When are they going to draft you Corbin? I think you would be an excellent member of Congress, an impressive articulate speaker with vision and moral clarity. Not what centrist democrats want, but the rest of us do.
The pen is mightier than a sword (or a gun). The problem is not so much that big business controls all the guns; rather it is that big business has control of so much of the media.
If only people would listen to you, we would end this nightmare. Please everyone. My age of 94 does not give me much energy but young people should listen to you.
Thank you Corbin. What resonated with me most was your argument that lasting change comes from building collective capacity rather than relying on individual responses. While the essay begins with the Second Amendment, I found myself thinking more about the broader question you raise: what actually creates resilient communities?
To me, resilience grows through relationships, trust, shared purpose, and institutions that enable people to work together. Whether the challenge is economic insecurity, political polarization, or disaster recovery, the solutions rarely come from individuals acting alone. They emerge when communities develop the capacity to organize, adapt, and care for one another.
That feels like an important reminder. If we want a different future, we have to invest as much energy in building healthy communities as we do in resisting the systems that undermine them.
Introduce, and bring to a vote, legislation for Medicare For All
Introduce, and bring to a vote, legislation to return to pre-Reagan progressive tax rates
Introduce, and bring to a vote, legislation for a phased wealth tax to eliminate billionaires
Introduce, and bring to a vote, legislation for a constitutional amendment to eliminate corporate personhood and the concept of money as speech
Introduce, and bring to a vote, legislation banning corporate ownership of residential housing, and private ownership of more than four residential dwellings.
Introduce, and bring to vote, legislation to subsidize renewables, and remove subsidies for fossil fuels
Introduce, and bring to a vote, antitrust legislation targeting big tech and media
Introduce, and bring to a vote, legislation to cut in half the budgets of the Pentagon, CIA, and NSA
Introduce, and bring to a vote, transparency legislation designed to reveal the dark underbelly of our history, so that it can be dealt with and atoned for, from CIA meddling in foreign lands, to FBI and law enforcement malfeasance domestically, to our hypocritical justice system based on wealth (Epstein, etc), to government/media propaganda networks antithetical to having an informed citizenry and democracy
Well stated. This is the message that needs to be heard, propagated widely and discussed daily. The solution is so clear yet has been so cleverly concealed.
I remember reading a friend’s take on the second amendment for holding government accountable and my response was we needed to do better at voting 🗳️ because there was no way that the people can take on a government with nuclear weapons ☢️
Retaking the public should be a priority. Affordability and accountability. Yes, we need to build and make things here in the USA 🇺🇸 It needs to be we build this, not the “I built it ideology” ( when in reality that I is a person using other people’s money). Our Oligarchs have gotten to where they are because of public money in the form of government contracts. We need to talk about public money instead of taxpayer money (because most of the Oligarchs don’t like paying taxes). We need people to understand that the money is US money 💴, minted by our US government and it should work for all of US not just the Oligarchs who have hoovered it up to the top 1 % who keep it swirling around in the top by throwing so much money into political campaigns and buying off politicians and judges. We absolutely need to elect those who are willing to take on the Oligarchs and make systemic changes.
That explanation of gun rights you wrote made me understand better the historical support of gun rights - the fear of government's power and tyranny. Growing up in New York where there were, and still are, restrictions and regulations on guns, made me confused about gun "rights" - power, privilege to have guns versus the right to live, and public safety. And here we are again, fear of government which as Christopher pointed out is a two front battle. And as we all know, there are more good people in the world than bad, but the bad get control...We need you Corbin!
Hey, Corbin. The reason guns are so popular with the far right is that they create a feeling of power for people who basically have none. That's an illusion that is very difficult to change.
I think our "demand" is clear: to reclaim a government that works for the interests of the people. But the devil is in the details. What policies need to be instrituted, laws enacted, and institutions rebuilt to make that happen?
I was never a fan of Newt Gingrich, but he was a very clever and able marketeer. His Contract with America was a straightforward and easy-to-understand list of specific changes he wanted the government to undertake.
I believe we need a similar document today, to make it clear how we want to achieve our demand. Your PAC - A Fight Worth Having - is a great start. But I think it needs a new "Contract for Governance" to make the required changes perfectly clear and aspirational.
Maybe that "demand" and a new "Contract" will help convince all those disenfranchised gun owners finally to give up their guns for real and meaningful protections and control!
