That’s because any return to “normal” would be disastrous for America. Ann Arbor (Special to Informed Comment) - Writing in The Guardian this past weekend Robert Reich spoke common sense: Trumpâs nonfeasance goes far beyond an absence of leadership or inattention to traditional norms and roles. Vaccines will allow “a gradual accrual of more normality as the weeks and the months go by as we get well into 2021”. Since then, though, not even Democratic presidents have tried to alter the distribution of power in America. Describe Covid-19 as âkung-fluâ. First, because they have taken office during deep recessions, which posed a more immediate challenge. The moment we are now in – with Trump virtually gone, Biden assembling his cabinet, and most of the nation starting to feel a bit of relief – is a temporary reprieve. Hence the paradox. And health and environmental crises that make the coronavirus another step toward Armageddon. Robert Reich, author, professor at the University of California, Berkeley, official in three administrations, including United States Secretary of Labor under Bill Clinton, narrates Inequality for All.Reich is a thinker on the topic of inequality, having spoken on the subject for nearly three decades. He was a member of President Barack Obama's economic transition advisory board. Normal. Donald Trump Opinion Trump administration US elections 2020 US economy US domestic policy They’re competent and they care, in sharp contrast to Trump’s goon squad. Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley and the author of Saving Capitalism: For ⦠Reallocating power can take years. And those at the top won’t relinquish it without a fight. It means only that, as a practical matter, the responsibility for summoning the political will to reverse inequality will fall to lower-income Americans of whatever race, progressives and their political allies. He was talking about life after Covid-19, but you could be forgiven if you thought he was also making a promise about life after Trump. Robert Reich, former U.S. Secretary of Labor and Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley, has a new film, "Inequality for All," to be released September 27. Robert Reich April 28, 2019 8:00AM (UTC) This originally appeared on Robert Reich's blog.. Last modified on Tue 15 Dec 2020 14.27 GMT. get a major stimulus bill through Congress, Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few. "In reality, Donald Trump doesnât run the government of the United States. The more of it held by those at the top, the less held by others. By contrast, structural inequalities are caused by a lopsided allocation of power. 1) Declare yourself above the law. It is comforting to think of both Covid and Trump as intrusions into normality, aberrations from routines that prevailed before. To the extent voters gave Biden a mandate, it was to end both scourges and make America normal again. I wish that were true, but tRumpies believe in FB and YouTube more than MSM Economic expansions can be a positive-sum game because growth enables those at the bottom to do somewhat better even if those at the top do far better. Normal is a Democratic party that for years has been abandoning the working class. Robert Reich: Donald Trump's re-election playbook: 25 ways he'll lie, cheat and abuse his power. But the email I received a few days ago from a worker at Amazonâs Whole Foods delivery warehouse in Industry City, Brooklyn, New York, was particularly ⦠Robert Reich, The Guardian August 16, 2020 (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) The division between Republicans and Democrats is no longer between left and right but ⦠It’s about dealing with problems that have worsened for decades and if left unattended much longer will be enormously destructive. Yet the problem of widening inequality is distinct from the problem of recession. Hallelujah. Robert Reich â Robert Reich | The Guardian UK Trumpâs corporate giveaways and failure to improve the lives of ordinary working Americans are becoming clearer by the day Trump is remaking the Republican party into ⦠Even if the Senate flips to the Democrats on 5 January, therefore, these three impediments may discourage Biden from tackling structural inequality. Recessions are caused by sudden drops in demand for goods and services, as occurred in February and March when the pandemic began. Third, reallocating power is hugely difficult. Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley and the author of and . All his designees, including Janet Yellen for treasury and Anthony Blinken for secretary of state, are experienced and competent – refreshing, especially after Trump’s goon squads. And they don’t want campaign finance reforms or any other measures that would dampen the influence of big money in politics. His new book, The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It, is out now. He is a columnist for Guardian US The richest 1% of US households now own 50% of the value of stocks held by Americans. 2) Use racist fearmongering. But power is a zero-sum game. If the underlying trends don’t change, after Biden we could have Trumps as far as the eye can see. Many of them were in the trenches with Biden and Barack Obama in 2009, when the economy last needed rescuing. In a time of national trauma, has relinquished the core duties and responsibilities of the presidency. Why have recent Democratic presidents been reluctant to take on structural inequality? Normal is four decades of stagnant wages and widening inequality when almost all economic gains went to the top. Despite Covid’s grim resurgence, Dr Anthony Fauci – the public health official whom Trump ignored and then muzzled, with whom Biden’s staff is now conferring – sounded guardedly optimistic last week. Normal led to Trump. Response to nature-lover (Reply #1). Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley and the author of Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few and The Common Good. He is no longer president. Theyâre intimately connected. Robert Reich reflects on the recent election; the presidential contest and initiative results. He is a columnist for Guardian ⦠Robert Bernard Reich is an American economic advisor, professor, author, and political commentator. They’re dead set against stronger unions and will resist attempts to put workers on their boards. Robert B. Reich is Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley and Senior Fellow at the Blum Center for ⦠For the same reasons, they’re unlikely to stir strong opposition from Republicans, a necessity for Senate confirmation, particularly if Democrats fail to win the two Senate runoffs in Georgia on 5 January. He doesnât manage anything." Robert Reich The president-elect says he will address structural inequalities, but against entrenched interests, such works take time Bidenâs economic team in Wilmington, Delaware this week. Complacency would be deadly. The stock market’s meteoric rise has benefited the wealthy at the expense of wage earners. He is a columnist for Guardian US, America is being subjected to a stress test – and Republicans are failing | Robert Reich. “It’s time we address the structural inequalities in our economy that the pandemic has laid bare,” President-elect Joe Biden said this week, as he introduced his economic team. The end of both aberrations conjures up a former America that, by contrast, might appear quiet and safe, even boring. Inequality Media is a nonprofit co-founded by former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich and Director Jacob Kornbluth following the success of their documentary film, Inequality For All. Sun Nov 8, 2020, 12:51 PM. Demand âlaw and orderâ and describe protesters as âthugsâ, âlowlifeâ and ârioters and lootersâ. This one will also necessitate the successful inoculation of millions against Covid-19. Today’s corporate leaders are happy to support stimulus bills, not because they give a fig about unemployment but because more jobs mean higher profits. For the last 40 years, hourly wages have stagnated and almost all economic gains have gone to the top. Boring, reassuring, normal – these are Biden’s great strengths. Robert Reich: Americaâs Real Divide Isnât Between Red And Blue â But Oligarchy And Democracy. The president-elect says he will address structural inequalities, but against entrenched interests, such works take time, Sun 6 Dec 2020 06.00 GMT TigressDem (600 posts). They could also be his great weaknesses. It is almost impossible to separate the two. Both FDR and LBJ won at significant political cost. Robert Reich This article is more than 8 months old Using power and privilege to exploit the weak and vulnerable in the face of a common threat is morally repugnant. They will need to organize, mobilize and put sufficient pressure on Biden and other elected leaders to act. Recih is a former Labor Secretary and currently Professor of Public Policy at the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. Normal led to the coronavirus. And they’re unlikely to demand much attention from an exhausted and divided public. Franklin D Roosevelt did this in the 1930s, when he enacted legislation requiring employers to bargain with unionized employees. The richest 10%, 92%. Union membership didn’t expand significantly until more than a decade after FDR’s Wagner Act. Robert Reich This article is more than 4 months old The presidentâs assault on decency has created an emerging coalition, across boundaries of race, class and partisan politics When Biden entered the presidential race last year, he said history would look back on Trump as an “aberrant moment in time”. Wealth and power are inseparable – wealth flows from power and power from wealth. Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley and the author of Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few and The Common Good. He is a columnist for Guardian US. Robert Reich Fatigued by the coronavirus and Trump, the idea of going back to normal is seductive â we must guard against it Sun 29 Nov 2020 01.00 EST Last modified on ⦠It’s a good team. Normal is a GOP that for years has been actively suppressing minority votes and embracing white supremacists. Normal is climate change now verging on catastrophe. ife is going to return to normal,” Joe Biden, Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few. ROBERT B. REICH is Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. In a column published Sunday in The Guardian, Reich, a Democrat who served in the Clinton administration, pointed to Trumpâs dayslong advocacy of his inaccurate weather forecast that said Alabama was threatened by Hurricane Dorian, going so far as to produce a map with a circle awkwardly drawn around Alabama to make it look like the state was in the hurricaneâs path. The views expressed in this article are the author's own. The initial task facing Biden will be to restore jobs, requiring that his administration contain Covid-19 and get a major stimulus bill through Congress. Robert Reich. His new book, The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It, is out now. That means reversing structural inequalities requires altering the distribution of power. 