Spot on. This is no time for incrementalism. The democratic status quo isn't going to meet this moment. For what it's worth my dad taught me the same thing about hitting first.
FDR's real strength came from having the courage and the moral compass to make life better for people. This can be the strength of the progressives also. When people saw the real difference that the New Deal was making in their own lives, literally saving them and their neighbors from starving or freezing to death, the people loved him and elected him president FOUR times. I see this same strength with Mamdani also.
I'm so surprised and disappointed that two supposed Progressives would already endorse Jeffries. Is Schumer next on the list for support? What a wasted opportunity. Maybe by next January they'll have changed their mind.
Corbin, I appreciate your focus on building rather than simply resisting. A movement can't create meaningful change if it isn't willing to exercise power, and too often we've confused conviction with effectiveness.
What I find equally important is keeping the long-term destination in view. The goal isn't simply to win power, but to build institutions that become less dependent on concentrated power over time. The strongest societies are those that cultivate leadership at every level, strengthen local communities, expand meaningful economic participation, and create systems that remain accountable to the people they serve.
I also appreciate your emphasis on offering a positive vision. People don't just want to know what we're fighting against. They want to know what we're building toward. A society that is more democratic, more locally resilient, more cooperative, and more capable of developing human potential is a vision worth organizing around. If movements can pair the discipline to build power with the wisdom to distribute it well, they have the opportunity to create change that endures.
Lander and AOC are very disappointing. So are the other enablers who sound good but won't fight the establishment. Time to name and shame them all! As the deposed head of an African nation once told me, "It's not just about being right. It's about power!" If our elected officials won't use it, they've lost me as a supporter.
Corbin is right about the SEC. They didn’t prosecute a single financial criminal, except one. And it’s very telling which one they prosecuted. That was Bernie Madoff. And that prosecution reveals who the SEC actually protects. Madoff’s victims were all wealthy individuals, not small investors like you and me. If Madoff had bilked us, he’d have gotten a token fine and walked away. But he bilked the wealthy so they threw the book at him. That’s how it works in this country today.
Completely agree with your assessments Corbin. Only thing is I worry you might be going a bit easy when it comes to Lander. I'm a New Yorker and a member of DSA and from this perspective he looks like he might be a poison pill.
The New Deal didn't hit, it built and fixed what the bankers and stockers had torn down. When evil officials couldn't be removed, FDR kept them busy doing something constructive that would satisfy their power addiction. Lady Edgar Hoover had built her empire on blackmailing decent people. FDR gave her bank robbers and kidnappers to pursue, and she enjoyed the publicity.
"It doesn’t go over well these days, in a world that likes its ideologies non-violent..."
Heaven forbid the utility of violence be accessible to anyone but the corporate-yoked police and military, they've been doing SUCH a goshdarned good job with their monopoly on it, haven't they? Never gone after a soul who didn't deserve it, always brought down everyone who did...right???
YES! I couldn't agree more! But there are 2 UNDERLYING PROBLEMS:
1) PEOPLE ONLY TAKE ACTION WHEN THERE IS SOMETHING CONCRETE TO RALLY AROUND! While the majority of people want MASSIVE CHANGES to our federal government and economy, no one is proposing precisely WHAT those changes should be!
2) The majority of the public still does not understand that regardless of party affiliation, they must vote ONLY FOR CANDIDATES WHO DO NOT TAKE CORPORATE MONEY! As long as the base of the Democratic Party still believes that just electing more Democratic candidates will solve the problem.... the "will of the people" will remain fragmented and the fascist-induced chaos will continue.
I fervently believe that we need to FLOOD THE MEDIA WITH TWO MESSAGES:
1) NOW IS THE TIME TO WRITE A NEW CONSTITUTION ESTABLISHING A TRUE DEMOCRACY.... one that GUARANTEES the abolition of wealth inequality, and forbids the practice of racism, gender bias, and religious intolerance.
2) ONLY VOTING FOR CANDIDATES WHO TAKE NO CORPORATE MONEY AND WHO PLEDGE TO HELP WRITE THE NEW CONSTITUTION WITH THE GUARANTEES STATED ABOVE.... WILL BRING ABOUT ANY CHANGE!
I know you take push back on this "hit first and keep hitting" position but I completely support it. If a fight is worth having, it's also worth winning. I am a pacifist. This isn't about violence. It's about bravery and confidence and living up to your values. Even when it's hard.
Spot on. This is no time for incrementalism. The democratic status quo isn't going to meet this moment. For what it's worth my dad taught me the same thing about hitting first.
Corbin, thank you for explaining the verb "to fight" to a party that forgot how. Keep teaching!
