I seriously thought it was a piece on, "What's next? Nominating 'The Fonz' for a Cabinet position?" I mean, given what we're currently dealing with - it's not a stretch. 😅
I'd say a day late and a dollar short, Project 2025 Agenda 47, Trumps cabinet picks, schedule F, replacement of JCS,, martial law, and SCOTUS giving him total immunity, doesn't speak well for the future.
We would not be in this situation, had not the DNC slopped at the same trough as the Republicans, and had people like Rahm Emanuel call us "fucking retards", and Clinton who hired him and created the rust belt/swing states..
We are pretending that after Jan 21st, it will be business as usual, just a change in leadership, and that the DNC will still be relevant.
Well they do have an opposition par or two ty, such as it is, in Hungary or Russia.
We should have changed the ideological drift of the party after the shellacking of 2016.
America wanted a populist party, and they got one a right wing populist party, Bernia was the totem of a left wing populist movement, but the international financiers, that Clinton crowed about, the magnates of Chamber of Commerce, the billionaires are terrified of left wing populism, so the DNC stayed in its lane to slop at the trough.
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris moved left in terms of actual policy but spent far more campaign resources trying to attract never-Trumper Republicans than the working class. It’s true we don’t know how much and how quickly MAGA will enact censorship and election rigging. My understanding is that dictatorships take a little time to fully take shape, so having the right person steering the DNC at least gives us a fighting chance. This is the first news I’ve heard since November 6th that gives me a little hope….
I hope Wikler will lead the DNC and also keep Tim Walz in a leadership position at the national level, given his popularity with a broad range of demographics and track record of making progress for the 99%. As a Minnesotan, I think Tim Walz is similar to Biden in that he has kept his head down and gotten A LOT done, without spending time in the limelight (before running for VP) publicizing his accomplishments. A great political strategist working with a progressive politician who has been highly effective behind the scenes could really move the Dems forward, for the first time in decades. MAGA will certainly try all the dictator dirty tricks to hold us back, but people like Wikler and Walz are familiar with those tricks and have been outsmarting MAGA for years.
The past is past, and we can only learn from it. At this point, reform of Dem party back into a people's party is a primary issue going forward. Wikler is the best guy for the job.
Yes, William, and what makes this all the more painful is that we were warned of this as early as 2006 by Kevin Phillips in American Theocracy. Naomi Klein, Nancy McNeil, and Jane Mayer also warned us. The very fact that Hillary ran for office in 2016, after she had been rejected by Democrats in 2008, show how out of touch Dem leaders were.
EVERYTHING is in a name. Too bad it isn’t “Winkler.” It sounds right. Like, if you had a disease called “the trumps” you would go to the pharmacy and pick up your “Winklers” to cure it. I wish he WAS named “Winkler!”
LOVE your reply and the fact that it gave me an "out loud" laugh. Thanks for that! (and we DO have a disease called "the trumps" and we have Dr. Brain Worm-Loves Heroin meeting the sick at the door to the ER.)
Robert, I continue to be baffled by people (including you) saying that the Democrats have abandoned the working class. The Dems have been the only ones fighting for workers rights, both in Congress and in the Biden WH. I cannot think of any recent legislation that the Republicans have put forward or supported for workers rights. Certainly not the Pro-Act and definitely not supporting raising minimum wage. What am I missing here?
I agree with Henry. It’s as if the Dem party agrees with republican disinformation! I could be wrong,
but I think President Biden has done more for workers & families than any president since FDR.
In fact, he knocked himself out doing things for seniors. He began the process of lowering the cost of Rxs for seniors. He somehow managed to find money to have heat pumps installed in the homes of seniors free of charge. He helped people who have predatory student loans get out of them, he helped women by making sure abortion was available for women in the military, he began a process enabling hospitals receiving federal funds to perform abortions—(I don’t know what happened to it.)
President Biden also helped families during the pandemic by making sure people wouldn’t get
kicked out of their homes, he deposited money
in the accounts of people who paid taxes-no strings attached, he implemented the child tax credit in a way that gave people extra cash every month. He released oil from the strategic reserve in order to flood the market—bringing down the cost of gas. He
made the Covid vaccine free of charge & rapidly deployed it & he had Covid test kits available free of
charge as well. He helped workers by encouraging unions—even physically standing with them during a strike. The Republicans did almost nothing for average Americans.
The problem was & is, republican disinformation drowning out his accomplishments. Their “but the border issues” are nothing but a pack of lies. The other equally disastrous turn of events was the wholesale collapse of main stream media reporting.
They failed to report on everything President Biden did that was a success. They failed in their traditional role of educating the public on the political landscape. Worst of all, mainstream media failed to
report that our economy is the best post-pandemic economy in the world! They let the disinfo stand almost unchallenged. In fact the only other entity equally as bad as the mainstream media is the corrupt republican majority on the Supreme Court.
Our democratic leadership still fails to understand the power of disinformation. Almost anyone could
have figured out that allowing Fox news to spew
disinformation and alternate realities for almost 3 decades would be disastrous and it has been! But
apparently they, yet again, believed the disinfo that,
“cable news isn’t subject to FCC rules.” IT IS SUBJECT TO FCC RULES. I researched it. I tried to
get attention for it, but no one seemed interested &
now we are standing at the abyss of a dying democracy and we are about to turn our economy over to a predatory criminal administration.
It seems to me Biden, Harris and the DEMs did talk about all of their accomplishments and she talked about how she would continue those programs and improve and expand on them. I heard it many times.
