How Did the Bullies Take Over America? | The Coffee Klatch with Robert Reich

Samuel Alito is a fraud, and the Supreme Court's far-right justices are acting as Trump's flunkies.
Heather Lofthouse of @imcivicaction and I delve into this and more in this week's Coffee Klatch. Please pour yourself a cup and join us.

[@tommcfadden5232]

John Roberts as the Chief Justice is solely to blame. This is not about delaying justice. This is about the court being corrupted.

[@davidschneider6306]

Roberts controls the docket. Every decision by the Chief Justice is based on what benefits the billionaire aristocrats that own this country.

[@5amiann]

If he does nothing, he owns the corruption.

[@vmacart]

SCOTUS FCKDUS 4 JESUS. same shit. different century.

[@PamperedDuchess]

He's not leading on ANYTHING. It's Alito and Thomas leading the charge. "Chief Justice" means nothing.

[@davidlafleche1142]

@@5amiann What corruption?

[@GSJoey]

The fact that anyone can give a candidate 50 million is insane!!

[@JMyoutube1]

I know. Only democrats candidates should be allowed to get that size donations.

[@angelajones7195]

Dummy!!

[@flyrobin2544]

@@JMyoutube1 No one should get that kind of donation. Super Pacs need to be shut down!

[@fowlerja]

Unless that candidate is a Democrat.

[@tenorly]

And *THAT* plutocrat in particular. His great-grandfather, Coolidge/Hoover-era Treasury Sec. Andrew Mellon, *engineered the great depression* to (in his words) "liquidate businessmen, farmers, and the middle class - so we can re-establish society to our liking." That apple didn't fall far from the tree.

[@vmacart]

"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross." Sinclair Lewis

[@treefrog3349]

Such prescience! Why is it so lacking in our own Congress? Because they are ALL wrapped in the flag and carrying crosses until the next election!!!

[@timothystockman7533]

The flag might be upside down...

[@MyLoganTreks]

Excellent Quote Facts are it should be shared with everyone.

[@Merzui-kg8ds]

...and an AR15 with a bump stock

[@earljohnson8936]

It’s been here and will continue to be but it’s our responsibility to do our part and fight against those that embrace it.

[@jajajjajjaajjaa]

The day the supreme Court decided to hear this case was one of the worst days for the American experiment.

[@michaelkopacz6324]

Exactly! I agree with you.💯

[@patbrennan6572]

I knew this was going happen quite some time ago.

[@alicedyment4219]

Right it should have been ruled on months ago,

[@cathyrankin7522]

The KKK terrified my mother when she was a child w their horrible marches downtown. My mom was a green eyed strawberry blonde little girl. Her fear of them never subsided. I cannot even imagine the fear black children & families endured. I was so sad to hear about your friend

[@bobbarker1798]

Sounds awful.

[@user-hx2wx7mk8n]

How long ago was that?

[@breathnstop]

Me too blonde green eyed child visited Memphis in 1957. I cried the entire time. No street lights or sidewalks on the "black side" of the street. White men joking about shooting the ears off Black men. I had nightmares and asked my mom why the white people are so mean there. She said "people are crazy here. We'll be back in NJ soon". I never went south of DC ever again.

[@nancydouglas8772]

It's absolutely disgraceful how scotus is being Trump's legal defense

[@robinantonio8870]

That's why he appointed them

[@dlewis895]

THANK PUTIN OLIGARCHS REMOVED LIMITED CAMPAIGN AMTS+RACIST LIVID MCCONNELL REVENGE AMERICANS FOR PUT OBAMA IN WH

[@cdorman11]

Five members of SCOTUS were appointed by Presidents who did not win the popular vote.

[@davedammann741]

Mr.Reich is a force for righteousness. He clearly stands as a warrior on the right side history.

[@quietmike1344]

When the government, media, hollywood, and corporations are on your side, you aren't the resistance.

[@davidlafleche1142]

Reich wants a Socialist dictatorship.

[@marpro765]

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@luisdavidllense2293]

When Professor Reich speaks, I listen!

