Well, I agree with the fundamentals, as described in your essay.
The problem is that decades of learned helplessness have turned the populace into passive observers, despite their discontent.
Neither party works fir the people, justice is anything but blind, quality of life is average to terrible for 90% of the country...yet we've been bombarded by "American exceptionalism" propaganda for generations.
Even now, as institurions are gutted, the Tradury is being plundered, basic freedoms are decimated, oversight over food and water radically cut, soaring prices, unaffordable housing, unionization under 10%, wages stagnant, an obscenely low minimum wage, terrorization (and worse) of immigrants (now spreading to citizens), cities occupied by unrestrained, unaccountable secret police, the construction of a surveillance state that will monitor and punish any dissent, and the increasingly real possibility that midterms will be neither free not fair...only a tiny percentage are activated.
The vast majority of the country passively watches, expresses outrage on SM, then returns to their lives (assuming someone else will fix the calamity) or tgat midterms will magically make a difference to a regime that ignores Congress.
People won't mass boycott MAGA-enabling corporations, mass strike, place maximum pressure on elected leaders, mass support progressive local and state candidates, or even mass defect from SM (the lowest of low bars).
Either Americans are not who we thought we were, or Americans need to hit rock bottom to take risks and sacrifice for their freedoms and future.
Or maybe, Americans will just acclimate to a dictatorship.
100%. And, now it's up to us who do understand what's happening to take action. Widespread ignorance and apathy got us here but more people are learning (yes, slowly) and starting to fight back (emphasis on starting). Personally I'm very disappointed it has taken this long but, here we are. The good news in this is that the DemocRATs are showing their corruption right along with the RepTILEicans. We, the People, are the only cavalry there has ever been. That's why revolution was invented. Dismantling the American Empire has to come from a revolution within and our orange dictatorship is making painfully clear what most white Americans have ignored for generations. Many will lack the courage to think for themselves, let alone act, but all we need is a committed minority. No one knows how big, no one knows if we will get there and no one knows exactly what it will take. The obstacles are many but the choice is cowardly adaptation or the absolute refusal to give in no matter what the cost because nothing makes life worth living like fighting for liberty and justice for all.
"When a president acts like a thug, everyone he goes after becomes a victim. Even when they’re not"
The Corrupt Democrats and the sheep that follow them deserve Trump and all the thuggery that comes with it! The Democrats could have run fair primaries in 2016 & 2020 .
The candidate the DEMOCRATIC PARTY ELECTORATE actually wanted (BERNIE SANDERS) who was kicking the ass of the hated Hillary Clinton(2016) and IDIOT Demented Old Basement Dweller Campaigner Joe Biden(2020) could have beaten Trump without stealing the elections. The DNC anoints(NOT ELECTS) clowns to represent the party they deserve what they get. All this crying and whining about Trump was self-inflicted. They created Trump. The Corrupt Media, The Lawlessness thuggery trying to take TRUMP out, allowing a man with a rifle on his back to openly walk right through Secret Service security and set up on a roof for a clear shot in PA, in an attempt to assassinate TRUMP, Turning a typical book keeping entry into 34 Felonies, and the constant FAKENEWS unsubstantiated lies, attacks and propaganda against TRUMP on a Daily basis for 10 years now. They created TRUMP. People love the under dog. Especially one that has been under constant attack by a corrupt establishment for 10 years. Every illegitimate attack made him stronger.
The Democrats could have beaten TRUMP easy 2016 IF THEY REALLY WANTED TO. The day that audio came out where TRUMP talked about grabbing a female by her crotch he should have been finished politically. All the Corrupt SCUM BAG DEMOCRATIC PARTY and their puppets in the media had to was stop giving him so much media coverage, and run FAIR PRIMARIES and let the candidate a majority of REAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY VOTERS WANTED Bernie Sanders take his rightful spot as the Democratic Party Nominee in 2016 and 2020.
The DNC divided the party voters and to this day WE have not forgotten about the @DNC betrayal.AND WE WILL NOT FORGET. I believe the weakening of the Democratic Party and their putrid Campaign Platform was all deliberate. Orchestrated by the TOP 1% and Wall Street Democratic Party Donors to do what they are doing now: FINISH the 46 Year destruction American Middle Class and hand it all to a small group of GREEDY THUGS in the Top 1%. Its over. The Top 1% owns both parties now. The TOP 1% and Wall Street have added rules, regulations, debate rigging, and media domination that WILL KEEP any 3rd Party competition from ever getting a chance to defeat the TOP 1% Controlled MULTI-NATIONAL CORPORATE FASCIST Democrats/Republican Criminal Organization. #ThePitchforksAreComing Its the only avenue we have to take our country back from these GREEDY CARPETBAGGERS
Bernie became the sheepdog, shepherding the rubes into voting for corrupt, greedy Democratic candidates. When asked if he would consider running as an independent, he replied, "No, I don't want to become Ralph Nader." That says it all. Bernie is much more concerned about his own political career than the people he supposedly represents.
