legislation and pressing for Senate Democrats to set aside the filibuster to save our democracy, make no mistake: the false grievances that the 2020 election was stolen will prevail unimpeded. Additionally, I would note, though 2021 saw President Biden doing many good things, that, as the most powerful person in the country, Biden must far more forcibly lead the charge against the filibuster, against the big lie, and against all of the Trump plots the Associated Press identified, this past Thursday, in its piece “Slow-moving insurrection.”
That accompanying video is a wonderful (and entertaining) summary of what we allowed to happen to our society, in tiny incremental changes, just like a frog in a pot of water on the stove - not noticing the ramifications of the sum of changes until it was too late to stop them. Now, the work will be harder, but it can be done. I look forward to reading your blog. Thanks for sharing.
Robert, I am going to say the obvious just so you know I am paying attention. You are brilliant AND entertaining. WW2 united our country because we had a common enemy. It was truly the great generation. The key to letting Capitalism flourish and having a sharing economy is good tax policy not for example “stacking” and “packing” used by venture capitalist and venture capitalism. I look forward to the New Year because of your clarity and that of Heather Cox Richardson. Thank you!
Thanks for that excellent and enjoyable cartoon video. The USA has gone a long way down from the well regulated “stakeholder capitalism” of the 1940s through the 1970s, to the unregulated “shareholder capitalism “ of today. The journey back will be a long hard one. That journey will be almost impossible if we don’t turn the anger of the Trump supporters towards their real enemy, predatory capitalism. Add to that the tsunami of runaway climate change made so much worse by that predatory capitalism, and the suffering caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, also made so much worse because the drug companies don’t share the vaccine formula freely that could save millions of lives, and the journey back becomes a Herculean one.
We have two choices, give up or fight for the progressive future we want for our grandchildren (I have six). My New Year Resolution is to continue that fight!
I think we all need to 'lean' on our A.G. and Justice Department. Crimes have been committed that are well documented. There is lots of evidence. People in high places, a former president, Senators, congress people and those in charge of our national guard have been implicated. In the old days of Reagan, we heard complaints about our 'Teflon' President and his friends, getting away with unlawful or unethical things. This is the same thing on steroids. What kinds of executive powers does Biden have that could help with any of this? Justice delayed is justice denied! Those in the process of destroying our country need to be stopped and punished. Many should face significant jail time. Otherwise there are no consequences, unless we wait for environmental destruction to have the last 'word'.
Yes, indignance and justice are actually necessary ways to overcome immorality. And they are thus, momentarily aligned with the natural philosophical concept of grace.
Yep. The former guy was an always and everywhere self dealer as our commander in chief. Biden always expresses doing the right thing and unity. Now if we all agreed on graciousness, that is love in action (like Gandhi and MLK, Jr. did in their mass movements) as the most integrative, unitary and ethical concept humans have ever conceived...and crafted policies and programs aligned with that concept...we'd be on the right track.
We get going by starting a mass movement for the new monetary paradigm based on the natural philosophical concept of grace/graciousness which can concurrently unify all of the reforms wanting to fix the various problems Professor Reich depicts in his excellent wall art.
When you start bending the rules, they eventually break. And, when you don't punish the wealthy of the rule breakers, why wouldn't they break the rules? And, then, there's the underlying evil of those that enjoy seeing people grovel before them. They enjoy seeing people suffer as long as it isn't them. The lack of consequences for businesses big and small fuels the greed of those who do rotten deeds. More to come. Great video!
Thanks, Lucy. The real danger comes when oligarchs either encourage or ignore the decline of democracy and the emergence of a "strongman" sought by those who have lost ground because of the oligarchs. That quiet alliance is pernicious.
