The Quotable Reich

Why?

Why try? He keeps coming here and saying the same thing with every post. It seems like a cry for help and I'm willing to try as long as I'm here, you never know what might break through that thin shell of sanity he has left.

One day I'm sure he will eventually take down the Che poster and embrace his US heritage. It isn't always pretty but it isn't always ugly either.

Lay it out, Baldimo, give your story. That's what Able 2 Know means.

Tens of millions slaughtered by the US just since WWII tells it all.

Your name says it all, Roger. You love to talk the propaganda but you hate to talk about the truth/facts.

Note well how you honest, upstanding free speech loving Americans flee at the slightest hint of the truth.

Truth just ain't a friend to the American experience.

You seem like you really want to discuss it...


Then you throw all doubt out the window with your next line.

Robert Reich
·
Trump’s commission to investigate his trumped-up claims of voter fraud in the 2016 election has requested states turn over personal information about everyone who has voted since 2006 -- names, addresses, birthdates, political party, criminal history, and the last four digits of their Social Security numbers.
The request came from commission co-chair Kris Kobach, the secretary of state in Kansas and a fervent believer that voter fraud is widespread despite decades of evidence to the contrary.
Several states -- California, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Virginia, and even Mike Pence’s home state of Indiana -- have already announced won’t comply.
Let your Governor or Secretary of State (the chief election official) know you don't want your information shared with Trump’s bogus commission.
Trump's real purpose is to legitimize more voter suppression in 2018 and 2020 -- ID and other laws that will minimize turnout of likely Democrats. He also wants to deflect attention from Russian interference on his behalf, which the U.S. intelligence community has already shown to have occurred.

Robert Reich
·
Yesterday I shared with you a new National Rifle Associaton ad. I didn’t comment on it, but almost 10,000 of you did. Most of you were outraged and appalled. Some of you who are NRA members said you will cease your memberships. Others of you who are Republicans said you will change your party affiliation.
It’s important to see this ad -- as well as Trump’s tweets and lies -- for what they are: Provocations intended to divide this nation between Trump supporters and everyone else, and make us hate one another.
They seek to foment intimidation, fear, and even violence. In essence, they want to bring on a kind of new civil war.
We must not allow this.
Whether we voted for Trump or despise him, we are all Americans. We cherish our Constitution, celebrate freedom and democracy. The overwhelming majority of us reject bigotry, respect the rights of others to live peacefully, and seek truth.
On this upcoming 4th of July, it’s well to be reminded of these founding principles, and repudiate hate.

Robert Reich
16 mins ·
Hackers at at a conference in Las Vegas were able to successfully breach the software of U.S. voting machines in just 90 minutes on Friday, revealing major security deficiencies in America's election infrastructure.
Techies at the annual DEF CON were given physical voting machines and remote access. The machines, bought on Ebay, were made by major U.S. voting machine companies Diebold Nixorf, Sequoia Voting Systems and Winvote.
Within minutes the hackers exposed physical and software vulnerabilities. Some devices had physical ports to which devices could be attached containing malicious software. Wi-Fi connections on others were insecure. Others were running outdated software with security vulnerabilities like Windows XP.
Why isn’t the Trump administration focusing like a laser on this, instead of the trumped-up claim of voter fraud? Why isn’t Congress? Why aren’t the states?
Folks, this is a big deal. Our foreign adversaries — including Russia, North Korea, and Iran — have the capabilities to hack into our voting systems, undermining our democracy and threatening our national security.
What do you think?

I believe Republicans have taken advantage to alter the vote by the same method. eb

You want to ask Trump about this? If I remember correctly, the DNC has had the majorities several times since 2000 when they first started screaming about the hacking of voting machines. In fact the only time we seem to hear them complain about voting machines is when the DNC loses an election. We didn't hear any complaints at all about the integrity of the machines for the 8 years and 2 elections won by Obama. In fact they had a super majority for 2 years and failed to do a damn thing about the voting machines. Reich continues to prove he is intellectually dishonest and a full time partisan hack.