Again and again. It just looks like the majority of voters would rather have a convicted rapist for president than a person who would work to bring them better health care among other things. OH! I forgot... how could a woman, and a mixed race woman possibly know what she was talking about> GH
Starting with Trump caving in to the COVID alarmists money was “created” by increasing our out of control national debt. Biden, nor anyone else inside the Beltway has not and can not “find” any money for heat pumps or free vaccines. What you list as Biden’s accomplishments is what is destroying our country by way of debt. The goal of too many inside the Beltway is to perpetuate the demand for a nanny state. The result is that too many cannot and/or will not get off that train thus making it difficult for those who want to get off the train to actually get off. The problem is the knuckleheads inside the Beltway not the wealthy or corporations that Reich likes to throw stones at.
Very little. In 2016 total federal revenues $3.27 trillion in 2023 revenues were $4.47 trillion. The tax cuts were never revenue, the money that may have been collected by the government did not go away, it remained in the hands of taxpayers and was spent and/or invested. Note the government spends more than every dollar it collects, and therefore increases the debt. There is no data for the future only predictions. You are free to believe tax cuts were/are a big or small contributor to the debt. My belief after observing government spending, tracking federal revenues, the money supply and the GDP is the cause of the deficit adding to an insurmountable debt is government spending. Governments at all levels collect too much of what we produce. We are fortunate we still have a somewhat free market economy. Interesting to note that in 2008 the size of our economy and that of the European Union were nearly equal. Today our economy has grown significantly while the EU’ is relatively flat. Higher taxes and more central planning vs our free market economy ,eh ? And our government manages to add to the debt every year. That’s the problem.
You are right about our national debt. Our government drastically cut taxes on the ultra wealthy and corporations, and they simply ran up our national debt to pay for the budget shortfalls they created. So everybody wins, right?
You well know the debt along with the unfunded liabilities are financial problems with no good or practical solution. The cost to service the debt is one trillion dollars per year. Spending is out of control, being over regulated is not only a cost but a constraint on growth. If federal spending were frozen (total spending so some lines would increase while others decreased) and the economy grew by 3% we could make headway. The root cause of our debt is spending not income. I'd much rather see more money churning in the private sector and less going to and then spent via the government. Money collected by and spent by the government is not a positive multiplier. The EU is a model not to follow but folks like Reich seem to think that the path we should continue to follow. Unfortunately, many inside the Beltway think the same way no matter what side of the aisle they occupy.
This is true Henry. It’s swallowing the felon-party talking points. But the corporate Dems have to get lobbyist $$ for the high cost of campaigning etc. The system itself is broken. Always absorbing the blame the way Democrats do gets people to forget the outrageous actions of the RescumliCons.
The Biggest problem with the Democratic Party isn't all the benefits they've created for the nation. It's the Messaging Problem. The Party and Politicians can't Campaign in Graduate School Language to a populace in which 54% are below an 8th Grade reading Level. Talking over their heads alienates them making the Democratic Party appear Elitist.
But can he get the point across loud and clear that he is for the little guy? Does he have oratory skills? Is he persuasive? have some personality? I am serious.
Dems under Biden have finally passed a good amount of legislation that will help the working class, but that legislation would have been more transformational and more noticeable to the public had corporate Democrats (now former-Democrats) Kirstin Sinema and Joe Manchin not insisted on watering it down. For example, we would have had lower prescription drug prices for everyone, not just for Medicare enrollees, as well as free community/technical college and more childcare assistance. For years, corporate Dems have been pushing neo-liberal Republican-lite policies that have contributed to income and wealth inequality. Dems won’t move forward until that hypocritical loser strategy is acknowledged and overcome.
Henry - If manchin and sinema hadn't torpedoed the progressives and their proposals, which biden was reluctantly starting to accept (not support, accept) what you say would be true. everything the progressives stand for and promote is what the american people want. but centrist dems, (trough slopppers) will not work for the people except to throw crumbs their way, if they get permission from the fatcats.
I kind of get what he is saying about abandoning the working class. Their are many institutions, banking, wall street, and corporations, that have been allowed to abuse the working poor for so long with little done, during Democratic presidencies. I know I would have felt better if during Obama's first months in office with the banking crisis if he had investigated and sent all those bankers to jail...but he didn't. If he had focused on helping out the underwater homeowner who was given loans they couldn't afford. If Clinton had invested in American workers and made sure NAFTA served Americans....not just corporations. Controlling junk fees is good ..but really one of a 1000 tiny cuts to the working poor....so I sort of get Robert's position.
Bernie would have gone more for the jugular....but even that scared the Democrats. It's like Democrats are only willing to curtail some of the corporate stranglehold on the nation. If Wikler can address the layers of messaging and hold the Democratic party to the straight and narrow and not pander to corporate democratic donors, who also are profit motivated...that would be great
EXACTLY. As an Equal Rights Investigator, I've worked in three state equal rights divisions. When the respective legislatures' changed the laws, it was on us to adapt, fast, and explain these changes to the public & to employers and complainants. Often, after these often draconian law changes, I dreamed of giving a case file to a legislator; let them apply "their" law to the case. Or, have John or Jane Q. Public work a case. Easy, right? Wrong. In my field of "serving the public,"everyone worked diligently. Bad news for the public if we lose qualified state or federal employees - who absolutely specialize in their field and who get the work of government done for the people. Nothing wrong about Waking Up (or being "woke" to what's really going on).
I used to work as a public servant, and, as commentator on this site, I try to serve the public. Perhaps most commentators on this site believe that they serve the public. Civil service workers are definitely public servants in the literal meaning of the word, and you should be are that most of them will be fired, because according to the extreme Left and Right they are parasites, serving themselves, not the public. Be politically alert!