[@quietmike1344]

Just another professional victim.

[@malonesinclaire9201]

The cost of housing, gas, food and rent is not Biden’s problem. Canada, Britain have the exact same problem. Should they blame Biden as well? Obviously it is corporate greed, period.

[@user-dc4cm8nz1f]

If government doesn't rein in corporate greed on the essentials of life- food, shelter, transportation - nothing will change.

[@janeglover3118]

Same problems in Australia too, definitely not Biden's fault, ...just pure corporate greed here too.

[@user-hx2wx7mk8n]

@@janeglover3118 So corporations just got 'greedy' in the last 3 or 4 years?...weren't they always 'greedy'?

[@janeglover3118]

@@user-hx2wx7mk8n i never said only in the last 3 or 4 years, where did that come from? They've been destructively greedy ever since they were given the same legal rights as a human being, even in Australia, yes.

[@jacquelinesternberg8461]

​@@user-dc4cm8nz1fYou're asking too much of Republicans in Congress.

[@lynncollier4615]

End citizens united and stop using electoral college. Place Senators based on population.

[@intheknow7659]

So you want minority rule? The electoral college accounts for the majority of the country. The popular vote only accounts for a small area of the country, the cities etc.

[@donnashankie4526]

​@@intheknow7659 You've got it wrong. Right now with the Electoral College we get minority rule.

[@dawnoceanside7300]

​@@donnashankie4526in the snow 🤭 has it bassawards 😉

[@jeffdavis5841]

@@intheknow7659 Not true. The electoral system gives the minority states power. The popular vote is the way the potus election needs to be decided like every other election. But good luck getting it changed.

[@prismpyre7653]

also, UNCAP the size of the House which was ILLEGALLY constrained in 1929 for purely racist and sexist reasons

[@equus3333]

I’m so sick of SCOTUS and their bad behavior. Absolutely disgusting.

[@fowlerja]

This is what I find disgusting. This is one of Joe's experienced, astute, kind , and caring policies. His "Open Border". Joe allowed the “illegal” crossing of the “open border” by 8-10 million “illegal migrants' ' , criminals, terrorists, drug smugglers, and gotaways, etc. This will affect all 50 states; their state safety net, housing, flooding of hospitals and educational systems, criminal systems, drug issues, and employment. With little to no border security over 3 years, huge amounts of the narcotic drug fentanyl has crossed the “open border”. The Mexican Cartel has raked in billions of dollars, destabilizing the economic and social structure of Mexico. Yearly, 75,000 deaths of young Americans (ages 15-44) occur throughout 50 states. Those who survive are damaged for life, overwhelming medical and social service programs. Their life expectancy is 47.5 years. Expect 300,000 families to bury their children during Joe's four years. A tragedy of this magnitude not only affects the family and relatives, but the nation as a whole. This national tragedy is having a devastating immediate and lasting impact on the nation's economy, social structures, public health systems, and overall demographic trends. Sadly this event has not been on Joe Biden’s radar or agenda for improving our nation. Joe likes to speak about democracy. There is no democracy for a young dead person. “Please pay attention to what Joe Biden and Kamala Harris do or don’t do for America. Their actions will tell you everything you need to know.”

[@vmacart]

When all you know is privilege, equality feels like oppression.

[@boondocksdragon8959]

I think your estimation of 35% of Americans having trust in the current Supreme Court is being very, VERY generous.

[@user-zo7ud5ld8l]

Yeah. That has sort of gone out the window. How can we?

[@susanzemke6569]

They're likely magats.

[@TeraJohnson-nv2sp]

That means 35% are not paying attention.

[@boondocksdragon8959]

@@TeraJohnson-nv2sp 100% agree, but I sincerely think the percentage of Americans who DO trust the high Court as an institution has fallen to much lower than that 35 Robert mentioned.

[@annakingry9157]

Vote of no confidence for the nonSupreme Court.

[@geobus3307]

RR is the most cogent and effective Trump antagonist on this planet. I find myself consistantly in awe of his intellect and communication skills. Almost without exception, when he says something, it's something I would do somersaults to have said first.

