"Trump is fantasizing about a world without regulations or taxes . . . "
Trump may be fantasizing about it, but plutocrats such as Charles Koch, through the offices of their bagman Leonard Leo, are instituting it. By funneling money through Leo's innumerable shell corporations - to a myriad of antidemocratic causes, from the Federalist Society and Heritage Society to the Ginni Thomas and astroturf operatives on the ground. And increasingly the KochLeoMcConnell bought and bent Supreme Court. Turning the Constitution on its head to drain American law of justice. Hollowing out the foundational pillars of equality before the law, equal representation, and separation of church and state. Project 2025 (40% funded by KochLeo affiliated entities) will cement corporate clerical fascism under a demagogue.
Thank you. Your posts are an education in themselves. Thank you also for the links. Let’s keep working to keep the demagogue as far away from the White House as possible!
One way to help Democrats pound the tariff's true nature into average folks' minds is to call it the Hidden Sales Tax From Hell (hidden, because it's almost never a separate line-item on a retail sales receipt). Sure hope some Democratic pol's staff uses that or comes up with a better phrase!
Thank you for this information! What is doubly frightening about the ideological position of 'no taxes, no regulations' is that the world has changed so much, and become so much more complex, that regulations are needed more than ever to protect everyone, including the wealthy! R's seem to be fantasizing about America back when it was an agrarian nation of farmers, but it isn't 1790 anymore. They didn't have toxic chemicals back then, or nuclear reactors, or jet airliners, or processed foods. This is like gun laws that envision the US as still back in the age of muskets and flintlocks. I hope information about the dangers of tariffs and 'no regulations' is out there where the people can see it.... and with a month to go, we'd better hurry!
All well and good. Except I do not believe the general public will take the time to educate themselves on these historical issues. The message needs to be much simpler. Trump tax cuts went to benefit the rich at the expense of the poor and the middle-class. It also ballooned the deficit which shows the hypocrisy of the Republicans arguing that the deficit is too high. Of course the Republican’s solution is to cut back on social programs like Medicare and other welfare programs to lower the national debt at the expense of the middle and lower classes.
I totally agree that the message needs to be simple. Simple and direct, like: 'tax cuts will lead to cuts in Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security'. The issue of regulations is a bit tougher to simplify, but it needs to be put out there that without regulation, food and medicines may become less safe because they will not be tested or inspected. Ask if people would fly on a plane that had not been inspected or properly maintained. Maybe just a few examples would help people understand. Also, this: regulations = accountability. No regulations = no laws, no accountability, for business. A lot of people are already suspicious of 'Big Pharma' and have learned about the dangers of ultraprocessed food. So maybe a few examples like that would help get the message out.
I recommend Timothy Snyder’s latest Autocracy and Poverty: Trump and Vance bring them together.
“. .. television hosts ask how democracy is relevant to people who are voting on kitchen-table issues.
That’s easy.
When Trump destroys our democracy, he will also destroy our economy.
Autocracy will bring poverty. . .
Democracy is a method of checking corrupt rulers. When there is no functioning democracy, corruption is unchecked. . . When nothing works, when law does not matter, when elections are irrelevant, the only way Americans will be able to get anything done is by appealing to those who have power. We will have to give bribes to the corrupt and hope for favors from the top. Once we behave like this, we get used to the idea that only the leader can fix things, which is of course what Trump likes to say.”
The example of bribes is by no means Snyder’s most important point, but it got my attention. Paying bribes to get things done is something we have heard about in other countries, not something that is accepted as normal here.
The Ancient Chinese, and Roman Emperors feared Revolts of the Peasants, and Plebeians the most... Desperate People will do Desperate, and often Violent things.... A Healthy Democracy defuses that...
Concentration of power tends to corrupt incrementally. Democracy divides power (over others) along with the responsibilities for maintaining social justice into theoretically equal shares. A democratic republic makes it workable; but only so long a we keep it honest.
"As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy. Whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is no democracy." - Lincoln
Thank You... A true Democracy is dependent on Healthy Norms, and Participation.. A Healthy Society has a Healthy Circulation of Ideas within the Body Politic... In Western Societies, Ancient Athens is held as an Exemplar... However, Athens became corrupt, and became ruled by Demagogues who manipulated the voting populace for personal Power... In Indigenous Nations, Heyokas had the function to ridicule excesses, and used Ridicule as Weapons as does John Oliver now ...
Exactly -- and a tariff on everything (a hidden sales tax from hell) would grease the road to serfdom, complete with bribes and other barbarities, making make the USA a genuine, first-class s***hole country in short order.
Mark, yes, and I think the change will happen quickly. The people who would have voted in this insanity will whine and moan that they are "left behind, and they will be right, just as Trump's handlers want; they need slave labor and will find it easily because desperate people will take any work if they can keep from starving. They will of course, blame Kamala Harris for their plight or maybe also Biden because they will somehow have forced Trump to do whatever it is he actually does. The Trumpers and Trumpettes don't really follow what is going on in the world and have not noticed what is going on in Venezuela, Afghanistan, Hungary, and other nations that have allowed dictators to take over. It does not work, but ignorant voters who are trained to be angry, resentful, fearful, and hateful on command don't think further ahead than a day or two, or in this case, Election Day.
Don't Forget the Dark Siths like Elon Musk... In Butler Pennsylvania, 5-Oct-2014, Elon was Campaigning with DJT... I would Speculate that Politics is Elon's next Hustle... ADDENDUM: DJT in return for Elon's presence at the Butler Rally... On 'Truth Social DJT wrote: "When Elon Musk came to the White House asking me for help on all of his many subsidised projects, “whether it’s electric cars that don’t drive long enough, driverless cars that crash, or rocketships to nowhere, without which subsidies he’d be worthless, and telling me how he was a big Trump fan and Republican, I could have said, ‘Drop to your knees and beg,’ and he would have done it…” DJT treats other People as Expendable Commodities, and does not share the 'Spotlight' well...
How long until Trump proposes changing the name of Denali to "McKinley"... same way he opposed changing the racist names of military forts and taking down statues of Confederate Civil War "heroes"?
The reason that Denali was "officially" called McKinley for so long was Representatives and Senators from Ohio blocked every attempt to correct the name. It was the National Parks that restored the name first.
And my great-grandmother was 3 months pregnant. She named her third son William McKinley Flarsheim. I’ve learned more about President McKinley than most people because my name is William McKinley Flarsheim II.
I grew up with the wonderful call of Bob whites on Cape Cod, now vanished. They ought to be on the endangered species list sort of like humans with enough sense to do anything legally viable to stop insane criminals from gaining power in the US Government ie t & co.
In. NJ, 25 yrs ago, a single bobwhite moved in & he would strut up and down the sidewalk calling for Bob. He came back for years and it was very sad the year he didn’t return. I still miss that guy, the only bobwhite I’ve ever heard.
Your reference to Cape Cod and Bob Whites brought back a childhood memory of visiting Cape Cod with my grandparents in their cottage in Chatham. It’s where I heard and learned about Bob Whites!
It reminded me too of when I moved to RI in the early 80s and a small probably family of bobwhites would scurry outfrom a flowering quince near my kitchen window and run across the yard. I loved hearing their calls too. Not for so many years I totally forgot until reading this. I guess people must have hunted them for food.
I'll be headed to the Cape next week and I miss them every time I visit. As a kid, we did what we could to try and protect their habitat, but a handful of reckless children are no match against the wheels of development.
There still are private places that hone to hunting of quails and peasants. I think one of the SCOTUS judges was injured during a stay.. I too miss the bobwhite.
Yes, J L, a real hoot. The hidden punchline now is that their impressive propaganda machine pushes their ridiculous economic theories. I doubt that people are more gullible today than in the 19th century, but we are all prey to bots and AI and Fox Noise. Dems control the weather? FEMA is stealing from hurricane victims? It's utter crap that goes down smooth with many in our country. I know you know what I'm saying is the case, just a little ventilation on my part.
Well, T Roosevelt may have disliked McKinley but he was quite in sync with McKinleys positions particularly on tariffs and trade. He was an opponent of free trade and although he tended to avoid tariff issues (he saw what it did to McKinley politically) he was not opposed in general.
When a foreign government subsidizes an industry, like steel, to the point that other steel producing countries cannot compete, then a tariff is warranted. But to blankly put a tariff on steel from all countries is counter productive and inflationary.
My brother-in-law had a company that did contract sewing work for the clothing manufacturers. He had two factories, one near Buffalo and another in a small town in North Carolina employing about 50 seamstresses in each. It was a profitable business until Walmart decided to go to China to purchase their clothing. At the time Sam Walton advertised that if you buy at Walmart you are buying American. Within a few years, the contract sewing market in the US had totally dried up and my brother-in-law closed his doors laying off over 100 workers.
But the US consumers didn't give a rip about his 100 workers. They had no idea what Sam was doing and even if they did, they still weren't going to shop around for American sewn goods.
A 20% or 100% tariff now is not going to reopen plants that have been shuttered for 30 or more years. All it will accomplish is to raise prices.
He and his backers know plenty about the politics and economics of vampirism. The salesmen's label and the publicity proclaim "trickle down", the actual product sold is "SIPHON UP".
I think US consumers watched with zero concern as 90% of our shops closed their doors "on main street" while they happily bought cheap, disposable junk at walmart.
I lived in rural America before expatriating, and there was often no place BUT Walmart to get needed items. I did NOT want to shop there, but it was Walmart or nothing in many cases.
L duffy....oh, but they continue to whine about the good ole days and the wonderful stores on main street, not having figured out that they did it to themselves by running to Walmart and now Amazon. I once had a woman on Next Door whine about the fact that we have solar panels which she was sure were made in China. If she was worried about such items made there and other overseas places, she would be running around buck naked with hardly any appliance or furniture in her house.
That's why I haven't stepped inside of Walmart for at least 5 years. They made me angry them buying cheaply made items. Even their crappy candles come from China, do not burn well and stink.
China Mart has been a destructive force. When they move in locally owned small businesses close because they cannot compete. The Walton's could care less about American society and the common good just like the Vanderbilt's and their ilk in the Gilded Age.....
I can count on one hand the times I have set foot in Walmart. Once we had to because we were overnight in Chicago and my traveling companion needed a new suitcase. It was surreal. I don't do Amazon either if I can avoid it....buy my books from the wonderful Portland bookstore, Powell's. Also I have an ex-student who writes romances and she hates Amazon.
Rich—I’ve seen a small town grocery store put out of business by Walmart selling at a loss until the store closed and then hiking their prices because they had no competition.
Their other go-to panacea is tax cuts for the wealthy, which Charlie Pierce of Esquire correctly refers to as the GOP’s prion disease. No matter what the problem is, the Republican answer is to cut taxes for the wealthy and to impoverish the rest of us. It’s not working. The politicians who vote for these ruinous policies rarely, if ever, have to witness the consequences.
Before the 2020 election Catherine Rampell of The Washington Post pointed out that 4 new regulations by the Trump administration were going to cost billions. This isn't that article, but this is another from Rampell related to Trump regulations--
What goes along with this is the minted in steel myth that the GOP is "strong on the economy." I wish the Dems would do more to dispel this myth because I think it is adding to the bad opinions about the current economy, and is detrimental in other ways as well.