I think it is a concern but we can't just work on the voting methods, we need to secure the entire voting system and that includes states keeping their voter rolls updated and protected. After all, it was the voter ID rolls that were targeted in this last election but for some reason the DNC is against evaluating those systems for fraud and vulnerability.


I don't think they have, in fact I think such things favor the Left-wing in general. As has been shown by who they go after, a majority of hackers seem to be from the left wing and very much in support of "progressive" and leftist causes. So if hackers were going to target an election, it would be in favor of the DNC.

Robert Reich
52 mins ·
This morning I phoned my old friend, a Republican former member of Congress.
Me: So what’s up? Is Corker alone, or are others also ready to call it quits with Trump?
He: All I know is they’re simmering over there.
Me: Flake and McCain have come pretty close.
He: Yeah. Others are thinking about doing what Bob did. Sounding the alarm. They think Trump’s nuts. Unfit. Dangerous.
Me: Well, they already knew that, didn’t they?
He: But now it’s personal. It started with the Sessions stuff. Jeff was as loyal as they come. Trump’s crapping on him was like kicking your puppy. And then, you know, him beating up on Mitch for the Obamacare fiasco. And going after Flake and the others.
Me: So they're pissed off?
He: Not just that. I mean, they have thick hides. The personal stuff got them to notice all the other things. The wild stuff, like those threats to North Korea. Tillerson would leave tomorrow if he wasn’t so worried Trump would go nuclear, literally.
Me: You think Trump is really thinking nuclear war?
He: Who knows what’s in his head? But I can tell you this. He’s not listening to anyone. Not a soul. He’s got the nuclear codes and, well, it scares the hell out of me. It’s starting to scare all of them. That’s really why Bob spoke up.
Me: So what could they do? I mean, even if the whole Republican leadership was willing to say publicly he’s unfit to serve, what then?
He: Bingo! The emperor has no clothes. It’s a signal to everyone they can bail. Have to bail to save their skins. I mean, Trump could be the end of the whole goddam Republican party.
Me: If he starts a nuclear war, that could be the end of everything.
He: Yeah, right. So when they start bailing on him, the stage is set.
Me: For what?
He: Impeachment. 25th amendment.
Me: You think Republicans would go that far?
He: Not yet. Here’s the thing. They really want to get this tax bill through. That’s all they have going for them. They don’t want to face voters in ’18 or ’20 without something to show for it. They’re just praying Trump doesn’t do something really, really stupid before the tax bill.
Me: Like a nuclear war?
He: Look, all I can tell you is many of the people I talk with are getting freaked out. It’s not as if there’s any careful strategizing going on. Not like, well, do we balance the tax bill against nuclear war? No, no. They’re worried as hell. They’re also worried about Trump crazies, all the ignoramuses he’s stirred up. I mean, Roy Moore? How many more of them do you need to destroy the party?
Me: So what’s gonna happen?
He: You got me. I’m just glad I’m not there anymore. Trump’s not just a moron. He’s a despicable human being. And he’s getting crazier. Paranoid. Unhinged. Everyone knows it. I mean, we’re in **** up to our eyeballs with this guy.

They're all morons thinking about a tax bill before a nuclear holocaust? Where the f--- is their brains?

Robert Reich
1 hr ·
Today Republican Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona, a staunch critic of Donald Trump, announced that he will not seek reelection next year. In a powerful speech on the Senate floor, he decried attacks on our democratic principles and institutions, and urged others to speak out:
"It is time for our complicity and our accommodation of the unacceptable to end...None of these appalling features of our current politics should ever be regarded as normal... And when such behavior emanates from the top of our government, it is something else. It is dangerous to a democracy. Such behavior does not project strength because our strength comes from our values. It instead projects a corruption of the spirit and weakness. It is often said that children are watching. Well, they are. And what are we going to do about that?"
"Leadership knows that most often a good place to start in assigning blame is to look somewhat closer to home. Leadership knows where the buck stops. Humility helps, character counts. Leadership does not knowingly encourage or feed ugly or debased appetites in us. Leadership lives by the American creed, E pluribus unum...We were not made great as a country by indulging in or even exalting our worst impulses, turning against ourselves, glorifying in the things that divide us, and calling fake things true and true things fake."
"We must be unafraid to stand up and speak out as if our country depends on it, because it does."
I appreciate Flake's call to action. More Republicans must find the political courage to put country ahead of party. The danger Trump poses to our democracy crosses party lines and strikes at the heart of our deepest values. We all have a duty to speak out.

