Hi all—
I just got off a great conversation with Krystal Ball about where we actually are: a country sliding toward “might-makes-right” at home while people struggle to afford the basics. We talked about how hope curdled into resentment when institutions stopped delivering, how Democrats helped set the table for this moment, and why rebuilding trust now requires visible courage (including backing primary challengers to the old guard) and a concrete plan people can touch.
Over the next two weeks I’m publishing exactly that—short, punchy pieces that connect the dots and lay out deliverables:
The Cover-Up → how the scoreboard was rigged to hide a $79T upward transfer and call it “prosperity.”
How to Rig an Economy → the machinery: union busting → offshoring → financialization → the dual-income trap.
The Company Store → why housing, healthcare, childcare, education now eat 100%+ of a paycheck—and what breaks that cycle.
DNR → the human cost of letting U.S. manufacturing die (and what it takes to revive real capacity).
Our National Birthright → receipts from our own history of public building (TVA, REA, Interstates) that actually worked.
What Do We Actually Build? → concrete public competitors: housing, hospitals, childcare, generic drugs, public banking.
Yes, This Is Authoritarian → the new machinery of repression, in plain sight—and how only delivery beats it.
The Vichy Dems / A Simple, Hard Thing → a trust test for leaders: take risks, back challengers, prove you mean it.
If that resonates, forward this, bring a friend, and hit reply with one thing you want government to build now in your community. I’ll weave the best into the series.
—Corbin