"What they call socialism now is mostly just the way we used to live." "Make the government ours again, and use it to own the things we all depend on, together." These two statements should be the core of Democratic messaging in every campaign, in every town, city, state, and federal election. Political analysts, commentators and critics always level the charge that the Democrats don't have a single strong, cohesive message. Your post provides that message and your discussion of how government used to work for the common good through public projects and public investment effectively undermines the right-wing hysteria about socialism. Progressives get it. The Old Guard doesn't...they, like the Republicans, are basically tools of the corporations and the wealthy and will remain that way until they evolve or are removed, and I'm not betting on evolution. Under the current regime we ARE in the catastrophic event that is the catalyst for change. It's time to use our collective power to demand a government that works for us, populated by legislators who understand the mission. If messaged correctly, I can hope people of all political stripes will agree.
I agree with every word you say here (as is often the case). But how do we do this if there are no elections in the fall, or if they are so radically curtailed and controlled that those good people can't get into government? That's clearly what Trump and the corporations and the oligarchs intend. In a way, it's also what the establishment Democrats intend, so we're really fighting a two front battle here.
And that's the litmus test, isn't it? This November will either be the start of a potential recovery, or the "Pearl Harbor" event mentioned. It is the central theme to Trump's scattered thoughts and rambles.
After reading that Hakeem Jeffries wants Democrats to get in line with the latest Israel support package (much of which is earmarked for military spending) and wait for a better day and better way to go against Netanyahu, it proves what you are saying. They are not part of the solution. They (he, Schumer, the establishment Democrats) are the internal adversary.
Because I think both are highly likely. At this point, I think the American people are going to have to shut it all down. Like, shut the country down. As in, stop everything. Walk out and have a national strike. I guess the thing that worries me *most* about everything involved in that is that it's gonna cost everyone, including the US, fiscally. And we all know that debt is sky high. But to me, it is the only chemo that will deal with this cancer and bring us back to reality.
Great piece, Corbin. But I don't see anyone or any unified body think-tanking and witing up our Project 2029. I often read through the comments on NYTimes opinion pieces. And what I see is wide division among readers (most of whom are anti-Trump.) There is almost a visceral hatred between so-called "Centrists" and "Progressives." Our country needs a sharp twist toward an FDR New Deal updated for the 21st Century, and that's not going to happen with "Centrist" incrementalism -- tweaking a few laws and expect the "market" to fix our corporate/billionaire-owned lives and economy. So what we're going to need is leadership mastery in communication. Other than you and a few isolated writers I don't see any on the horizon. Do you?
All the guns aren't just useless, they might even be a bigger threat than the rapists running our government and the oligarchs who own them. The biggest risk in standing together to demand change is getting shot in the back by people with guns who have been brainwashed to believe their neighbor is their enemy. I grew up on a farm and all my life I've watched small farmers lose their farms to bigger farmers who grow products for corporations that turn the food into something we shouldn't eat along with ethanol and biodiesel. But small communities could come together to invest in renewable energy with battery backup, grow food that's safe to eat, produce goods needed in the community, and community by community rebuild our country into what it once was, only better and stronger.
We ARE the government. We must vote. We have to decide to create the biggest health insurance "pool" in the world, so there can be fair access to treatment. Who wants to watch their child, or anyone's child, die from a treatable illness, including cancer? Who want to watch a family lose their mother from a treatable illness? And what about electricity being privately owned in some areas, with rate hike after rate hike--we know what their CEOs earn. No one should die of cold or heat when we can lower rates by owning the utility ourselves, ie, the "government" that is us. And this is why all the killing happening to innocent people in the name of the United States is also on us-because there were enough of us to vote for killing innocent people. I remind myself every day, I am this government, as disgusting and corrupt and thieving as it is-so I have to be part of the "pool" of citizens to stop it.
Americans want self-governance, not fealty to and dependence upon the largess of elites. Corporations, being the good marketers they are, exploited our mistrust of power by misrepresenting themselves as little guys fighting the power too. But, corporations weren’t talking about our small businesses and our taxes. They were consolidating their power and capturing our government. They never intended to champion the little guy. The little guy was just the mascot of their advertising campaign. Now with the Trump administration, they are reaping their windfalls. The Silicon Valley and Wall Street Boys expect us to thank them for the privilege of turning over our resources and taxes to them.
When are they going to draft you Corbin? I think you would be an excellent member of Congress, an impressive articulate speaker with vision and moral clarity. Not what centrist democrats want, but the rest of us do.
Couldn’t agree with you more - see my comment below. Corbin for President, frankly.
The pen is mightier than a sword (or a gun). The problem is not so much that big business controls all the guns; rather it is that big business has control of so much of the media.
Yes indeed. Every day I wake to the hope rhat Murdoch has popped his nasty clogs.