Flake's call to action will amount to nothing. The majority of republicans supports Trump, the bigot, liar and scammer.
http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a12846097/republicans-support-trump-obamacare-assault/

Robert Reich
2 hrs ·
We must remain vigilant. Steve Bannon and his operatives are ramping up efforts to squash any opposition that stands the way of Trump’s complete domination of our government.
In next year’s midterm elections, they plan to target Republicans who don’t their pledge absolute loyalty to Trump and his agenda. Bannon already has his eye on at least five Senate races, and has encouraged Trump loyalists to primary incumbents.
In Arizona, he was quick to throw his support behind Kelli Ward, a far right candidate who promises to dutifully support the president. The move immediately brought the political pressure on incumbent Jeff Flake to boiling point. Upon hearing the news of that Flake will not seek reelection, Bannon reportedly bragged to friend, “Another day, another scalp.”
Mike Pence’s chief of staff also recently told an audience of Trump donors: “Just imagine the possibilities of what can happen if our entire party unifies behind [Trump]? If — and this sounds crass — we can purge the handful of people who continue to work to defeat him.”
Another component of Bannon’s strategy is to unite the Republican party’s grassroots factions. In the Alabama senate race, Bannon has engineered an alliance between Christian conservatives and anti-establishment activists behind extremist candidate Roy Moore. If coalition takes hold, it could pose a serious threat to Republican incumbents across the country.
Folks, Bannon’s operation poses a serious threat to our democracy. He and Trump are intent on electing a slate of unwavering loyalists who will do their bidding.

It's well known that Trump wants loyalty to him, and not to the Constitution. It seems like he's winning that 'war.' The unfortunate thing is that as our economy continues to do well, people will vote for Trump. The money in their pocket is more important than having a dictator as the leader of this country. Between Trump and Putin, they're going to take over the world.

https://www.facebook.com/RBReich/videos/1760562220623033/

Robert Reich
2 hrs ·
In 1994, I delivered a warning to Washington: growing economic inequality would cause widespread distrust in our political institutions, and that frustration could easily be maniuplated to turn us against each other. Part of the speech made it into our new documentary, "Saving Capitalism," which comes out tomorrow on Netflix.

Robert Reich
9 mins ·
Trump obsesses about foreign trade taking away American jobs. The bigger worry is global corporations and foreign nations undermining American democracy.
A side benefit of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation is the exposure of the lucrative work lobbyists from both parties have been doing on behalf of foreign interests, without them registering as foreign agents -- as required under the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938. FARA, as it’s called, was enacted to expose Nazi propagandists in the U.S, but has taken on new importance in this era of foreign influence.
Mueller’s indictments against Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and his assistant, Rick Gates, charge them with using a Brussels-based nonprofit organization to hide their multimillion-dollar lobbying campaign in the U.S. on behalf of a Ukrainian political party friendly to Russia.
Allegedly, they hired two lobbying firms, the Podesta Group and Mercury, to do the lobbying, paying them from offshore accounts they controlled.
Also under the gun: Former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, who retroactively registered as a paid foreign agent for Turkish interests.
Since Mueller was appointed, more people and firms have either filed or amended registrations that make public their work on behalf of foreign interests than have done so over the past 20 years. We have a right to know.

