It never ceases to amaze me how little thought do many people worldwide put when electing their leaders. The first time good liars can fool voters; but once an elected official has shown his or her true colors, why do people keep reelecting them is beyond comprehension.
Fox Propaganda is why they keep re-electing them. They are the main perpetrators, and others like them on TV and in print, video, blog etc.
They keep their voters focused on made up cultural “wars” and tell them not to believe anything they hear from anyone else, especially the “radical left.” When in truth, the right is the most radical, out of touch group in this country presently.
Fox et al keep these constituents angry and afraid, and they’ve been doing it for so many years they’re completely indoctrinated against any information that doesn’t come from them.
These voters never hear any real news. And when they do, they don’t believe it anyway.
Yes, Sam, Fos Not News at All does have a hypnotic impact on many of its viewers. They pick people with just the right look, the right voice, the right ability to spew vomit without people realizing that is what they are taking in. They are not even good actors, but they no longer have to be. The "message is the massage" as one of my professors used to say.
Where is that Dem blog/podcast shouting the truth.... where is the Dem "news" network to combat the lies from Foxnotnews and the others??? They are absent from the 21st century battlegrounds.
William, perhaps another step might be that our Constitution is not perfect, the rich privileged white men who wrote it didn't know everything, they mostly ignored women unless things weren't just right at home, Black persons for them were only marginally human, and they were scared of ordinary people because they didn't know many and assumed they were all ignorant savages (like what they thought of Native Americans). To pretend there is some kind of "original" meaning in the Constitution that can be used today to keep American citizens from equal rights, that gives corporations personhood, and more is ludicrous. The founders would have thought that kind of thinking hilarious, 233 years later and so few changes to a document hastily compiled in 4 months.
Agreed. The Constitution is far from perfect, but it is clear that the framers knew this, and fully intended it to be amended. At its core is the political system, with a President who is commander-in-chief, with the powers of executive order and pardon, as well as the ability to raise armies for 60 days without the onset of Congress (which is what JFK used to get us involved in Vietnam), and the power of veto.
Well whadyya know? King George III was commander-in-chief, with the powers of executive order and pardon, the power to raise armies for 60 days without the consent of parliament (which he used to send armies into America in 1776), and the power of veto.
Then below the king, England had the House of Lords, largely unelected aristocrats, and below them was the House of Commons (for the common people, who were mainly merchants). Read Senate and House of Representatives.
So the founders basically copied the system in England, except they made the king and House of Lords electable. In the UK, on the other hand, the monarchy withered in terms of it political power, as did the House of Lords. This left parliament, and, with women being given the vote, UK became a fully representative democracy.
We're basically stuck in the US, anchored by the Constitution. I wonder if ways could be found for the states to be able to withdraw from the union, a kind of Brexit.
Your analogy to the monarchy, House of Lords, and House of Commons is interesting. States withdrawing from the union is secession, and secession did not go well the first time. A state seceding from the union opens up a whole new set of problems which most states, especially red states that receive more funds from the federal government than they send in, are prepared to deal with.
I totally agree. We need to go back and start over from the original "We The People" Declaration of Independence document and draft a new constitution for the people of today which does not allow for money to influence the government.
Any REAL christian believes and knows that God is the creator...and therefore, we are all God's children.... all colors, creeds, races, genders, all deserving of love, peace, joy, and harmony....Love your neighbor as yourlself. ... in non-religous terms.... Liberty and Justice for All
the so-called christian right are a bunch of hypocrites going to hell.
not real big on platitiudes...but the one we've heard since birth continues to be true:
Money IS the root of all evil... money buys power, and power buys more power, and the weak, the spineless, the corrupt, the traitors....take the money and do their handlers' bidding.. GRAFT, make legal by our UNsupreme court: Citizens United.
AND that this so-called Christianity has little to nothing in common with either the tenets of Christianity nor its scriptures. I say this as a “liberal” follower of Christ. i
Jimmy Carter has done much to promote true Christianity. He continues to chime in these days, though his age and health (and Rosalynn’s) have limited his contributions of late. In many ways we would be in a much better place if we had had the wisdom to follow his leadership. Especially on energy and on foreign affairs.
It perplexes me, too! Disinformational propaganda apparently is very effective on politically apathetic, ignorant & gullible people, who are ready & willing to believe such propaganda over their own eyes.
Minimizing the ignorance of the masses is why the Founding Fathers emphasized widespread free, or affordable, public education. And neutralizing student activists and maximizing ignorance is why Nixon, Reagan, Bush2, DeVos, others, and Dark Money undermined public education.
Exactly. Here in Florida this Trump Wannabe DeSantis allows Pasco County to utilize genetic identifiers to determine if your children are going to be a problem child in schools (which is basically poor children) and they send the cops to your door and the child is continuously monitored. It is not legal but poor people can't get rich attorneys to fight for them can they? He also requires colleges to report the political affiliations of their students!
Jaime, I think there is also another component. Fox Not really news and its ilk prey on people who are scared, worried about how they are going to make it now that they believe their "American dream" is out of reach, and who are frustrated that their lives just aren't living up to expectations (matching what they see on social media or reality TV). They want to hear someone telling them their problems have a cause, a person or group to blame and that if that person or group is put in their place, things will be just fine. by the time that person or group is harmed and out of power, the victim listening to Fox not really news is hooked by the model of "there there, we'll tell you what is right and you will know just who to blame and who to follow." They have no idea they are being used and would hate themselves if they ever lifted their heads high enough out of the muck to notice, so they don't.
Hit the nail on the head. Same type of thinking that happened in 1920s and 1930's. People don't remember the conditions that led to the depression (and how really bad it was), and how many people were lost in WWII. But the Republicans are playing the current situation (inflation) as a prelude to recession, as if it's going to be another depression. It lines their pockets, and allows policies to be supported that no sane, knowledgeable person would support. If they gain power, overturning Roe is just the beginning. Get out and vote Democrat this November, or it may be the last meaningful election we have.
I'm in absolute agreement, Ken. Another thing to note,: the 'Great Depression', and most of the recessions have occurred following a modern (20th/21st century) regime, during which taxes were adjusted to favor the wealthiest among us.
This is just the thing. In my home town the mayor was caught using city money to buy fur coats etc. for his mistress! Cut and dried! He was re-elected 3 more times. I don't get it either.
Remember Dan Quayle being flushed for spelling potato wrong? Now there seems to be a preference for brain dead. Trump postponed in Arizona appearance after his ex died. Keri Lake issued a statement of support and understanding saying that she knew what it was to lose a mother. It was his ex-wife you freaking idiot! I can just imagine her handlers thinking oh my God Keri, you are perfect.