I don’t know what else Dems could do. They’ve enabled the strongest economy in decades and shouted its successes from the rooftops, yet 70% of debate viewers thought Trump won the bits on the economy. Didn’t PT Barnum say something like “It’s impossible to overestimate the stupidity of the American people?”
Trump has very few tools in his toolbox. He has chosen a few that sound good, sound tough, sound manly, and sticks with them until he doesn't. He's too lazy to do anymore, too busy playing golf (and fighting lawsuits).
Thank you for this link. The Rabbit Holes of Wiki filled with things I never knew about. Within that link I clicked on his daughter's link a truly fascinating woman.
Getting back to Marcus Hanna - I am constantly intrigued by the number of periphery ( in the sense of the brief history we learn in school ) characters who have these outsize influences on the course of history. The civil war is filled with them as I am sure every other important moment in out history has.
Another benefit of subscribing to Dr. Richardson's subtract - a never ending education.
That 60% of the population did not earn enough to cover basic needs in the 1920s is a stark figure. As a nation, we are doing better today, but only by luck and perseverance in guiding the economy wisely.
I don't see this battle between labor and business ending soon. I'm not sure government action is the way to fix this. In today's news, I'm reading that Stelantis is suing the UAW for threatening a strike because Stelantis plans to delay capital investments in factories for new vehicles (EVs) because EV demand has been soft. Stelantis over-invested in EVs because of incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act, and the public hasn't been that interested. The unions suppress flexibility because workers lives are upended when manufacturers face changing economic situations.
I don't see how to resolve this. The government is right to spur research and investments in electrification. Businesses are right to modify plans to adapt to changing marker conditions. Labor is right to fight for workers' tights for livable wages and predictable work.
I suspect there is no one answer to this set of structural conflicts. There is no perfect "set it and forget it" industrial policy, but rather an ongoing need for managing and tweaking. Like democracy, capitalism requires constant and careful tending. Such are complex human endeavors. Understanding what had worked and failed before helps, and HCR again provides an excellent lesson on that.
Biden seems to have learned from historical lessons and has the temperament and skills to direct the needed work to improve lives for everyone. Trump and too many Republicans don't have the patience, temperament, nor any wisdom to manage the economy except in a way that benefits themselves.
So much right wing ideology seems a pretext for rapacious personal greed. And yes, I agree that modern public policy must take aim at so many interactive and constantly moving targets, that we can never get it all right, but might finesse enough semi-self-regulating relationships to bring some beneficial structure to the ongoing chaos. And for that we need an empowered, educated public, not a propagandized and manipulated one.
That’s because their ideology is exactly a pretext for rapacious personal greed, and it harms not only people’s prospects, but also the planet’s prospects. The devastation of Hurricane Helene was a reminder of how climate change can impact people and communities who never thought it would happen to them.
“…. we need an empowered, educated public, not a propagandized and manipulated one.” I agree with this thought 100% and imagine what American public education would be like if serious investments were made to the rigorous development of teachers, ongoing meaningful staff development and opportunities for students
How much money does a person need? Some of these people are literally ill--Koch, Musk, Thiel, Bezos to a lesser degree perhaps. They have so much money, so much, but they are still hungry. I guess they weren't hugged enough or something. If only they looked inward and asked more questions than looking outward and providing "answers."
"This is what I mean by my constant insistence upon “moderation” in government. Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are H.L. Hunt (you possibly know his background), a few other Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid."
It is telling that those in the most privileged positions so often passionately resent any social assistance to those who are most deprived. And typically they are self-proclaimed and vainglorious "Christians". When self-interest excludes any other value, you are left with a sociopath.
“Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views beyond the comprehension of the weak; and that it is doing God’s service when it is violating all his laws.”
Yes, we need an empowered, educated public. There is a small chance of getting the empowered part in time to save civilization, but there is zero chance of getting the educated part. That is a multigenerational project and, even on that timescale, an uncertain one.
Thanks for this post. One thing that caught my eye was this: “Stelantis over-invested in EVs because of incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act, and the public hasn't been that interested.“
First of all, Stelantis over-invested. This seems to be a recurring theme: businesses make mistakes, but instead of taking their licks and righting the ship, the costs of those mistakes are passed on to consumers, workers, and other businesses. I know my interest in EVs has been stymied by their high cost, short range, and Tesla’s apparently incessant stream of fails.
But instead of addressing the problem, companies draw back like they’ve grabbed a hot skillet rather than facing up to their mistakes and doubling down on problem-solving.
I’m certainly no economist, but to my eyes, shareholder satisfaction has trumped common sense, morality, a view to the future, and business responsibility.
I say this not as a rebuke to your thoughtful, considered response but simply as observations to your point.
That's a good point too... this is a very complex issue. I can add that, re: EV's, my interest has been stymied by lack of adequate electrical infrastructure where I live, i.e. in my HOA we're not allowed to install the newer, better charging stations in our units. Also I believe I read somewhere that EV's are more expensive to repair, or am I getting that backward?
"According to Edmunds.com, the cost of maintaining an average electric car like a Chevrolet Bolt over a period of five years is approximately $2,800 – compared to over $4,400 for a gas-powered vehicle of similar size."
"A recent study on repair costs found that the average accident repair cost for EVs is about $950 higher than for gasoline cars. But, a large part of the extra expense had to do with the higher repair costs of Tesla models – which dominate the electric car market. For comparison, the average cost of repairing a non-Tesla EV was only $269 higher than the average gas car."
Yes. Range is not a problem, really. The lack of fast (level 3) charging stations that can deliver 250 miles or more of charge in 10 minutes is the problem. There needs to be a fast-charging site every 50 miles on every highway. When fast chargers are as ubiquitous as gas stations, people will flock to EVs. They are a far better product than gasoline-powered cars. (By the way, the reluctance to go EV is irrational, even without ubiquitous fast chargers. For almost all drivers, it’s cheaper to use an EV for most driving and rent gasoline vehicles for road trips than it is to own a gasoline vehicle.)
Companies are very openly palming more and more of their risks, costs and liabilities onto the public while extracting ever increasing profits. I read that Chicago sold its parking meters to a private company. If a street is closed for an event or a repair, the public is legally bound to pay the company for lost revenue from the parking meters. At least one state is obligated to pay private prisons for unfilled cells. Here's another example https://www.huffpost.com/entry/patriot-coal-mining_n_3210401
At some point Climate change is going to smack us in that face in ways we can no longer successfully ignore, or label "fake". https://science.nasa.gov/resource/video-climate-spiral-1880-2022/ EV would be a lot more viable without the plutocratic efforts to sabotage their deployment, as would be high speed trains that have proved their value in other industrialized countries. We have got to get organized against de facto bribery and mass distribution of disinformation, as a public sentiment most of all, and by law where practical. It's really a matter of life or death.
Plutocrats embraced and trumpeted the verity of Milton Friedman's thesis that the only social responsibilities of companies is to collect as much money as possible, which has greatly affected our laws; yet in a social contract context, it is just nonsensical. Why would We the People benefit from being serfs? Choose plutocracy over democracy?
"Patience, temperament, nor any wisdom...." Couldn't be more right on Mr. Helfand. We had better move forward more firmly with processes to evaluate political candidates' character before electing them! It can be done. Gordon J Hilsman, "Assessing the Character of Candidates for National Political Office">
There has been this business of over-touted overblown economies of scale, leading to vast corporate conglomerates and the mass destruction of small farms and small and medium businesses, sometimes small towns too. The damage to human communities has proved incalculable.
Am I mistaken in understanding that the Democratic Party platform includes plans to reverse this pattern that has been draining the lifeblood from society, especially victimizing rural communities?
The only all-weather leveler is the progressive tax system: the more you make/earn/own, the more tax you pay. All those riches came from everybody else in the first place. The progressive tax system is way behind and must catch up. The wealthy are eating our lunch, to use an old cliche just as the Robber Barons did. We need a new Trust Buster.
In theory, you may be correct. But the problem isn't the tax structure we use. Either a flat or progressive tax structure would work. The problem is the deductions and tax credits legislators have introduced into the tax code. They are intentionally designed to benefit the wealthy and create hardship for low-wage earners.
Low-income citizens have been mollified by the snake oil salesmen who tell us these deductions ease our tax burden. What they do not acknowledge is that the tax code is so complicated, a taxpayer must hire a professional to discover all the hidden tax breaks. Low-income taxpayers can't afford to hire professional tax preparers, so they miss opportunities to reduce their tax liabilities. Middle-income taxpayers pay for tax preparation, which reduces or cancels any savings they might achieve. Top-level taxpayer can afford to pay accountants to discover and exploit every possible loophole, thus reducing their tax liabilities significantly.
Counter-intuitively, deductions advantage the wealthy and make a progressive tax structure regressive.
Shouldn't we all want people to do well, become less dependent on government and able to retire and have the resources to be cared for at the end? We should aim for people to have just that, but not so far beyond reason that others end up suffering inspite of contributing mightily to the economy.
Well said. No “one size fits all”, to manage the economy. Like democracy, it’s a constantly changing environment, that is subject to the whims of the people, which are often determined by environmental factors such as weather & disease. Not to mention ignorant idiots who spread misinformation.
Do we have another pair of Roosevelt cousins on the horizon. Rich men who had the gravitas to transform the stage, albeit temporarily. This time, I hope it’s women who will be transformative. Joe set the stage, and what a job he did. And he paid the price for being a work horse, not a show horse. And for being the target of the most exhaustive propaganda campaign since Goebbels.
I doubt that 2% of our population knows of what Heather wrote about today. I knew some but not the timeline which separates the wheat from the chaff. And sanity has no spokesmodel today, except the Democrats who are being denigrated daily by our “not so free” press. All must rise up, and smack down ignorance, stupidity, greed and hate. Rupert has given them voice and led others down that path of deception and lies that would shame Pinocchio. Down with Pinocchio, in all his iterations.
For my part in saving democracy, I have already shared HCR's letter plus two short exerpts on facebook. All before sunrise. My target is hard working, skilled labor friends who were insulted and put out of jobs by president Clinton and my then Governor Granholm. Trump is no dummy - he knows his audience. Scary.
I'm repeating a pointer to Wahjat Ali's 25 minute interview with former GOP advisor and media consultant Kurt Bardella titled, "How Can Liberals Finally Compete With Right-Wing Media and Win?"
Hadn't heard of Frank Luntz and just looked him up. What a well developed advance-stages mess we have! And you, JD have been 'around the block' many times and I get it that you're not surprised but I and so many others are newish to having the time to take a wide view and give time to piecing *it* all together so every way new glimpses can inform and reach others seems worthy of amplifying.
Unrelated but I'm stymied that Wajahat Ali's substack knew who I referred and sent me a "3 month comp reward".
So in favor of repeating the info over and over. I’m older than most here and yes, I have been around the block back when the signs were easy to ignore. Bill Moyers warned us, so he is and has been my hero. So grateful that HCR is telling a truth that many find hard to hear, and many will never hear. But plug on we must. Ali sounds like a worthwhile post. Good for you.