Aww, darn. I have Winkler cousins. Here I was hoping I might be distantly related to Ben. 8^( [But then, most of those Winklers are Republicans. So, unlikely.]
Democrats must embrace social democracy, as in France, Germany and the Scandinavian countries if they want to benefit the middle class, working class and poor. It is a myth that the rich and wealthy got rich and wealthy on their own. The federal government provides the structure and often the funds to enable that. And they have to sell it in a media environment dominated by the right wing and a MSM that is also hostile to social democracy. They have to reverse the bill of goods first sold by Reagan that the federal government was the problem, not the solution.
Tom Hartman masterfully traces the "FALL" right back to Reagan and his anti-government, union busting rhetoric and his supply-side economics that has never trickled down to workers.
I read it. I thought it was interesting that HCR did not expressly reference democratic socialism. In fact, I tried to see if HCR was describing a social democratic model as her alternative, but I really couldn't read democratic socialism in what HCR wrote. I was surprised that I could not make out that well what was the alternative HCR was advocating, and I have a lot of respect for her.
DEMOCRATS FAILED TO COMMUNICATE WHAT THEY DID FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. THERE WERE A HUNDRED PROJECTS FROM THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT IN WISCONSIN AND VERY FEW PEOPLE EVEN KNEW THEY EXISTED. DEMOCRATS NEED TO ADVERTISE ALL THE TIME, NOT JUST FOR AN ELECTION. BY THE TIME AN ELECTION COMES IT IS TOO LATE. ELECTIONS NEED TO BE RUN IN A TOTALLY DATA-BASED MANNER BY FULL-TIME PROFESSIONAL SOCIAL SCIENTISTS, POLITICAL SCIENTISTS, SOCIOLOGISTS, AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGISTS SO THAT DEMOCRATS STOP MAKING THE SAME STUPID MISTAKES OVER AND OVER. THAT WOULD TAKE MUCH OF THE GUESSWORK OUT OF CAMPAIGNING. WHERE AND HOW TO CAMPAIGN WOULD THEN BE A KNOWN VARIABLE. THIS WOULD ONLY COST A FEW MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR AND GREATLY INCREASE DEMOCRATS' WINNING ELECTIONS IN THE FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL ELECTIONS. FOR EXAMPLE, THE DATA INDICATED THAT THE ECONOMY AND IMMIGRATION WERE THE PRIMARY ISSUES. TRUMP FOCUSED ON THEM AND HARRIS DID NOT. MOST PEOPLE DO NOT CARE ABOUT SOCIAL ISSUES AS MUCH INCLUDING ABORTION. IF YOU DO NOT WIN THE ELECTION, YOU CANNOT DO ANYTHING FOR SOCIAL ISSUES AND RIGHTS.
I understand what you're saying about using 'All Caps' however extending a little grace towards the poster and thinking that this person may have a visual-imparity and typing in all caps helps them to engage with others.
Questioner, the media conglomerates are fully owned by the far right. How do you propose getting messages out through a right wing owned press? They own…tv, newspapers and plenty of online sources.
Feeding the public propaganda is how Fascism works. That is what we have. The news networks WILL NOT show or publish accomplishments by Dems for a very good reason!
Yes, yes, and yes! I've turned them all off. I remember the days when "news" was NOT a profit center. It was what the news media owed us citizens. Get the $ out of the news!
The strength of "word of mouth" is no longer potent. We live in an age of over-stimulation from external sources, over-booked schedules, over-sized work loads, management over-reach into the off-hours lives of employees, inundation of both information and disinformation, over-proliferation of fear mongering - and too much social isolation.
Forget it, Robin. MSM has been selling us out for over 50 years. It's just taken a long time for it to become obvious beyond any doubt. Find alternate sources, including some that aren't based in the US. Dr. Reich posted a good list a couple of weeks ago; other people have too.
I understand what you're saying about using 'All Caps' however extending a little grace towards the poster and thinking that this person may have a visual-imparity and typing in all caps helps them to engage with others.
I understand what you're saying about using 'All Caps' however extending a little grace towards the poster and thinking that this person may have a visual-imparity and typing in all caps helps them to engage with others.
J, you may be right, but given my limited energy and health issues, I am taking care of myself by not expending the energy it would take me to read anything posted in more than a few words in all caps.
The fragmentation of public discourse into ideologic echo chambers first in local stations carrying syndicated talk radio then bringing the cost down even further with internet hidey holes destroyed any basic "common knowledge."
I've been to Wisconsin a few times, most lately in September and November of this year, to engage and educate voters, knock on doors, etc., for the Wisconsin Democrats (WisDems) and can enthusiastically vouch for Wikler as a very effective and engaging leader.
His unflagging efforts for the last few years have made a huge difference, one standout example being the election last year of Janet Protasiewicz to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which broke the ultra-conservatives' lock on the court. That led to the end of extreme gerrymandering and the adoption of pretty reasonable redistricting. That then in turn led to a much stronger showing by Democrats, pretty closely representative of the actual makeup of the state, and a rebalancing of power in the state legislature.
I think Wikler would be a great choice! I like O'Malley too....but the Wisconsin guy HAS been on the front lines and has fought valiantly to enact change in that state.
Identify the business interests that influence your state's policies, then ask: what are the costs and benefits of these policies? Once you are informed, you can inform others.
Asking the question does not imply that you have to have the answer. What is important is to be cognizant of the issues. Identifying business interests varies in complexity from state to state. In Texas, Montana, Wyoming, Iowa it is fairly easy. Use your public library, Google, city hall development office, etc.