Because many voters don’t bother to really know the candidates they are voting for. Instead, they go by their physical appearance, who others in the family or friends are voting for and a myriad other shallow reasons.
True. Also many vote based on the name of the candidate; be it because they're familiar with their name, for example "Mitch McConnell" (Nearing 40 years in office), or simply because one name sounds better than the other.
Guy, I think people keep voting for inadequate people for a couple of reasons: it is THEIR inadequate person, and, they think one gains more power by being reelected. Also, if there is childish behavior like Ted Cruz, Paul Gosar, and their ilk, it's a maternal instinct to protect the baby from harm (opponents).
Alastair, you've got that right. Dr. Reich does inspire hope even though he starts with some bad news. You can't stand up successfully to what you don't know.
Very interesting Edward. I'm reading Religion and the Rise of Capitalism by Benjamin Friedman and it certainly supports a lot of what you are saying. It thoroughly explains Calvinist thought and how it was changed. He is explaining how the changes in religious thought led to and supported Adam Smith's description of capitalism.
I also read Jeff Sharlett's book The Family which documents the influence of the fundamentalist religions in the 30s, 40s, 50s and until now. Their total support of capitalism surprised me but after thinking about it, there is no better support for capitalism. They teach people that they shouldn't seek their reward in this life but in the next life. They teach that you should respect and support the rich because they are God's chosen people. The rich capitalists couldn't find a better system.
While I know the Republicans and Manchin conspiring with Hungary to not have a global corporate tax isn’t treason in the literal sense, it sure feels like it is.
Derek Wessner ; The Republicans and Manchin certainly do not care about the American voters/taxpayers/workers while they work against their interests. They are raiding our treasury and meanwhile Manchin says he does not want to see Americans feeling 'entitled' to help from their own tax dollars in the form of BBB. Liars, thieves and hypocrites! Sell outs too!
I think that you could count on ONE HAND the number of our "leaders who are NOT "ALWAYS MONEY OVER COUNTRY". But it is not ENTIRELY their fault. We have allowed campaign costs to reach the stratosphere; especially since the unfortunate "Citizens United decision. All the available CASH allows overwhelming advertising and FEW people realize the POWER of ADVERTISING. This brainwash often results in people voting against their own self-interests. We need to control CAMPAIGN COSTS plus mandatory public financing of elections. I have a way to keep costs down so it doesn't break our bank And NO; greedy TV networks wouldn't like it! They view elections as a CASH COW, much to the detriment of this country.
; Yes, money in politics has been a problem for a long time, and it is getting worse since Citizens United. Now, with the Super corrupt 'Supreme' court, there is no telling what will happen next ! the other side of the aisle is no help either; making deals with autocrats to make us the 'West Virginia of the world!' (Sorry, west Virginians!). Soon they will be mining mica here, by lowering our toddlers into the mines. If there is a cave in : no problem! plenty of poor kids to exploit with the abortion/contraception ban! Any remaining rights will go to prevent any health protections interfering with profits! Look what's happening in Europe and the U.K.! Thousands dying from the heat! Looks like money is winning against climate healing! Interferes with profits, I guess to remedy! Maybe this will get the voter's attention!
Media masquerading as "news", such as Faux News, should be sued for their lies. The ONLY thing the Murdock clan (owners) understand is money, so we should take it back from them as a penalty for their complete lack of integrity and the damage they have and continue to inflict on the American public. Their ANTI-AMERICAN behavior, (that corporation is still owned by a born Australian), should NOT be able to hide behind the First Amendment!! Their action is similar to someone yelling "Fire" in a packed theatre. The damage they have been spewing for decades by KNOWINGLY COMMUNICATING INTENTIONAL LIES is having a devastating effect on our democracy. Americans actually believe they are telling the truth simply because they see it on their TV screens. (Just like NBC "normalizing" trump every week with his TV game show. Does ANYONE in the media and politics do BACKGROUND CHECKS before hiring these criminals?) Why hasn't our ineffectual FCC done NOTHING to address this? FOX, hiding behind the fact that they are registered as "entertainment" does protect them from their horrific assault on the American people who are NOT aware of this. Now, because this media giant is pretending to be news, the FCC should make them put a disclaimer every 30 minutes or so on the viewers screen that says boldly, "The FOX channel is NOT news and can be damaging to your health. Do NOT believe what you are watching to be real or factual in any way." Hello FCC?? Is anybody home?? A warning MUST be put on the "product" Faux News is spewing as it has a very similar impact as smoking cigarettes. BTW - Packages of cigarettes have health WARNINGS!!
Gov Howard Dean said recently on the telly in a fit of extreme ire that the entire Murdoch family should have their citizenships revoked and be deported.
I agree. It also shows how totally inadequate the electorate is to listen to 20 second blurbs on which to base their vote instead of really looking at the candidate's proposals and thinking of the consequence if those proposals are enacted
Yes, and it exposes how inadequate our nat'l educational system is. One glaring mistake that has occurred in that regard is the terribly wrong tack that has been taken in the recent past, i.e., attempting to impose grand schemes from the top down rather than the reverse. Therefore,
1. Go to the administrators and ask them what their problems are and what they need to address them;
2. Talk to the teachers and ask the same line of questions esp. "what do you need?"
Here's what I think one would find: We need the money to hire ancillary help such as nurses, counsellors, tutors, mentors to teach studying skills, nutritionists, employees to act as go-betweens between the schools and parents, and whatever. Find out.
Talk is cheap, money buys beans. There's no free lunch. The biggest cliche of all is: Man can't live without cliches.
This would all cost money, lots of it, but if I had two dollars between me and starvation, I'd be willing to bet one of them that the total cost would pale in comparison to the annual budget
allocated for militarism which is fast approaching one trillion dollars.
WHAT SHOULD BE THE GOAL? The acquisition of knowledge to be sure, but more than that: CRITICAL THINKING. We would pay teachers more, much more to attract better minds into the profession. What makes an effective teacher? Someone with acquired knowledge AND the ability to pass it forward, i.e., teach others. Someone with hutzpah, animated, some acting skills, vivacious, someone who can instill the joy of learning in students who have been lolled into a semi-stupor by TV, computers, "smart phones" and the like. A substantial part of all this would be the use of the Socratic Method.
One cannot help but surmise, not without justification, that a large percentage of the governing class does not want the hoi polloi, the general populace, to be educated with critical thinking skills. Since action, here the lack of action, speaks louder than words, what else am I to think?
All of this accomplished, we would see fewer and fewer citizens voting to shoot themselves in both feet.