Joan, thank you so much for recommending Heather’s readers to watch the interview, "How Can Liberals Finally Compete With Right-Wing Media and Win?" I was blown away with Kurt Bardella’s assessment of both the Republican and Democratic Parties media strategies (past/present/future). His background and experiences are so insightful that I truly recommend taking the time to watch!
VANCE: We're the two fory-yar-old millennials who are shaping the future of the Republican Party
RUFO: Thanks to the brave new world dominated by partisan social media, we can say all kinds of ridiculous crap and suffer precisely zero political consequences
VANCE: Even if it's the sort of empirically untrue nonsense that would have been laughed off the public stage as recently as 20 or 30 years ago
RUFO: Lest we forget, we certainly wouldn't be here today were it not for the bold leadership of President Trump
VANCE: All praise His name
RUFO: Trump has pioneered previously unthinkable frontiers in Saying Whatever Bullshit He Wants and Never Suffering Any Consequences
RUFO: So in 2021, I convinced nearly half of America that an obscure legal philosophy known as "Critical Race Theory: was being used in public schools tyo brainwash children into hating white people
VANCE: I remember! You even told the wold that you were intentionally distorting the meaning of CRT to weaponize against the liberals
RUFO: Worked like a charm!
DeSANTIS: Hey, just wanted to thank you again for helping me repurpose the word "groomers" to imply that anyone talking about gays or gtransgenerts to children was effectively molesting them
RUFO: Couldn't have done it without you, Ron!
VANCE: You guys are a true inspiration. I've been working on some stuff of my own insisting that Haitians who emigrated legally during the Biden-Harris Administration really shouldn't count and may as well be illegals
RUFO: That's the spirit!
VANCE: I also defended the complete lie about Haitians eating house pets by citing the necessity to "created stories" to draw attention to our immigration problems
RUFO: Damn, borther, you are slick!
VANCE: Oh hey, thanks
VANCE: My current crusade it to get those pesky "fact-checkers" off our back by equating fact-checking to censorship.
DeSANTIS: Hey, why do you think conservatives are fact-checked so much more often than liberals?
(all three enjoya a hearty laugh)
RUFO: Let's just go with "liberal media bias"
VANCE: It turns out that no lie is so outrageous that it would convince a Republi can to vote fofr a Democrat
RUFO: And as long as we can lie without losing any votes, we can manipulate the discourse to our liking
Aha! Tariffs are not the key to a strong economy, and Trump is fantasizing again! Thank you Heather for once again delivering a message of truth and hope!
"Trump is fantasizing about a world without regulations or taxes, where high tariffs permit the wealthy to collude to raise prices on ordinary Americans and to use that money to live like kings while workers, farmers, and entrepreneurs barely scrape by… a world like McKinley’s. "
As are the billionaires who bought the Republican Party wholesale. Follow the money.
We should look at what a "strong economy" is about; a diverse and prosperous decentralized entrepreneurial economy, or ever fewer choices and opportunities as the preponderance of the wealth of nations is hoovered into billionaire money bins?
Thank you, Dr Cox Richardson, for showing us that candidate Trump is living proof of George Santayana's concern that failing to learn from history ushers in an often awful repeat. The 1890s sound much like today; tariffs are a regressive tax, much like sales taxes as fixed *burdens (i.e., the same tax-rate applicable to all) take a bigger percentage bite out of a slimmer pay-check. The big-diff. comes with sales taxes in the U.S. varying among states and cities from 0-8% as opposed to 25-50% across the nation for tariffs.
Speaking of failing to learn from history, Joyce Vance’s most recent newsletter is well worth a read. It speaks to the legacy of having pardoned Nixon & the consequences of not pursuing the cases against Trump should he lose the election (moot point if he wins). Sobering read.
I learned about Wajahat Ali's substack from a commenter in HCR's newsletter and am now a paid subscriber because his interviews with people continually provide alternative 'takes' on what we see going on that enlighten me. Yesterday I watched his 25 minute interview with former GOP advisor and media consultant Kurt Bardella titled, "How Can Liberals Finally Compete With Right-Wing Media and Win?"
Joyce Vance is correct about this. Gerald Ford laid a foundation for future lawlessness when he pardoned Nixon, although I don’t think Ford had the perception to realize this. Lewis Powell led the resurgence and dominance of large business and huge private fortunes with his Powell memo back in 1971, and once he became a Supreme Court Justice, he helped the court to chip away at the safeguards built into our political system, including those against legalized bribery. Republican justices ever since have managed to do even worse. The only way out of this impasse is to increase the Supreme Court’s size and mandate term limits, which might be impossible to do with the firm opposition of Trump’s party.
Excellent point Kathy. Kind of like what I heard from a black man that called in to the radio last week, "We might stay home and not vote, because for the last 40 years we have watched as the voting rights act has been chipped away making it harder for us to vote and the Democrats have not done much to stop it. We now see that we have been taken for granted and are tired of it so it is possible that since the Democrats have done nothing to fight for us in this situation, it might be that many of us (black men) will stay home or vote Republican."
As I sat in the car reflecting on that, I cannot find a way to argue with it. Yes, Democrats in the previous two congressional session put together legislation to address those issues, but it was too little, too late with the Senate in the hands of the conservatives (not republicans) and the SCOTUS in the hands of the CONservatives. I can see that the Democrats have basically sat on their hands as the "death by a thousand cuts" strategy was being applied. One great example is Roe v. Wade. Democrats had decades in which to codify this right for women and rarely did anything. Once the CONservatives realized (Powell MEMO) that the courts were key and liberals kept relying on them and not legislation, the dye was set. Moscow Mitch and the funds from the Kochs and their Dark Money circle have created this mess that no matter how the majority votes, they can do whatever the hell they want.
Disenfranchisement (after Ford's pardon) started when Congress passed the ERA, the first Constitutional amendment with an expiry date, and culminated with Citizens United making campaigns about raining money to get to 270.
IMHO the best curative would be to join other democracies by electing our president by popular vote. Voter turnout would increase and down ballot races become more competitive (assuming ridiculous voter suppression rules of engagement are also reined in).
I agree. I read or heard somewhere that the members of SCOTUS are only guaranteed a FEDERAL judgeship & not necessarily the Supreme Court. No idea if this is correct or not. But I’m thinking that if the president appointed them & they only need congressional approval, why can’t he move them to another federal judgeship. And take that vacant position & replace that supreme court judge with one of his choosing. Of course, with the current congressional makeup, that’s a no go. But with Democratic majority in house & senate, maybe that would be possible? Like I said. I heard that. No idea of its veracity. Short of that, time to pack the court. I’m ready to be done with these traitors.
I remember the pardon of President Nixon. Back in 1974, I was angry that President Nixon had not stood trial and been convicted prior to being pardoned. In retrospect, however, I believe President Ford served us nobly by pardoning President Nixon.
This premise, espoused by Mmes Vance and Cox Richardson, is ill-conceived for four reasons. 1st, as we see today, the process would have taken years and may have torn the country part as it played out.
2nd, everyone knew -- as well-known Republican Senators Goldwater and Scott emphasized -- that President Nixon was guilty. I believe most people felt there was no way we would see another President Nixon ever again.
3rd, by accepting the pardon, President Nixon admitted to wrong-doing, as per the Supreme Court case of Burdick versus the United States of 1915. This admission and its underlying precedent tipped President Ford into granting the pardon.
4th, people like Oliver North, candidate Trump et al. simply do not calculate their decisions that way. The thought may cross their minds, but it is likely a flicker rather than an inducement. In essence, they seek the results, first, and worry about it, later.
P.S., Jan. That essay by Joyce Vance seemed more worried about sweeping Trump into the great dust-bin of history without accountability, if he loses the election. Little is said about what will happen if he wins.
All that said, I agree with Mmes Cox Richardson and Vance that candidate Trump should be prosecuted. Candidate Trump is worse than President Nixon; the latter was not seen as above the law but as spared the law.
The idea that President Nixon was a one-off tragic hero brought down by a tragic flaw is obsolete. President Nixon handed over the incriminating evidence. Candidate Trump is seeking to destroy the republic.
Without conviction and serving the time, there is no deterence for future JD Vances to skirt laws, destroy institutions, and make the Office of President a cherished prize of the next autocrat-to-be instead of a position earned and cherished in service of the people in our form of democracy. These future amoral wannabees will have learned that the prize of power unfettered by laws or ethics is really possible if you play the system real smart.
Certainly I see parallels between the corrupt Gilded Age and the extended Reagan era. And also important differences. The US seemed awash with resources and pollution was mostly of local concern. We could not turn back the clock even if we wanted to.
I also came here to quote Santayana’s ‘Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.’ Thank you Heather Cox Richardson for your effort to shine a light on history. Sadly, a very large part of our population is willfully ignorant and will gladly cast their vote to send us down the road to ruin.
That's why I urge Dems to call tariffs the Hidden Sales Tax From Hell -- hidden because tariffs almost never appear on a customer's receipt and are just part of the advertised selling price.
Heather Cox Richardson points out more historical truths regarding Trump’s dangerous plan to tank the economy but more importantly harm the most vulnerable, retirees.
As Heather explains tariffs function as a tax on imported goods, meaning that American consumers bear the brunt of the cost—not foreign governments. If Trump imposes a 20% tariff on all imports, and up to 60% on Chinese goods, prices on everyday necessities like food, clothing, and electronics would skyrocket. For low-income households, which spend a higher proportion of their income on such essentials, the increased cost would be devastating.
A typical family could face an average annual increase of over $2,600 in expenses. Additionally, spiking inflation—potentially up to 20%—would further erode the purchasing power of fixed incomes, making it harder for these individuals to cover basic costs like rent, utilities, and healthcare. Trump's tariff plan, far from bringing prosperity, would replicate the economic inequality and usher in a Neo fascist -Gilded Age, enriching corporations while squeezing the working class and vulnerable populations. For those already struggling to get by, this policy would push them further into financial instability.
Trump's tariff plan, combined with his harsh immigration policies and obsession with retribution against those who disagree with him, paints a grim picture of what life could look like for ordinary Americans—especially for those on fixed incomes and the most vulnerable struggling now under a $20,000 a year income. His tariffs would not only raise prices on essential goods, punishing the poorest families, but also serve as a tool of control, squeezing the life out of those already struggling to make ends meet. Inflation could spike as high as 20%, while wages remain stagnant, making survival a daily battle for millions.
Overlaying this economic devastation is Trump's dangerous authoritarian streak. His track record of using power to punish political opponents, immigrant communities, and dissenters points to a regime where control and cruelty define governance. Immigrants—targeted with draconian policies, family separations, and deportations—would continue to face relentless hostility. Meanwhile, anyone who dares to challenge Trump’s rule could be subjected to retaliatory actions, from legal harassment to public demonization.
Under Trump’s vision, we see an extravagant return to the Gilded Age’s economic inequality—where the rich live in luxury, protected by tariffs and political favoritism, while the working class, immigrants, and dissenters suffer under crushing costs and a government that prioritizes loyalty to the leader above all else.
For low-income Americans, especially those who disagree with him or belong to marginalized groups, this future looks not only economically perilous but also politically oppressive. It’s a reality where survival is a struggle, freedom of expression is under attack, and the American dream becomes an impossibility for all but the wealthiest and most obedient.