FDR's real strength came from having the courage and the moral compass to make life better for people. This can be the strength of the progressives also. When people saw the real difference that the New Deal was making in their own lives, literally saving them and their neighbors from starving or freezing to death, the people loved him and elected him president FOUR times. I see this same strength with Mamdani also.
Preach it, Corbin!
I'm so surprised and disappointed that two supposed Progressives would already endorse Jeffries. Is Schumer next on the list for support? What a wasted opportunity. Maybe by next January they'll have changed their mind.
Corbin, I appreciate your focus on building rather than simply resisting. A movement can't create meaningful change if it isn't willing to exercise power, and too often we've confused conviction with effectiveness.
What I find equally important is keeping the long-term destination in view. The goal isn't simply to win power, but to build institutions that become less dependent on concentrated power over time. The strongest societies are those that cultivate leadership at every level, strengthen local communities, expand meaningful economic participation, and create systems that remain accountable to the people they serve.
I also appreciate your emphasis on offering a positive vision. People don't just want to know what we're fighting against. They want to know what we're building toward. A society that is more democratic, more locally resilient, more cooperative, and more capable of developing human potential is a vision worth organizing around. If movements can pair the discipline to build power with the wisdom to distribute it well, they have the opportunity to create change that endures.
My father used to say something similar to me, “Never throw the first punch, but always throw the last.”
Lander and AOC are very disappointing. So are the other enablers who sound good but won't fight the establishment. Time to name and shame them all! As the deposed head of an African nation once told me, "It's not just about being right. It's about power!" If our elected officials won't use it, they've lost me as a supporter.
Corbin is right about the SEC. They didn’t prosecute a single financial criminal, except one. And it’s very telling which one they prosecuted. That was Bernie Madoff. And that prosecution reveals who the SEC actually protects. Madoff’s victims were all wealthy individuals, not small investors like you and me. If Madoff had bilked us, he’d have gotten a token fine and walked away. But he bilked the wealthy so they threw the book at him. That’s how it works in this country today.
Completely agree with your assessments Corbin. Only thing is I worry you might be going a bit easy when it comes to Lander. I'm a New Yorker and a member of DSA and from this perspective he looks like he might be a poison pill.
We need to make a case for the policies so he becomes the center of the political spectrum.
My friend's daddy told him it's a two hit fight– you hit him and he hits the ground!
Having said that, I was never a fighter and always a lover. Just a preference.
The New Deal didn't hit, it built and fixed what the bankers and stockers had torn down. When evil officials couldn't be removed, FDR kept them busy doing something constructive that would satisfy their power addiction. Lady Edgar Hoover had built her empire on blackmailing decent people. FDR gave her bank robbers and kidnappers to pursue, and she enjoyed the publicity.
"It doesn’t go over well these days, in a world that likes its ideologies non-violent..."
Heaven forbid the utility of violence be accessible to anyone but the corporate-yoked police and military, they've been doing SUCH a goshdarned good job with their monopoly on it, haven't they? Never gone after a soul who didn't deserve it, always brought down everyone who did...right???
YES! I couldn't agree more! But there are 2 UNDERLYING PROBLEMS:
1) PEOPLE ONLY TAKE ACTION WHEN THERE IS SOMETHING CONCRETE TO RALLY AROUND! While the majority of people want MASSIVE CHANGES to our federal government and economy, no one is proposing precisely WHAT those changes should be!
2) The majority of the public still does not understand that regardless of party affiliation, they must vote ONLY FOR CANDIDATES WHO DO NOT TAKE CORPORATE MONEY! As long as the base of the Democratic Party still believes that just electing more Democratic candidates will solve the problem.... the "will of the people" will remain fragmented and the fascist-induced chaos will continue.
I fervently believe that we need to FLOOD THE MEDIA WITH TWO MESSAGES:
1) NOW IS THE TIME TO WRITE A NEW CONSTITUTION ESTABLISHING A TRUE DEMOCRACY.... one that GUARANTEES the abolition of wealth inequality, and forbids the practice of racism, gender bias, and religious intolerance.
2) ONLY VOTING FOR CANDIDATES WHO TAKE NO CORPORATE MONEY AND WHO PLEDGE TO HELP WRITE THE NEW CONSTITUTION WITH THE GUARANTEES STATED ABOVE.... WILL BRING ABOUT ANY CHANGE!
I know you take push back on this "hit first and keep hitting" position but I completely support it. If a fight is worth having, it's also worth winning. I am a pacifist. This isn't about violence. It's about bravery and confidence and living up to your values. Even when it's hard.
I am grateful for the work you do.
Like the man said "he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart. His passport shall be made,
And crowns for convoy put into his purse.
We would not die in that man’s company
That fears his fellowship to die with us."