[@christopherdaly1399]

True that BUT, and it's a big but, economics is a s*** science. Funny how the obfuscation of the legal profession dovetails so nicely 👌 with the obfuscation of the economic prognostication.

[@stevenhanson6057]

Like so many other trained monkeys.

[@jonathanstrand2474]

Researched facts, those that do that! Plus experience RR has lots!

[@Silver-jv1us]

He’s really one of the most lowbrow gaslighters on YT.

[@paulclissold1525]

Al franken too but my man is keith olbermann. Cometh the hour cometh the man.

[@hubrisonics9517]

Being pro-life when it comes to fetuses means being pro-death when it comes to pregnant women.

[@debc2237]

They don't give a rat's fart about fetuses or they would be working on serious gun control. I think they are anti-abortion to keep target numbers up.

[@lettucesalad3560]

As long as the babies can get firearms.. that's what matters.

[@davidlafleche1142]

Abortion is about wide-open free sex and about Eugenics.

[@katsong3302]

if a woman’s health is endangered with a pregnancy, or a fetus is not viable, abortion is health care.

[@danbev8542]

No one ever talks about the untold suffering of the Children born to women who cannot care for them. “Pro Life” is NOT about life! It’s about judgement and control over women. It’s misogynistic.

[@drlarrymitchell]

I think that expecting children to give a shit about the Ten Commandments when you clearly don't is the height of idiocy.

[@ninamartinez5596]

Idiocracy!

[@anthonydelfino6171]

ask any of these people to actually recite all 10 of them from memory.... my bet is the overwhelming majority of people who think this is incredibly important can't tell you them all

[@grmpEqweer]

Virtue signaling to their voting base.

[@cjfengshui1]

Thank you Robert! Your continued dedication and service to our country is truly inspiring.

[@intheknow7659]

His services is akin to what the fuhrer would like. He likes to spew nothing but propaganda.

[@copleysq]

The amount of money an individual+corporation contributes to a political campaign must get regulated.

[@intheknow7659]

The Democrats use dark money. Look it up.

[@thjbird]

The MAGA Roberts Court will not allow it. That’s why we’re here.

[@dawnoceanside7300]

Citizens United passed in 2010. How much TIME do Americans need to STAND UP for America and democracy? Another decade? 🤭😜😉

[@genelang9629]

Congress should ban Dark money for political purposes! Corporations are not individuals and should have caps or be banned altogether for individual candidates. Individual people are already capped on how much they contribute. Elections should be fair for all candidates and not biased for the wealthy.

[@sparky_murph]

Politicians won’t ban dark money, Congress, won’t regulate it. Come on, Money, has corrupted every form of government in this county. It is a dark time in America, nothing United about it.

[@patriciamantooth2638]

When a poor person frauds a rich person -- it's thief!! When a rich person frauds the poor -- he's a great businessman !!

[@5amiann]

This continually makes me sick.

[@kerrywebb2651]

Congress needs to do something where the supreme court will be accountable.

[@intheknow7659]

You guys want it abolished in reality. The constitution is also a problem for the progressive left.

[@TheFJ61]

Not in a thousand years.

[@dawnoceanside7300]

It's WE THE PEOPLE not We the Congress or DOJ 🤭😜🫣

[@altischler9073]

Go back to 8th grade Congress can't do anything

[@treefrog3349]

Really? You still believe in Congress, but the Supreme Court hasn't been equally compromised? Really?

[@randolphpinkle4482]

Money rules in America. That's the class system. The Republican's greed is good motto of the eighties still holds true, but has now transformed into absolute power is good for the very rich. Give someone enough money and they think they literally own the world. Oldest story in the world.

[@grmpEqweer]

Lurching towards neo-feudalism.