This is one great example of why we read you every day, Professor—your knowledge of history and ability to explain it, plus make it so relevant for today, really help us to think beyond just our anger and fear of what could be coming. Thank you!
And to make up for the short shrift that our schools give to history. When the generations that live through crises die, and their children move forward, often not passing on lessons learned, we seem to start all over, learning anew. Or sadly, not knowing the hard lessons of the past. As my mother said, “you don’t want to know that old stuff.” Well, thanks to Heather and many who have tried to keep the lessons relevant for us and our progeny. But, another thing that my mother said to me rings in my ears. “you have to learn things the hard way, you don’t listen.” She was right, and that seems to apply to more than me, sad to say. I have learned to listen. May we all.
Today’s LFAA is a reminder that the lie undergirding Trump repeatedly harping on the amount of money foreign countries will pay into our treasury through tariffs persists and will continue as such until it is effectively quelled. While I recall at the Harris/ Trump debate that David Muir offered some clarification, we need our candidates unequivocally and repeatedly to clarify that a tariff is a tax paid by the importer and passed to consumers.
Exactly, the MAGAts and other propagandized “undecideds,” just think that the other countries are just going to fork over all the money for their grandiose schemes. Nothing could be farther from the truth, but who will tell them.
JD, Harris’s outstanding debate performance notwithstanding, at the outset she blew her opportunity to explain, in plain English as I have done, what a tariff is. Given tariffs are the cornerstone of Trump’s answer to near everything related to the economy, we can’t allow his bastardized explanation of tariffs to go unanswered.
Joan, I very much appreciate you writing Harris, and I hope others join you. I am refraining only because I’m trying to prioritize my contacts so not to risk appearing excessive and damaging my credibility.
Barbara, Harris is not solely responsible for informing and educating Americans about what a tariff is. She’s been trying. Where are the journalists at NYT, WaPo, Fox, and others in a position to inform rather than spread the lies, misinformation, and propaganda re tariffs? I’ve written letters to editor and journalists and if any thing get arguments back. They often are ignorant or irresponsible as Trump. It’s disgusting. And I don’t see them patient enough to read a historical piece.
Bonnie, I referenced Harris because early in her debate with Trump she and Trump were engaged in an exchange, wherein Harris asserted Trump’s economic plan would entail added sales taxes. Trump denied the claim, stating his plan entailed imposing tariffs on imported goods. Though David Muir tried to offer some clarification, I blame Harris for failing to ensure voters understood that a tariff is a tax paid by the importer and passed to consumers.
Btw, no one need “read a historical piece.” In the case of a tariff, our candidates need only make clear that tariffs are not paid by the out-of-country exporter but by the domestic importer, who then passes the tax to consumers.
Yes, I also watched the debate and heard the exchange. You are missing my point. Let’s stop blaming Harris for the failure of NYT, WaPo, Rupert, Elon, and others who have more than ample opportunities to correct the BS spewed by Trump regarding tariffs and other issues such as the use of federal funds for hurricane relief. Where do you stop blaming her? If she were held responsible for correcting all of his lies, she would have no time to do anything else. Then corporate media would blame her for not holding press conferences etc.
Bonnie, I simply held her responsible for a missed opportunity precisely to explain what a tariff is. I amplify this point largely because Trump’s deceptive explanation of tariffs is central to his economic policy.
I thought she missed that opportunity at the time as well Barbara, a tariff is a sales tax always paid by the purchaser of the product. While tariffs will impact how many items are sold in a given market the lack of those sales is bound to effect the countries that manufacture them, anyone that thinks it won’t effect our exports is clueless. Just look at what the insipid orange turd’s tariffs on Chinese exports did to our grain exports to China, he had to bail out our rich farmers who were standing to loose their entire harvest because they no longer had a market to sell to. He ended up subsidizing them to the tune of $20 billion because he killed their market, and he wants to do it again. 👎🏻👎🏻💥
Dick, I very much appreciate you broadening the discussion. I also would note a difference we could expect, were Trump do be re-elected, would entail him having no impetus to subsidize anyone because he wouldn’t need anyone’s vote.
JD, Admittedly, when I posted, MAGAts were not on my screen. Instead, my mind was laser-focused on connecting with as wide a range of voters as possible situated between the extremes.
Having said that, I would agree that MAGA is off the spectrum entirely and therefore must be increasingly rendered irrelevant.
KGB defector Yuri Bezmenov showed in his lecture on KGB psychological subversion that a part of weakening a country to create a Civil War or possible invasion is to tank that countries economy. So first Putin tampered with our politics creating a division to weaken America. And next using Trump as a catalyst Putin will destroy our economy. This might still not allow for a U.S. invasion by Russia. But it may weaken the U.S. well enough for a full Russian takeover of Ukraine and possibly more of Europe.
And yet, the average American citizen does not understand tariffs, or the economy, and Trump gets around campaign finance laws and bribery charges, by selling Trump label AK-15 rifles and other guns and ammo to his followers, and allows people like the Saudis or the governor of Oklahoma another source of gaining influence with him by buying huge numbers of whatever he is selling from Bibles, to guns. Why are so many Americans ignorant about how the economy works and why is our media not educating anyone on anything real and important? Thanks to you Dr. Richardson for doing the heavy lifting when it comes to educating people on how tariffs work. I wish you could be played on Fox News where the information is really needed.
You know your "tariffs" Heather and as is your wont and wisdom, made us, your readers, cognicent of their menace spread by the human contagion of Mr. Trump.
On that score, it reminds me that one of the things Bill Barr ensured was censored from the public version of the Mueller Report was the possibility that Trump took a $10M bribe from the government of President Al-Sisi of Egypt. We also know that his son-in-law Jared Kushner received $2B from the Saudis’ sovereign wealth fund (MBS gave Jared the money despite objections from other Saudis) and that Jared also received $1B from the government of Qatar. It makes me wonder how much money Trump took under the table from other governments. Our media outlets are rather disinterested in investigating what should be a critical issue. We know Trump is corrupt, but far too many who should be investigating are busily highlighting the horse race aspects of the election and concentrating far too little on the policies of each candidate.
If anyone will destroy the nation, it will be Trump and his gang of Republican toadies and minions. They will rubber stamp anything he does, no matter how illegal or unconstitutional.
I’ve been out canvassing. While we are soothing each other with our correct understanding of the situation, many of our fellow voters are believing Trump and Republican lies. And then there are some who don’t vote, who never vote, who leave it to God to decide. Very disheartening. Many people I have visited are not interested in information…minds made up, doors closed. And they don’t read HCR.
I have to admit I don’t know how to get past the wall that the Koch’s, Leo etc have financed.
Keep up the fight, brother. The stakes couldn’t be too much higher. If the race is indeed tied the way it appears, we only need to move one or two voters out of 100 to keep our democracy.
The Gilded Age. A thin veneer of lipstick on a capitalist pig? Sounds about right.
"Trump is fantasizing about a world without regulations or taxes . . . "
Trump may be fantasizing about it, but plutocrats such as Charles Koch, through the offices of their bagman Leonard Leo, are instituting it. By funneling money through Leo's innumerable shell corporations - to a myriad of antidemocratic causes, from the Federalist Society and Heritage Society to the Ginni Thomas and astroturf operatives on the ground. And increasingly the KochLeoMcConnell bought and bent Supreme Court. Turning the Constitution on its head to drain American law of justice. Hollowing out the foundational pillars of equality before the law, equal representation, and separation of church and state. Project 2025 (40% funded by KochLeo affiliated entities) will cement corporate clerical fascism under a demagogue.
John Oliver on the courts
https://youtu.be/j3w8-d_fnqE?si=gLXavnH-irJxIxeo
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/supreme-court-leonard-leo-consumers-research-safety-1235115686/
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/supreme-court-big-oil-leonard-leo-climate-change-trial-1235031027/
Eli Merritt on demagogues
https://youtu.be/5Z7gXOu6DX4?si=zigHn4FYQAJ3dwKb
https://www.propublica.org/article/jd-vance-alex-jones-leonard-leo-teneo-maddow-video
Thank you. Your posts are an education in themselves. Thank you also for the links. Let’s keep working to keep the demagogue as far away from the White House as possible!
The Museum of Political Corruption celebrates presenting its Nellie Bly Award to ProPublica for its investigative reporting on the Supreme Court.
https://museumofpoliticalcorruption.org/
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nellie-bly-award-2024-honoring-propublica-tickets-1010146574597
What an ingenious website: the museum of political corruptioin. Thanks, lin*.
James, lots of exhibits in this museum. And yes, thanks lin* for all the sites.
One can also appreciate the snark in the (fictional) "DJT Library". "Exhibits" such as "The Wall of Criminality".
https://djtrumplibrary.com/
Lin, thanks for the information and the links.
One way to help Democrats pound the tariff's true nature into average folks' minds is to call it the Hidden Sales Tax From Hell (hidden, because it's almost never a separate line-item on a retail sales receipt). Sure hope some Democratic pol's staff uses that or comes up with a better phrase!
Indeed!!!!!!
Thank you for this information! What is doubly frightening about the ideological position of 'no taxes, no regulations' is that the world has changed so much, and become so much more complex, that regulations are needed more than ever to protect everyone, including the wealthy! R's seem to be fantasizing about America back when it was an agrarian nation of farmers, but it isn't 1790 anymore. They didn't have toxic chemicals back then, or nuclear reactors, or jet airliners, or processed foods. This is like gun laws that envision the US as still back in the age of muskets and flintlocks. I hope information about the dangers of tariffs and 'no regulations' is out there where the people can see it.... and with a month to go, we'd better hurry!
All well and good. Except I do not believe the general public will take the time to educate themselves on these historical issues. The message needs to be much simpler. Trump tax cuts went to benefit the rich at the expense of the poor and the middle-class. It also ballooned the deficit which shows the hypocrisy of the Republicans arguing that the deficit is too high. Of course the Republican’s solution is to cut back on social programs like Medicare and other welfare programs to lower the national debt at the expense of the middle and lower classes.
I totally agree that the message needs to be simple. Simple and direct, like: 'tax cuts will lead to cuts in Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security'. The issue of regulations is a bit tougher to simplify, but it needs to be put out there that without regulation, food and medicines may become less safe because they will not be tested or inspected. Ask if people would fly on a plane that had not been inspected or properly maintained. Maybe just a few examples would help people understand. Also, this: regulations = accountability. No regulations = no laws, no accountability, for business. A lot of people are already suspicious of 'Big Pharma' and have learned about the dangers of ultraprocessed food. So maybe a few examples like that would help get the message out.
Well said
You have identified the true "Deep State".
Helped to pull the cover off "Dark Money."
Wow, now THERE is an idea we need to put out there!!
Don't forget Thiel.
I recommend Timothy Snyder’s latest Autocracy and Poverty: Trump and Vance bring them together.
“. .. television hosts ask how democracy is relevant to people who are voting on kitchen-table issues.
That’s easy.
When Trump destroys our democracy, he will also destroy our economy.
Autocracy will bring poverty. . .
