When Democrats are in control, if that’s ever possible with Republican gerrymandering, we must get new younger leadership and work on impeaching the 6 Supreme Court justices who sold out our democracy.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I can dream again about a working democracy. I too believe in Americans' "can do" spirit. We've been deliberately held down by the absence of federal vision. We've been mistrustful because of the distraction of culture wars. I love your visioning! May it be so!
Just remember what George Carlin said: “They call it the ‘American Dream’ because you have to be asleep to believe it.”
Nothing will change without a crisis, a very deep and severe crisis. Once that happens there will be an opening for major changes, but if the Left is not organized and prepared it could be a change for the worse.
The greatest force holding back the Left and disrupting its attempts to better organize is the Democratic Party. A party funded by the oligarchs of Wall Street, the Military-Industrial-Complex, the AIPAC Genocide Lobby, the for-profit Healthcare Complex, and the Big Tech Surveillance Complex, is never going to support the Left.
Only a disciplined and dedicated Party of the ‘Real Left’ will be able to mount a serious challenge to seize power at the right moment. The lack of any such Party today is not a very hopeful sign.
As physicist Max Planck once observed: "Scientific theory advances, one funeral at a time." Unfortunately the same may be true for political philosophy.
Corbin, surely you are aware of South Park's recent incendiary episode satirizing Trump. The cheap and easy form of animation they use would BE IDEAL to film your positive vision of Stewart, Warren, Bernie, etc.
Since I've followed you, I've wondered what content of yours could become a movie as David Sirota's idea became the movie "Don't Look Up."
If you need Hollywood contacts, when convenient, I encourage you to contact David Sirota on this. He and Adam McKay can support you getting a project off the ground. If useful I can volunteer too.
Anyone else have media contacts to share with Corbin? Let's support him making something visual out of his near-term visualization of the BEST WAY things can go towards 2028.
If you ever get tired of political activism, I think you could have a budding career as a novelist! 😊
I urged you, a week or two ago, to use your connections within the progressive ranks to convene a meeting to make your fantasy a reality - ie, to get the many disparate progressive grioups to put aside their individual agendas in order to unite around a national, top-line agenda. In your 4-part essay, you've laid out a way this might happen.
I don't know that Jon Stewart is the right person to lead the movement (our prior celebrity Presidents have not been great models for smart and enlightened leadership), but that is an issue to be hashed out when the progressive groups meet. Stewart is smart, charismatic, and principled, so I would not necessarily be against his leadership.
As I wrote you previously, time is short and the mountain we're trying to climb is high. We need to get started now! I'd like to help fund the effort, but you need to get the ball rolling. My semse is that there are A LOT of people who are willing and able to join the fight. You just need to make it happen.
John, I’m thinking your concern about “the right person to lead the movement” needs to be removed for now. We (and I include myself in this criticism) must stop looking for a perfect candidate. Our concerns about a specific person are not needed at this time. We need to come together and admit that there are many “right” people to lead. Please know that this reply is made with the most respectful thoughts.
Thankjs, Judy. I added that bit about Jon Stewart because I worried that as many people would be turned off by his choice as might be excited by it. In any case, the more I think about it, the more it seems to me that Corbin has a better chance of making his vision a reality if he can convene a meeting of the various progressive groups with the major candidate slate and agenda already in place (for discussion and adoption by the united community).
Hi John, I absolutely understand the need for this type of a meeting! Corbin is a wonderful to me since I lived in Chattanooga for many years but retired to my sweet home Chicago to get away from the MAGA cult there. Then up pops this kid who speaks my language! Who’d a thunk it! My fear is that we Dems would descend into the fight for who is perfect though and wear ourselves out fighting with each other! How can we find a way through this I wonder.
One model that might work is to find a wealthy person who is willing to fund Corbin's effort to bring all the progressive groups together under his overarching vision. That individual would need to make it clear at the start that they had no interest in any ongoing leadership or political role, other than uniting the various progressive movements for the 2026 and/or 2028 elections. Their commitment would be to "disappear" after the 2028 elections.
It was done successfully in the late 90's to double federal support for medical research, and I think the same thing could be done in this larger arena. The 1990's effort involved uniting all the different disease groups, universities, academic groups, and scientific societies under the umbrella of increasing ALL medical research.