Every individual democrat is not in a position to do that. Keep in mind that there are many who have not been heavily involved in party politics. They are newly motivated but need more specific and appropriate guidance. How do we find the people in our state who are leading this effort?
You are correct. I was making an inside joke about the number of Illinois politicians that have lately run foul of the law. I see that in California, CADEM has a list of committee members for that state. https://cadem.org/dnc-members/
Disagree, William. Faux viewers believe they know the truth. Telling them they don't won't help. I know you say "find a way," but there ISN'T a way because no matter how you slice it, you're telling them they're wrong. Nobody likes that.
Yes, William, but (1) who's got the time or inclination to do all that work to sway 1 person at a time, and (2) if you have family members who trust you (hopefully) and still don't believe you, what is there to build on?
Great use of the term "jumped the shark." I remember the Happy Days episode. The Fonz's leather jacket and waterskis were so pathetic. Reminds me of Michael Dukakis photo wearing the oversized army helmet in the tank. Looked just like Rick Moranis in Spaceballs.
There is no panacea to cure the LOST Democratic Party.
Purge some of the old ; bring in the new.
Keep the Clintons as faraway as possible.
Bring Inside Bernie Sanders and the Woman Senator from Massachusetts …
Don’t kick out the party faithful no matter how out there but address their issues in proportion to the Voter who actually elect presidents congressman senators governors etc…
Get more people to vote the better the turnout the more representative the government …
I'm so glad to live in Massachusetts, born and bred....great leadership, great healthcare, excellent economy. We have and acknowledge our problems, but we're pretty darn good!
I have a suggestion for the Democratic party. I know everyone was hoping we could somehow emulate other countries and have a 3 to 6-month election campaign while the Republicans are using their machinery to influence the public opinion of possible democratic campaigns decades in advance (Hillary - 1980). I suggest extending the Presidential Election campaign to four years starting NOW. Let's have Kamala, Joe, and Tim on TV constantly revealing to our public the dire contrast between Donald Trump's pogroms and platform. Effectively, these political superstars can express, "I told you so," while explaining the difference their plan would have had to everything Donald does. The public doesn't get it. We need a constant and consistent voice by someone who can be the next president. If we can run this 4-year campaign consistently contrasting the two parties in Real Time, we might be able to awaken the electorate to the consequences of giving power to a madman.
As a Wisconsin native and proud resident, I’m thrilled that Wisconsin’s Ben Wikler is running for the next DNC Chair! Best of luck — the country needs you now more than ever!
Wikler. Not winkler.
My bad. Yes, Wikler, of course.
I seriously thought it was a piece on, "What's next? Nominating 'The Fonz' for a Cabinet position?" I mean, given what we're currently dealing with - it's not a stretch. 😅
Henry Winkler would be a considerable improvement over many of the chosen ones.
They are putting the MRNA covid vax in your food you need to
do this right now visit.......... https://t.co/K2mXQiCZiT
Oh good grief! Don’t be ridiculous, you troll. We’re not stupid like a great many MAGAs.
The Fonz would be a definite asset!
Heeyy!
I'd say a day late and a dollar short, Project 2025 Agenda 47, Trumps cabinet picks, schedule F, replacement of JCS,, martial law, and SCOTUS giving him total immunity, doesn't speak well for the future.
We would not be in this situation, had not the DNC slopped at the same trough as the Republicans, and had people like Rahm Emanuel call us "fucking retards", and Clinton who hired him and created the rust belt/swing states..
We are pretending that after Jan 21st, it will be business as usual, just a change in leadership, and that the DNC will still be relevant.
Well they do have an opposition par or two ty, such as it is, in Hungary or Russia.
We should have changed the ideological drift of the party after the shellacking of 2016.
America wanted a populist party, and they got one a right wing populist party, Bernia was the totem of a left wing populist movement, but the international financiers, that Clinton crowed about, the magnates of Chamber of Commerce, the billionaires are terrified of left wing populism, so the DNC stayed in its lane to slop at the trough.
.
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris moved left in terms of actual policy but spent far more campaign resources trying to attract never-Trumper Republicans than the working class. It’s true we don’t know how much and how quickly MAGA will enact censorship and election rigging. My understanding is that dictatorships take a little time to fully take shape, so having the right person steering the DNC at least gives us a fighting chance. This is the first news I’ve heard since November 6th that gives me a little hope….
I hope Wikler will lead the DNC and also keep Tim Walz in a leadership position at the national level, given his popularity with a broad range of demographics and track record of making progress for the 99%. As a Minnesotan, I think Tim Walz is similar to Biden in that he has kept his head down and gotten A LOT done, without spending time in the limelight (before running for VP) publicizing his accomplishments. A great political strategist working with a progressive politician who has been highly effective behind the scenes could really move the Dems forward, for the first time in decades. MAGA will certainly try all the dictator dirty tricks to hold us back, but people like Wikler and Walz are familiar with those tricks and have been outsmarting MAGA for years.
The past is past, and we can only learn from it. At this point, reform of Dem party back into a people's party is a primary issue going forward. Wikler is the best guy for the job.
Yes, William, and what makes this all the more painful is that we were warned of this as early as 2006 by Kevin Phillips in American Theocracy. Naomi Klein, Nancy McNeil, and Jane Mayer also warned us. The very fact that Hillary ran for office in 2016, after she had been rejected by Democrats in 2008, show how out of touch Dem leaders were.
But could Fonzarelli still save the day?
What’s in a name?
EVERYTHING is in a name. Too bad it isn’t “Winkler.” It sounds right. Like, if you had a disease called “the trumps” you would go to the pharmacy and pick up your “Winklers” to cure it. I wish he WAS named “Winkler!”