Yes, this. I said back in 2016 that we were being faced with a choice between fascism Trump style and fascism Hillary style. This here is what I meant.
Americans are consumers, we buy stuff like crazy. So I'm thinking that the fastest, most direct route to real change is to vote with our dollars. Attack the corporate sector with targeted boycotts, and cause them real economic pain. That will get results way faster than just showing up to vote every four years.
I love the boycott strategy in theory the problem arises when poor american can't boycott maybe because of financial constraints, fewer available alternatives and the very plausible inadvertent impact from participation. Boycotting may be a more effective tool for the affluent not absolutely of course but bears considering.
Yes to all of this except the naive bit about Maduro — that’s propaganda, and you fail to mention that the Venezuelan economy is shambles because of sanctions IMPOSED BU THE US. I, like many Venezuelans *in Venezuela*, support Maduro’s return to the country he was elected to lead (and yes, he was in fact elected).
Since Nixon became Ike's VP, and manipulated Ike in the hospital by framing the transportation secretary with hookers and cameramen, leading to the installation of Bechtel and whoom, the Interstate system, 'murkan culture has come to this:
'murkan Culture is a Tragi-comedy Reality Media Show. Media control both the quality and content of the reality most urbanites and suburbanites ingest. Rural folk are not far behind, just with fewer takes of the tragi-comedy. It all is a transactional clown show of Fool Me magic. And radio is a big part in the rural areas, cuz one can listen while working, driving trucks, tractors, etc. Who overwhelms this area? Hyper-conservative religious dogma dog-and-pony talk radio. Limbaugh and all its bastard puppies screaming rage rhetoric at the locals.
Political parties are cults of personality, nothing more. Who needs advertising influence in media? The corporate oligarchy. Who needs cultural manipulation in the media? Corporate oligarchy. Tons of cop shows. Tons of medical stress shows. Tons of urban strife shows about fires, rescues, hospitals, doctors, murders, thefts.
Then we have the Social Media sewer. Too gross to even describe, but it guts the ethical/moral centers of the human brain.
Then we have the incessant Gaming/Warfare/Murder/Alien Invasion media completely crushing the brains of youth, who NOW steer military drones across the planet into apartment buildings, funerals, weddings, battlegrounds, agriculture fields, etc.
Now who will save us them this? The religious reactionary Right on air, cable, streaming, and radio. You cannot be saved by some god's love until you hate, torture, imprison or kill a whole bunch of 'nasty' people who do not look just like you. Note, no one person looks exactly like another, so in Practice, everyone is a suspect.
Now WHO controls all this apparatus? Banking, Wall St., Insurance, Hedge Funds, blue Bloods, foreign Capital. We citizens are just mesmerized dupes staring at some kind of screen or another, jumping when told to jump. Stockholm Syndrome on steroids.
I believe you’re 100% on target regarding the inadequacy of saving a broken system. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I suggest the central cause of this is Capitalism. The latter is always and only about the needs and interests of capital (as measured by money). People, society, and planet don’t factor in except as resources to be used in service of the former. (Even beyond that, according to Margaret Thatcher: “There is no society”).
I’m working on a Substack post suggesting that a Copernican Revolution-level change is needed in our understanding of money and its use. But the subtitle will probably say it all:
"The Illusion of money’s intrinsic value (vs use value) fuels most socioeconomic problems"
Thanks! Yes, I’m quite a fan of MMT — even met Stephanie Kelton briefly at the premier of her “Finding the Money” documentary a year or two ago.
MMT seems a hard concept for many to grasp initially (e.g. “You can’t just print money!”) I’ll take a look at your explainer - maybe I can just refer people to that. Thanks again!
Agree! Yes MMT suffers from a not-descriptive name (it's not a theory). and from clumsy metaphors from most MMT experts. The explainer I wrote demonstrates how the switch from old linear economics to 3D economics can be laid out in 1-2 pages :)
This clear thinking has been needed for years. Leave it to Corbin to articulate it beautifully. Fidelity to principles, not teams or tribes, is the only hope. Let's go!
Perceptive analysis and articulate presentation. You keep telling us to effect change by voting for progressives. Please do a piece on the fact that we have an electoral system that filters out independents, third parties and anyone who might actually change things.