I totally agree. How to stop it? To quell the vicious fire and destruction that is about to come, if we don't act. I think people like you with powerful voices have a heavy load to carry. You may wish to connect with people like yourself, with equal status and respect, but you need the youth of our times to JOIN you guys so that everyone will take notice, especially, the 20, 21 years olds. Ask your children who is the who's who these days. You don't want someone like Madonna, but Doja Kat is a strong influence on the young these days. Someone like that not necessarily her. Just an influencer that the youth like who can lead and share information. That's the start and influence through colleges, get the youth motivated. What we don't hear is all the good that Biden has done. That's not being blasted out everywhere. The money for children, the money from Biden's last push to move the economy. We need to do it now and quickly. All those young people that talk on your pod cast should be given more time to talk. Get in touch with Michael Moore, the Pope, a favorite Rabbi, and all together do a "huge love-in" but not love-in. Just get huge groups to unite and have a peace and awareness gathering bring these speakers in and motivate them to vote, to canvas, to set up satellites of the "Yes, You Movement" to get people to do good things for now and the future. People like being part of something that's positive. Walking on Washington isn't enough. Get gatherings together like Trump and the Repubs do. Get people motivated. Set up "Go Fund Me" campaigns to build these groups up. Drown out the Repubs and Big Business. Get Greta to speak. Roll things together. The fight for stopping Climate Change along with the ideas to promote the common and good. And, since Covid and all are around, maybe we should do it on line then wait for the summer months to gather people at centers. What centers? At universities Student Union centers. I am really serious here. Please don't laugh at me. And, people younger than University students will look on and want to join because it's the hip or in thing to do. Weekly small group can gather to discuss 1 or 2 informative issues. It will be like a chain reaction. What we don't have right now is unity. We need to unite our people, but never, never towards violence. Unite for awareness, clarity, and positive change. Please, share your thoughts. Believe it, or not, but a good way of connecting with people may be through the dispensaries... I know it sounds stupid, but it's a thing these days...
Lucy Socha ; Very well said! IMHO, The bending of Justice is one of our biggest problems now. We can get little done when all the rule breakers are destroying our Republic!
The whole Western world got on the wrong road when we weakened our democracies with lax new tax laws favoring the very powerful, relaxing our fight against monopolies, and in the end letting these interests dominate the elected representatives of the citizens. We ended up looking like democracies, but not functioning like democracies. And social and economic differences multiplied.
Incredibly helpful and clarifying. As a physician it helps me see how we should frame health care for all—not as an isolated issue but part of this big picture.
Excellent diagram, as always, Prof. Reich! Thank you. Agree with the comments below. It would be great to distribute the diagram. I would even buy a poster format; it’s brilliant!!
I've watched this before and feel it's one of the best overviews on where we are and how we got here. Every American should watch this a few times. Kudos to Mr. Reich.
This United States is famous the world over for it's historical violence that can be measured and compared in many dimensions. We readily see it in our applied foreign policy, our high incarceration rates, our racism, our exorbitant military spending, our historical suppression of women's rights, immigration policy. The list is grows almost endless as we drill down to how we express things in our media, violent fiction, movie and tv programming, even our every day colloquial language we use ourselves.
We start reform at the molecular level, as we talk to one another in local community. We practice monitoring ourselves for how we have learned to say things to one another and how often we use shame and guilt to manipulate other's behavior.
We must start small when we think big and globally. After all, we can't change ourselves and lead buy example when we are hardly aware of how we behave in a systemically violent culture. So let's start watching our vocabulary for basic words, one at a time that paint violent cultural reality, like "fight" for instance.
Let's wish that we learn to use the word "struggle" rather than "fight" when we want to change something. We can struggle for something rather than fight for it.
Let's just pay attention to how many times we say, hear or see "fight" in our lives for January.
Let's avoid guilting ourselves when we catch ourselves saying that horrible word. To make change, we need to grow aware before we can later grow into a change we want to make in ourselves. That's where change begins; empowering ourselves to begin leading by example.
Yes, the USA is the biggest empire expressing the current zeitgeist of Power, Profit and Control. But what if we changed the current monopolistically dominating monetary and financial paradigm of Debt Only to an imminently workable and resolving new paradigm of Monetary Grace As In Gifting? Graciousness beats fighting, and is actually a deeper and stronger impulse. Please consider my post regarding such on this thread. After all, Victor Hugo's was right, "If there is one thing that all the armies of the world cannot overcome, it is an idea whose time has come."
Problem is, a hard core of about 30% of us would not only not buy into that idea, they'd attack it as "political correctness." They'd cry "language police!" I had a bad feeling about that language when I first heard it in the '90s.
From a perspective view, keep in mind that only about 3% of the population is responsible for most of the reported crime, while about 60% goes unreported or undetected.
That's fine with me. Dialogue is great, even with the estupidos. I, personally would rather be wrong than sad. I've learned to assume that 80% of my perceived reality is wrong, distorted or misinformed. I've been trained to listen for the 10% that I know I can agree on. In my world no one, abbbsollootely no one can be 100% wrong. There are times when I might be 1% right in someone else's world.