But Wikler will do!
LOVE your reply and the fact that it gave me an "out loud" laugh. Thanks for that! (and we DO have a disease called "the trumps" and we have Dr. Brain Worm-Loves Heroin meeting the sick at the door to the ER.)
He, Henry Winkler, would definitely grab attention and a following.
He would definitely be better than the offering at the moment.
Robert, I continue to be baffled by people (including you) saying that the Democrats have abandoned the working class. The Dems have been the only ones fighting for workers rights, both in Congress and in the Biden WH. I cannot think of any recent legislation that the Republicans have put forward or supported for workers rights. Certainly not the Pro-Act and definitely not supporting raising minimum wage. What am I missing here?
I agree with Henry. It’s as if the Dem party agrees with republican disinformation! I could be wrong,
but I think President Biden has done more for workers & families than any president since FDR.
In fact, he knocked himself out doing things for seniors. He began the process of lowering the cost of Rxs for seniors. He somehow managed to find money to have heat pumps installed in the homes of seniors free of charge. He helped people who have predatory student loans get out of them, he helped women by making sure abortion was available for women in the military, he began a process enabling hospitals receiving federal funds to perform abortions—(I don’t know what happened to it.)
President Biden also helped families during the pandemic by making sure people wouldn’t get
kicked out of their homes, he deposited money
in the accounts of people who paid taxes-no strings attached, he implemented the child tax credit in a way that gave people extra cash every month. He released oil from the strategic reserve in order to flood the market—bringing down the cost of gas. He
made the Covid vaccine free of charge & rapidly deployed it & he had Covid test kits available free of
charge as well. He helped workers by encouraging unions—even physically standing with them during a strike. The Republicans did almost nothing for average Americans.
The problem was & is, republican disinformation drowning out his accomplishments. Their “but the border issues” are nothing but a pack of lies. The other equally disastrous turn of events was the wholesale collapse of main stream media reporting.
They failed to report on everything President Biden did that was a success. They failed in their traditional role of educating the public on the political landscape. Worst of all, mainstream media failed to
report that our economy is the best post-pandemic economy in the world! They let the disinfo stand almost unchallenged. In fact the only other entity equally as bad as the mainstream media is the corrupt republican majority on the Supreme Court.
Our democratic leadership still fails to understand the power of disinformation. Almost anyone could
have figured out that allowing Fox news to spew
disinformation and alternate realities for almost 3 decades would be disastrous and it has been! But
apparently they, yet again, believed the disinfo that,
“cable news isn’t subject to FCC rules.” IT IS SUBJECT TO FCC RULES. I researched it. I tried to
get attention for it, but no one seemed interested &
now we are standing at the abyss of a dying democracy and we are about to turn our economy over to a predatory criminal administration.
It seems to me Biden, Harris and the DEMs did talk about all of their accomplishments and she talked about how she would continue those programs and improve and expand on them. I heard it many times.
Again and again. It just looks like the majority of voters would rather have a convicted rapist for president than a person who would work to bring them better health care among other things. OH! I forgot... how could a woman, and a mixed race woman possibly know what she was talking about> GH
Even Bernie Sanders praised and campaigned for Biden as being the best pres. for working class, possibly of all time.
Starting with Trump caving in to the COVID alarmists money was “created” by increasing our out of control national debt. Biden, nor anyone else inside the Beltway has not and can not “find” any money for heat pumps or free vaccines. What you list as Biden’s accomplishments is what is destroying our country by way of debt. The goal of too many inside the Beltway is to perpetuate the demand for a nanny state. The result is that too many cannot and/or will not get off that train thus making it difficult for those who want to get off the train to actually get off. The problem is the knuckleheads inside the Beltway not the wealthy or corporations that Reich likes to throw stones at.
You don’t think that trumps huge tax breaks for the wealthy decreasing out tax revenue had anything to do with our National Debt?
Very little. In 2016 total federal revenues $3.27 trillion in 2023 revenues were $4.47 trillion. The tax cuts were never revenue, the money that may have been collected by the government did not go away, it remained in the hands of taxpayers and was spent and/or invested. Note the government spends more than every dollar it collects, and therefore increases the debt. There is no data for the future only predictions. You are free to believe tax cuts were/are a big or small contributor to the debt. My belief after observing government spending, tracking federal revenues, the money supply and the GDP is the cause of the deficit adding to an insurmountable debt is government spending. Governments at all levels collect too much of what we produce. We are fortunate we still have a somewhat free market economy. Interesting to note that in 2008 the size of our economy and that of the European Union were nearly equal. Today our economy has grown significantly while the EU’ is relatively flat. Higher taxes and more central planning vs our free market economy ,eh ? And our government manages to add to the debt every year. That’s the problem.
You are right about our national debt. Our government drastically cut taxes on the ultra wealthy and corporations, and they simply ran up our national debt to pay for the budget shortfalls they created. So everybody wins, right?
You well know the debt along with the unfunded liabilities are financial problems with no good or practical solution. The cost to service the debt is one trillion dollars per year. Spending is out of control, being over regulated is not only a cost but a constraint on growth. If federal spending were frozen (total spending so some lines would increase while others decreased) and the economy grew by 3% we could make headway. The root cause of our debt is spending not income. I'd much rather see more money churning in the private sector and less going to and then spent via the government. Money collected by and spent by the government is not a positive multiplier. The EU is a model not to follow but folks like Reich seem to think that the path we should continue to follow. Unfortunately, many inside the Beltway think the same way no matter what side of the aisle they occupy.