As a retired teacher, I totally support your position. Add one more thing VOCATIONAL EDUCATION and you'd have my complete support. We definitely need to teach critical thinking, starting in kindergarten. Critical thinking is definitely essential but will receive the most opposition, too many parents are terrified their children will not share their own prejudices and way of thinking.I taught chemistry, physics, and astronomy to 8th graders. But I always advocated for more technical training. The majority of students entering kindergarten will never graduate from college - for many reasons. But that is no reason not to train those who either don't want to continue higher education or cannot continue for various reasons. The majority of children are dumped at age 16 to 18 to fend for themselves, with no skill, no practical knowledge of how to support themselves or even manage a budget.
I have absolutely no problem with vocational schools if they also teach critical thinking along with the hands-on skills. I often say that not everybody wants to go to college and study Shakespeare. Another idea I've been chewing on is to establish a substantial organization containing a large cadre of the cognoscenti to hold weekend pop-up conferences or seminars in their fields of speciality: govt; law; history, etc. Done right, a lot can be taught in a weekend.
Jerry, you are right about the campaign finances. A disgusting thing is that networks and other media platforms don't even care first, if the ad is true, then, if the ad is relevant, and if it reflects its principles. I really like the idea of strict finance reform for all candidates, particularly limiting individual contributions to campaigns, different limits depending on the scale of the election, presidential more than school board. I also don't think corporations as entities should be able to contribute to any campaign. They already have lobbyists and ads that spew their nonsense. No candidate should be able to put more than a million or 2 on their own campaign. I'd also like federal financing for federal elections. States should have their own limitations that are fair for all candidates. That might be an adequate start.
I'd like to go even further, limit campaigning for any election to begin on Labor Day, before the election and end the day of election. This is NOT extreme, this is how we did elections up to the 60's. Then either publicly fund or limit amount to be spent. Of course the TV networks would spend like crazy to stop such regulation.
The networks support the candidates who are backed by big money, because they are owned by big money. Now they get even more bang for their bucks with the ads showing candidates wielding assault weapons. I bet the arms manufacturers love that! And the 'non-profit' NRA.
There was campaign financing (McCain-Feingold) but candidates began to stop taking federal campaign funds. That way they could raise unlimited amounts of money, and they have. Candidates also campaign ENDLESSLY!
Just a note from personal experience. The most entitled people I know are well to do white men.
JennSH from NC ; tRump never stopped campaigning ; even after two impeachments and a couple of investigations (ongoing) ; and a coup attempt that has not stopped. And he is not officially running.
Ruth, as part of their charter, and in consideration of free access to their frequency spectrum, TV Networks are MANDATED to set aside broadcast time for Public Service Purposes. I can think of no better use of this time than for FREE or at MINIMUM COST broadcasting personal campaign messages from political candidates to state their position on various issued that directly concern their constituents.- NO HATE ADS ALLOWED! We need to take advantage of this opportunity.
Edward ; yes, ; By the same token, it is obscene when very wealthy, profitable 'people' pay low or no taxes while poorer seniors' Social Security is taxed.
Wow! Laurie, you summed that up perfectly. The stealing, lying, and cheating Republicans and a few Dems have been doing is criminal, but we can't even get our Justice Department to prosecute people who defy congressional subpoenas, attacked Capitol police, planned and tried to carry out an insurgency, or pretty much anything else that would help stop some of the worst abuses. And, the Supreme Court is rushing to take away as many rights as possible from American citizens before they are stopped. While we are distracted by all the political stuff, corporations are accumulating even more power now that inflation has been well-established (by those corporations). Then, there's the pseudo-Christians that are claiming god is telling them to cheat, lie, and more to bring about god's "kingdom on earth." What a bunch of hogwash!
True, for far too many of our “leaders” it’s always money over country. Their own interests over the people that they are supposed to serve who got them elected.
Yo Jaime! I like the word duplicitous too. It sounds as scummy as the people who are duplicitous, chief among them Baby Joey and Baby Kirstin. Elon Musk and Howard Schults are right there too with a bunch of other corporate CEOs as well as the entire Republican party.
The radical right is a merger of evangelical "Christians" and outright racists. No evidence that Manchin is connected to the religious right or to racists.
Plenty of evidence that he didn't study economic history, and Keynesian economics. Plenty of evidence that he is beholden to energy lobbying.
I wasn’t suggesting he was part of the radical right we now know. Just that he sides with them more often than not on economic policies because that helps line his pockets.
Derek, yes, it does feel a lot like treason because its purpose is self-agrandizement and support by a member of the US Congress for a foreign dictator who would love to bring down democracy for guys like himself. He has more in common with Russia than the US or the EU. I think Hungary should be asked to leave the EU. Hungary and Poland have decided they don't like post cold war world where people get a say in what their lives should be like. Orban is OK with the "keep the people poor and they won't have the energy to oppose you" theory of government and the people just go along and keep reelecting that ass because what else is there.
I am not familiar with Hungarian politics, but I would assume the people don’t get much say because otherwise they would have grown tired of being oppressed.
Thank you for banging the gong, Robert. I don’t understand what you say about the Great Depression and WW II in your penultimate (next-to-last) sentence because I don’t know the details, but I’m angry as hell about what’s going on. I also don’t quite get the connection with Hungary’s authoritarianism, but I know that evasion of global corporate taxation is evil, period.
That White Christian nationalism has nothing to do with what Christ taught; in fact, it’s the opposite.
I will share your warning with others. as I’ve often done.
"White Christian nationalism is the perfect foil for the rising tide of global corporate predation. This way, sovereignty becomes a matter of race and ethnicity rather than economics. Focusing on immigrants “replacing” the white race diverts attention from how much tax revenue global corporations are forcing average people to replace."
It's the demagogic dog whistle to the racist collective subconscious
Reich is pointing to the last time when corporatism, economic injustice & wealth & power disparity led to worldwide fascism & authoritarianism, economic depression & world war. So many parallels between now & then.
For me, the elephant in the room is Russian aggression as compared to German aggression before World War II. How long can we hang back? How bad does it have to get. A modern country of 60 million people is getting obliterated. Everything we are talking about is subtleties in comparison.
Oh, gosh! I have to hear ads from the FRC every day on my favorite music station! Very pernicious!
I am quite impressed at how outspoken Kinzinger has been about the treachery of his fellow Republicans & the right wing in general. His votes in the House have become more enlightened, too.
Research political candidates in other states: Tim Ryan in Ohio; Fetterman in PA; Maggie Hassan in NH; Bob Casey in PA; G. Warnock in GA; Whitmer & Gilchrist in Michigan; etc. lots of brave candidates need your help: volunteer & donate.
The great Marvin Gaye! I think that was "Inner City Blues" from his landmark album "What's Going On?". We need more singers of conscience like him that can write great tunes with powerful words. There were many of them in the 1960s & early '70s, but they don't write them like that anymore (as Greg Kihn said).