Robert Reich
3 mins ·
This week's essay: The True Path to Prosperity
It’s often thought that Democrats care about fairness and not economic growth, while Republicans care about growth even at the cost of some fairness.
Rubbish. Growth and fairness aren’t opposites. In reality, Democrats are the party of economic growth and fairness. Republicans are the party of neither.
The only way to grow the economy is by investing in the education, healthcare, and infrastructure that average Americans need in order to be more productive. Growth doesn’t “trickle down.” It rises up.
Consider the two biggest legislative initiatives over past decade – the Affordable Care Act, achieved without a single Republican vote, and the current Trump-Republican tax overhaul, speeding ahead without a single Democrat.
The ACA extends coverage to 21 million mostly lower-income Americans, including millions of children.
It’s largely paid for by two tax increases on the rich – a 3.8 percent increase on their capital gains taxes and other investment-related income, and a 0.9 percent surcharge on their Medicare taxes. Those tax increases are a major reason why Republicans have wanted to repeal it.
But the ACA isn’t just about fairness. Healthier Americans are also more productive workers. Children who receive health care are better learners. The Act thereby fuels economic growth and widens prosperity.
Republicans say their tax overhaul will promote growth by increasing the profits of American corporations and investors. This is trickle-down nonsense.
Every major study (including Congress’s own Congressional Budget Office and Joint Committee on Taxation) finds that its benefits would go mainly to big corporations and the wealthy.
Share prices may rise for a time. They’re already at record highs in anticipation of the tax cut. But higher share prices don’t trickle down, either. The richest 1 percent owns almost 38 percent of the stock market. Eighty percent of Americans together own just 8 percent of all shares of stock.
This won’t fuel growth. Corporations expand and invest only when customers are eager to buy what they produce. And most of these customers are middle-income and below, who spend just about all they earn. The rich spend only a small fraction.
Profits are now at record levels but corporations aren’t investing them. They’re using them instead to pump up share prices and executive pay.
After the Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003, economic growth stalled and then dissolved in recession. After the 2004 corporate tax holiday for bringing foreign profits home, corporations didn’t invest or expand. The Reagan tax cut of 1981 didn’t cause wages to rise; they flattened.
What’s the real formula for growth? Better access to education, healthcare, and transportation, all of which make workers more productive.
These more productive workers command higher wages. With higher wages, they purchase more goods and services. These purchases motivate companies to expand and invest, and create more and better jobs.
American experienced this virtuous cycle for thirty years after World War II. We invested unprecedented sums in education, healthcare, and infrastructure. We financed these investments through higher taxes on the rich and on big corporations.
The economy boomed and wages shot upward. The wages of the bottom fifth rose even faster than the wages of the top fifth. This unleashed consumer spending, which generated more growth.
The Clinton administration tried this formula on a much smaller scale in the 1990s, raising taxes on the top and investing in education and infrastructure. The economy boomed, 23 million new jobs were created, and for the first time since the late 1970s the typical American’s wage rose.
The Trump-Republican tax overhaul would take us in the opposite direction. It raises taxes on the middle class, which would reduce their purchasing power. The Senate version would cut the Affordable Care Act, causing millions to lose coverage.
It also explodes the federal debt, which will stymie growth. Debt service itself would likely require cuts in other programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, education, and transportation.
Senator Orrin Hatch warned last week that the Children’s Health Insurance Program may not be refunded “because we don’t have money anymore.”
The current tax proposal would also eliminate the state and local tax deduction, which would likely cause states to cut back spending, including education and infrastructure.
All of this would slow economic growth.
For years, Republicans have been selling tax cuts by lying that they spur growth, which trickles down to average Americans.
For just as long, Democrats have been selling fairness, but without explaining why a fairer economy is also more productive and prosperous.
It’s time for Democrats to make the case. It has the virtue of being true.

Robert Reich
November 30 at 1:57pm ·
Corporations have openly admitted they have no intention to use their savings from a tax cut to boost wages or create jobs. Yet Trump and Republicans in Congress continue to make bogus claims that their massive corporate giveaways would trickle down to American workers.
The nation's top executives are instead promising to buy back shares of their own stock in order to line the pockets of their shareholders. In a recent earnings call, Amgen CEO Robert Bradway told investors that the company would continue “actively returning capital in the form of growing dividend and buyback." Executives for Cisco, Pfizer, and Coca-Cola have also made similar promises.
The sole purpose of these tax cuts, which are now very close passing in the Senate, is to reward the wealthiest interests in the country, not help middle-class and working families. Trump and Republicans in Congress are willing even willing to cut Medicare and Medicaid to boost corporate buybacks and stockholder dividends. This abominable tax bill must be stopped.