This is true Henry. It’s swallowing the felon-party talking points. But the corporate Dems have to get lobbyist $$ for the high cost of campaigning etc. The system itself is broken. Always absorbing the blame the way Democrats do gets people to forget the outrageous actions of the RescumliCons.
The Biggest problem with the Democratic Party isn't all the benefits they've created for the nation. It's the Messaging Problem. The Party and Politicians can't Campaign in Graduate School Language to a populace in which 54% are below an 8th Grade reading Level. Talking over their heads alienates them making the Democratic Party appear Elitist.
Its so sad if the 54% statistic is true. America’s priority was once was education for all its citizens. Trump loves the ‘poorly educated’.
But can he get the point across loud and clear that he is for the little guy? Does he have oratory skills? Is he persuasive? have some personality? I am serious.
Dems under Biden have finally passed a good amount of legislation that will help the working class, but that legislation would have been more transformational and more noticeable to the public had corporate Democrats (now former-Democrats) Kirstin Sinema and Joe Manchin not insisted on watering it down. For example, we would have had lower prescription drug prices for everyone, not just for Medicare enrollees, as well as free community/technical college and more childcare assistance. For years, corporate Dems have been pushing neo-liberal Republican-lite policies that have contributed to income and wealth inequality. Dems won’t move forward until that hypocritical loser strategy is acknowledged and overcome.
Henry - If manchin and sinema hadn't torpedoed the progressives and their proposals, which biden was reluctantly starting to accept (not support, accept) what you say would be true. everything the progressives stand for and promote is what the american people want. but centrist dems, (trough slopppers) will not work for the people except to throw crumbs their way, if they get permission from the fatcats.
They need to fight much harder. Together!
That’s going to be much harder in the next 4 years Tamme with none of the 3 branches.
I kind of get what he is saying about abandoning the working class. Their are many institutions, banking, wall street, and corporations, that have been allowed to abuse the working poor for so long with little done, during Democratic presidencies. I know I would have felt better if during Obama's first months in office with the banking crisis if he had investigated and sent all those bankers to jail...but he didn't. If he had focused on helping out the underwater homeowner who was given loans they couldn't afford. If Clinton had invested in American workers and made sure NAFTA served Americans....not just corporations. Controlling junk fees is good ..but really one of a 1000 tiny cuts to the working poor....so I sort of get Robert's position.
Bernie would have gone more for the jugular....but even that scared the Democrats. It's like Democrats are only willing to curtail some of the corporate stranglehold on the nation. If Wikler can address the layers of messaging and hold the Democratic party to the straight and narrow and not pander to corporate democratic donors, who also are profit motivated...that would be great
It is not Democrat candidates per se, many elected to office have been and are doing a lot.
The problem is the party, the corporate dems who run it, as Reich says, is a money machine. And they primary progressives.
Indeed. Not once again on the side of working class. But once again PERCEIVED on that side.
Wikler gets the little guy! Government workers like me will do everything we can do resist Trump, DOGE, and fascism. https://democracydefender2025.substack.com/p/public-servant-democracy-defender-introduction
"Public Servants" rings like a special interest group, not a "little guy."
Well, sometimes words mean what they say. "Public Servant" sure sounds like someone who serves the public, not special interests.
Stop it, Victor. WAY too often, you sound like someone bent on destroying solidarity on the left.
As a lifelong public servant, this comment is disgusting. Try it sometime, Victor.
EXACTLY. As an Equal Rights Investigator, I've worked in three state equal rights divisions. When the respective legislatures' changed the laws, it was on us to adapt, fast, and explain these changes to the public & to employers and complainants. Often, after these often draconian law changes, I dreamed of giving a case file to a legislator; let them apply "their" law to the case. Or, have John or Jane Q. Public work a case. Easy, right? Wrong. In my field of "serving the public,"everyone worked diligently. Bad news for the public if we lose qualified state or federal employees - who absolutely specialize in their field and who get the work of government done for the people. Nothing wrong about Waking Up (or being "woke" to what's really going on).
I used to work as a public servant, and, as commentator on this site, I try to serve the public. Perhaps most commentators on this site believe that they serve the public. Civil service workers are definitely public servants in the literal meaning of the word, and you should be are that most of them will be fired, because according to the extreme Left and Right they are parasites, serving themselves, not the public. Be politically alert!
Maybe your bell is out of tune, Victor.
The Fonz has my vote if he supports democracy
I was going to post that.
Me too!
Another me too!
Aww, darn. I have Winkler cousins. Here I was hoping I might be distantly related to Ben. 8^( [But then, most of those Winklers are Republicans. So, unlikely.]
SO glad the lady posing w/ Bucky made that correction! ;-)
I thought he meant Henry Winkler :-)
Democrats must embrace social democracy, as in France, Germany and the Scandinavian countries if they want to benefit the middle class, working class and poor. It is a myth that the rich and wealthy got rich and wealthy on their own. The federal government provides the structure and often the funds to enable that. And they have to sell it in a media environment dominated by the right wing and a MSM that is also hostile to social democracy. They have to reverse the bill of goods first sold by Reagan that the federal government was the problem, not the solution.
Reagan was the source of a lot of problems we have now.
Tom Hartman masterfully traces the "FALL" right back to Reagan and his anti-government, union busting rhetoric and his supply-side economics that has never trickled down to workers.
Read Heather Cox Richardson substack she sums it up nicely going waaay back
Remember, Reagan was the one who started the "Love your country, but hate your government" bullshit. GH
Bill, well said
France, Germany and the other countries are ALL wrestling with the same forces.
Search any of the YouTubes from DiEM25.
Read last week's letter from an American.