There are even more remarkable parallels between today and antebellum times when the Know Nothings controlled California and numerous other states, from the evidence to divert attention from the unfair economic advantage certain people held. The major slave owners made sure that everyone in southern states paid taxes to support the police state that tracked down runaway slaves, rather than a slave tax that would have been shouldered by those who reaped the benefits. The remarkable thing was that people never seemed to connect the dots.
omg, this is like the backdrop for Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games or the reality described in Cormac McCarthy's The Road. not only is this a blatant, unforgivable betrayal of democracy, of USA and of each and every decent citizen on this planet, but this looks like a lead-up to the last great war -- where the entire planet will end up enveloped in a post-nuclear dystopian hell, and all its life forms will have been wiped out, except rats, cockroaches, a myriad of single-celled life forms and a few uneducated stone-age people that hunt and eat each other because no plants grow anymore in the aftermath of our greed and religion-fueled hatred and violence. i'm simply stunned.
Robert, you need to get on network news programs to reach more people. What you have to say and how you break down the noise to reveal the reality needs to be heard by more people. I think this may help them to pay more attention to who they vote for. It's worth a try, no?
I have long thought that Democratic candidates should utilize Reich in their campaign ads to explain things clearly & succinctly (with the help of his sketches) to the American people
The Republican cartel of mean-spirited lunatics, Victor Orban, and the usual groups of GQP hangers-on and brainless idiots is moving together, whether they all realize it or not, toward the death of democracy and the rebirth of fascism on a global scale. In the process, they're sweeping away vestiges of democracy and disempowering government that's getting taken to the cleaners by huge international megacorporations.
I'm afraid that our children and grandchildren will look back one day and ask "why didn't they do anything about it back in the '20's when the signs of autocracy and fascism were all around them?"
Thank you for this essay, Professor. You almost always shine new light on what is before my very eyes, and once in a while you make everything crystal clear, as you have today. (Admittedly, I read this three times before commenting, but that’s nothing new.)
This White Christian nationalism is scary indeed. It is reminiscent of the 1930’s and 40’s in Europe. This culture war is nothing more than inciting fear, if you ask me. I have family members that want our borders closed. They are on the opposite end of (our) political spectrum, too.
Do we not see how much we benefit from a diverse society? Are we not the melting pot of the world anymore? Don’t get me wrong - There should be steps taken for anyone and everyone to introduce themselves to a new country however, naysayers who condemn literally everyone who are “different” than they are seem to be living in a time warp. Feeling sick & tired of corruption and a little embarrassed about my own ancestry today…
Just before listening to Professor Reich's comments, I read David Leonardt's "Why Anti-Democracy Now?" in the NYTimes. There's also a long-overdue story about the right in the upcoming Sunday magazine. I would agree that they are almost unforgivably late to the party (I remind myself that they, too, are a multi-million dollar corporation, although as far as I can tell, they aren't donating to candidates.) The Wall Street Journal, now owned by Murdoch, is very much a horse of a different culture. I haven't paid for a single copy since he bought it.
I also read his newsletter this morning. He talks about various causes but never addresses who benefits and why!? Nor does he address what the impacts will be if left unchecked or potential remedies. He almost downplays it as if it's a passing phase. He's does not appear at all alarmed, unlike me!
Manchin: It's ALWAYS the money. It's only mildly hyperbolic to suggest he would have sold Heather and Brook into prostitution if he thought he could make a buck. (OK it's very hyperbolic. But still. . .)
So why aren't Democratic leaders calling these Republicans out as the "global elitists" they really are? The only prominent Democratic leader that seems to want to bring the knife to the knife fight is California governor Gavin Newsom (along with independent Bernie Sanders). We know the elitist Republicans, many of whom have degrees from the elite universities they disparage, care only about acquiring power and money for themselves, but Democrats aren't doing enough to oppose them.
In the closely divided House and evenly divided Senate, corporate bribers know they only have to bribe one or a few Democrats to get their way. I hope that, if Democrats do manage to keep the House and win more Senate seats, the corporate bribers don't just find other Democrats to throw sand in the gears of Democrats' plans.
Shivers along my spine. Duplicity, lies, businesses, narcistic leaders like Orban, Trump's revolt...
And the upcoming elections promises the christian nationalists a victory on top of all that. Is there an appealing candidate left in the Democratic Party? And some strategic instinct? Can we help in Europe?
It never ceases to amaze me how little thought do many people worldwide put when electing their leaders. The first time good liars can fool voters; but once an elected official has shown his or her true colors, why do people keep reelecting them is beyond comprehension.
Fox Propaganda is why they keep re-electing them. They are the main perpetrators, and others like them on TV and in print, video, blog etc.
They keep their voters focused on made up cultural “wars” and tell them not to believe anything they hear from anyone else, especially the “radical left.” When in truth, the right is the most radical, out of touch group in this country presently.
Fox et al keep these constituents angry and afraid, and they’ve been doing it for so many years they’re completely indoctrinated against any information that doesn’t come from them.
These voters never hear any real news. And when they do, they don’t believe it anyway.
Yes, Sam, Fos Not News at All does have a hypnotic impact on many of its viewers. They pick people with just the right look, the right voice, the right ability to spew vomit without people realizing that is what they are taking in. They are not even good actors, but they no longer have to be. The "message is the massage" as one of my professors used to say.
Where is that Dem blog/podcast shouting the truth.... where is the Dem "news" network to combat the lies from Foxnotnews and the others??? They are absent from the 21st century battlegrounds.
MSNBC
We also do not have election integrity.
Ain't that the truth!
Could be genetic. Jungian.
Recovery: repent.
1st step. Admit that our country has an original sin -- slavery.
2nd step. Admit that America is not a "Christian: nation.
3rd stop. Admit that in much of America Christian is synonomus with racist, misogynistic, authoritarian, self righteous, hypocritical.
William, perhaps another step might be that our Constitution is not perfect, the rich privileged white men who wrote it didn't know everything, they mostly ignored women unless things weren't just right at home, Black persons for them were only marginally human, and they were scared of ordinary people because they didn't know many and assumed they were all ignorant savages (like what they thought of Native Americans). To pretend there is some kind of "original" meaning in the Constitution that can be used today to keep American citizens from equal rights, that gives corporations personhood, and more is ludicrous. The founders would have thought that kind of thinking hilarious, 233 years later and so few changes to a document hastily compiled in 4 months.
Agreed. The Constitution is far from perfect, but it is clear that the framers knew this, and fully intended it to be amended. At its core is the political system, with a President who is commander-in-chief, with the powers of executive order and pardon, as well as the ability to raise armies for 60 days without the onset of Congress (which is what JFK used to get us involved in Vietnam), and the power of veto.
