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Bernie Sanders spoke to packed crowd, which included these enthusiastic supporterss, at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. (Photo: US News & World)
Bernie's Movement (And Why Krugman & Co. Don't Get It)
New York Times columnist Paul Krugman on Friday warned Bernie supporters that change doesn't happen with "transformative rhetoric" but with "political pragmatism" - "accepting half loaves as being better than none." He writes that it's dangerous to prefer "happy dreams (by which he means Bernie) to hard thinking about means and ends (meaning Hillary)."
Political "pragmatism" may require accepting "half loaves" - but the full loaf has to be large and bold enough in the first place to make the half loaf meaningful.
Jan 24, 2016
New York Times columnist Paul Krugman on Friday warned Bernie supporters that change doesn't happen with "transformative rhetoric" but with "political pragmatism" - "accepting half loaves as being better than none." He writes that it's dangerous to prefer "happy dreams (by which he means Bernie) to hard thinking about means and ends (meaning Hillary)."
Political "pragmatism" may require accepting "half loaves" - but the full loaf has to be large and bold enough in the first place to make the half loaf meaningful.
Krugman doesn't get it. I've been in and around Washington for almost fifty years, including a stint in the cabinet, and I've learned that real change happens only when a substantial share of the American public is mobilized, organized, energized, and determined to make it happen.
Political "pragmatism" may require accepting "half loaves" - but the full loaf has to be large and bold enough in the first place to make the half loaf meaningful. That's why the movement must aim high - toward a single-payer universal health, free public higher education, and busting up the biggest banks, for example.
But not even a half loaf is possible unless or until we wrest back power from the executives of large corporations, Wall Street bankers, and billionaires who now control the whole bakery. Which means getting big money out of politics and severing the link between wealth and political power - the central goal of the movement Bernie is advancing.
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
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Robert Reich
Robert Reich, is the Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and a senior fellow at the Blum Center for Developing Economies. He served as secretary of labor in the Clinton administration, for which Time magazine named him one of the 10 most effective cabinet secretaries of the twentieth century. His book include: "Aftershock" (2011), "The Work of Nations" (1992), "Beyond Outrage" (2012) and, "Saving Capitalism" (2016). He is also a founding editor of The American Prospect magazine, former chairman of Common Cause, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and co-creator of the award-winning documentary, "Inequality For All." Reich's newest book is "The Common Good" (2019). He's co-creator of the Netflix original documentary "Saving Capitalism," which is streaming now.
New York Times columnist Paul Krugman on Friday warned Bernie supporters that change doesn't happen with "transformative rhetoric" but with "political pragmatism" - "accepting half loaves as being better than none." He writes that it's dangerous to prefer "happy dreams (by which he means Bernie) to hard thinking about means and ends (meaning Hillary)."
Political "pragmatism" may require accepting "half loaves" - but the full loaf has to be large and bold enough in the first place to make the half loaf meaningful.
Krugman doesn't get it. I've been in and around Washington for almost fifty years, including a stint in the cabinet, and I've learned that real change happens only when a substantial share of the American public is mobilized, organized, energized, and determined to make it happen.
Political "pragmatism" may require accepting "half loaves" - but the full loaf has to be large and bold enough in the first place to make the half loaf meaningful. That's why the movement must aim high - toward a single-payer universal health, free public higher education, and busting up the biggest banks, for example.
But not even a half loaf is possible unless or until we wrest back power from the executives of large corporations, Wall Street bankers, and billionaires who now control the whole bakery. Which means getting big money out of politics and severing the link between wealth and political power - the central goal of the movement Bernie is advancing.
Robert Reich
Robert Reich, is the Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and a senior fellow at the Blum Center for Developing Economies. He served as secretary of labor in the Clinton administration, for which Time magazine named him one of the 10 most effective cabinet secretaries of the twentieth century. His book include: "Aftershock" (2011), "The Work of Nations" (1992), "Beyond Outrage" (2012) and, "Saving Capitalism" (2016). He is also a founding editor of The American Prospect magazine, former chairman of Common Cause, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and co-creator of the award-winning documentary, "Inequality For All." Reich's newest book is "The Common Good" (2019). He's co-creator of the Netflix original documentary "Saving Capitalism," which is streaming now.
New York Times columnist Paul Krugman on Friday warned Bernie supporters that change doesn't happen with "transformative rhetoric" but with "political pragmatism" - "accepting half loaves as being better than none." He writes that it's dangerous to prefer "happy dreams (by which he means Bernie) to hard thinking about means and ends (meaning Hillary)."
Political "pragmatism" may require accepting "half loaves" - but the full loaf has to be large and bold enough in the first place to make the half loaf meaningful.
Krugman doesn't get it. I've been in and around Washington for almost fifty years, including a stint in the cabinet, and I've learned that real change happens only when a substantial share of the American public is mobilized, organized, energized, and determined to make it happen.
Political "pragmatism" may require accepting "half loaves" - but the full loaf has to be large and bold enough in the first place to make the half loaf meaningful. That's why the movement must aim high - toward a single-payer universal health, free public higher education, and busting up the biggest banks, for example.
But not even a half loaf is possible unless or until we wrest back power from the executives of large corporations, Wall Street bankers, and billionaires who now control the whole bakery. Which means getting big money out of politics and severing the link between wealth and political power - the central goal of the movement Bernie is advancing.
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