Robert Reich: He's Losing

[babylonsister]

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/robert-reich/114828/sunday-thought-he-s-losing

Sunday Thought: He’s Losing
by Robert Reich | September 7, 2025 - 5:20am

— from Robert Reich's Substack

Friends,

As I travel around the country flogging my new book Coming Up Short (which, please remember, you can order here, and the audiobook here), I’m seeing a groundswell of revulsion against Trump.

His economy is a disaster. He promised to bring down prices, yet the prices of most goods are rising. Food prices are soaring. Job growth has stalled. American manufacturing has contracted for six straight months.

snip//

He surrounds himself with sycophants and lapdogs who tell him only how wonderfully he’s doing — he fires anyone who tells him the truth — which means he’s flying blind and doesn’t know how badly he’s doing.

Trump’s rampage is inadvertently teaching many Americans the importance of things we once took for granted: democracy, the rule of law, due process, federalism, checks and balances. As well as the value of several programs we took for granted, such as Medicaid, food assistance, and child vaccines.

A new cohort of progressive young candidates is catching on with voters. They include Zohran Mamdani in New York and Senate candidates Graham Platner in Maine, Dan Osborn in Nebraska, Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, and Nathan Sage in Iowa.

The federal courts are doing a commendable job refusing to go along with what Trump wants. In just the last 10 days, they’ve said no to Trump’s taking tariff authority away from Congress, no to Trump’s withholding research funding from Harvard, no to Trump’s firing an FTC commissioner, no to his effort to deport Guatemalan children, no to his use of the wartime Alien Enemies Act to speed deportations, and no to the deployment of the National Guard for law enforcement purposes in California.

more...

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/robert-reich/114828/sunday-thought-he-s-losing

[underpants]

1. Great read.

Rec’d
Posted it all over X

[Scrivener7]

2. It feels like a race to the finish these days, but at least it's a race.

[paleotn]

3. Thank you, Robert Reich. We needed that.

And the ground swell of new Dem candidates are NOT doing Dems as usual. That goes for many established Dems. Yeah, Gavin Newsom. I'm looking at you. Well done. Keep it up. Many were doing it all along and I salute them!

To the rest of the party who clings to the mealy mouthed, institutional failure of the last several election cycles, either get on board or get the fuck out of the way. Maybe it is time for them to "spend more time with the grandkids."

[dalton99a]

4. Absolute power corrupts absolutely

[NNadir]

5. I convinced my wife to see a movie featuring Robert Reich lecturing. We're going in the next hour.

I really hope I can get my wife to go with me to see this film tomorrow:

The Last Class

Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich has been in the public eye for many things including his social media presence, best-selling books, and his public service, but he considered teaching his true calling in life. Deeply inspirational, THE LAST CLASS showcases an incredible educator quite literally giving his wealth of knowledge to over 1,000 students as he fills the largest lecture hall on UC Berkeley's campus for his final class.

When I told her it was about economic inequality, she was immediately interested.

[NNadir]

6. I strongly suggest, if one has access to an "art theater" to see the film "Last Class" featuring Robert Reich's...

...final lectures, before retiring, at Berkeley in his class "Wealth and Poverty."

It was a very moving film with considerable depth and insight, very moving.

[senseandsensibility]

7. Thank you for the optimism

and facts to support that optimism, Robert Reich. Nothing wrong with that at all. And don't worry, no one's going to get complacent if we allow ourselves to feel encouraged occasionally.