Whatever I say only suggests other ways of painting reality. The only person I can change is my self. I may have very little influence on the rest of this large mighty world, yet that won't stop this bird from singing.
The point I'm trying to make is about aggregate culture. Everyone creates their own reality with their words and actions. From where I'm standing, this planet is bathed in too much fear, shame and guilt for legitimate reasons that can't be resolved overnight. I'll eat my camel one bite at a time. That's it, that's all.
Paradigm changes are ENTIRE pattern changes....that paradoxically are SINGLE concepts. Like the change from Geo-centrism to Helio-centrism for instance. Awareness of a new paradigm and then a mass movement communicating its resolving effects is what we need.
Thank you for the video, and Happy New Year. You might want to add to the causes Rupert Murdoch's Fox TV, talk radio, which is on all day every day at every work site in the USA, and the cultural acceptance of ignorance. Now is much like the 30's. The only things that saved FDR's programs were Eleanor and War. What can we do? We need to envision the future we want, and head for it. But bad news: anyone who thinks there is going to be a 2050 is not paying attention. So carpe diem, find the safest place on planet, slip out the back. . .
We need to sue Fox news for misinforming people and causing more death in a pandemic! If there is a lawyer out there who want's to help bring down Fox and Rupert Murdoch, it could help save this country, maybe the world! Murdoch's empire is all over the planet!
I BELIEVE WE COULD RAISE QUITE A BUNDLE IF YOU WOULD MAKE THE FULL SIZE WALL DRAWING AVAILABLE AND/OR MAKE IT INTO A WELL SIZED POSTER (THAT CAN BE READ WITHOUT A MAGNIFYING LENS). IT IS BRILLIANT, CAPTIVATING.....I WANT IT ON ANY WALL (MAYBE ALL WALLS) IN MY HOUSE THAT ARE LARGE ENOUGH. I COULD GO ON AND ON.
Diane, I just posted the drawing on the page, under the video.
Well I can't find it! I want a copy! Is there another way to get it?
Diane, Though I agree that Prof. Reich’s pairing of the declining state of working America with the concomitant acceleration of corruption and graft, indeed, is powerful, I would note that the deepening grievances and despair besetting the Trump base are as much a manifestation of social and culture resentments as they are economic. I raise this point because unless we enlist all the factors that are driving 70% of the Republican Party, who actually are the real threat to democracy, to believe they are defending it, I fear, among other consequences, that the false grievances that the 2020 election was stolen will prevail unabated.
I think you should post a picture of your completed wall so we can look a it more slowly.
Done. (It's right under the video.)
Yes, I agree. I've attempted to make screen shots that I can zoom in on and my equipment is too small and its' low pixelage makes it grainy.
Dear Mr. Reich,
I am in total agreement with your analysis. I would like to add specifically that Regan's cancellation of most of the regulations on banking, limits on donations to elections, and other legal tools to control the wrong doers, opened up the Pandora's box for the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. Opportunists like Trump jumped in as the saviors of the poor and made it actually worse! As you pointed out not a single banker or Wall Street executive has ever gone to jail for the havoc they raised with the economy in the 2008 and 2009 fiascos, among may others.
The standard of education in primary and high schools have gradually been reduced in the last fifty years to the point that almost half of the nation is now fighting against the vaccine that could save their own lives.
It will be a tough and long battle to get America back on the right road. But, we must try when we realize that we are going in the wrong direction. Good luck!
Mark Houshmand
Mark Houshmand ; I agree with what you have highlighted, especially the fact that not a single banker or Wall Street executive has gone to jail for the havoc they raised with the economy in the 2008 and 2009 fiascos, among many others. It dovetails with the experience we had watching our former president interfering with an investigation of his own behavior, and hampering two 'impeachments', followed by his abuse of pardon powers by letting his partners in crime get away with their own complicity. He was even able to choose an Attorney General who was his puppet, pretty much. And he is still at it. The most important thing we all need to see is Justice for the crimes he has committed and expulsion of any others involved who are still busily working to end our Democracy and rule of law. If our present Attorney General and the Justice Department cannot handle this adequately, it is not good at all.