[@cdorman11]

"greed is good" One huge problem is when our representatives take Social Darwinism so far as to be willing to drive the country over a cliff or parrot talking points of foreign adversaries if they think it will help them hold onto their jobs and get vested in the Congressional pension. Another problem is that there are too many in Congress who think horse-and-sparrow economics is grounded in evidence any more than Ayn Rand's fiction is. The U.S. has one of the world's most oligarchic governments, from the high population:representative ratio to the influence of dark money to the gerrymandering of House districts to the disproportionate representation by the Senate to the gatekeeping role of expensive college administration bloat to media that can be majority-owned by foreign profiteers. Another consolidation of the oligarchy is the chilling effect of doxxing. I wouldn't be surprised if fear of violent retribution is behind the GOP Senators failing to convict Trump of insurrection, despite saying the Dems' case was airtight. Or why the emoluments clause isn't enforced. Or why local officials who make ballot determinations in regard to age and citizenship restrictions were ruled by SCOTUS not to be able to enforce the 14th Amendment the same way. I think it's behind why GOP candidates don't point out during debates Trump's drug abuse, his inability to get a loan in the U.S., his Chinese loans and bank accounts, his pleading the Fifth 400 times, his inability to read a commercial real estate contract during deposition, or even provide evidence that he did his own schoolwork past 8th grade. www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/2/12/2015577/-Cowardly-GOP-lawmakers-find-new-rationale-to-acquit-Trump-surely-voters-have-learned-their-lesson?detail=emaildkre Math: Another weakness that allows consolidation of the oligarchy is the math of presidential primaries. If the loony candidate gets 30% of the vote and the sensible candidates get 70% of the vote, but spread pretty evenly, the loony candidate wins. Ranked choice in Republican primaries would address that. It worked against Palin.

[@mbalberts]

No one explains things better than RR ❤❤❤

[@hectors.sanchez23]

Money is the evil of all supreme court judges.

[@LongLivesteph]

I am middle class or poor; I don't care about the stock market. Just lower rent!!!

[@5amiann]

Guess who owns all the real estate? The stockmarket people who have made a killing over the last 30 years

[@janislentz5649]

Demand reinstatement of rent controls!

[@blueberry-ri7eb]

If all the branches of government have checks and balances then why not the Supreme Court.

[@stretch9952]

It is hard to determine which is more appalling, the purchase of privilege or the flaunting of the act of purchasing privilege.

[@ericasuiters789]

It appears to me that John Roberts is NOT the lead justice, it appears that the chief justice is shared between Thomas and Alito. At least that's the optics of it

[@user-dc4cm8nz1f]

I agree. The only thing that makes sense to me is that Roberts has been compromised.

[@michelez715]

John Roberts makes a jellyfish look vertebrate.

[@josephineananda]

Make the wealthy pay their fair share.

[@patbrennan6572]

Good luck with that.

[@cdorman11]

One distinction that David Stockman had trouble getting Reagan to understand was the difference between tax cuts for individuals and tax cuts for corporations. Reagan was stuck thinking of how Hollywood actors would get two movies in the can and then go live cheap away from Hollywood for the rest of the year to avoid entering a higher tax bracket. The same logic applies to, say, medical benefits taken away precipitously if a poor worker takes on too much work. Both are undesirable. But corporations used to be more encouraged by the tax structure to reinvest in the company's growth. Under Reagan, those incentives were undermined, and the C suite was rewarded for shipping labor oversees and gimmicks to goose the stock price to sell their options into. Previous incentives need to be recovered. For that matter, I think the incentive for charitable giving should be more generous, from both individuals and corporations. Since donors are doing pinpoint giving instead of painting with the broad brush of the Federal government, writing off $1 for $1 donated seems to me insufficient reward. The government has $0.30 less revenue (roughly) but $1 was spent with focus. If immediate family members of the individual donor can be shown to have no tie to the gift recipient, or the company can show there's no _quid pro quo,_ like the tobacco industry funding a study on the benefit of smoking to short term memory, why not double that? It would be a loss of $0.60 of government revenue but an increase of $1 of the sort of spending the gov't does. In a way, it's a sort of referendum on where tax dollars should be spent, and decentralizes government spending. It's a more democratic or libertarian approach to the allocation of tax dollars. The higher multiplier effect of smaller recipients not on the Federal radar may even provide a rare case of tax cuts paying for themselves.