Democracy is a method of checking corrupt rulers. When there is no functioning democracy, corruption is unchecked. . . When nothing works, when law does not matter, when elections are irrelevant, the only way Americans will be able to get anything done is by appealing to those who have power. We will have to give bribes to the corrupt and hope for favors from the top. Once we behave like this, we get used to the idea that only the leader can fix things, which is of course what Trump likes to say.”
https://open.substack.com/pub/snyder/p/autocracy-and-poverty?r=m52qv&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
The example of bribes is by no means Snyder’s most important point, but it got my attention. Paying bribes to get things done is something we have heard about in other countries, not something that is accepted as normal here.
The Ancient Chinese, and Roman Emperors feared Revolts of the Peasants, and Plebeians the most... Desperate People will do Desperate, and often Violent things.... A Healthy Democracy defuses that...
Concentration of power tends to corrupt incrementally. Democracy divides power (over others) along with the responsibilities for maintaining social justice into theoretically equal shares. A democratic republic makes it workable; but only so long a we keep it honest.
"As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy. Whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is no democracy." - Lincoln
Thank You... A true Democracy is dependent on Healthy Norms, and Participation.. A Healthy Society has a Healthy Circulation of Ideas within the Body Politic... In Western Societies, Ancient Athens is held as an Exemplar... However, Athens became corrupt, and became ruled by Demagogues who manipulated the voting populace for personal Power... In Indigenous Nations, Heyokas had the function to ridicule excesses, and used Ridicule as Weapons as does John Oliver now ...
Exactly -- and a tariff on everything (a hidden sales tax from hell) would grease the road to serfdom, complete with bribes and other barbarities, making make the USA a genuine, first-class s***hole country in short order.
Mark, yes, and I think the change will happen quickly. The people who would have voted in this insanity will whine and moan that they are "left behind, and they will be right, just as Trump's handlers want; they need slave labor and will find it easily because desperate people will take any work if they can keep from starving. They will of course, blame Kamala Harris for their plight or maybe also Biden because they will somehow have forced Trump to do whatever it is he actually does. The Trumpers and Trumpettes don't really follow what is going on in the world and have not noticed what is going on in Venezuela, Afghanistan, Hungary, and other nations that have allowed dictators to take over. It does not work, but ignorant voters who are trained to be angry, resentful, fearful, and hateful on command don't think further ahead than a day or two, or in this case, Election Day.
Recalled invited a bunch of big oil CEOs over and solicited $millions in bribes.
Don't Forget the Dark Siths like Elon Musk... In Butler Pennsylvania, 5-Oct-2014, Elon was Campaigning with DJT... I would Speculate that Politics is Elon's next Hustle... ADDENDUM: DJT in return for Elon's presence at the Butler Rally... On 'Truth Social DJT wrote: "When Elon Musk came to the White House asking me for help on all of his many subsidised projects, “whether it’s electric cars that don’t drive long enough, driverless cars that crash, or rocketships to nowhere, without which subsidies he’d be worthless, and telling me how he was a big Trump fan and Republican, I could have said, ‘Drop to your knees and beg,’ and he would have done it…” DJT treats other People as Expendable Commodities, and does not share the 'Spotlight' well...
lin, I so enjoyed the John Oliver video and I know that you were ecstatic when he brought up Leo’s name several times. I sure was!
Thank you for all this information.
I love your educational posts, Lin*!!!
As I recall from my readings, McKinley was assassinated.
And the name of the highest US mountain was changed from McKinley to Denali.
No, the name was changed from Denali to McKinley and finally restored to Denali. Many never called it by the name of some lower 48 politician.
I believe Denali is the original/native name. It was changed for a while and then changed back, mostly because of native activism.
How long until Trump proposes changing the name of Denali to "McKinley"... same way he opposed changing the racist names of military forts and taking down statues of Confederate Civil War "heroes"?
The reason that Denali was "officially" called McKinley for so long was Representatives and Senators from Ohio blocked every attempt to correct the name. It was the National Parks that restored the name first.
Right here in Buffalo.....!
Bill, he was indeed. My grandfather was close by.
Did your grandfather pull the trigger?
Why would you think this comment is funny?
Have you no sense of humor?
Please. Political violence in America, especially now, is no funny matter.
Classic reply from a gaslighter.
The comment
is Not funny.
And my great-grandmother was 3 months pregnant. She named her third son William McKinley Flarsheim. I’ve learned more about President McKinley than most people because my name is William McKinley Flarsheim II.
luckily for us
Mike, as always, the point is to enrich those at the top while making the middle class and the poor poorer.
It’s already Pitchfork Time.
¿My two word description of candidate Trump? 🤔
¡Awful, awful! 😡
¿My two word description of Senator shady Vance? 🤔
¡Awful offal! 🤢
Is it possible he could time travel there, and be someone's stable cleaner?
“They dropped the rates on paintbrush handles and bobwhite quails.” Well of course!
Got to look for humor when such a powerful piece leaves you stunned and furious.
And where is the bobtail quail industry now?
It’s flown the coop!
I grew up with the wonderful call of Bob whites on Cape Cod, now vanished. They ought to be on the endangered species list sort of like humans with enough sense to do anything legally viable to stop insane criminals from gaining power in the US Government ie t & co.
In. NJ, 25 yrs ago, a single bobwhite moved in & he would strut up and down the sidewalk calling for Bob. He came back for years and it was very sad the year he didn’t return. I still miss that guy, the only bobwhite I’ve ever heard.
Your reference to Cape Cod and Bob Whites brought back a childhood memory of visiting Cape Cod with my grandparents in their cottage in Chatham. It’s where I heard and learned about Bob Whites!
It reminded me too of when I moved to RI in the early 80s and a small probably family of bobwhites would scurry outfrom a flowering quince near my kitchen window and run across the yard. I loved hearing their calls too. Not for so many years I totally forgot until reading this. I guess people must have hunted them for food.
I'll be headed to the Cape next week and I miss them every time I visit. As a kid, we did what we could to try and protect their habitat, but a handful of reckless children are no match against the wheels of development.
There still are private places that hone to hunting of quails and peasants. I think one of the SCOTUS judges was injured during a stay.. I too miss the bobwhite.
I think you’re referring to Scalia, who went on hunting junkets, one of which is where Dick Cheney shot his friend in the face.
I miss that afternoon call so much. It should be St. Mary’s County Maryland’s song.
😹😹😹
🤣
Along with “Hoot-Smalley”. Preposterous pronouncements of pompous Republicans are always good for a laugh.
Yah but I think it is almost gallows humor at this point…
Yes, J L, a real hoot. The hidden punchline now is that their impressive propaganda machine pushes their ridiculous economic theories. I doubt that people are more gullible today than in the 19th century, but we are all prey to bots and AI and Fox Noise. Dems control the weather? FEMA is stealing from hurricane victims? It's utter crap that goes down smooth with many in our country. I know you know what I'm saying is the case, just a little ventilation on my part.
J L, these sorts of announcements always show how ignorant Rs are about just about everything.
Michele, well, it worked for them! The rich grew fantastically wealthier and became oligarchs. A true success for the bastards.
Love the alliteration. lol
McKinley has no more of a backbone than a chocolate eclair- T. Roosevelt
So there's that in common as well.
Well, T Roosevelt may have disliked McKinley but he was quite in sync with McKinleys positions particularly on tariffs and trade. He was an opponent of free trade and although he tended to avoid tariff issues (he saw what it did to McKinley politically) he was not opposed in general.
It seems that there is a time and place for tariffs, but not as the only tool in your kit.
When a foreign government subsidizes an industry, like steel, to the point that other steel producing countries cannot compete, then a tariff is warranted. But to blankly put a tariff on steel from all countries is counter productive and inflationary.
My brother-in-law had a company that did contract sewing work for the clothing manufacturers. He had two factories, one near Buffalo and another in a small town in North Carolina employing about 50 seamstresses in each. It was a profitable business until Walmart decided to go to China to purchase their clothing. At the time Sam Walton advertised that if you buy at Walmart you are buying American. Within a few years, the contract sewing market in the US had totally dried up and my brother-in-law closed his doors laying off over 100 workers.
But the US consumers didn't give a rip about his 100 workers. They had no idea what Sam was doing and even if they did, they still weren't going to shop around for American sewn goods.
A 20% or 100% tariff now is not going to reopen plants that have been shuttered for 30 or more years. All it will accomplish is to raise prices.
It’s closing the barn now that the horses have fled. Trump doesn’t know anything about economics, nor did Peter Navarro.
He and his backers know plenty about the politics and economics of vampirism. The salesmen's label and the publicity proclaim "trickle down", the actual product sold is "SIPHON UP".
You said that right, Trump doesn't know anything.
Doesn't know and doesn't care, unless it directly affects him.
I think US consumers watched with zero concern as 90% of our shops closed their doors "on main street" while they happily bought cheap, disposable junk at walmart.
I don’t shop Wally World! Always looking for made “In America”, which is hard to find but it’s definitely worth it 🇺🇸
I've shopped at MallWart twice, both times for borax for laundry, as it was nowhere else to be found. More than a decade ago now.
Me too, Made in America. But be careful of distributed in America.
Still happening
I lived in rural America before expatriating, and there was often no place BUT Walmart to get needed items. I did NOT want to shop there, but it was Walmart or nothing in many cases.
L duffy....oh, but they continue to whine about the good ole days and the wonderful stores on main street, not having figured out that they did it to themselves by running to Walmart and now Amazon. I once had a woman on Next Door whine about the fact that we have solar panels which she was sure were made in China. If she was worried about such items made there and other overseas places, she would be running around buck naked with hardly any appliance or furniture in her house.
Michele, I am not sure the news about the impact of Walmart ever made it to any news most people read.
That's why I haven't stepped inside of Walmart for at least 5 years. They made me angry them buying cheaply made items. Even their crappy candles come from China, do not burn well and stink.
😱😢
China Mart has been a destructive force. When they move in locally owned small businesses close because they cannot compete. The Walton's could care less about American society and the common good just like the Vanderbilt's and their ilk in the Gilded Age.....
I can count on one hand the times I have set foot in Walmart. Once we had to because we were overnight in Chicago and my traveling companion needed a new suitcase. It was surreal. I don't do Amazon either if I can avoid it....buy my books from the wonderful Portland bookstore, Powell's. Also I have an ex-student who writes romances and she hates Amazon.
I’m with you. No Walmart, no Amazon and now no Whole Foods.
Rich—I’ve seen a small town grocery store put out of business by Walmart selling at a loss until the store closed and then hiking their prices because they had no competition.
That's Walton's business model...
Isn't this a curious way of laying waste to small towns and rural communities?
Perhaps unsurprising that survivors flocked to the orangepeel Pied Piper.
There's huge work to be done restoring what has been lost.
Hence, another comment of mine about the economy of the future -- if it can be imposed -- an economy rich in small and medium businesses. And farms.
An economy for the human inhabitants of the household.
That's how it worked and still works.
It’s the Repub go to no matter how destructive, just like “trickle down.” Repubs HATE “one man, one vote”
Their other go-to panacea is tax cuts for the wealthy, which Charlie Pierce of Esquire correctly refers to as the GOP’s prion disease. No matter what the problem is, the Republican answer is to cut taxes for the wealthy and to impoverish the rest of us. It’s not working. The politicians who vote for these ruinous policies rarely, if ever, have to witness the consequences.
and less regulation.
Less taxation
Less regulation
The only 2 things CONservatives tout.