Your final drawing in the video, "It's our choice but we have to work hard for it" is important. Too many Americans don't want to hear that message. They disparage those who have put in the work to earn graduate and professional degrees, who have become experts in their fields through years of study as "elitists." Trump's "I alone can fix it" is very appealing to many because it implies that they can just sit back and do nothing, while he will take care of them. I find it significant that, when he instructed his followers to to get vaccinated against Covid-19 (i.e. take some personal responsibility), they booed him. Reagan, the actor, was able to do so much damage, because he very effectively played the role of everyone's favorite lovable grandfather, while his administration instituted mean-spirited, pro-corporate policies. Both of them, along with Nixon and Republican officeholders around the country, exploited the racism and xenophobia that continually flow just below the surface in this country.
As a result, it seems that "bad is good enough" is now baked into our culture. Being not "socialist" Europe is more important than making ordinary people's lives easier. American exceptionalism!
I support progressive policies, but I think progressives need to improve their messaging. Take paid family leave, for example. Progressives say vaguely they want that policy because it will benefit working families. That sounds a bit patronizing and invites a Republican rejoinder that Democrats' Big Government is trying to dictate to people how to live their lives. What would be better, IMO, would be to focus first on the problem people experience: that after the arrival of a new baby, they must rush back to work, with no time to bond with the baby, and then explain how the policy would solve that problem. PBS Newshour did a report with video clips from ordinary people: Parents whose employers provided paid family leave explaining how the policy really helped them, and a small business owner saying she couldn't afford to pay employees to stay home for several weeks. Then an expert explained that the government would pay them. It's great that PBS did that report, but we need our elected officials to improve their marketing.
The funny (ironic) thing is, we wouldn’t need paid family leave if we didn’t necessitate both parents needing to work just to survive.
I think the “ big picture” needs to be made “small’ for the average person in order for it to motivate each of them (us) towards positive action. I think Bernie Sanders did that as well as anybody and, consequently, got a whole lot of Americans to support him and almost made him the one candidate who may have been able to defeat Donald Trump (and let’s not forget how close Hillary came!). So, we got Trump and he’s gone and now we need to figure out how to get the right people in the White House and Congress to make this democracy work. Here’s my list of things that need to be done, in no particular order and, to me, all equally as important:
1. Pass voting rights legislation that enables ALL Americans relatively easy access to the ballot box.
2. Reduce significantly the maximum amount of money that can be donated to a political candidate’s election campaign.
3. Create multiple pieces of legislation for the most important parts of BBB in order to enact these measures into law and mobilize the funding as soon as possible.
4. Use this same methodology in #3 for all important pieces of legislation. In other words keep it simple.
5. Democrats nominate either a more progressive candidate in 2024, such as Elizabeth Warren, or a younger, more dynamic, candidate, such as Pete Buttigieg, to lead the country through its most challenging era since the FDR years.
Overall, keep the list of priorities (compared to “today’s” list) relatively short or run the risk of losing the average citizen in the minutiae of multiple facts and details. This last point, to me, is why more and more people are turning off CNN and the rest of mainstream media and becoming more and more susceptible to gossip, innuendo, and conspiracy theories. We need to keep it simple and, not because people are stupid. Not at all! It’s because we are tired, worn out by a lengthening pandemic, constant bickering (particularly in the media), and everyday struggles to cope. And now I’m getting long-winded…so time to stop and ponder all of this.
Interested in any feedback!
Elliot Redman ; We also need consequences for the former 'president' and his allies, many who still hold seats in Congress, the Senate and other important positions where there is evidence that they were involved with planning the Jan 6th attack on the People's House. Without consequences, there is not any deterrence for more foul play against us, the actual human beings in this land. Those who were unethically pardoned who played a criminal role to harm our nation should be pursued and locked up. There is a traitor with followers who are our enemies and should be stopped. Anything else is a waste of time, because we will not be able to do anything about it, Whether it is voting laws, the filibuster, environmental laws, when they are dismantling the fair voting practices as I type this, we need swift action from the justice department, A.G. President, special forces, whomever can get it done!
Right on!! You have said exactly what I have been thinking but couldnt say as well as you. Excellent. If it isnt prying, I am curious what generation you are from? I am a curious Boomer who is fighting burnout from decades of fighting the good fight, with little progress. Keeping the messaging concise is important. Attention spans are shortening and frustrations are growing. ✌️
I am also a baby boomer, Leslie Jo. I’m 70!! Let’s keep the conversation flowing and take action when able and appropriate. Thanks for getting back to me 🙏🏻!