Each state controls its own electoral process, usually through a BofE dominated by the major party. Both major parties are implacably hostile to challengers. They erect barriers like unreasonable petition requirements, unrealistic registration deadlines and more. Tell me how voters can fix that. Until we do, we’ll only get to vote for candidates funded by the oligarchs.
Born into Republicanism, I can Never go back to that now. A new version is needed IMO (perhaps a Lincoln style party??), but a 3rd party? I am not sure. What I am sure of in these times is:
As I have told others, I have stopped using the term ‘administration’ and started using “Regime” every time I need to refer to the problems ,regardless of Party. To use 'administration' normalizes the current situation AND I just noticed that “Regime " currently also means for Trump and the rest of them to TAKE from me again/over and over. ( re=do again & gime=gimme ) Ok that might be a ‘real stretch' but I am sticking with that.
This is good stuff. Please forgive a little whining: people are busy, and there are tons of yada-yada out there. Come to your point right off, and we'll follow. I put up with it this time, but might not, another.
Right! - let's democratize the economy, starting with re-writing corporate charters for the public good, installing community overseers, and taxing wealth (not work - and retained earnings after one year become wealth; Social Security covers inability to work and retirement, corporate parachutes and extravagant paychecks ruled out.) Keep statistics that actually measure what's happening in the real economy. Thanks for your insights!
yes! we need to work together for a different way, different thinking, focusing on the integration of all that our society is doing wrong and make it right for all the people, the environment, wildlife, the planet and the globe.
I agree with the argument, but not the criticism of the Fed. The official data sources used by the Fed in its interest rate policy considerations as a measure of inflation are not produced by the Fed. They are published by the Administration: the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Price Index is published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, part of the Commerce Dept.; the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the Producer Price Index (PCI) are published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, part of the Labor Dept. If the inflation number the Fed uses is a lie, it's the Administration that is doing the lying.
Sounds like a new third party. What’s the platform and where do I sign up?
Well, I agree with the fundamentals, as described in your essay.
The problem is that decades of learned helplessness have turned the populace into passive observers, despite their discontent.
Neither party works fir the people, justice is anything but blind, quality of life is average to terrible for 90% of the country...yet we've been bombarded by "American exceptionalism" propaganda for generations.
Even now, as institurions are gutted, the Tradury is being plundered, basic freedoms are decimated, oversight over food and water radically cut, soaring prices, unaffordable housing, unionization under 10%, wages stagnant, an obscenely low minimum wage, terrorization (and worse) of immigrants (now spreading to citizens), cities occupied by unrestrained, unaccountable secret police, the construction of a surveillance state that will monitor and punish any dissent, and the increasingly real possibility that midterms will be neither free not fair...only a tiny percentage are activated.
The vast majority of the country passively watches, expresses outrage on SM, then returns to their lives (assuming someone else will fix the calamity) or tgat midterms will magically make a difference to a regime that ignores Congress.
People won't mass boycott MAGA-enabling corporations, mass strike, place maximum pressure on elected leaders, mass support progressive local and state candidates, or even mass defect from SM (the lowest of low bars).
Either Americans are not who we thought we were, or Americans need to hit rock bottom to take risks and sacrifice for their freedoms and future.
Or maybe, Americans will just acclimate to a dictatorship.
100%. And, now it's up to us who do understand what's happening to take action. Widespread ignorance and apathy got us here but more people are learning (yes, slowly) and starting to fight back (emphasis on starting). Personally I'm very disappointed it has taken this long but, here we are. The good news in this is that the DemocRATs are showing their corruption right along with the RepTILEicans. We, the People, are the only cavalry there has ever been. That's why revolution was invented. Dismantling the American Empire has to come from a revolution within and our orange dictatorship is making painfully clear what most white Americans have ignored for generations. Many will lack the courage to think for themselves, let alone act, but all we need is a committed minority. No one knows how big, no one knows if we will get there and no one knows exactly what it will take. The obstacles are many but the choice is cowardly adaptation or the absolute refusal to give in no matter what the cost because nothing makes life worth living like fighting for liberty and justice for all.
It's happened before. American exceptionalism is no exception.
DSA
"When a president acts like a thug, everyone he goes after becomes a victim. Even when they’re not"
The Corrupt Democrats and the sheep that follow them deserve Trump and all the thuggery that comes with it! The Democrats could have run fair primaries in 2016 & 2020 .