[@jhull5870]

It's either Alito or Thomas that are holding up the decision. Most likely both. And John Roberts may be the third. The decision should have been made weeks ago. We now have a MAGA Supreme Court, plain and simple. And it is naive to think that Alito and Thomas give a damn about public perception.

[@Praisethesunson]

They care about public perception. Since the supreme courts power is a legally fiction. They lose public legitimacy they can be stripped of their power by us plebs.

[@angelajones7195]

Months

[@cdorman11]

Clarito gives a damn about public perception. That's why he lies. This holdup is such BS. Plays into Trump's usual courtroom strategy of running out the clock. The Justices could have said, "We're not going to create a test for what constitutes protected presidential conduct, but we will say that in this particular case, immunity certainly doesn't apply and such conduct need not be protected for the interests of the country to be served. Such a ruling should make no reasonable President feel that his or her ability to perform the duties of the office is inordinately restricted nor should it make a President more fearful of liability for nor more hesitant in performing the duties of the office. By providing a narrow ruling, we aim to avoid overreach on a monumental topic," and throw it back to the lower court. That could be done in an hour. 10 minutes if they use AI. The anagram of Samuel Alito is I Am A Sellout.

[@thjbird]

We need to defang greed.

[@christopherdaly1399]

And no one ever talks about this seriously 😒

[@megansfo]

Great video! I was born in 1950, and have vague memories of Eisenhower and of Stevenson who my mother, a socialist, suported but dad, an old fashioned liberal republican, did not. Of course I remember Kennedy clearly, and as a 6th grader watched all his news conferences. In those days people took world affairs seriously, anf an evil clown like Trump would never have gotten anywhere near the presidency.

[@yvonnefarrell1029]

Yeah and don't talk about skipping social media, because you are some of the best on social media. Thanks to you both.

[@TheFJ61]

The bullies took over because their orange god eroded the traditional guardrails and enabled them.

[@crafty-lady6853]

The bullies actually started in the 1920s with Andrew Mellon and the policies he pushed through under 3 Presidents that cemented dynastic wealth families' power over American citizens's lives.

[@Nemesisnxt]

It started with Obama. Trump is a response to Obama. And Biden is a response to Trump. The pendulum keeps swinging with greater amplitude.

[@sundayoliver3147]

The bullies took over because, since the 1960s, the GOP has been building alliances with the evangelical far right, proliferating over a thousand hate-radio stations, influencing the government on taxes and deregulation, ignoring antitrust laws (and crumbling infrastructure), and defunding public education and the social safety net-- even the Post Office! Trump is a mascot, not a cause.

[@bobbarker1798]

Well said.

[@cwhaywood7357]

Everything seems to revolve around money. "The love of money is the root of all evil." The more you have, the more you want.

[@cwhaywood7357]

Elon's an example.

[@helenak.5762]

1 Timothy 6:10

[@rosieE121]

We have a society of bullies.

[@PatrickMcLaughlin-ji4rb]

If Trump can load the Supreme Court with his choices, why can't Biden also do this during his term?

[@janislentz5649]

Expand to 13, and appoint 4 liberal justices!

[@victoriao1828]

I blame corporations and greed for high prices.

[@annakingry9157]

That's exactly right. The President doesn't set the price of goods. Corporations do.

[@user-hx2wx7mk8n]

No, it's the creation of 12 trillion in fake money in the last 4 years.

[@suemccord2633]

There is no one I have more respect for than Professor Reich 🎉No One. He is the most knowledgeable person on the planet with an encyclopedia memory. I wish I would have had him as a Teacher when I was younger. Applause Professor Applause 🎉❤🎉

[@donnareynolds833]

Professor Reich, you are an American treasure. Thank you for sharing with those who would deign to hear.

[@sp4nky66]

We were warned about Clarence Thomas, who is still seeking his revenge (and mostly getting it)

[@DiscoDashco]

Anita Hill tried warning us too. And she got raked over the coals for it to count for nothing when they gave him the nomination anyway. Shame how it took so long for the expression “believe women” to actually mean something to the public at large.