Well whadyya know? King George III was commander-in-chief, with the powers of executive order and pardon, the power to raise armies for 60 days without the consent of parliament (which he used to send armies into America in 1776), and the power of veto.
Then below the king, England had the House of Lords, largely unelected aristocrats, and below them was the House of Commons (for the common people, who were mainly merchants). Read Senate and House of Representatives.
So the founders basically copied the system in England, except they made the king and House of Lords electable. In the UK, on the other hand, the monarchy withered in terms of it political power, as did the House of Lords. This left parliament, and, with women being given the vote, UK became a fully representative democracy.
We're basically stuck in the US, anchored by the Constitution. I wonder if ways could be found for the states to be able to withdraw from the union, a kind of Brexit.
Your analogy to the monarchy, House of Lords, and House of Commons is interesting. States withdrawing from the union is secession, and secession did not go well the first time. A state seceding from the union opens up a whole new set of problems which most states, especially red states that receive more funds from the federal government than they send in, are prepared to deal with.
I know, New York State is the biggest subsidizer of Kentucky....and they send us McConnell in return.
I totally agree. We need to go back and start over from the original "We The People" Declaration of Independence document and draft a new constitution for the people of today which does not allow for money to influence the government.
Any REAL christian believes and knows that God is the creator...and therefore, we are all God's children.... all colors, creeds, races, genders, all deserving of love, peace, joy, and harmony....Love your neighbor as yourlself. ... in non-religous terms.... Liberty and Justice for All
the so-called christian right are a bunch of hypocrites going to hell.
not real big on platitiudes...but the one we've heard since birth continues to be true:
Money IS the root of all evil... money buys power, and power buys more power, and the weak, the spineless, the corrupt, the traitors....take the money and do their handlers' bidding.. GRAFT, make legal by our UNsupreme court: Citizens United.
AND that this so-called Christianity has little to nothing in common with either the tenets of Christianity nor its scriptures. I say this as a “liberal” follower of Christ. i
Right and what Pope Pedophile the xx are we on?
Daniel, I like it, a "12 Step" type program to begin our nation's recovery.
Walk before running....
I'm still waiting for a Jimmy Carter like evangelist to clean the Bible Belt (and some Copperhead allies) of their evil ways. That's therapy.
Jimmy Carter has done much to promote true Christianity. He continues to chime in these days, though his age and health (and Rosalynn’s) have limited his contributions of late. In many ways we would be in a much better place if we had had the wisdom to follow his leadership. Especially on energy and on foreign affairs.
He's not perfect, but in the words of the classic, he's close enough to perfect for me.
What has Reverend Warnock done since assuming his Senate seat other than an anti-Asian hate speech?
Beautifully stated, Daniel.
It perplexes me, too! Disinformational propaganda apparently is very effective on politically apathetic, ignorant & gullible people, who are ready & willing to believe such propaganda over their own eyes.
Minimizing the ignorance of the masses is why the Founding Fathers emphasized widespread free, or affordable, public education. And neutralizing student activists and maximizing ignorance is why Nixon, Reagan, Bush2, DeVos, others, and Dark Money undermined public education.
Exactly. Here in Florida this Trump Wannabe DeSantis allows Pasco County to utilize genetic identifiers to determine if your children are going to be a problem child in schools (which is basically poor children) and they send the cops to your door and the child is continuously monitored. It is not legal but poor people can't get rich attorneys to fight for them can they? He also requires colleges to report the political affiliations of their students!
Jaime, I think there is also another component. Fox Not really news and its ilk prey on people who are scared, worried about how they are going to make it now that they believe their "American dream" is out of reach, and who are frustrated that their lives just aren't living up to expectations (matching what they see on social media or reality TV). They want to hear someone telling them their problems have a cause, a person or group to blame and that if that person or group is put in their place, things will be just fine. by the time that person or group is harmed and out of power, the victim listening to Fox not really news is hooked by the model of "there there, we'll tell you what is right and you will know just who to blame and who to follow." They have no idea they are being used and would hate themselves if they ever lifted their heads high enough out of the muck to notice, so they don't.
Hit the nail on the head. Same type of thinking that happened in 1920s and 1930's. People don't remember the conditions that led to the depression (and how really bad it was), and how many people were lost in WWII. But the Republicans are playing the current situation (inflation) as a prelude to recession, as if it's going to be another depression. It lines their pockets, and allows policies to be supported that no sane, knowledgeable person would support. If they gain power, overturning Roe is just the beginning. Get out and vote Democrat this November, or it may be the last meaningful election we have.
I'm in absolute agreement, Ken. Another thing to note,: the 'Great Depression', and most of the recessions have occurred following a modern (20th/21st century) regime, during which taxes were adjusted to favor the wealthiest among us.
this is a main tactic....Humpy used it well...He learned it from Mein Kampf...the one book he read...
Fear sucks... and I can't believe how gullible and easily scarred, people have become. A mystery to me... Are their lives so empty?
Actually he read Hitler's speeches, not Mein Kampf. Obviously he wanted to learn the 'Art of Dictatorship' LOL
Exactly! And it comes through in his speeches.
FOX is a mindless entertainment PSyOP! Keep the we the people ignorant and obedient, like good little serfs!
Very well said, Ruth! You hit a crux of the problem
This is just the thing. In my home town the mayor was caught using city money to buy fur coats etc. for his mistress! Cut and dried! He was re-elected 3 more times. I don't get it either.
Remember Dan Quayle being flushed for spelling potato wrong? Now there seems to be a preference for brain dead. Trump postponed in Arizona appearance after his ex died. Keri Lake issued a statement of support and understanding saying that she knew what it was to lose a mother. It was his ex-wife you freaking idiot! I can just imagine her handlers thinking oh my God Keri, you are perfect.
Because many voters don’t bother to really know the candidates they are voting for. Instead, they go by their physical appearance, who others in the family or friends are voting for and a myriad other shallow reasons.
True. Also many vote based on the name of the candidate; be it because they're familiar with their name, for example "Mitch McConnell" (Nearing 40 years in office), or simply because one name sounds better than the other.
Guy, I think people keep voting for inadequate people for a couple of reasons: it is THEIR inadequate person, and, they think one gains more power by being reelected. Also, if there is childish behavior like Ted Cruz, Paul Gosar, and their ilk, it's a maternal instinct to protect the baby from harm (opponents).
Trump is a "leader" who has repeatedly shown his true colors. Why then are so many Republicans willing to reelect him?
The news daily inspires disgust, horror, and fear. Reich and other speakers of the truth inspire hope. Carry on!
Alastair, you've got that right. Dr. Reich does inspire hope even though he starts with some bad news. You can't stand up successfully to what you don't know.
And that's the point isn't it? So much ignorance, and Prof Reich is an excellent teacher.