The candidate the DEMOCRATIC PARTY ELECTORATE actually wanted (BERNIE SANDERS) who was kicking the ass of the hated Hillary Clinton(2016) and IDIOT Demented Old Basement Dweller Campaigner Joe Biden(2020) could have beaten Trump without stealing the elections. The DNC anoints(NOT ELECTS) clowns to represent the party they deserve what they get. All this crying and whining about Trump was self-inflicted. They created Trump. The Corrupt Media, The Lawlessness thuggery trying to take TRUMP out, allowing a man with a rifle on his back to openly walk right through Secret Service security and set up on a roof for a clear shot in PA, in an attempt to assassinate TRUMP, Turning a typical book keeping entry into 34 Felonies, and the constant FAKENEWS unsubstantiated lies, attacks and propaganda against TRUMP on a Daily basis for 10 years now. They created TRUMP. People love the under dog. Especially one that has been under constant attack by a corrupt establishment for 10 years. Every illegitimate attack made him stronger.
The Democrats could have beaten TRUMP easy 2016 IF THEY REALLY WANTED TO. The day that audio came out where TRUMP talked about grabbing a female by her crotch he should have been finished politically. All the Corrupt SCUM BAG DEMOCRATIC PARTY and their puppets in the media had to was stop giving him so much media coverage, and run FAIR PRIMARIES and let the candidate a majority of REAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY VOTERS WANTED Bernie Sanders take his rightful spot as the Democratic Party Nominee in 2016 and 2020.
The DNC divided the party voters and to this day WE have not forgotten about the @DNC betrayal.AND WE WILL NOT FORGET. I believe the weakening of the Democratic Party and their putrid Campaign Platform was all deliberate. Orchestrated by the TOP 1% and Wall Street Democratic Party Donors to do what they are doing now: FINISH the 46 Year destruction American Middle Class and hand it all to a small group of GREEDY THUGS in the Top 1%. Its over. The Top 1% owns both parties now. The TOP 1% and Wall Street have added rules, regulations, debate rigging, and media domination that WILL KEEP any 3rd Party competition from ever getting a chance to defeat the TOP 1% Controlled MULTI-NATIONAL CORPORATE FASCIST Democrats/Republican Criminal Organization. #ThePitchforksAreComing Its the only avenue we have to take our country back from these GREEDY CARPETBAGGERS
yes! Bernie was saying it all! the DNC refused him.
Bernie became the sheepdog, shepherding the rubes into voting for corrupt, greedy Democratic candidates. When asked if he would consider running as an independent, he replied, "No, I don't want to become Ralph Nader." That says it all. Bernie is much more concerned about his own political career than the people he supposedly represents.
he did end up helping the democrats who opposed him, but his message before and after were clearly what we needed.
The DNC would prefer Trump as president over Sanders.
Even if Sanders were to have gotten elected, the DNC would be looking to shiv him at every opportunity.
i'm afraid that is very true!
Yes, this. I said back in 2016 that we were being faced with a choice between fascism Trump style and fascism Hillary style. This here is what I meant.
So smart to tie the root cause of Trump to the need to defeat fascism. So easy to continue to ignore the root economic causes of our situation.
Doesn’t make it any easier but is so necessary. Let’s demand leaders that want to address the root cause.
Americans are consumers, we buy stuff like crazy. So I'm thinking that the fastest, most direct route to real change is to vote with our dollars. Attack the corporate sector with targeted boycotts, and cause them real economic pain. That will get results way faster than just showing up to vote every four years.
I love the boycott strategy in theory the problem arises when poor american can't boycott maybe because of financial constraints, fewer available alternatives and the very plausible inadvertent impact from participation. Boycotting may be a more effective tool for the affluent not absolutely of course but bears considering.
Yes to all of this except the naive bit about Maduro — that’s propaganda, and you fail to mention that the Venezuelan economy is shambles because of sanctions IMPOSED BU THE US. I, like many Venezuelans *in Venezuela*, support Maduro’s return to the country he was elected to lead (and yes, he was in fact elected).
Since Nixon became Ike's VP, and manipulated Ike in the hospital by framing the transportation secretary with hookers and cameramen, leading to the installation of Bechtel and whoom, the Interstate system, 'murkan culture has come to this:
'murkan Culture is a Tragi-comedy Reality Media Show. Media control both the quality and content of the reality most urbanites and suburbanites ingest. Rural folk are not far behind, just with fewer takes of the tragi-comedy. It all is a transactional clown show of Fool Me magic. And radio is a big part in the rural areas, cuz one can listen while working, driving trucks, tractors, etc. Who overwhelms this area? Hyper-conservative religious dogma dog-and-pony talk radio. Limbaugh and all its bastard puppies screaming rage rhetoric at the locals.