[@janislentz5649]

Unfortunately, at the time Biden defended his sppointment

[@janislentz5649]

Unfortunately, at the time Biden defended his appointment

[@cdorman11]

Maybe he'll die and get replaced by Anita Hill.

[@ChristinaAnderson-fd6dz]

SCOTUS is up for the highest bidder. So disappointing. We need term limits. Also, imo we should add many justices and rotate per case.

[@cdorman11]

I think some are acting out of fear of violence, as in doxxing, lone wolves, a DePape-style break-in, creation of a talking point for incendiary, foreign-owned Fox, another coup attempt--but next time the cache of ARs brought a little closer. Congress was 20-30 seconds from being harmed, which was to be the pretext for a claim of emergency powers, as was the count not being finished. Fortunately neither pretext took place. Many are imprisoned but organizers are still loose. Phone records show Stone and Don Jr. in contact with Proud Boys and Oath Keepers before and after the insurrection.

[@BlazingShackles]

When someone sews fear as a means to take from you, it really is bullying. When they make you hate the other guy because "he's ruining it for you", thats bullying. When they tell you they need more financial breaks and incentives or you will be out of a job, that's bullying.

[@63Lsp]

Yes yes! Society is about how we treat, what we owe each other! Yet here we are in a society that admires and lifts up sociopaths and narcissists to the highest corporate and political positions. The more money, the more we elevate bullies to do the dirty work of leading with oppression as the goal (so we can have more money). Thanks for being a sane safe place to come to share our values and the truth💙xx to all from Oregon

[@Tichaba124]

Yes! It’s a cult! You are correct Heather! The same people follow him just like groupies! Good call! Thank you both for all you do!!!

[@grmpEqweer]

The -Grateful Dead- Hateful Red.

[@cdorman11]

The leading reason it's a cult is their members being poisoned against content outlets that debunk their narrative. When you're accused of watching CNN or reading the NYT, that's what they train their minions is polluting the minds of those who test their faith. They dare not mention more corrupting sources, lest they undermine the narrative that those outside the cult are the ones who don't expose themselves to enough information, and lest they risk cult members realizing they're surrounded by sources that could debunk the cult narrative. The cult trains their members that having inside information is easy, that being a hero is easy. They want to hide from members that what is far easier is finding arguments that debunk the cult's false narratives.

[@grizzlybear4]

Thank you for your take on bullying Robert. My story involves losing out of the middle class, waiting 1 1/2 years for public housing, and being intimidated daily by bully "property managers."

[@marilynworth997]

I've moved to Ecuador. I'm so glad I can still start my Saturday with Coffee Klutch!

[@grmpEqweer]

What's living there like?

[@margaret7688]

All of America should listen to Robert Reich. He is brilliant and completely knowledgeable and totally unbiased. No one is quite like him. VOTE BLUE!!! 💙💙💙

[@hinatasigosson8812]

The G O P is breaking down, and every decision the S.C. has made since Reinquist's death will be trashed in the garbage.

[@bertnijhof5413]

The first Constitution of the Dutch Republic was the Union of Utrecht (1579 with a Senate, deciding on budgets, taxes, war and peace)! Article 1 was Freedom of Religion, which is again discussed in the USA :) We had rewrites of the Constitution in 1815 (Dutch Monarchy; Treaty of Vienna after the French Revolution); 1848 (2 chamber Parliament retaking all powers of 1579); 1917 (Female voting rights) and 1983 (Social rights, like the right on: legal counsel; security of livelihood; environmental protection; public health and education). We never believed that our founders could see 400 to 500 years ahead.

[@user-dc4cm8nz1f]

Of course. That's a rational take on it. Too many white men in the US seem to have an over inflated ego tied to their material possessions & societal power, along with a glaring belief in their own inadequancy (was it the influx of colonists who were 2nd & 3rd sons of the nobility along with poor men? - you decide) leading them and all of us to inevitable destruction because they refuse to grow and change with the times. The ultimate toddler tantrum with devastating consequences, such as, SCOTUS deciding whether a pregnant person can be denied medical care if that care includes abortion or Congress refusing to pass living wage laws or rampant homelessness or corporate price gouging. And, the cherry on top, the political promise of White Christian Nationalism all set out in a 900 page public document. It's a shitshow, for sure. Grab your popcorn and favorite beverage...