Before the 2020 election Catherine Rampell of The Washington Post pointed out that 4 new regulations by the Trump administration were going to cost billions. This isn't that article, but this is another from Rampell related to Trump regulations--
https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/commentary/2019/10/29/catherine-rampell-trumps/
It’s working for them. Pays for the propaganda to convince the masses that they are the saviors.
What goes along with this is the minted in steel myth that the GOP is "strong on the economy." I wish the Dems would do more to dispel this myth because I think it is adding to the bad opinions about the current economy, and is detrimental in other ways as well.
I don’t know what else Dems could do. They’ve enabled the strongest economy in decades and shouted its successes from the rooftops, yet 70% of debate viewers thought Trump won the bits on the economy. Didn’t PT Barnum say something like “It’s impossible to overestimate the stupidity of the American people?”
CONservatives. Make sure you define them properly.
Trump has very few tools in his toolbox. He has chosen a few that sound good, sound tough, sound manly, and sticks with them until he doesn't. He's too lazy to do anymore, too busy playing golf (and fighting lawsuits).
McKinley was famously the automaton for Marcus Alonzo Hanna. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Hanna
Thank you for this link. The Rabbit Holes of Wiki filled with things I never knew about. Within that link I clicked on his daughter's link a truly fascinating woman.
Getting back to Marcus Hanna - I am constantly intrigued by the number of periphery ( in the sense of the brief history we learn in school ) characters who have these outsize influences on the course of history. The civil war is filled with them as I am sure every other important moment in out history has.
Another benefit of subscribing to Dr. Richardson's subtract - a never ending education.
I think that is an oversimplification of Roosevelt's position on tariffs and trade.
after all, who ‘busted’ the trusts…
That 60% of the population did not earn enough to cover basic needs in the 1920s is a stark figure. As a nation, we are doing better today, but only by luck and perseverance in guiding the economy wisely.
I don't see this battle between labor and business ending soon. I'm not sure government action is the way to fix this. In today's news, I'm reading that Stelantis is suing the UAW for threatening a strike because Stelantis plans to delay capital investments in factories for new vehicles (EVs) because EV demand has been soft. Stelantis over-invested in EVs because of incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act, and the public hasn't been that interested. The unions suppress flexibility because workers lives are upended when manufacturers face changing economic situations.
I don't see how to resolve this. The government is right to spur research and investments in electrification. Businesses are right to modify plans to adapt to changing marker conditions. Labor is right to fight for workers' tights for livable wages and predictable work.
I suspect there is no one answer to this set of structural conflicts. There is no perfect "set it and forget it" industrial policy, but rather an ongoing need for managing and tweaking. Like democracy, capitalism requires constant and careful tending. Such are complex human endeavors. Understanding what had worked and failed before helps, and HCR again provides an excellent lesson on that.
Biden seems to have learned from historical lessons and has the temperament and skills to direct the needed work to improve lives for everyone. Trump and too many Republicans don't have the patience, temperament, nor any wisdom to manage the economy except in a way that benefits themselves.
So much right wing ideology seems a pretext for rapacious personal greed. And yes, I agree that modern public policy must take aim at so many interactive and constantly moving targets, that we can never get it all right, but might finesse enough semi-self-regulating relationships to bring some beneficial structure to the ongoing chaos. And for that we need an empowered, educated public, not a propagandized and manipulated one.
That’s because their ideology is exactly a pretext for rapacious personal greed, and it harms not only people’s prospects, but also the planet’s prospects. The devastation of Hurricane Helene was a reminder of how climate change can impact people and communities who never thought it would happen to them.
“…. we need an empowered, educated public, not a propagandized and manipulated one.” I agree with this thought 100% and imagine what American public education would be like if serious investments were made to the rigorous development of teachers, ongoing meaningful staff development and opportunities for students
How much money does a person need? Some of these people are literally ill--Koch, Musk, Thiel, Bezos to a lesser degree perhaps. They have so much money, so much, but they are still hungry. I guess they weren't hugged enough or something. If only they looked inward and asked more questions than looking outward and providing "answers."
In 1954 Dwight Eisenhower wrote:
"This is what I mean by my constant insistence upon “moderation” in government. Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are H.L. Hunt (you possibly know his background), a few other Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid."
It is telling that those in the most privileged positions so often passionately resent any social assistance to those who are most deprived. And typically they are self-proclaimed and vainglorious "Christians". When self-interest excludes any other value, you are left with a sociopath.
“Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views beyond the comprehension of the weak; and that it is doing God’s service when it is violating all his laws.”
- John Adams
Yes, we need an empowered, educated public. There is a small chance of getting the empowered part in time to save civilization, but there is zero chance of getting the educated part. That is a multigenerational project and, even on that timescale, an uncertain one.
Thanks for this post. One thing that caught my eye was this: “Stelantis over-invested in EVs because of incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act, and the public hasn't been that interested.“
First of all, Stelantis over-invested. This seems to be a recurring theme: businesses make mistakes, but instead of taking their licks and righting the ship, the costs of those mistakes are passed on to consumers, workers, and other businesses. I know my interest in EVs has been stymied by their high cost, short range, and Tesla’s apparently incessant stream of fails.
But instead of addressing the problem, companies draw back like they’ve grabbed a hot skillet rather than facing up to their mistakes and doubling down on problem-solving.
I’m certainly no economist, but to my eyes, shareholder satisfaction has trumped common sense, morality, a view to the future, and business responsibility.
I say this not as a rebuke to your thoughtful, considered response but simply as observations to your point.
That's a good point too... this is a very complex issue. I can add that, re: EV's, my interest has been stymied by lack of adequate electrical infrastructure where I live, i.e. in my HOA we're not allowed to install the newer, better charging stations in our units. Also I believe I read somewhere that EV's are more expensive to repair, or am I getting that backward?
Slightly more expensive to repair, but significantly cheaper to maintain. Overall cheaper unless you crash several times a year:
https://www.greencars.com/expert-insights/do-evs-cost-more-to-repair
"According to Edmunds.com, the cost of maintaining an average electric car like a Chevrolet Bolt over a period of five years is approximately $2,800 – compared to over $4,400 for a gas-powered vehicle of similar size."
"A recent study on repair costs found that the average accident repair cost for EVs is about $950 higher than for gasoline cars. But, a large part of the extra expense had to do with the higher repair costs of Tesla models – which dominate the electric car market. For comparison, the average cost of repairing a non-Tesla EV was only $269 higher than the average gas car."
Wow, thanks Seth!
Yes. Range is not a problem, really. The lack of fast (level 3) charging stations that can deliver 250 miles or more of charge in 10 minutes is the problem. There needs to be a fast-charging site every 50 miles on every highway. When fast chargers are as ubiquitous as gas stations, people will flock to EVs. They are a far better product than gasoline-powered cars. (By the way, the reluctance to go EV is irrational, even without ubiquitous fast chargers. For almost all drivers, it’s cheaper to use an EV for most driving and rent gasoline vehicles for road trips than it is to own a gasoline vehicle.)
i just want to point out that when ice autos were first on the road, drivers routinely carried cans of gasoline with them for lack of stations
Yes. Unfortunately, they can’t carry sufficient battery backup, so ubiquitous fast charging sites are important in selling the EV idea.
Well said! They expect the general population to take their lumps. But they want to be immune from their bad decisions.
Companies are very openly palming more and more of their risks, costs and liabilities onto the public while extracting ever increasing profits. I read that Chicago sold its parking meters to a private company. If a street is closed for an event or a repair, the public is legally bound to pay the company for lost revenue from the parking meters. At least one state is obligated to pay private prisons for unfilled cells. Here's another example https://www.huffpost.com/entry/patriot-coal-mining_n_3210401
At some point Climate change is going to smack us in that face in ways we can no longer successfully ignore, or label "fake". https://science.nasa.gov/resource/video-climate-spiral-1880-2022/ EV would be a lot more viable without the plutocratic efforts to sabotage their deployment, as would be high speed trains that have proved their value in other industrialized countries. We have got to get organized against de facto bribery and mass distribution of disinformation, as a public sentiment most of all, and by law where practical. It's really a matter of life or death.
Plutocrats embraced and trumpeted the verity of Milton Friedman's thesis that the only social responsibilities of companies is to collect as much money as possible, which has greatly affected our laws; yet in a social contract context, it is just nonsensical. Why would We the People benefit from being serfs? Choose plutocracy over democracy?
This map is well worth a look https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/renewable-energy-share-europe-greenest-country-b2622907.html
"Patience, temperament, nor any wisdom...." Couldn't be more right on Mr. Helfand. We had better move forward more firmly with processes to evaluate political candidates' character before electing them! It can be done. Gordon J Hilsman, "Assessing the Character of Candidates for National Political Office">
There has been this business of over-touted overblown economies of scale, leading to vast corporate conglomerates and the mass destruction of small farms and small and medium businesses, sometimes small towns too. The damage to human communities has proved incalculable.
Am I mistaken in understanding that the Democratic Party platform includes plans to reverse this pattern that has been draining the lifeblood from society, especially victimizing rural communities?
The only all-weather leveler is the progressive tax system: the more you make/earn/own, the more tax you pay. All those riches came from everybody else in the first place. The progressive tax system is way behind and must catch up. The wealthy are eating our lunch, to use an old cliche just as the Robber Barons did. We need a new Trust Buster.
In theory, you may be correct. But the problem isn't the tax structure we use. Either a flat or progressive tax structure would work. The problem is the deductions and tax credits legislators have introduced into the tax code. They are intentionally designed to benefit the wealthy and create hardship for low-wage earners.
Low-income citizens have been mollified by the snake oil salesmen who tell us these deductions ease our tax burden. What they do not acknowledge is that the tax code is so complicated, a taxpayer must hire a professional to discover all the hidden tax breaks. Low-income taxpayers can't afford to hire professional tax preparers, so they miss opportunities to reduce their tax liabilities. Middle-income taxpayers pay for tax preparation, which reduces or cancels any savings they might achieve. Top-level taxpayer can afford to pay accountants to discover and exploit every possible loophole, thus reducing their tax liabilities significantly.
Counter-intuitively, deductions advantage the wealthy and make a progressive tax structure regressive.
Shouldn't we all want people to do well, become less dependent on government and able to retire and have the resources to be cared for at the end? We should aim for people to have just that, but not so far beyond reason that others end up suffering inspite of contributing mightily to the economy.
Well said. No “one size fits all”, to manage the economy. Like democracy, it’s a constantly changing environment, that is subject to the whims of the people, which are often determined by environmental factors such as weather & disease. Not to mention ignorant idiots who spread misinformation.
Do we have another pair of Roosevelt cousins on the horizon. Rich men who had the gravitas to transform the stage, albeit temporarily. This time, I hope it’s women who will be transformative. Joe set the stage, and what a job he did. And he paid the price for being a work horse, not a show horse. And for being the target of the most exhaustive propaganda campaign since Goebbels.
I doubt that 2% of our population knows of what Heather wrote about today. I knew some but not the timeline which separates the wheat from the chaff. And sanity has no spokesmodel today, except the Democrats who are being denigrated daily by our “not so free” press. All must rise up, and smack down ignorance, stupidity, greed and hate. Rupert has given them voice and led others down that path of deception and lies that would shame Pinocchio. Down with Pinocchio, in all his iterations.