I read it. I thought it was interesting that HCR did not expressly reference democratic socialism. In fact, I tried to see if HCR was describing a social democratic model as her alternative, but I really couldn't read democratic socialism in what HCR wrote. I was surprised that I could not make out that well what was the alternative HCR was advocating, and I have a lot of respect for her.
DEMOCRATS FAILED TO COMMUNICATE WHAT THEY DID FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. THERE WERE A HUNDRED PROJECTS FROM THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT IN WISCONSIN AND VERY FEW PEOPLE EVEN KNEW THEY EXISTED. DEMOCRATS NEED TO ADVERTISE ALL THE TIME, NOT JUST FOR AN ELECTION. BY THE TIME AN ELECTION COMES IT IS TOO LATE. ELECTIONS NEED TO BE RUN IN A TOTALLY DATA-BASED MANNER BY FULL-TIME PROFESSIONAL SOCIAL SCIENTISTS, POLITICAL SCIENTISTS, SOCIOLOGISTS, AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGISTS SO THAT DEMOCRATS STOP MAKING THE SAME STUPID MISTAKES OVER AND OVER. THAT WOULD TAKE MUCH OF THE GUESSWORK OUT OF CAMPAIGNING. WHERE AND HOW TO CAMPAIGN WOULD THEN BE A KNOWN VARIABLE. THIS WOULD ONLY COST A FEW MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR AND GREATLY INCREASE DEMOCRATS' WINNING ELECTIONS IN THE FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL ELECTIONS. FOR EXAMPLE, THE DATA INDICATED THAT THE ECONOMY AND IMMIGRATION WERE THE PRIMARY ISSUES. TRUMP FOCUSED ON THEM AND HARRIS DID NOT. MOST PEOPLE DO NOT CARE ABOUT SOCIAL ISSUES AS MUCH INCLUDING ABORTION. IF YOU DO NOT WIN THE ELECTION, YOU CANNOT DO ANYTHING FOR SOCIAL ISSUES AND RIGHTS.
I agree with what you say but All Caps sound like Trump and is very off putting
...please. At least Questioner is not using a zillion exclamation marks
I understand what you're saying about using 'All Caps' however extending a little grace towards the poster and thinking that this person may have a visual-imparity and typing in all caps helps them to engage with others.
Oh, for god's sake, enough about All Caps = BAD. If it is to you, fine. It's hardly a universal truth.
Caps are harder to read...
So are long paragraphs. . .
Questioner, the media conglomerates are fully owned by the far right. How do you propose getting messages out through a right wing owned press? They own…tv, newspapers and plenty of online sources.
Feeding the public propaganda is how Fascism works. That is what we have. The news networks WILL NOT show or publish accomplishments by Dems for a very good reason!
It is the loss of a true fourth estate, where we all get a fair report that builds understanding. If The NY Times won’t print it, normalize felons????
Yes, yes, and yes! I've turned them all off. I remember the days when "news" was NOT a profit center. It was what the news media owed us citizens. Get the $ out of the news!
One could think word of mouth would have gotten out the news of what was done for the greater public good.
The strength of "word of mouth" is no longer potent. We live in an age of over-stimulation from external sources, over-booked schedules, over-sized work loads, management over-reach into the off-hours lives of employees, inundation of both information and disinformation, over-proliferation of fear mongering - and too much social isolation.
…as well as an ever-diminishing attention span and
an aversion to listening to others who are speaking.
Listening, but do not hear... echoing the sounds of silence.
Not good enough when the trumpskis were being so outrageous and "entertaining". MSM...do your jobs!
Forget it, Robin. MSM has been selling us out for over 50 years. It's just taken a long time for it to become obvious beyond any doubt. Find alternate sources, including some that aren't based in the US. Dr. Reich posted a good list a couple of weeks ago; other people have too.
Not when "word of mouth" is 2 opposite things from 2 different people.
Quit shouting with the ALL CAPS,
I agree, Henry. I won’t bother to read anything posted in all caps.
I understand what you're saying about using 'All Caps' however extending a little grace towards the poster and thinking that this person may have a visual-imparity and typing in all caps helps them to engage with others.
I understand what you're saying about using 'All Caps' however extending a little grace towards the poster and thinking that this person may have a visual-imparity and typing in all caps helps them to engage with others.
J, you may be right, but given my limited energy and health issues, I am taking care of myself by not expending the energy it would take me to read anything posted in more than a few words in all caps.
Unfortunately that is exactly who Trump world hates because they make them feel stupid.
The fragmentation of public discourse into ideologic echo chambers first in local stations carrying syndicated talk radio then bringing the cost down even further with internet hidey holes destroyed any basic "common knowledge."
Wikler sounds like a good, progressive choice to lead the Democratic Party away from the maelstrom of the Clintons and neoliberalism.
Wikler is also a far better choice than the spectre of disastrous former Chicago Mayor, Rahm Emanuel, who's also thrown his hat into the ring.
I will never forgive the democratic elite for throwing Bernie Sanders under the bus, which basically insured a Trump victory in 2016, as well as 2024.
The democratic party needs to clean house and electing Wikler is a good path forward for us.
Rahm Emanuel is a neoliberal champion. If he gets the job I will have to seriously consider leaving the DP.
I will be right with you ✅️
Amen.
I've been to Wisconsin a few times, most lately in September and November of this year, to engage and educate voters, knock on doors, etc., for the Wisconsin Democrats (WisDems) and can enthusiastically vouch for Wikler as a very effective and engaging leader.
His unflagging efforts for the last few years have made a huge difference, one standout example being the election last year of Janet Protasiewicz to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which broke the ultra-conservatives' lock on the court. That led to the end of extreme gerrymandering and the adoption of pretty reasonable redistricting. That then in turn led to a much stronger showing by Democrats, pretty closely representative of the actual makeup of the state, and a rebalancing of power in the state legislature.