[@XenIsWhen]

I appreciate your definition of society as what we owe to each other. I grew up around bullies myself, from classmates to teachers to family to mental health workers. I decided to avoid people altogether, and seeing the way things are now doesn't surprise me at all.

[@MyLoganTreks]

Excellent reason why it's important to Educate and get people to Vote Blue in November. The reason I will never vote GOP again is due to their recent corruption and the Courts failure to simply do the right thing when nobody is watching. History will never be forgotten.

[@fowlerja]

This is what Blue Joe did to this nation. This is one of Joe's experienced, astute, kind , and caring policies. His "Open Border". Joe allowed the “illegal” crossing of the “open border” by 8-10 million “illegal migrants' ' , criminals, terrorists, drug smugglers, and gotaways, etc. This will affect all 50 states; their state safety net, housing, flooding of hospitals and educational systems, criminal systems, drug issues, and employment. With little to no border security over 3 years, huge amounts of the narcotic drug fentanyl has crossed the “open border”. The Mexican Cartel has raked in billions of dollars, destabilizing the economic and social structure of Mexico. Yearly, 75,000 deaths of young Americans (ages 15-44) occur throughout 50 states. Those who survive are damaged for life, overwhelming medical and social service programs. Their life expectancy is 47.5 years. Expect 300,000 families to bury their children during Joe's four years. A tragedy of this magnitude not only affects the family and relatives, but the nation as a whole. This national tragedy is having a devastating immediate and lasting impact on the nation's economy, social structures, public health systems, and overall demographic trends. Sadly this event has not been on Joe Biden’s radar or agenda for improving our nation. Joe likes to speak about democracy. There is no democracy for a young dead person. “Please pay attention to what Joe Biden and Kamala Harris do or don’t do for America. Their actions will tell you everything you need to know.”

[@GaryChurch-hi8kb]

My own foundational experience was working in an electronics shop in the military during the 90's where they played Rush Limbaugh all day long loud. The remarks from my coworkers echoing Rush made me a democrat for life.

[@dustinstoker]

It's still echoing...

[@garyyarago2096]

Yes, Rush is a really awful band, all their songs are pushing Ayn Rand crap, how did you stand it? Oh, not that Rush?

[@robinmiller5256]

I too got a lot of political views from credence Clearwater revival as well as so many others who spoke out with music.🤔

[@GaryChurch-hi8kb]

@@garyyarago2096 No....I fixed it. Thanks.

[@samhavoc1066]

Sat in command staff meetings in the 90's where they openly mocked President Clinton, then when George W took office, it was suddenly inappropriate and punishable. Then back to mocking with Obama.

[@ij1720]

What a great team!

[@annepeiffer-mgr8312]

In 1803, SCOTUS took on judicial oversight, which it is now wraponizing. This oversight was not granted in the Constitution.

[@player627]

why have a constitution if Congress is free to pass unconstitutional laws?

[@annepeiffer-mgr8312]

Constitutionality was supposed to be a discussion between the House and Senate, which SCOTUS would referee, not a blessing that SCOTUS would give legislation. Now, legislation is being crafted with SCOTUS to speed passing; this is completely BassAckwards!!

[@player627]

@@annepeiffer-mgr8312 ??? I don't know where you got that, but it would still leave the Constitution subject to a discussion (whatever that means) between the House and Senate. In other words - a meaningless scrap of parchment.

[@Ullumma]

Vote blue until Roberts retires

[@joanfoxwright4221]

I'm 72. I remember Eisenhower. I remember the bruhaha over Kennedy's Catholicism.

[@user-hx2wx7mk8n]

Eisenhower was a great president...no drama, no crises.

[@cdorman11]

People point to JFK's assertion that he would not impose his faith on the country and restrict reproductive rights, and think he was being so forthright and level-headed. He _needed_ to say that to get elected, because voters were afraid he would make contraception illegal, not just keep abortion illegal. His large family and personal unfamiliarity with the financial burdens that compel people to restrict family size only added to the suspicion.