Another who speaks to truth in a variety of ways who is also now on Substack, Been following Eric for 20 years. https://planetwaves.net/starcast/.
Truth is not just MSM, hopefully many are now discovering that fact.
An anti-capitalist christian? Can't be many of those around.
Very interesting Edward. I'm reading Religion and the Rise of Capitalism by Benjamin Friedman and it certainly supports a lot of what you are saying. It thoroughly explains Calvinist thought and how it was changed. He is explaining how the changes in religious thought led to and supported Adam Smith's description of capitalism.
I also read Jeff Sharlett's book The Family which documents the influence of the fundamentalist religions in the 30s, 40s, 50s and until now. Their total support of capitalism surprised me but after thinking about it, there is no better support for capitalism. They teach people that they shouldn't seek their reward in this life but in the next life. They teach that you should respect and support the rich because they are God's chosen people. The rich capitalists couldn't find a better system.
While I know the Republicans and Manchin conspiring with Hungary to not have a global corporate tax isn’t treason in the literal sense, it sure feels like it is.
Derek Wessner ; The Republicans and Manchin certainly do not care about the American voters/taxpayers/workers while they work against their interests. They are raiding our treasury and meanwhile Manchin says he does not want to see Americans feeling 'entitled' to help from their own tax dollars in the form of BBB. Liars, thieves and hypocrites! Sell outs too!
I think that you could count on ONE HAND the number of our "leaders who are NOT "ALWAYS MONEY OVER COUNTRY". But it is not ENTIRELY their fault. We have allowed campaign costs to reach the stratosphere; especially since the unfortunate "Citizens United decision. All the available CASH allows overwhelming advertising and FEW people realize the POWER of ADVERTISING. This brainwash often results in people voting against their own self-interests. We need to control CAMPAIGN COSTS plus mandatory public financing of elections. I have a way to keep costs down so it doesn't break our bank And NO; greedy TV networks wouldn't like it! They view elections as a CASH COW, much to the detriment of this country.
Jerry King
; Yes, money in politics has been a problem for a long time, and it is getting worse since Citizens United. Now, with the Super corrupt 'Supreme' court, there is no telling what will happen next ! the other side of the aisle is no help either; making deals with autocrats to make us the 'West Virginia of the world!' (Sorry, west Virginians!). Soon they will be mining mica here, by lowering our toddlers into the mines. If there is a cave in : no problem! plenty of poor kids to exploit with the abortion/contraception ban! Any remaining rights will go to prevent any health protections interfering with profits! Look what's happening in Europe and the U.K.! Thousands dying from the heat! Looks like money is winning against climate healing! Interferes with profits, I guess to remedy! Maybe this will get the voter's attention!
Laurie
Grand Slam Home Run !
Media masquerading as "news", such as Faux News, should be sued for their lies. The ONLY thing the Murdock clan (owners) understand is money, so we should take it back from them as a penalty for their complete lack of integrity and the damage they have and continue to inflict on the American public. Their ANTI-AMERICAN behavior, (that corporation is still owned by a born Australian), should NOT be able to hide behind the First Amendment!! Their action is similar to someone yelling "Fire" in a packed theatre. The damage they have been spewing for decades by KNOWINGLY COMMUNICATING INTENTIONAL LIES is having a devastating effect on our democracy. Americans actually believe they are telling the truth simply because they see it on their TV screens. (Just like NBC "normalizing" trump every week with his TV game show. Does ANYONE in the media and politics do BACKGROUND CHECKS before hiring these criminals?) Why hasn't our ineffectual FCC done NOTHING to address this? FOX, hiding behind the fact that they are registered as "entertainment" does protect them from their horrific assault on the American people who are NOT aware of this. Now, because this media giant is pretending to be news, the FCC should make them put a disclaimer every 30 minutes or so on the viewers screen that says boldly, "The FOX channel is NOT news and can be damaging to your health. Do NOT believe what you are watching to be real or factual in any way." Hello FCC?? Is anybody home?? A warning MUST be put on the "product" Faux News is spewing as it has a very similar impact as smoking cigarettes. BTW - Packages of cigarettes have health WARNINGS!!
Gov Howard Dean said recently on the telly in a fit of extreme ire that the entire Murdoch family should have their citizenships revoked and be deported.
If only.......
How I wish!!!!
I agree. It also shows how totally inadequate the electorate is to listen to 20 second blurbs on which to base their vote instead of really looking at the candidate's proposals and thinking of the consequence if those proposals are enacted
Yes, and it exposes how inadequate our nat'l educational system is. One glaring mistake that has occurred in that regard is the terribly wrong tack that has been taken in the recent past, i.e., attempting to impose grand schemes from the top down rather than the reverse. Therefore,
1. Go to the administrators and ask them what their problems are and what they need to address them;
2. Talk to the teachers and ask the same line of questions esp. "what do you need?"
Here's what I think one would find: We need the money to hire ancillary help such as nurses, counsellors, tutors, mentors to teach studying skills, nutritionists, employees to act as go-betweens between the schools and parents, and whatever. Find out.
Talk is cheap, money buys beans. There's no free lunch. The biggest cliche of all is: Man can't live without cliches.
This would all cost money, lots of it, but if I had two dollars between me and starvation, I'd be willing to bet one of them that the total cost would pale in comparison to the annual budget
allocated for militarism which is fast approaching one trillion dollars.
WHAT SHOULD BE THE GOAL? The acquisition of knowledge to be sure, but more than that: CRITICAL THINKING. We would pay teachers more, much more to attract better minds into the profession. What makes an effective teacher? Someone with acquired knowledge AND the ability to pass it forward, i.e., teach others. Someone with hutzpah, animated, some acting skills, vivacious, someone who can instill the joy of learning in students who have been lolled into a semi-stupor by TV, computers, "smart phones" and the like. A substantial part of all this would be the use of the Socratic Method.
One cannot help but surmise, not without justification, that a large percentage of the governing class does not want the hoi polloi, the general populace, to be educated with critical thinking skills. Since action, here the lack of action, speaks louder than words, what else am I to think?
All of this accomplished, we would see fewer and fewer citizens voting to shoot themselves in both feet.
Ahem to that.
As a retired teacher, I totally support your position. Add one more thing VOCATIONAL EDUCATION and you'd have my complete support. We definitely need to teach critical thinking, starting in kindergarten. Critical thinking is definitely essential but will receive the most opposition, too many parents are terrified their children will not share their own prejudices and way of thinking.I taught chemistry, physics, and astronomy to 8th graders. But I always advocated for more technical training. The majority of students entering kindergarten will never graduate from college - for many reasons. But that is no reason not to train those who either don't want to continue higher education or cannot continue for various reasons. The majority of children are dumped at age 16 to 18 to fend for themselves, with no skill, no practical knowledge of how to support themselves or even manage a budget.