I'm of the mind that ALL political donations be outlawed, be they corporate or private . An unbiased and society owned social media oulet to be used as a level playing field for equal airing of all candidate's views . Stiff penalties for back room dirty dealing and undo and self-serving political influences . If it can't stand the light of day ? Bury it ! !
I’d also like to see zero political donations, Mark, and think that is unrealistic and probably not appropriate in a healthy democracy (of course, ours isn’t exactly so healthy at the moment, is it?). What do you mean by a “society owned social media”? Who runs it…the government? If that’s what you’re saying, I definitely don’t agree. Sounds like Russia or China, so I have a feeling that’s not what you mean? I understand who owns the media is part of the problem and I’m not sure what or how we go about changing that. Maybe you or Mr. Reich have some ideas on that? Penalties for back room dealing? For instance?
It'd be as the original intent of a PBS . Honestly elected overseers at the helm .
I love this. One message under which everything gets done. Something catchy but not stupid and jingoistic like MAGA. Unfortunately “the common good” and “we’re all in this together” turn off a lot of people (even though I support the sentiment). Hire a competent PR firm for once and just do it.
Elliot. I believe you have hit on a very important set of points here. I very much agree with your emphasis on simplicity and voting rights, as well as your comment about cable news. I am not totally sold myself on either Mayor Pete or Senator Warren, although I would vote for either of them over any Republican. I'd say the Democrats need to energize both the left and the moderates and younger generations, and a candidate in 2024 who can pull that off (a tall order, I know, but then again we are talking about the POTUS)
Could not agree more with pretty much everything you said. Voting rights act is numero uno at this point.
Elliot. You hit the nail on the head. Well stated. Thanks for caring.
Elliot, Though Trump was unseated in 2020, he, by no means, “is gone.” According to polls I am aware of, while huge percentages of Republicans believe democracy is under assault, the same cannot be said of Democrats. Hence, as the people who actually are the real threat to democracy believe they are defending it, for far too many others a kind of complacency has set in. Some commentators have surmised that perhaps these others think since Trump wasn’t able to steal the election when he held all the levers of the Presidency that he hardly would be in a position to do it in 2024. The fact, contrary to the haphazard attempt in 2020, is that what we’re seeing now is a coordinated effort by Trump and the Republican Party to put in place an infrastructure to control the outcome of future elections despite what the votes might say. And until a walloping majority of our voters acknowledge the urgency of this threat and are out there organizing for voter protection legislation and pressing for Senate Democrats to set aside the filibuster to save our democracy, make no mistake: the false grievances that the 2020 election was stolen will prevail unimpeded. Additionally, I would note, though 2021 saw President Biden doing many good things, that, as the most powerful person in the country, Biden must far more forcibly lead the charge against the filibuster, against the big lie, and against all of the Trump plots the Associated Press identified, this past Thursday, in its piece “Slow-moving insurrection.”
That accompanying video is a wonderful (and entertaining) summary of what we allowed to happen to our society, in tiny incremental changes, just like a frog in a pot of water on the stove - not noticing the ramifications of the sum of changes until it was too late to stop them. Now, the work will be harder, but it can be done. I look forward to reading your blog. Thanks for sharing.
Robert, I am going to say the obvious just so you know I am paying attention. You are brilliant AND entertaining. WW2 united our country because we had a common enemy. It was truly the great generation. The key to letting Capitalism flourish and having a sharing economy is good tax policy not for example “stacking” and “packing” used by venture capitalist and venture capitalism. I look forward to the New Year because of your clarity and that of Heather Cox Richardson. Thank you!
Thanks for that excellent and enjoyable cartoon video. The USA has gone a long way down from the well regulated “stakeholder capitalism” of the 1940s through the 1970s, to the unregulated “shareholder capitalism “ of today. The journey back will be a long hard one. That journey will be almost impossible if we don’t turn the anger of the Trump supporters towards their real enemy, predatory capitalism. Add to that the tsunami of runaway climate change made so much worse by that predatory capitalism, and the suffering caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, also made so much worse because the drug companies don’t share the vaccine formula freely that could save millions of lives, and the journey back becomes a Herculean one.
We have two choices, give up or fight for the progressive future we want for our grandchildren (I have six). My New Year Resolution is to continue that fight!