Political parties are cults of personality, nothing more. Who needs advertising influence in media? The corporate oligarchy. Who needs cultural manipulation in the media? Corporate oligarchy. Tons of cop shows. Tons of medical stress shows. Tons of urban strife shows about fires, rescues, hospitals, doctors, murders, thefts.
Then we have the Social Media sewer. Too gross to even describe, but it guts the ethical/moral centers of the human brain.
Then we have the incessant Gaming/Warfare/Murder/Alien Invasion media completely crushing the brains of youth, who NOW steer military drones across the planet into apartment buildings, funerals, weddings, battlegrounds, agriculture fields, etc.
Now who will save us them this? The religious reactionary Right on air, cable, streaming, and radio. You cannot be saved by some god's love until you hate, torture, imprison or kill a whole bunch of 'nasty' people who do not look just like you. Note, no one person looks exactly like another, so in Practice, everyone is a suspect.
Now WHO controls all this apparatus? Banking, Wall St., Insurance, Hedge Funds, blue Bloods, foreign Capital. We citizens are just mesmerized dupes staring at some kind of screen or another, jumping when told to jump. Stockholm Syndrome on steroids.
I believe you’re 100% on target regarding the inadequacy of saving a broken system. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I suggest the central cause of this is Capitalism. The latter is always and only about the needs and interests of capital (as measured by money). People, society, and planet don’t factor in except as resources to be used in service of the former. (Even beyond that, according to Margaret Thatcher: “There is no society”).
I’m working on a Substack post suggesting that a Copernican Revolution-level change is needed in our understanding of money and its use. But the subtitle will probably say it all:
"The Illusion of money’s intrinsic value (vs use value) fuels most socioeconomic problems"
Bill, What do you know about Modern Monetary Theory?
Short explainer I made. No pay wall:
"MMT: Economics as a four-body juggling problem"
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/mmt-soverign-countries-economics-four-body-juggling-problem-dickson-npb9c
Thanks! Yes, I’m quite a fan of MMT — even met Stephanie Kelton briefly at the premier of her “Finding the Money” documentary a year or two ago.
MMT seems a hard concept for many to grasp initially (e.g. “You can’t just print money!”) I’ll take a look at your explainer - maybe I can just refer people to that. Thanks again!
Agree! Yes MMT suffers from a not-descriptive name (it's not a theory). and from clumsy metaphors from most MMT experts. The explainer I wrote demonstrates how the switch from old linear economics to 3D economics can be laid out in 1-2 pages :)
This clear thinking has been needed for years. Leave it to Corbin to articulate it beautifully. Fidelity to principles, not teams or tribes, is the only hope. Let's go!
Perceptive analysis and articulate presentation. You keep telling us to effect change by voting for progressives. Please do a piece on the fact that we have an electoral system that filters out independents, third parties and anyone who might actually change things.
Each state controls its own electoral process, usually through a BofE dominated by the major party. Both major parties are implacably hostile to challengers. They erect barriers like unreasonable petition requirements, unrealistic registration deadlines and more. Tell me how voters can fix that. Until we do, we’ll only get to vote for candidates funded by the oligarchs.
Born into Republicanism, I can Never go back to that now. A new version is needed IMO (perhaps a Lincoln style party??), but a 3rd party? I am not sure. What I am sure of in these times is:
As I have told others, I have stopped using the term ‘administration’ and started using “Regime” every time I need to refer to the problems ,regardless of Party. To use 'administration' normalizes the current situation AND I just noticed that “Regime " currently also means for Trump and the rest of them to TAKE from me again/over and over. ( re=do again & gime=gimme ) Ok that might be a ‘real stretch' but I am sticking with that.
This is good stuff. Please forgive a little whining: people are busy, and there are tons of yada-yada out there. Come to your point right off, and we'll follow. I put up with it this time, but might not, another.
Right! - let's democratize the economy, starting with re-writing corporate charters for the public good, installing community overseers, and taxing wealth (not work - and retained earnings after one year become wealth; Social Security covers inability to work and retirement, corporate parachutes and extravagant paychecks ruled out.) Keep statistics that actually measure what's happening in the real economy. Thanks for your insights!
yes! we need to work together for a different way, different thinking, focusing on the integration of all that our society is doing wrong and make it right for all the people, the environment, wildlife, the planet and the globe.
This really needed to be said. Thanks.
I agree with the argument, but not the criticism of the Fed. The official data sources used by the Fed in its interest rate policy considerations as a measure of inflation are not produced by the Fed. They are published by the Administration: the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Price Index is published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, part of the Commerce Dept.; the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the Producer Price Index (PCI) are published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, part of the Labor Dept. If the inflation number the Fed uses is a lie, it's the Administration that is doing the lying.