For my part in saving democracy, I have already shared HCR's letter plus two short exerpts on facebook. All before sunrise. My target is hard working, skilled labor friends who were insulted and put out of jobs by president Clinton and my then Governor Granholm. Trump is no dummy - he knows his audience. Scary.
You are the energizer bunny of commenters. Keep it up. We all on here are on board I do believe
Thanks JD! And right back atcha!! To The United Democratic States of America!
Time to ditch Repubs, maybe independents could become functional. Jill Stein has ruined the Green Party.
I'm repeating a pointer to Wahjat Ali's 25 minute interview with former GOP advisor and media consultant Kurt Bardella titled, "How Can Liberals Finally Compete With Right-Wing Media and Win?"
https://thelefthook.substack.com/p/how-can-liberals-finally-compete?publication_id=2686450&post_id=149854403&r=oa2tr&triedRedirect=true.
Wow, this is a very good piece. I would recommend all to listen.
Wonder if Karl Rove and Frank Luntz would agree
I wish there had been a few surprises there.
Hadn't heard of Frank Luntz and just looked him up. What a well developed advance-stages mess we have! And you, JD have been 'around the block' many times and I get it that you're not surprised but I and so many others are newish to having the time to take a wide view and give time to piecing *it* all together so every way new glimpses can inform and reach others seems worthy of amplifying.
Unrelated but I'm stymied that Wajahat Ali's substack knew who I referred and sent me a "3 month comp reward".
So in favor of repeating the info over and over. I’m older than most here and yes, I have been around the block back when the signs were easy to ignore. Bill Moyers warned us, so he is and has been my hero. So grateful that HCR is telling a truth that many find hard to hear, and many will never hear. But plug on we must. Ali sounds like a worthwhile post. Good for you.
Joan, thank you so much for recommending Heather’s readers to watch the interview, "How Can Liberals Finally Compete With Right-Wing Media and Win?" I was blown away with Kurt Bardella’s assessment of both the Republican and Democratic Parties media strategies (past/present/future). His background and experiences are so insightful that I truly recommend taking the time to watch!
When 20% can't name even one branch of government, I doubt that 2% have a clue about anything Heather writes.
Sadly, true
JD Chilcutt, excellent comment! Thank you!
👍
Copied from _dreamweasel_ on Threads:
VANCE: Hi, I'm Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance
RUFO: And I'm Republican strategist Chris Rufo
VANCE: We're the two fory-yar-old millennials who are shaping the future of the Republican Party
RUFO: Thanks to the brave new world dominated by partisan social media, we can say all kinds of ridiculous crap and suffer precisely zero political consequences
VANCE: Even if it's the sort of empirically untrue nonsense that would have been laughed off the public stage as recently as 20 or 30 years ago
RUFO: Lest we forget, we certainly wouldn't be here today were it not for the bold leadership of President Trump
VANCE: All praise His name
RUFO: Trump has pioneered previously unthinkable frontiers in Saying Whatever Bullshit He Wants and Never Suffering Any Consequences
RUFO: So in 2021, I convinced nearly half of America that an obscure legal philosophy known as "Critical Race Theory: was being used in public schools tyo brainwash children into hating white people
VANCE: I remember! You even told the wold that you were intentionally distorting the meaning of CRT to weaponize against the liberals
RUFO: Worked like a charm!
DeSANTIS: Hey, just wanted to thank you again for helping me repurpose the word "groomers" to imply that anyone talking about gays or gtransgenerts to children was effectively molesting them
RUFO: Couldn't have done it without you, Ron!
VANCE: You guys are a true inspiration. I've been working on some stuff of my own insisting that Haitians who emigrated legally during the Biden-Harris Administration really shouldn't count and may as well be illegals
RUFO: That's the spirit!
VANCE: I also defended the complete lie about Haitians eating house pets by citing the necessity to "created stories" to draw attention to our immigration problems
RUFO: Damn, borther, you are slick!
VANCE: Oh hey, thanks
VANCE: My current crusade it to get those pesky "fact-checkers" off our back by equating fact-checking to censorship.
DeSANTIS: Hey, why do you think conservatives are fact-checked so much more often than liberals?
(all three enjoya a hearty laugh)
RUFO: Let's just go with "liberal media bias"
VANCE: It turns out that no lie is so outrageous that it would convince a Republi can to vote fofr a Democrat
RUFO: And as long as we can lie without losing any votes, we can manipulate the discourse to our liking
GREENE: Jews control the weather
RUFO: Not yet, Marge
⭐️GOP 2024⭐️
We're Liars and We Admit It. So What?
What is dream weasel? These evil morons aren’t stupid enough to say the truth when somebody besides “in The know” could hear.
Well said, JD.
AMEN!
Aha! Tariffs are not the key to a strong economy, and Trump is fantasizing again! Thank you Heather for once again delivering a message of truth and hope!
"Trump is fantasizing about a world without regulations or taxes, where high tariffs permit the wealthy to collude to raise prices on ordinary Americans and to use that money to live like kings while workers, farmers, and entrepreneurs barely scrape by… a world like McKinley’s. "
As are the billionaires who bought the Republican Party wholesale. Follow the money.
We should look at what a "strong economy" is about; a diverse and prosperous decentralized entrepreneurial economy, or ever fewer choices and opportunities as the preponderance of the wealth of nations is hoovered into billionaire money bins?
Thank you, Dr Cox Richardson, for showing us that candidate Trump is living proof of George Santayana's concern that failing to learn from history ushers in an often awful repeat. The 1890s sound much like today; tariffs are a regressive tax, much like sales taxes as fixed *burdens (i.e., the same tax-rate applicable to all) take a bigger percentage bite out of a slimmer pay-check. The big-diff. comes with sales taxes in the U.S. varying among states and cities from 0-8% as opposed to 25-50% across the nation for tariffs.
https://www.c-span.org/video/?c5135515/user-clip-vice-president-harriss-magic
As an aside, Vice President Harris showed her 'Magic' in Michigan on Friday.
Speaking of failing to learn from history, Joyce Vance’s most recent newsletter is well worth a read. It speaks to the legacy of having pardoned Nixon & the consequences of not pursuing the cases against Trump should he lose the election (moot point if he wins). Sobering read.
I’ve been sober for decades and watched our media bow and scrape to money. Sobering indeed.
I learned about Wajahat Ali's substack from a commenter in HCR's newsletter and am now a paid subscriber because his interviews with people continually provide alternative 'takes' on what we see going on that enlighten me. Yesterday I watched his 25 minute interview with former GOP advisor and media consultant Kurt Bardella titled, "How Can Liberals Finally Compete With Right-Wing Media and Win?"
https://thelefthook.substack.com/p/how-can-liberals-finally-compete?publication_id=2686450&post_id=149854403&r=oa2tr&triedRedirect=true. Helpful to me to hear intelligent journalists who respect facts converse as they scatter into platforms because mainstream won't acknowledge them (bad for media's profits.).
Joyce Vance is correct about this. Gerald Ford laid a foundation for future lawlessness when he pardoned Nixon, although I don’t think Ford had the perception to realize this. Lewis Powell led the resurgence and dominance of large business and huge private fortunes with his Powell memo back in 1971, and once he became a Supreme Court Justice, he helped the court to chip away at the safeguards built into our political system, including those against legalized bribery. Republican justices ever since have managed to do even worse. The only way out of this impasse is to increase the Supreme Court’s size and mandate term limits, which might be impossible to do with the firm opposition of Trump’s party.
Excellent point Kathy. Kind of like what I heard from a black man that called in to the radio last week, "We might stay home and not vote, because for the last 40 years we have watched as the voting rights act has been chipped away making it harder for us to vote and the Democrats have not done much to stop it. We now see that we have been taken for granted and are tired of it so it is possible that since the Democrats have done nothing to fight for us in this situation, it might be that many of us (black men) will stay home or vote Republican."
As I sat in the car reflecting on that, I cannot find a way to argue with it. Yes, Democrats in the previous two congressional session put together legislation to address those issues, but it was too little, too late with the Senate in the hands of the conservatives (not republicans) and the SCOTUS in the hands of the CONservatives. I can see that the Democrats have basically sat on their hands as the "death by a thousand cuts" strategy was being applied. One great example is Roe v. Wade. Democrats had decades in which to codify this right for women and rarely did anything. Once the CONservatives realized (Powell MEMO) that the courts were key and liberals kept relying on them and not legislation, the dye was set. Moscow Mitch and the funds from the Kochs and their Dark Money circle have created this mess that no matter how the majority votes, they can do whatever the hell they want.
Disenfranchisement (after Ford's pardon) started when Congress passed the ERA, the first Constitutional amendment with an expiry date, and culminated with Citizens United making campaigns about raining money to get to 270.
IMHO the best curative would be to join other democracies by electing our president by popular vote. Voter turnout would increase and down ballot races become more competitive (assuming ridiculous voter suppression rules of engagement are also reined in).
The really sad thing is, if they vote R their lives will get worse.
That is the point that brings me pause every time.
I agree. I read or heard somewhere that the members of SCOTUS are only guaranteed a FEDERAL judgeship & not necessarily the Supreme Court. No idea if this is correct or not. But I’m thinking that if the president appointed them & they only need congressional approval, why can’t he move them to another federal judgeship. And take that vacant position & replace that supreme court judge with one of his choosing. Of course, with the current congressional makeup, that’s a no go. But with Democratic majority in house & senate, maybe that would be possible? Like I said. I heard that. No idea of its veracity. Short of that, time to pack the court. I’m ready to be done with these traitors.
I remember the pardon of President Nixon. Back in 1974, I was angry that President Nixon had not stood trial and been convicted prior to being pardoned. In retrospect, however, I believe President Ford served us nobly by pardoning President Nixon.
This premise, espoused by Mmes Vance and Cox Richardson, is ill-conceived for four reasons. 1st, as we see today, the process would have taken years and may have torn the country part as it played out.
2nd, everyone knew -- as well-known Republican Senators Goldwater and Scott emphasized -- that President Nixon was guilty. I believe most people felt there was no way we would see another President Nixon ever again.
3rd, by accepting the pardon, President Nixon admitted to wrong-doing, as per the Supreme Court case of Burdick versus the United States of 1915. This admission and its underlying precedent tipped President Ford into granting the pardon.
4th, people like Oliver North, candidate Trump et al. simply do not calculate their decisions that way. The thought may cross their minds, but it is likely a flicker rather than an inducement. In essence, they seek the results, first, and worry about it, later.
P.S., Jan. That essay by Joyce Vance seemed more worried about sweeping Trump into the great dust-bin of history without accountability, if he loses the election. Little is said about what will happen if he wins.
All that said, I agree with Mmes Cox Richardson and Vance that candidate Trump should be prosecuted. Candidate Trump is worse than President Nixon; the latter was not seen as above the law but as spared the law.
The idea that President Nixon was a one-off tragic hero brought down by a tragic flaw is obsolete. President Nixon handed over the incriminating evidence. Candidate Trump is seeking to destroy the republic.
Without conviction and serving the time, there is no deterence for future JD Vances to skirt laws, destroy institutions, and make the Office of President a cherished prize of the next autocrat-to-be instead of a position earned and cherished in service of the people in our form of democracy. These future amoral wannabees will have learned that the prize of power unfettered by laws or ethics is really possible if you play the system real smart.