I have absolutely no problem with vocational schools if they also teach critical thinking along with the hands-on skills. I often say that not everybody wants to go to college and study Shakespeare. Another idea I've been chewing on is to establish a substantial organization containing a large cadre of the cognoscenti to hold weekend pop-up conferences or seminars in their fields of speciality: govt; law; history, etc. Done right, a lot can be taught in a weekend.
Jerry, you are right about the campaign finances. A disgusting thing is that networks and other media platforms don't even care first, if the ad is true, then, if the ad is relevant, and if it reflects its principles. I really like the idea of strict finance reform for all candidates, particularly limiting individual contributions to campaigns, different limits depending on the scale of the election, presidential more than school board. I also don't think corporations as entities should be able to contribute to any campaign. They already have lobbyists and ads that spew their nonsense. No candidate should be able to put more than a million or 2 on their own campaign. I'd also like federal financing for federal elections. States should have their own limitations that are fair for all candidates. That might be an adequate start.
I'd like to go even further, limit campaigning for any election to begin on Labor Day, before the election and end the day of election. This is NOT extreme, this is how we did elections up to the 60's. Then either publicly fund or limit amount to be spent. Of course the TV networks would spend like crazy to stop such regulation.
The networks support the candidates who are backed by big money, because they are owned by big money. Now they get even more bang for their bucks with the ads showing candidates wielding assault weapons. I bet the arms manufacturers love that! And the 'non-profit' NRA.
There was campaign financing (McCain-Feingold) but candidates began to stop taking federal campaign funds. That way they could raise unlimited amounts of money, and they have. Candidates also campaign ENDLESSLY!
Just a note from personal experience. The most entitled people I know are well to do white men.
JennSH from NC ; tRump never stopped campaigning ; even after two impeachments and a couple of investigations (ongoing) ; and a coup attempt that has not stopped. And he is not officially running.
They are also the ones who whine the most.
Ruth, as part of their charter, and in consideration of free access to their frequency spectrum, TV Networks are MANDATED to set aside broadcast time for Public Service Purposes. I can think of no better use of this time than for FREE or at MINIMUM COST broadcasting personal campaign messages from political candidates to state their position on various issued that directly concern their constituents.- NO HATE ADS ALLOWED! We need to take advantage of this opportunity.
I love your comment, Jerry.
Amen on steroids!
Edward ; yes, ; By the same token, it is obscene when very wealthy, profitable 'people' pay low or no taxes while poorer seniors' Social Security is taxed.
Wow! Laurie, you summed that up perfectly. The stealing, lying, and cheating Republicans and a few Dems have been doing is criminal, but we can't even get our Justice Department to prosecute people who defy congressional subpoenas, attacked Capitol police, planned and tried to carry out an insurgency, or pretty much anything else that would help stop some of the worst abuses. And, the Supreme Court is rushing to take away as many rights as possible from American citizens before they are stopped. While we are distracted by all the political stuff, corporations are accumulating even more power now that inflation has been well-established (by those corporations). Then, there's the pseudo-Christians that are claiming god is telling them to cheat, lie, and more to bring about god's "kingdom on earth." What a bunch of hogwash!
True, for far too many of our “leaders” it’s always money over country. Their own interests over the people that they are supposed to serve who got them elected.
Derek Wessner ; Sounds like traitors to me!
Essentially that's what it comes down to, Laura. I like Dr. Reich's word, "duplicitous". I'll probably start using it more often.
Yo Jaime! I like the word duplicitous too. It sounds as scummy as the people who are duplicitous, chief among them Baby Joey and Baby Kirstin. Elon Musk and Howard Schults are right there too with a bunch of other corporate CEOs as well as the entire Republican party.
It means deceitful. Have to look it up, but I'm sure it is about dishonesty. It can mean being tricky in changing lawsuits.
I think I know what it means, like more than two faced! I will look it up! Fun to say, but I would not want that label
The radical right is a merger of evangelical "Christians" and outright racists. No evidence that Manchin is connected to the religious right or to racists.
Plenty of evidence that he didn't study economic history, and Keynesian economics. Plenty of evidence that he is beholden to energy lobbying.
I wasn’t suggesting he was part of the radical right we now know. Just that he sides with them more often than not on economic policies because that helps line his pockets.
It's actually a continuation of marriage of the church and racism of the Old South. Robert P Jones, "White Too Long"
White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity https://a.co/d/eeNeNZd
Derek, yes, it does feel a lot like treason because its purpose is self-agrandizement and support by a member of the US Congress for a foreign dictator who would love to bring down democracy for guys like himself. He has more in common with Russia than the US or the EU. I think Hungary should be asked to leave the EU. Hungary and Poland have decided they don't like post cold war world where people get a say in what their lives should be like. Orban is OK with the "keep the people poor and they won't have the energy to oppose you" theory of government and the people just go along and keep reelecting that ass because what else is there.
I am not familiar with Hungarian politics, but I would assume the people don’t get much say because otherwise they would have grown tired of being oppressed.
Thank you for banging the gong, Robert. I don’t understand what you say about the Great Depression and WW II in your penultimate (next-to-last) sentence because I don’t know the details, but I’m angry as hell about what’s going on. I also don’t quite get the connection with Hungary’s authoritarianism, but I know that evasion of global corporate taxation is evil, period.
That White Christian nationalism has nothing to do with what Christ taught; in fact, it’s the opposite.
I will share your warning with others. as I’ve often done.
"White Christian nationalism is the perfect foil for the rising tide of global corporate predation. This way, sovereignty becomes a matter of race and ethnicity rather than economics. Focusing on immigrants “replacing” the white race diverts attention from how much tax revenue global corporations are forcing average people to replace."
It's the demagogic dog whistle to the racist collective subconscious
Consider the final solution.
Reich is pointing to the last time when corporatism, economic injustice & wealth & power disparity led to worldwide fascism & authoritarianism, economic depression & world war. So many parallels between now & then.
For me, the elephant in the room is Russian aggression as compared to German aggression before World War II. How long can we hang back? How bad does it have to get. A modern country of 60 million people is getting obliterated. Everything we are talking about is subtleties in comparison.
Yes, Putin is the Hitler & Stalin of our times.
For additional input regarding White Christian Nationalism, please listen/ watch the Twitter video post by Rep. Adam Kinzinger of the J 6 Committee, about the Family Research Council that has funded Republicans and SCOTUS for decades; it includes members spouting their goals. https://twitter.com/adamkinzinger/status/1547764234934571010?s=12&t=36EESEDOF47avcQQbb_jEw&fbclid=IwAR09lq9fmfG62eypMlilwoaD3X5YqOCI2mVFXY1N-COFoYJtZOxohUwg0fA
Frightening!