You sound very engaged, which is great.
The descriptions of Wikler remind me of the late, great Paul Wellstone.
All the best.
Let’s hope that those people who have the power and courage will put him in charge.
I think Wikler would be a great choice! I like O'Malley too....but the Wisconsin guy HAS been on the front lines and has fought valiantly to enact change in that state.
HOW can WE make this happen? What can WE DO? Tells us who to contact.
That’s my question too. Is there anything we can do to assist?
I’m in a Red state. How can I help?
Identify the business interests that influence your state's policies, then ask: what are the costs and benefits of these policies? Once you are informed, you can inform others.
Asking the question does not imply that you have to have the answer. What is important is to be cognizant of the issues. Identifying business interests varies in complexity from state to state. In Texas, Montana, Wyoming, Iowa it is fairly easy. Use your public library, Google, city hall development office, etc.
"Identify the business interests that influence your state's policies" ...And how is that done, exactly? Please help us help them.
Yea. In Illinois, we start by reading trial transcripts....
Every individual democrat is not in a position to do that. Keep in mind that there are many who have not been heavily involved in party politics. They are newly motivated but need more specific and appropriate guidance. How do we find the people in our state who are leading this effort?
You are correct. I was making an inside joke about the number of Illinois politicians that have lately run foul of the law. I see that in California, CADEM has a list of committee members for that state. https://cadem.org/dnc-members/
This!!!
Who do we contact to "vote" for Wikler?
This may be good news. Have supported D candidates but not DNC for years because they repress more progressive candidates.
From Wisconsin here! I wanted to nominated right away but I also don't want to lose him. He's been so good to us.
He would reach more people by being active on the national level.
*wanted him nominated (not "wanted to nominated" 🤦🏻♀️
WHAT MATTERS IS THAT FOX VIEWERS KNOW NONE OF THE TRUTH ----> OUR TASK IS TO FIND A WAY TO TELL THEM. OTHERWISE WE ARE IRRELEVANT #GOPtraitors
good read: Escape the echo chamber https://aeon.co/essays/why-its-as-hard-to-escape-an-echo-chamber-as-it-is-to-flee-a-cult
There is no silver bullet. However, building empathy and trust around unrelated subjects, and relying on emotions rather than arguments, may help
Disagree, William. Faux viewers believe they know the truth. Telling them they don't won't help. I know you say "find a way," but there ISN'T a way because no matter how you slice it, you're telling them they're wrong. Nobody likes that.
Fox news viewers have been systematically
worked over with, not just disinformation but
also with literal brainwashing techniques. I’ll write more about that later today.
good read: Escape the echo chamber https://aeon.co/essays/why-its-as-hard-to-escape-an-echo-chamber-as-it-is-to-flee-a-cult
There is no silver bullet. However, building empathy and trust around unrelated subjects, and relying on emotions rather than arguments, may help
Yes, William, but (1) who's got the time or inclination to do all that work to sway 1 person at a time, and (2) if you have family members who trust you (hopefully) and still don't believe you, what is there to build on?
I'll look forward to that, Susan.
I really thought you meant Henry Winkler because your government certainly has "jumped the shark"! Apologies to my US friends..
I thought so too! 😂
Great use of the term "jumped the shark." I remember the Happy Days episode. The Fonz's leather jacket and waterskis were so pathetic. Reminds me of Michael Dukakis photo wearing the oversized army helmet in the tank. Looked just like Rick Moranis in Spaceballs.
If Al Franken supports him, then so do I. Al has been soooo underrated & I miss him from Senate.
There is no panacea to cure the LOST Democratic Party.
Purge some of the old ; bring in the new.
Keep the Clintons as faraway as possible.
Bring Inside Bernie Sanders and the Woman Senator from Massachusetts …
Don’t kick out the party faithful no matter how out there but address their issues in proportion to the Voter who actually elect presidents congressman senators governors etc…
Get more people to vote the better the turnout the more representative the government …
Abolish the electoral college.
Enact mandatory voting with monetary fines…
Yes to all you said. BTW, our Senator is Elizabeth Warren - who would have been a terrific president.
I'm so glad to live in Massachusetts, born and bred....great leadership, great healthcare, excellent economy. We have and acknowledge our problems, but we're pretty darn good!
Thank You ,
Elizabeth Warren & Bernie Sanders .
I knew that but it was buried under all the electoral BS that been floating thru the ether…
I SO agree!!
You're referring to Elizabeth Warren.
I like him already!
I have a suggestion for the Democratic party. I know everyone was hoping we could somehow emulate other countries and have a 3 to 6-month election campaign while the Republicans are using their machinery to influence the public opinion of possible democratic campaigns decades in advance (Hillary - 1980). I suggest extending the Presidential Election campaign to four years starting NOW. Let's have Kamala, Joe, and Tim on TV constantly revealing to our public the dire contrast between Donald Trump's pogroms and platform. Effectively, these political superstars can express, "I told you so," while explaining the difference their plan would have had to everything Donald does. The public doesn't get it. We need a constant and consistent voice by someone who can be the next president. If we can run this 4-year campaign consistently contrasting the two parties in Real Time, we might be able to awaken the electorate to the consequences of giving power to a madman.
Wisconsinite here—couldn’t find a better person for the job than Wikler!!
As a Wisconsin native and proud resident, I’m thrilled that Wisconsin’s Ben Wikler is running for the next DNC Chair! Best of luck — the country needs you now more than ever!