If only people would listen to you, we would end this nightmare. Please everyone. My age of 94 does not give me much energy but young people should listen to you.
June you are so right. And I’m mightily impressed that you are on, and know how to operate, substack. You go girl!!!
They should listen to you, too!
I’ve tried to subscribe to you but for some reason cannot. Don’t shine rhat light under a bushel June!
Thank you Corbin. What resonated with me most was your argument that lasting change comes from building collective capacity rather than relying on individual responses. While the essay begins with the Second Amendment, I found myself thinking more about the broader question you raise: what actually creates resilient communities?
To me, resilience grows through relationships, trust, shared purpose, and institutions that enable people to work together. Whether the challenge is economic insecurity, political polarization, or disaster recovery, the solutions rarely come from individuals acting alone. They emerge when communities develop the capacity to organize, adapt, and care for one another.
That feels like an important reminder. If we want a different future, we have to invest as much energy in building healthy communities as we do in resisting the systems that undermine them.
The state of Maine comes to mind before the implosion of Graham Platner. His words made them one and he scored a historical win. We can do it!
My First 100 Days Memo. Demand this.
Repeal Taft-Hartley
Repeal the Espionage Act
Introduce, and bring to a vote, legislation for Medicare For All
Introduce, and bring to a vote, legislation to return to pre-Reagan progressive tax rates
Introduce, and bring to a vote, legislation for a phased wealth tax to eliminate billionaires
Introduce, and bring to a vote, legislation for a constitutional amendment to eliminate corporate personhood and the concept of money as speech
Introduce, and bring to a vote, legislation banning corporate ownership of residential housing, and private ownership of more than four residential dwellings.
Introduce, and bring to vote, legislation to subsidize renewables, and remove subsidies for fossil fuels
Introduce, and bring to a vote, antitrust legislation targeting big tech and media
Introduce, and bring to a vote, legislation to cut in half the budgets of the Pentagon, CIA, and NSA
Introduce, and bring to a vote, transparency legislation designed to reveal the dark underbelly of our history, so that it can be dealt with and atoned for, from CIA meddling in foreign lands, to FBI and law enforcement malfeasance domestically, to our hypocritical justice system based on wealth (Epstein, etc), to government/media propaganda networks antithetical to having an informed citizenry and democracy
You left out Supreme Court expansion and reform, but of course, that requires Dem control over all three branches of government.
Well stated. This is the message that needs to be heard, propagated widely and discussed daily. The solution is so clear yet has been so cleverly concealed.
Too right Michael.
I remember reading a friend’s take on the second amendment for holding government accountable and my response was we needed to do better at voting 🗳️ because there was no way that the people can take on a government with nuclear weapons ☢️
Retaking the public should be a priority. Affordability and accountability. Yes, we need to build and make things here in the USA 🇺🇸 It needs to be we build this, not the “I built it ideology” ( when in reality that I is a person using other people’s money). Our Oligarchs have gotten to where they are because of public money in the form of government contracts. We need to talk about public money instead of taxpayer money (because most of the Oligarchs don’t like paying taxes). We need people to understand that the money is US money 💴, minted by our US government and it should work for all of US not just the Oligarchs who have hoovered it up to the top 1 % who keep it swirling around in the top by throwing so much money into political campaigns and buying off politicians and judges. We absolutely need to elect those who are willing to take on the Oligarchs and make systemic changes.
Excellent and accurate point.
That explanation of gun rights you wrote made me understand better the historical support of gun rights - the fear of government's power and tyranny. Growing up in New York where there were, and still are, restrictions and regulations on guns, made me confused about gun "rights" - power, privilege to have guns versus the right to live, and public safety. And here we are again, fear of government which as Christopher pointed out is a two front battle. And as we all know, there are more good people in the world than bad, but the bad get control...We need you Corbin!
Hey, Corbin. The reason guns are so popular with the far right is that they create a feeling of power for people who basically have none. That's an illusion that is very difficult to change.
I think our "demand" is clear: to reclaim a government that works for the interests of the people. But the devil is in the details. What policies need to be instrituted, laws enacted, and institutions rebuilt to make that happen?
I was never a fan of Newt Gingrich, but he was a very clever and able marketeer. His Contract with America was a straightforward and easy-to-understand list of specific changes he wanted the government to undertake.
I believe we need a similar document today, to make it clear how we want to achieve our demand. Your PAC - A Fight Worth Having - is a great start. But I think it needs a new "Contract for Governance" to make the required changes perfectly clear and aspirational.
