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Democrats, writes Reich, "can't just be anti-Trump or move to the middle."
What Do Democrats Stand For?
The Democratic Party can lead the country in a new direction, but will it?
Millions of Americans who are politically engaged for the first time in their lives are crying out for a bold alternative to bigoted and destructive policies.
But Democrats can't just be anti-Trump or move to the middle.
Aug 29, 2017
The Democratic Party can lead the country in a new direction, but will it?
Millions of Americans who are politically engaged for the first time in their lives are crying out for a bold alternative to bigoted and destructive policies.
But Democrats can't just be anti-Trump or move to the middle.
To be successful Democrats must address the forces that created Trump: The toxic combination of widening inequality and racism.
The richest one percent now own more than the bottom 90 percent. Corporations and the rich are running our politics.
The resulting economic stresses have made many people vulnerable to Trump's politics of hate and bigotry.
If Democrats stand for one thing, it must be overcoming this unprecedented economic imbalance and creating a multi-racial, multi-ethnic coalition of the bottom 90 percent, to take back our economy and politics.
This requires, at the least:
1. Public investments in world-class schools and infrastructure for all.
2. Free public universities and first-class technical training for all;
3. Single-payer Medicare-for-All;
4. Higher taxes on the wealthy to pay for this;
5. Using antitrust to break up powerful monopolies on Wall Street, Big Tech, Big Pharma, and Big Agriculture.
6. Getting big money out of our politics.
Together, these steps form an agenda to reclaim our economy and democracy for all. Will Democrats lead the way?
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. |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.
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.
big pharmacampaign financedemocratic partyelection 2018medicare for allrobert reichsingle-payerstudent debt
The Democratic Party can lead the country in a new direction, but will it?
Millions of Americans who are politically engaged for the first time in their lives are crying out for a bold alternative to bigoted and destructive policies.
But Democrats can't just be anti-Trump or move to the middle.
To be successful Democrats must address the forces that created Trump: The toxic combination of widening inequality and racism.
The richest one percent now own more than the bottom 90 percent. Corporations and the rich are running our politics.
The resulting economic stresses have made many people vulnerable to Trump's politics of hate and bigotry.
If Democrats stand for one thing, it must be overcoming this unprecedented economic imbalance and creating a multi-racial, multi-ethnic coalition of the bottom 90 percent, to take back our economy and politics.
This requires, at the least:
1. Public investments in world-class schools and infrastructure for all.
2. Free public universities and first-class technical training for all;
3. Single-payer Medicare-for-All;
4. Higher taxes on the wealthy to pay for this;
5. Using antitrust to break up powerful monopolies on Wall Street, Big Tech, Big Pharma, and Big Agriculture.
6. Getting big money out of our politics.
Together, these steps form an agenda to reclaim our economy and democracy for all. Will Democrats lead the way?
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.
The Democratic Party can lead the country in a new direction, but will it?
Millions of Americans who are politically engaged for the first time in their lives are crying out for a bold alternative to bigoted and destructive policies.
But Democrats can't just be anti-Trump or move to the middle.
To be successful Democrats must address the forces that created Trump: The toxic combination of widening inequality and racism.
The richest one percent now own more than the bottom 90 percent. Corporations and the rich are running our politics.
The resulting economic stresses have made many people vulnerable to Trump's politics of hate and bigotry.
If Democrats stand for one thing, it must be overcoming this unprecedented economic imbalance and creating a multi-racial, multi-ethnic coalition of the bottom 90 percent, to take back our economy and politics.
This requires, at the least:
1. Public investments in world-class schools and infrastructure for all.
2. Free public universities and first-class technical training for all;
3. Single-payer Medicare-for-All;
4. Higher taxes on the wealthy to pay for this;
5. Using antitrust to break up powerful monopolies on Wall Street, Big Tech, Big Pharma, and Big Agriculture.
6. Getting big money out of our politics.
Together, these steps form an agenda to reclaim our economy and democracy for all. Will Democrats lead the way?
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.