6. But Dimon and his ilk will doubtless continue to fight any encroachments on their power and wealth. So the question is: in an exhausted and divided America that desperately wants a return to normal, where will Biden find the energy and political will for bold changes that are imperative? Topics. They also stand out for their abilities not to stand out. © 2020 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. Robert B. Reich is an American political commentator, professor and author. Donald J. Trump continues playing the role of Commander in Chief, Robert Reich suggested in a Sunday op-ed for The Guardian, but he is âno longer the president of the United States.â. He has to both calm the waters and stir the pot. The Guardian - Robert Reich. They and their economic teams have focused instead on jobs and growth. Today is the Safe Harbor deadline, when all states must resolve any remaining electoral ⦠He served in the administrations of Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. As a former secretary of labor, I often receive mail from workers with job complaints, who apparently believe I still have some authority. Normal is 40 years of shredded safety nets, and the most expensive but least adequate healthcare system in the modern world. But he needs to be careful. “Is it $2.2tn, $1.5tn?” JP Morgan chief executive Jamie Dimon said recently in support of congressional action. Having served in the administrations of Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton, and as an advisor to President Obama, Reich now writes a weekly column for the Guardian⦠President-elect Joe Biden’s cabinet picks so far ‘are experienced and competent – especially after Trump’s goon squads’. They will battle antitrust enforcement against their giant corporations, including Dimon’s “too big to fail” bank. Normal is also growing corruption of politics by big money – an economic system rigged by and for the wealthy. It’s a mistake to see this challenge as placating the progressive wing of the Democratic party. Second, it’s because politicians’ time horizons rarely extend beyond the next election. There is no firebrand among them, no Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders (at least not so far). Having served in the administrations of Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton, and as an advisor to President Obama, Reich now writes a weekly column for the Guardian⦠“Life is going to return to normal,” Joe Biden promised on Thursday in a Thanksgiving address to the nation. In consequence, inequality has continued to widen – during both recessions and expansions. His new book, , is out now. Robert Reich in The Guardian: How have a relative handful of billionaires â whose vast fortunes have soared even during the pandemic â convinced the vast majority of the public that their wealth shouldnât be taxed in order to support the common good? You could almost hear America’s giant sigh of relief, similar to that felt when Trump implicitly conceded the election by allowing the transition to begin. Biden has said any stimulus bill passed in the lame-duck session will be “just the start”. He also discusses UBI, income inequality and what he'd like to see in a Biden administration. He is a columnist for Guardian US, Available for everyone, funded by readers. Robert Reich This article is more than 7 months old A disproportionate number of Americans fall into the three groups who arenât getting what they need to survive this crisis Trump called Biden “the most boring human being I’ve ever seen”, and Americans seem to be just fine with that. Robert Reich's latest book, The System: Who Rigged It, How We Change It, will be out in March. Pulling out of a recession usually requires low interest rates and enough government spending to jump-start private spending. All rights reserved. They will oppose substantial tax hikes to finance trillions of dollars of spending on education, infrastructure and a Green New Deal. Lyndon Johnson did it in the 1960s with the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts, which increased the political power of Black people. But reversing “structural inequalities” is a fundamentally different challenge from reversing economic downturns. And they’re acceptable both to mainstream Democrats and to progressives. They may overlap – last week the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit a record high at the same time Americans experienced the highest rate of hunger in 22 years. Black voters didn’t emerge as a major force in American politics until a half-century after LBJ’s landmark legislation. His next book, The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It, will be out in March. They were inevitabilities. America wants to return to a reassuring normal, but Biden can’t allow it. The former labor secretary discusses his latest book, ⦠He served in the administrations of Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, as well as serving as the United States Secretary of Labor from 1993 to 1997 under Bill Clinton . Biden’s early choices for his cabinet and senior staff fit the same mold – “boring picks”, tweeted the Atlantic’s Graeme Wood (referring to Biden’s foreign policy team), “who, if you shook them awake and appointed them in the middle of the night at any time in the last decade, could have reported to their new jobs and started work competently by dawn”. Climate change and widening inequality are not two separate issues. Given the road we were on, Trump and Covid were not aberrations. Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley and the author of Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few and The Common Good. This doesn’t make the objective any less important or even less feasible. 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