Oh, gosh! I have to hear ads from the FRC every day on my favorite music station! Very pernicious!
I am quite impressed at how outspoken Kinzinger has been about the treachery of his fellow Republicans & the right wing in general. His votes in the House have become more enlightened, too.
🧑🏻🦳 This just “makes me wanna holler” as Marvin Gaye sang. I get so worked up over this. What can I do other than vote?
Research political candidates in other states: Tim Ryan in Ohio; Fetterman in PA; Maggie Hassan in NH; Bob Casey in PA; G. Warnock in GA; Whitmer & Gilchrist in Michigan; etc. lots of brave candidates need your help: volunteer & donate.
The great Marvin Gaye! I think that was "Inner City Blues" from his landmark album "What's Going On?". We need more singers of conscience like him that can write great tunes with powerful words. There were many of them in the 1960s & early '70s, but they don't write them like that anymore (as Greg Kihn said).
There are even more remarkable parallels between today and antebellum times when the Know Nothings controlled California and numerous other states, from the evidence to divert attention from the unfair economic advantage certain people held. The major slave owners made sure that everyone in southern states paid taxes to support the police state that tracked down runaway slaves, rather than a slave tax that would have been shouldered by those who reaped the benefits. The remarkable thing was that people never seemed to connect the dots.
That's where Republican policies & Supreme Court rulings are taking us.
(and in regards to Fugitive Slave laws-remember that Gov. Abbott wants to do just that- to track/prosecute women who go out of state for abortion care.) https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2022-07-12/threats-to-criminalize-out-of-state-abortion
omg, this is like the backdrop for Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games or the reality described in Cormac McCarthy's The Road. not only is this a blatant, unforgivable betrayal of democracy, of USA and of each and every decent citizen on this planet, but this looks like a lead-up to the last great war -- where the entire planet will end up enveloped in a post-nuclear dystopian hell, and all its life forms will have been wiped out, except rats, cockroaches, a myriad of single-celled life forms and a few uneducated stone-age people that hunt and eat each other because no plants grow anymore in the aftermath of our greed and religion-fueled hatred and violence. i'm simply stunned.
Apocalypse now in Ukraine.
That is the likely fate of this planet on our current trajectory.
Another great lesson professor! Thanks for your wisdom. We who outnumber the oppressors will prevail. As history teaches us, remember history!
Here's my comment. I'm glad you're in the world, Robert Reich, teaching bright young people what the real score is. We need you badly. Bless you.
Robert, you need to get on network news programs to reach more people. What you have to say and how you break down the noise to reveal the reality needs to be heard by more people. I think this may help them to pay more attention to who they vote for. It's worth a try, no?
I have long thought that Democratic candidates should utilize Reich in their campaign ads to explain things clearly & succinctly (with the help of his sketches) to the American people
The Republican cartel of mean-spirited lunatics, Victor Orban, and the usual groups of GQP hangers-on and brainless idiots is moving together, whether they all realize it or not, toward the death of democracy and the rebirth of fascism on a global scale. In the process, they're sweeping away vestiges of democracy and disempowering government that's getting taken to the cleaners by huge international megacorporations.
I'm afraid that our children and grandchildren will look back one day and ask "why didn't they do anything about it back in the '20's when the signs of autocracy and fascism were all around them?"
We'll remind them that we tried. Many Germans resisted Hitler until WWII settled the issue.
Thank you for this essay, Professor. You almost always shine new light on what is before my very eyes, and once in a while you make everything crystal clear, as you have today. (Admittedly, I read this three times before commenting, but that’s nothing new.)
This White Christian nationalism is scary indeed. It is reminiscent of the 1930’s and 40’s in Europe. This culture war is nothing more than inciting fear, if you ask me. I have family members that want our borders closed. They are on the opposite end of (our) political spectrum, too.
Do we not see how much we benefit from a diverse society? Are we not the melting pot of the world anymore? Don’t get me wrong - There should be steps taken for anyone and everyone to introduce themselves to a new country however, naysayers who condemn literally everyone who are “different” than they are seem to be living in a time warp. Feeling sick & tired of corruption and a little embarrassed about my own ancestry today…
🌻
You are not responsible for your ancestry. You are a kind, thoughtful person.
You are too kind; thank you Carlos. 🌻
How can we get major media...NY Times, WSJ...to do stories on this?
Just before listening to Professor Reich's comments, I read David Leonardt's "Why Anti-Democracy Now?" in the NYTimes. There's also a long-overdue story about the right in the upcoming Sunday magazine. I would agree that they are almost unforgivably late to the party (I remind myself that they, too, are a multi-million dollar corporation, although as far as I can tell, they aren't donating to candidates.) The Wall Street Journal, now owned by Murdoch, is very much a horse of a different culture. I haven't paid for a single copy since he bought it.
I also read his newsletter this morning. He talks about various causes but never addresses who benefits and why!? Nor does he address what the impacts will be if left unchecked or potential remedies. He almost downplays it as if it's a passing phase. He's does not appear at all alarmed, unlike me!
That's an interesting reaction, and maybe it explains why I was so depressed after reading it. I thought he was almost throwing in the towel.
Republicans: Hungary is what they aspire to.
Manchin: It's ALWAYS the money. It's only mildly hyperbolic to suggest he would have sold Heather and Brook into prostitution if he thought he could make a buck. (OK it's very hyperbolic. But still. . .)
So why aren't Democratic leaders calling these Republicans out as the "global elitists" they really are? The only prominent Democratic leader that seems to want to bring the knife to the knife fight is California governor Gavin Newsom (along with independent Bernie Sanders). We know the elitist Republicans, many of whom have degrees from the elite universities they disparage, care only about acquiring power and money for themselves, but Democrats aren't doing enough to oppose them.
In the closely divided House and evenly divided Senate, corporate bribers know they only have to bribe one or a few Democrats to get their way. I hope that, if Democrats do manage to keep the House and win more Senate seats, the corporate bribers don't just find other Democrats to throw sand in the gears of Democrats' plans.
More & more Democrats are calling them out, but they have so far failed to organize & coordinate an effective strategy to combat such treachery.
Shivers along my spine. Duplicity, lies, businesses, narcistic leaders like Orban, Trump's revolt...
And the upcoming elections promises the christian nationalists a victory on top of all that. Is there an appealing candidate left in the Democratic Party? And some strategic instinct? Can we help in Europe?
Can you let us in and allow us to work if hired?? 😕
Our Labour market is tighter than ever in history. So work is not the problem when you have some qualifications. But housing might be...
Only, I would like to see light at the end of a political tunnel, that still grows darker...