As coached by Peter Thiel.
Yes. Just read it. Excellent piece. She nailed it.
Certainly I see parallels between the corrupt Gilded Age and the extended Reagan era. And also important differences. The US seemed awash with resources and pollution was mostly of local concern. We could not turn back the clock even if we wanted to.
I also came here to quote Santayana’s ‘Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.’ Thank you Heather Cox Richardson for your effort to shine a light on history. Sadly, a very large part of our population is willfully ignorant and will gladly cast their vote to send us down the road to ruin.
I am not sure that people are willfully ignorant as they are disillusioned and very, very bizzy.
That's why I urge Dems to call tariffs the Hidden Sales Tax From Hell -- hidden because tariffs almost never appear on a customer's receipt and are just part of the advertised selling price.
WOWerful point there, Mark. Thank you. I suspect over the next week, or so, you can sue me for shameless plagiarism. 😉
No worries, Ned -- plagiar away, full speed! No credit or sourcing expected or wanted.
If I do, Mark, I will at least say that I heard your point here. What will likely happen is that I forget your name.
Heather Cox Richardson points out more historical truths regarding Trump’s dangerous plan to tank the economy but more importantly harm the most vulnerable, retirees.
As Heather explains tariffs function as a tax on imported goods, meaning that American consumers bear the brunt of the cost—not foreign governments. If Trump imposes a 20% tariff on all imports, and up to 60% on Chinese goods, prices on everyday necessities like food, clothing, and electronics would skyrocket. For low-income households, which spend a higher proportion of their income on such essentials, the increased cost would be devastating.
A typical family could face an average annual increase of over $2,600 in expenses. Additionally, spiking inflation—potentially up to 20%—would further erode the purchasing power of fixed incomes, making it harder for these individuals to cover basic costs like rent, utilities, and healthcare. Trump's tariff plan, far from bringing prosperity, would replicate the economic inequality and usher in a Neo fascist -Gilded Age, enriching corporations while squeezing the working class and vulnerable populations. For those already struggling to get by, this policy would push them further into financial instability.
Trump's tariff plan, combined with his harsh immigration policies and obsession with retribution against those who disagree with him, paints a grim picture of what life could look like for ordinary Americans—especially for those on fixed incomes and the most vulnerable struggling now under a $20,000 a year income. His tariffs would not only raise prices on essential goods, punishing the poorest families, but also serve as a tool of control, squeezing the life out of those already struggling to make ends meet. Inflation could spike as high as 20%, while wages remain stagnant, making survival a daily battle for millions.
Overlaying this economic devastation is Trump's dangerous authoritarian streak. His track record of using power to punish political opponents, immigrant communities, and dissenters points to a regime where control and cruelty define governance. Immigrants—targeted with draconian policies, family separations, and deportations—would continue to face relentless hostility. Meanwhile, anyone who dares to challenge Trump’s rule could be subjected to retaliatory actions, from legal harassment to public demonization.
Under Trump’s vision, we see an extravagant return to the Gilded Age’s economic inequality—where the rich live in luxury, protected by tariffs and political favoritism, while the working class, immigrants, and dissenters suffer under crushing costs and a government that prioritizes loyalty to the leader above all else.
For low-income Americans, especially those who disagree with him or belong to marginalized groups, this future looks not only economically perilous but also politically oppressive. It’s a reality where survival is a struggle, freedom of expression is under attack, and the American dream becomes an impossibility for all but the wealthiest and most obedient.
This is one great example of why we read you every day, Professor—your knowledge of history and ability to explain it, plus make it so relevant for today, really help us to think beyond just our anger and fear of what could be coming. Thank you!
And to make up for the short shrift that our schools give to history. When the generations that live through crises die, and their children move forward, often not passing on lessons learned, we seem to start all over, learning anew. Or sadly, not knowing the hard lessons of the past. As my mother said, “you don’t want to know that old stuff.” Well, thanks to Heather and many who have tried to keep the lessons relevant for us and our progeny. But, another thing that my mother said to me rings in my ears. “you have to learn things the hard way, you don’t listen.” She was right, and that seems to apply to more than me, sad to say. I have learned to listen. May we all.
Trump wants to rule like a dictator and to live like a king. Democracy and our nation's general prosperity be damned.
Today’s LFAA is a reminder that the lie undergirding Trump repeatedly harping on the amount of money foreign countries will pay into our treasury through tariffs persists and will continue as such until it is effectively quelled. While I recall at the Harris/ Trump debate that David Muir offered some clarification, we need our candidates unequivocally and repeatedly to clarify that a tariff is a tax paid by the importer and passed to consumers.
Exactly, the MAGAts and other propagandized “undecideds,” just think that the other countries are just going to fork over all the money for their grandiose schemes. Nothing could be farther from the truth, but who will tell them.
JD, Harris’s outstanding debate performance notwithstanding, at the outset she blew her opportunity to explain, in plain English as I have done, what a tariff is. Given tariffs are the cornerstone of Trump’s answer to near everything related to the economy, we can’t allow his bastardized explanation of tariffs to go unanswered.
Shall we bombard Kamala's contact with a link to today's HCRs newsletter? https://kamalaharris.com/contact-us/. I just did. Thanks Barbara, for giving me the idea to do it. I tested this link to todays post and it works for non-subscribers: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/october-5-2024
Joan, I very much appreciate you writing Harris, and I hope others join you. I am refraining only because I’m trying to prioritize my contacts so not to risk appearing excessive and damaging my credibility.
Barbara, Harris is not solely responsible for informing and educating Americans about what a tariff is. She’s been trying. Where are the journalists at NYT, WaPo, Fox, and others in a position to inform rather than spread the lies, misinformation, and propaganda re tariffs? I’ve written letters to editor and journalists and if any thing get arguments back. They often are ignorant or irresponsible as Trump. It’s disgusting. And I don’t see them patient enough to read a historical piece.
Bonnie, I referenced Harris because early in her debate with Trump she and Trump were engaged in an exchange, wherein Harris asserted Trump’s economic plan would entail added sales taxes. Trump denied the claim, stating his plan entailed imposing tariffs on imported goods. Though David Muir tried to offer some clarification, I blame Harris for failing to ensure voters understood that a tariff is a tax paid by the importer and passed to consumers.
Btw, no one need “read a historical piece.” In the case of a tariff, our candidates need only make clear that tariffs are not paid by the out-of-country exporter but by the domestic importer, who then passes the tax to consumers.
Yes, I also watched the debate and heard the exchange. You are missing my point. Let’s stop blaming Harris for the failure of NYT, WaPo, Rupert, Elon, and others who have more than ample opportunities to correct the BS spewed by Trump regarding tariffs and other issues such as the use of federal funds for hurricane relief. Where do you stop blaming her? If she were held responsible for correcting all of his lies, she would have no time to do anything else. Then corporate media would blame her for not holding press conferences etc.
Bonnie, I simply held her responsible for a missed opportunity precisely to explain what a tariff is. I amplify this point largely because Trump’s deceptive explanation of tariffs is central to his economic policy.
I thought she missed that opportunity at the time as well Barbara, a tariff is a sales tax always paid by the purchaser of the product. While tariffs will impact how many items are sold in a given market the lack of those sales is bound to effect the countries that manufacture them, anyone that thinks it won’t effect our exports is clueless. Just look at what the insipid orange turd’s tariffs on Chinese exports did to our grain exports to China, he had to bail out our rich farmers who were standing to loose their entire harvest because they no longer had a market to sell to. He ended up subsidizing them to the tune of $20 billion because he killed their market, and he wants to do it again. 👎🏻👎🏻💥
Dick, I very much appreciate you broadening the discussion. I also would note a difference we could expect, were Trump do be re-elected, would entail him having no impetus to subsidize anyone because he wouldn’t need anyone’s vote.
So few venues where plain English is an option with both candidates
JD, In my view, a candidate who is plain-spoken in any context would be well-received.
Except the MAGAts, which currently number 40+%
JD, Admittedly, when I posted, MAGAts were not on my screen. Instead, my mind was laser-focused on connecting with as wide a range of voters as possible situated between the extremes.
Having said that, I would agree that MAGA is off the spectrum entirely and therefore must be increasingly rendered irrelevant.
KGB defector Yuri Bezmenov showed in his lecture on KGB psychological subversion that a part of weakening a country to create a Civil War or possible invasion is to tank that countries economy. So first Putin tampered with our politics creating a division to weaken America. And next using Trump as a catalyst Putin will destroy our economy. This might still not allow for a U.S. invasion by Russia. But it may weaken the U.S. well enough for a full Russian takeover of Ukraine and possibly more of Europe.
And yet, the average American citizen does not understand tariffs, or the economy, and Trump gets around campaign finance laws and bribery charges, by selling Trump label AK-15 rifles and other guns and ammo to his followers, and allows people like the Saudis or the governor of Oklahoma another source of gaining influence with him by buying huge numbers of whatever he is selling from Bibles, to guns. Why are so many Americans ignorant about how the economy works and why is our media not educating anyone on anything real and important? Thanks to you Dr. Richardson for doing the heavy lifting when it comes to educating people on how tariffs work. I wish you could be played on Fox News where the information is really needed.
You know your "tariffs" Heather and as is your wont and wisdom, made us, your readers, cognicent of their menace spread by the human contagion of Mr. Trump.
On that score, it reminds me that one of the things Bill Barr ensured was censored from the public version of the Mueller Report was the possibility that Trump took a $10M bribe from the government of President Al-Sisi of Egypt. We also know that his son-in-law Jared Kushner received $2B from the Saudis’ sovereign wealth fund (MBS gave Jared the money despite objections from other Saudis) and that Jared also received $1B from the government of Qatar. It makes me wonder how much money Trump took under the table from other governments. Our media outlets are rather disinterested in investigating what should be a critical issue. We know Trump is corrupt, but far too many who should be investigating are busily highlighting the horse race aspects of the election and concentrating far too little on the policies of each candidate.
Republicans "insisted that the nation’s economic system depended on tariffs and that anyone trying to lower them was trying to destroy the nation."
Is anyone else tiring of the expression "trying to DESTROY our country?"
Who tf sets out to "destroy" their homeland??
Fear mongering at its finest.
If anyone will destroy the nation, it will be Trump and his gang of Republican toadies and minions. They will rubber stamp anything he does, no matter how illegal or unconstitutional.
Please send "not suckers or losers" to military, veterans' orgs, historical sites as comments daily to flip Trump 2020 voters. votevets.org/
I’ve been out canvassing. While we are soothing each other with our correct understanding of the situation, many of our fellow voters are believing Trump and Republican lies. And then there are some who don’t vote, who never vote, who leave it to God to decide. Very disheartening. Many people I have visited are not interested in information…minds made up, doors closed. And they don’t read HCR.
I have to admit I don’t know how to get past the wall that the Koch’s, Leo etc have financed.
Keep up the fight, brother. The stakes couldn’t be too much higher. If the race is indeed tied the way it appears, we only need to move one or two voters out of 100 to keep our democracy.
*in the swing states.
We’ll just have to hope that some of them are tired of the drama.