Same problem as the disparate progressive groups face today - ie, they will lose if they continue to fight each other's individual priorities. The only way they can win is to unite under a lasrger theme that subsumes them all.
Wonderful. Positive change begins with vision. This is a positive vision readers can see in their minds. Accessible positive visions inspire hope. Hope inspires action.
===============
This may also be useful. It’s inspires by Dan Froomkin’s Head’s Up News positive vision of 10 points for reconstruction after Trump:
10 points" about public street marches and demonstrations
Ideas to work with. Corrections invited:
1) Large public demonstrations are NOT AN END IN THEMSELVES. They can only ever be the BEGINNING OF A PROCESS.
2) Corporate-owned mass media is now about 90% of all media. Since early 2025, all reporting and photos of US and world mass street marches have been banned. Almost the only place to find photos and coverage of US demonstrations is now European media and AlJazeeera.com
Corporate-owned mass media treats our valid protests as demonSTRACTIONS.
3) If after participating in a street march, you do not also do something TANGIBLY effective; then, there is the sad chance you are merely "virtue signaling" not participating in reconstructing democracy.
4) Prof. Jen Mercieca is correct, "[If you are reading this] you are America. The government and policies you want are American. Ffor generations, the Right has been distorting who or what "America" is. Do not let them. Ceding the definitional battle cedes them the nation."
5) Jon Cooper is correct, "I don’t want a revolution of violence. I want a revolution of responsibility-one where we take care of each other, where people can raise a family without choosing between groceries and medicine."
6) After a street march, the minimum you can do, is to "Find the others" who believe in Team Human like you do (see Douglas Rushkoff TeamHuman.FM). Educate yourself on local issues, to threats to voting in your locality.
7) Remember the Serenity Prayer, “To know what’s mine to change, what’s not mine to change—and—wisdom to know the difference.” Ask yourself, "Around me today, what's mine to change for the better?"
It begins by contesting every seat held by a neoliberal Democrat, but it's going to require much much more than that. In many places the Democratic brand is so toxic or the districts are so gerrymandered that a Democrat has no chance of winning. We need to be building non-partisan parallel organizations that can inspire people to run for office and organize labor unions and build mutual aid organizations. Here's a concrete idea. Let's take some of that $300B you talk about and create a network of payday lending institutions that will drive the payday lenders out of business, generate wealth in working class communities, and build political ties in those communities. Here's another idea. I've been reading a lot about the plight of mobile home dwellers. Let's beat the equity firms to the punch and create commonly owned trailer parks. We don't have to wait for your electoral revolution. In fact, that electoral revolution won't come without the parallel organizations that I speak of.
Carl, the current horse-race voting-ballot method preserves the status quo. How? It forces vote-splitting, the spoiler effect, if a progressive runs against two conservatives.
Numerous published election math papers agree STAR voting and Approval voting are the most democratic voting systems, far more than Ranked Choice (IRV). More colorful, accessible education here https://www.equal.vote/learn
Long read. But the budding awareness if Progressive Dems is quite encouraging to me. Hopefully you. And e en more so...that this new agenda takes root and flourishes now. Mai it be so.
I loved every word of your dreams Corbin! I cried because I don't know that it will come true. I'm 75 but still a bit of a romantic. I know the powers that be are so fierce and strong, and they wield so much destruction. I also know there is a very huge silent majority out there, and they would happily become builders. I hope to see the day the builders join together and exert their power. The key is the unity--in unity lies enough power to counter the destruction wreaked on our democracy. Thank you for pointing that out.
I am in total agreement with you. The economic system is skewering (and screwing!) the political system. I just figure it may be a stronger argument to argue FOR Democracy than it is to argue AGAINST capitalism. We have to do a major re-orientation and re-education on the benefits of Democratic socialism. And, if we don't do that the oligarchy wins! Sigh!
When Democrats are in control, if that’s ever possible with Republican gerrymandering, we must get new younger leadership and work on impeaching the 6 Supreme Court justices who sold out our democracy.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I can dream again about a working democracy. I too believe in Americans' "can do" spirit. We've been deliberately held down by the absence of federal vision. We've been mistrustful because of the distraction of culture wars. I love your visioning! May it be so!
Just remember what George Carlin said: “They call it the ‘American Dream’ because you have to be asleep to believe it.”