Excellent!
I think we all need to 'lean' on our A.G. and Justice Department. Crimes have been committed that are well documented. There is lots of evidence. People in high places, a former president, Senators, congress people and those in charge of our national guard have been implicated. In the old days of Reagan, we heard complaints about our 'Teflon' President and his friends, getting away with unlawful or unethical things. This is the same thing on steroids. What kinds of executive powers does Biden have that could help with any of this? Justice delayed is justice denied! Those in the process of destroying our country need to be stopped and punished. Many should face significant jail time. Otherwise there are no consequences, unless we wait for environmental destruction to have the last 'word'.
Yes, indignance and justice are actually necessary ways to overcome immorality. And they are thus, momentarily aligned with the natural philosophical concept of grace.
Steve Hummel ; Also aligned with self defense, which we need and justice is supposed to assist, along with our 'Commander in Chief'!
Yep. The former guy was an always and everywhere self dealer as our commander in chief. Biden always expresses doing the right thing and unity. Now if we all agreed on graciousness, that is love in action (like Gandhi and MLK, Jr. did in their mass movements) as the most integrative, unitary and ethical concept humans have ever conceived...and crafted policies and programs aligned with that concept...we'd be on the right track.
Steve ; If only we can get going...the Gremlins are gaining on us!
We get going by starting a mass movement for the new monetary paradigm based on the natural philosophical concept of grace/graciousness which can concurrently unify all of the reforms wanting to fix the various problems Professor Reich depicts in his excellent wall art.
When you start bending the rules, they eventually break. And, when you don't punish the wealthy of the rule breakers, why wouldn't they break the rules? And, then, there's the underlying evil of those that enjoy seeing people grovel before them. They enjoy seeing people suffer as long as it isn't them. The lack of consequences for businesses big and small fuels the greed of those who do rotten deeds. More to come. Great video!
Thanks, Lucy. The real danger comes when oligarchs either encourage or ignore the decline of democracy and the emergence of a "strongman" sought by those who have lost ground because of the oligarchs. That quiet alliance is pernicious.
I totally agree. How to stop it? To quell the vicious fire and destruction that is about to come, if we don't act. I think people like you with powerful voices have a heavy load to carry. You may wish to connect with people like yourself, with equal status and respect, but you need the youth of our times to JOIN you guys so that everyone will take notice, especially, the 20, 21 years olds. Ask your children who is the who's who these days. You don't want someone like Madonna, but Doja Kat is a strong influence on the young these days. Someone like that not necessarily her. Just an influencer that the youth like who can lead and share information. That's the start and influence through colleges, get the youth motivated. What we don't hear is all the good that Biden has done. That's not being blasted out everywhere. The money for children, the money from Biden's last push to move the economy. We need to do it now and quickly. All those young people that talk on your pod cast should be given more time to talk. Get in touch with Michael Moore, the Pope, a favorite Rabbi, and all together do a "huge love-in" but not love-in. Just get huge groups to unite and have a peace and awareness gathering bring these speakers in and motivate them to vote, to canvas, to set up satellites of the "Yes, You Movement" to get people to do good things for now and the future. People like being part of something that's positive. Walking on Washington isn't enough. Get gatherings together like Trump and the Repubs do. Get people motivated. Set up "Go Fund Me" campaigns to build these groups up. Drown out the Repubs and Big Business. Get Greta to speak. Roll things together. The fight for stopping Climate Change along with the ideas to promote the common and good. And, since Covid and all are around, maybe we should do it on line then wait for the summer months to gather people at centers. What centers? At universities Student Union centers. I am really serious here. Please don't laugh at me. And, people younger than University students will look on and want to join because it's the hip or in thing to do. Weekly small group can gather to discuss 1 or 2 informative issues. It will be like a chain reaction. What we don't have right now is unity. We need to unite our people, but never, never towards violence. Unite for awareness, clarity, and positive change. Please, share your thoughts. Believe it, or not, but a good way of connecting with people may be through the dispensaries... I know it sounds stupid, but it's a thing these days...
Lucy Socha ; Very well said! IMHO, The bending of Justice is one of our biggest problems now. We can get little done when all the rule breakers are destroying our Republic!
The whole Western world got on the wrong road when we weakened our democracies with lax new tax laws favoring the very powerful, relaxing our fight against monopolies, and in the end letting these interests dominate the elected representatives of the citizens. We ended up looking like democracies, but not functioning like democracies. And social and economic differences multiplied.