Maybe that "demand" and a new "Contract" will help convince all those disenfranchised gun owners finally to give up their guns for real and meaningful protections and control!
"What they call socialism now is mostly just the way we used to live." "Make the government ours again, and use it to own the things we all depend on, together." These two statements should be the core of Democratic messaging in every campaign, in every town, city, state, and federal election. Political analysts, commentators and critics always level the charge that the Democrats don't have a single strong, cohesive message. Your post provides that message and your discussion of how government used to work for the common good through public projects and public investment effectively undermines the right-wing hysteria about socialism. Progressives get it. The Old Guard doesn't...they, like the Republicans, are basically tools of the corporations and the wealthy and will remain that way until they evolve or are removed, and I'm not betting on evolution. Under the current regime we ARE in the catastrophic event that is the catalyst for change. It's time to use our collective power to demand a government that works for us, populated by legislators who understand the mission. If messaged correctly, I can hope people of all political stripes will agree.
I agree with every word you say here (as is often the case). But how do we do this if there are no elections in the fall, or if they are so radically curtailed and controlled that those good people can't get into government? That's clearly what Trump and the corporations and the oligarchs intend. In a way, it's also what the establishment Democrats intend, so we're really fighting a two front battle here.
And that's the litmus test, isn't it? This November will either be the start of a potential recovery, or the "Pearl Harbor" event mentioned. It is the central theme to Trump's scattered thoughts and rambles.
After reading that Hakeem Jeffries wants Democrats to get in line with the latest Israel support package (much of which is earmarked for military spending) and wait for a better day and better way to go against Netanyahu, it proves what you are saying. They are not part of the solution. They (he, Schumer, the establishment Democrats) are the internal adversary.
There you go. Exactly.
What happens when there is an across the board defeat of the R scumbags, but they refuse to leave?
Because I think both are highly likely. At this point, I think the American people are going to have to shut it all down. Like, shut the country down. As in, stop everything. Walk out and have a national strike. I guess the thing that worries me *most* about everything involved in that is that it's gonna cost everyone, including the US, fiscally. And we all know that debt is sky high. But to me, it is the only chemo that will deal with this cancer and bring us back to reality.
AMEN!!! Sound, brilliant telling it like it is, hopeful.
Great piece, Corbin. But I don't see anyone or any unified body think-tanking and witing up our Project 2029. I often read through the comments on NYTimes opinion pieces. And what I see is wide division among readers (most of whom are anti-Trump.) There is almost a visceral hatred between so-called "Centrists" and "Progressives." Our country needs a sharp twist toward an FDR New Deal updated for the 21st Century, and that's not going to happen with "Centrist" incrementalism -- tweaking a few laws and expect the "market" to fix our corporate/billionaire-owned lives and economy. So what we're going to need is leadership mastery in communication. Other than you and a few isolated writers I don't see any on the horizon. Do you?
All the guns aren't just useless, they might even be a bigger threat than the rapists running our government and the oligarchs who own them. The biggest risk in standing together to demand change is getting shot in the back by people with guns who have been brainwashed to believe their neighbor is their enemy. I grew up on a farm and all my life I've watched small farmers lose their farms to bigger farmers who grow products for corporations that turn the food into something we shouldn't eat along with ethanol and biodiesel. But small communities could come together to invest in renewable energy with battery backup, grow food that's safe to eat, produce goods needed in the community, and community by community rebuild our country into what it once was, only better and stronger.
We ARE the government. We must vote. We have to decide to create the biggest health insurance "pool" in the world, so there can be fair access to treatment. Who wants to watch their child, or anyone's child, die from a treatable illness, including cancer? Who want to watch a family lose their mother from a treatable illness? And what about electricity being privately owned in some areas, with rate hike after rate hike--we know what their CEOs earn. No one should die of cold or heat when we can lower rates by owning the utility ourselves, ie, the "government" that is us. And this is why all the killing happening to innocent people in the name of the United States is also on us-because there were enough of us to vote for killing innocent people. I remind myself every day, I am this government, as disgusting and corrupt and thieving as it is-so I have to be part of the "pool" of citizens to stop it.
Americans want self-governance, not fealty to and dependence upon the largess of elites. Corporations, being the good marketers they are, exploited our mistrust of power by misrepresenting themselves as little guys fighting the power too. But, corporations weren’t talking about our small businesses and our taxes. They were consolidating their power and capturing our government. They never intended to champion the little guy. The little guy was just the mascot of their advertising campaign. Now with the Trump administration, they are reaping their windfalls. The Silicon Valley and Wall Street Boys expect us to thank them for the privilege of turning over our resources and taxes to them.