Nothing will change without a crisis, a very deep and severe crisis. Once that happens there will be an opening for major changes, but if the Left is not organized and prepared it could be a change for the worse.
The greatest force holding back the Left and disrupting its attempts to better organize is the Democratic Party. A party funded by the oligarchs of Wall Street, the Military-Industrial-Complex, the AIPAC Genocide Lobby, the for-profit Healthcare Complex, and the Big Tech Surveillance Complex, is never going to support the Left.
Only a disciplined and dedicated Party of the ‘Real Left’ will be able to mount a serious challenge to seize power at the right moment. The lack of any such Party today is not a very hopeful sign.
As physicist Max Planck once observed: "Scientific theory advances, one funeral at a time." Unfortunately the same may be true for political philosophy.
Corbin, surely you are aware of South Park's recent incendiary episode satirizing Trump. The cheap and easy form of animation they use would BE IDEAL to film your positive vision of Stewart, Warren, Bernie, etc.
Since I've followed you, I've wondered what content of yours could become a movie as David Sirota's idea became the movie "Don't Look Up."
If you need Hollywood contacts, when convenient, I encourage you to contact David Sirota on this. He and Adam McKay can support you getting a project off the ground. If useful I can volunteer too.
Anyone else have media contacts to share with Corbin? Let's support him making something visual out of his near-term visualization of the BEST WAY things can go towards 2028.
Corbin,
If you ever get tired of political activism, I think you could have a budding career as a novelist! 😊
I urged you, a week or two ago, to use your connections within the progressive ranks to convene a meeting to make your fantasy a reality - ie, to get the many disparate progressive grioups to put aside their individual agendas in order to unite around a national, top-line agenda. In your 4-part essay, you've laid out a way this might happen.
I don't know that Jon Stewart is the right person to lead the movement (our prior celebrity Presidents have not been great models for smart and enlightened leadership), but that is an issue to be hashed out when the progressive groups meet. Stewart is smart, charismatic, and principled, so I would not necessarily be against his leadership.
As I wrote you previously, time is short and the mountain we're trying to climb is high. We need to get started now! I'd like to help fund the effort, but you need to get the ball rolling. My semse is that there are A LOT of people who are willing and able to join the fight. You just need to make it happen.
John, I’m thinking your concern about “the right person to lead the movement” needs to be removed for now. We (and I include myself in this criticism) must stop looking for a perfect candidate. Our concerns about a specific person are not needed at this time. We need to come together and admit that there are many “right” people to lead. Please know that this reply is made with the most respectful thoughts.
Thankjs, Judy. I added that bit about Jon Stewart because I worried that as many people would be turned off by his choice as might be excited by it. In any case, the more I think about it, the more it seems to me that Corbin has a better chance of making his vision a reality if he can convene a meeting of the various progressive groups with the major candidate slate and agenda already in place (for discussion and adoption by the united community).
Hi John, I absolutely understand the need for this type of a meeting! Corbin is a wonderful to me since I lived in Chattanooga for many years but retired to my sweet home Chicago to get away from the MAGA cult there. Then up pops this kid who speaks my language! Who’d a thunk it! My fear is that we Dems would descend into the fight for who is perfect though and wear ourselves out fighting with each other! How can we find a way through this I wonder.
Judy,
Your concern is well founded!
One model that might work is to find a wealthy person who is willing to fund Corbin's effort to bring all the progressive groups together under his overarching vision. That individual would need to make it clear at the start that they had no interest in any ongoing leadership or political role, other than uniting the various progressive movements for the 2026 and/or 2028 elections. Their commitment would be to "disappear" after the 2028 elections.
It was done successfully in the late 90's to double federal support for medical research, and I think the same thing could be done in this larger arena. The 1990's effort involved uniting all the different disease groups, universities, academic groups, and scientific societies under the umbrella of increasing ALL medical research.
Same problem as the disparate progressive groups face today - ie, they will lose if they continue to fight each other's individual priorities. The only way they can win is to unite under a lasrger theme that subsumes them all.
I'd love to help make it happen! You?
Wonderful. Positive change begins with vision. This is a positive vision readers can see in their minds. Accessible positive visions inspire hope. Hope inspires action.