Precisely.
Incredibly helpful and clarifying. As a physician it helps me see how we should frame health care for all—not as an isolated issue but part of this big picture.
Terrific video Robert! A lot of ideas and insights presented visually and succinctly. Great conversation starter and guide. Thanks!
Excellent diagram, as always, Prof. Reich! Thank you. Agree with the comments below. It would be great to distribute the diagram. I would even buy a poster format; it’s brilliant!!
I've watched this before and feel it's one of the best overviews on where we are and how we got here. Every American should watch this a few times. Kudos to Mr. Reich.
This United States is famous the world over for it's historical violence that can be measured and compared in many dimensions. We readily see it in our applied foreign policy, our high incarceration rates, our racism, our exorbitant military spending, our historical suppression of women's rights, immigration policy. The list is grows almost endless as we drill down to how we express things in our media, violent fiction, movie and tv programming, even our every day colloquial language we use ourselves.
We start reform at the molecular level, as we talk to one another in local community. We practice monitoring ourselves for how we have learned to say things to one another and how often we use shame and guilt to manipulate other's behavior.
We must start small when we think big and globally. After all, we can't change ourselves and lead buy example when we are hardly aware of how we behave in a systemically violent culture. So let's start watching our vocabulary for basic words, one at a time that paint violent cultural reality, like "fight" for instance.
Let's wish that we learn to use the word "struggle" rather than "fight" when we want to change something. We can struggle for something rather than fight for it.
Let's just pay attention to how many times we say, hear or see "fight" in our lives for January.
Let's avoid guilting ourselves when we catch ourselves saying that horrible word. To make change, we need to grow aware before we can later grow into a change we want to make in ourselves. That's where change begins; empowering ourselves to begin leading by example.
That's it that's all. First things first.
Yes, the USA is the biggest empire expressing the current zeitgeist of Power, Profit and Control. But what if we changed the current monopolistically dominating monetary and financial paradigm of Debt Only to an imminently workable and resolving new paradigm of Monetary Grace As In Gifting? Graciousness beats fighting, and is actually a deeper and stronger impulse. Please consider my post regarding such on this thread. After all, Victor Hugo's was right, "If there is one thing that all the armies of the world cannot overcome, it is an idea whose time has come."
Problem is, a hard core of about 30% of us would not only not buy into that idea, they'd attack it as "political correctness." They'd cry "language police!" I had a bad feeling about that language when I first heard it in the '90s.
From a perspective view, keep in mind that only about 3% of the population is responsible for most of the reported crime, while about 60% goes unreported or undetected.
That's fine with me. Dialogue is great, even with the estupidos. I, personally would rather be wrong than sad. I've learned to assume that 80% of my perceived reality is wrong, distorted or misinformed. I've been trained to listen for the 10% that I know I can agree on. In my world no one, abbbsollootely no one can be 100% wrong. There are times when I might be 1% right in someone else's world.
Whatever I say only suggests other ways of painting reality. The only person I can change is my self. I may have very little influence on the rest of this large mighty world, yet that won't stop this bird from singing.
The point I'm trying to make is about aggregate culture. Everyone creates their own reality with their words and actions. From where I'm standing, this planet is bathed in too much fear, shame and guilt for legitimate reasons that can't be resolved overnight. I'll eat my camel one bite at a time. That's it, that's all.
Paradigm changes are ENTIRE pattern changes....that paradoxically are SINGLE concepts. Like the change from Geo-centrism to Helio-centrism for instance. Awareness of a new paradigm and then a mass movement communicating its resolving effects is what we need.
Thank you for the video, and Happy New Year. You might want to add to the causes Rupert Murdoch's Fox TV, talk radio, which is on all day every day at every work site in the USA, and the cultural acceptance of ignorance. Now is much like the 30's. The only things that saved FDR's programs were Eleanor and War. What can we do? We need to envision the future we want, and head for it. But bad news: anyone who thinks there is going to be a 2050 is not paying attention. So carpe diem, find the safest place on planet, slip out the back. . .
We need to sue Fox news for misinforming people and causing more death in a pandemic! If there is a lawyer out there who want's to help bring down Fox and Rupert Murdoch, it could help save this country, maybe the world! Murdoch's empire is all over the planet!