===============
This may also be useful. It’s inspires by Dan Froomkin’s Head’s Up News positive vision of 10 points for reconstruction after Trump:
10 points" about public street marches and demonstrations
Ideas to work with. Corrections invited:
1) Large public demonstrations are NOT AN END IN THEMSELVES. They can only ever be the BEGINNING OF A PROCESS.
2) Corporate-owned mass media is now about 90% of all media. Since early 2025, all reporting and photos of US and world mass street marches have been banned. Almost the only place to find photos and coverage of US demonstrations is now European media and AlJazeeera.com
Corporate-owned mass media treats our valid protests as demonSTRACTIONS.
3) If after participating in a street march, you do not also do something TANGIBLY effective; then, there is the sad chance you are merely "virtue signaling" not participating in reconstructing democracy.
4) Prof. Jen Mercieca is correct, "[If you are reading this] you are America. The government and policies you want are American. Ffor generations, the Right has been distorting who or what "America" is. Do not let them. Ceding the definitional battle cedes them the nation."
5) Jon Cooper is correct, "I don’t want a revolution of violence. I want a revolution of responsibility-one where we take care of each other, where people can raise a family without choosing between groceries and medicine."
6) After a street march, the minimum you can do, is to "Find the others" who believe in Team Human like you do (see Douglas Rushkoff TeamHuman.FM). Educate yourself on local issues, to threats to voting in your locality.
7) Remember the Serenity Prayer, “To know what’s mine to change, what’s not mine to change—and—wisdom to know the difference.” Ask yourself, "Around me today, what's mine to change for the better?"
8) more items from readers of Corbin Trent!
It begins by contesting every seat held by a neoliberal Democrat, but it's going to require much much more than that. In many places the Democratic brand is so toxic or the districts are so gerrymandered that a Democrat has no chance of winning. We need to be building non-partisan parallel organizations that can inspire people to run for office and organize labor unions and build mutual aid organizations. Here's a concrete idea. Let's take some of that $300B you talk about and create a network of payday lending institutions that will drive the payday lenders out of business, generate wealth in working class communities, and build political ties in those communities. Here's another idea. I've been reading a lot about the plight of mobile home dwellers. Let's beat the equity firms to the punch and create commonly owned trailer parks. We don't have to wait for your electoral revolution. In fact, that electoral revolution won't come without the parallel organizations that I speak of.
Carl, the current horse-race voting-ballot method preserves the status quo. How? It forces vote-splitting, the spoiler effect, if a progressive runs against two conservatives.
Numerous published election math papers agree STAR voting and Approval voting are the most democratic voting systems, far more than Ranked Choice (IRV). More colorful, accessible education here https://www.equal.vote/learn
I'm crying.
This is quite a dream. But as the poet says, "In dreams begin responsibilities."
Thank you for the glimmer of hope amid the daily bouts of despair and depression instigated be that god-damned baby fucker.
I’ve so enjoyed reading this and the previous ones. No mention of restoring
and protecting LGBTQIA rights, women’s bodily autonomy and rights. I would think amidst all the building we’d restore people’s basic human rights too.
Agree. Yet this "detail" "down in the weeds" comes later for sure.
Should have said something for sure, but I think it’s inconceivable 🤓that this much change wouldn’t include LGBTQ+ and women’s autonomy.
Long read. But the budding awareness if Progressive Dems is quite encouraging to me. Hopefully you. And e en more so...that this new agenda takes root and flourishes now. Mai it be so.
I loved every word of your dreams Corbin! I cried because I don't know that it will come true. I'm 75 but still a bit of a romantic. I know the powers that be are so fierce and strong, and they wield so much destruction. I also know there is a very huge silent majority out there, and they would happily become builders. I hope to see the day the builders join together and exert their power. The key is the unity--in unity lies enough power to counter the destruction wreaked on our democracy. Thank you for pointing that out.
I am in total agreement with you. The economic system is skewering (and screwing!) the political system. I just figure it may be a stronger argument to argue FOR Democracy than it is to argue AGAINST capitalism. We have to do a major re-orientation and re-education on the benefits of Democratic socialism. And, if we don't do that the oligarchy wins! Sigh!
We need to piece meal these ideas and get them out these. The best read I’ve had in a long time.
Outstanding👍🏼
It all makes perfect sense, and I don't believe it will ever happen.
It's why I'm watching less news and keeping my head buried in the sand.
I'm breathing through a straw - so far, so good.
-sigh-