[@brent954]

No accountability, that is today’s society, definitely for the top 1% and those that can afford a lifetime of lawyers to twist, delay and avoid justice. Common sense leads one to believe that this will not end well.

[@yvonnefarrell1029]

US Mayors Conference is meeting, and even they have to acknowledge publicly the cost of housing is out of control now. Perhaps help is on the way.

[@bobbarker1798]

Not if they're MAGA.

[@fowlerja]

@@bobbarker1798 This is what Joe Biden did to the economy of his 3.5 years in office. In a recent speech, President Biden said: “Folks, BIDENOMICS is just another way of saying 'the American Dream.” Be careful… look at the facts below. _________________________________________________________________________ Overall, prices increased almost 20 PERCENT during Joe Biden’s term! Has your paycheck increased by 20%? Inflation is not diminishing in 2024. Not good. Average credit card rate - 24.37%, HIGHEST RATE IN 80 YEARS. ( 48% increase since Joe took office). Blomberg reported that the average FICO credit score declined for the first time in a decade in OCT 2023. Home interest rates have increased dramatically to 7.65 %. (JUN 2024) ( 288% INCREASE since Joe took office). 2023 - the worst year ever for housing affordability. US mortgage applications for home purchases fell in Feb 2024, nearing its lowest level since 1995. (29 years ago). The average new car interest rate in Jun 2024 was 9.62% for a 60-month loan. (229% INCREASE since Joe took office). The AAA estimates the annual cost of owning a new car in 2023, up 14% from last year. Car insurance rates rising the fastest since the inflation spike in the mid-1970s. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is $3.45. ( 53% INCREASE since Joe took office.). Jun 2024. The average national cost of electricity in Jun 2024 was 16.8 cents per kWh (33% increase since Joe took office) Total household debt in 2024 set a new all time record of $17.69 trillion. Americans paid $130 billion in interest and fees on their credit cards in 2023. Largest amount on record. And as An Added Bonus: Welcome 11 Million New “Illegal Asylum Seekers” To Your States, Cities, and Communities. You will need to shelter, feed, educate, find jobs, and provide medical care. Joe decided and also gifted you with this obligation, that you not only have to support your family, but also 11 million strangers. Joe felt the "legal" immigration system was inadequate for America, so he created the "illegal immigration" system. Do you feel the "American Dream" is coming to you from Bidenomics? Or do you feel that the economic gains are sloping downward? Please pay attention to what Joe Biden and Kamala Harris do or don’t do for America. Their actions will tell you everything you need to know.”

[@lynnjones9265]

Along with the many relatives, uncle's aunt's mother's daughter's who died because of Trump Let's not forget the millions who died and why Ne were fed up with that. We were always fed up with his drama day in and Day Out. That's where the anxiety came from. It's not the pandemic, but being locked up with a maniac

[@bobbarker1798]

So true. Locked up with a maniac.

[@user-hx2wx7mk8n]

So Trump created the COVID germ in his secret lab?....No, that would have been your 'hero', Dr. Fauci.

[@cynthiamarie2107]

Mr. Reich, you should join the Meidas Touch network to expand your audience. Your commentary is so valuable to this country. I would like to see you with a much bigger audience.

[@beckywauer2291]

Happy Birthday, Robert!

[@neildutton8077]

Corporations, buying up increasing amounts of single family homes, are driving up prices and rents at alarming rates.

[@floydblandston108]

Bob's story about his 'awakening' to the real meaning and power of 'bullying' is breath taking- beautiful, powerful, clear, and immediate. Thank you so much for sharing it.❤‍🩹

[@wandaway1961]

I think the court will not decide the immunity question until December. It has so much contempt for the public that I wouldn't put it past them.

[@JakeNorth24]

OMG 😳 I and most others hope you’re wrong about that!

[@jenna2431]

Well, of course not because "blind justice" now depends on whether it's a Dem or Publican in the Oval

[@myleslong5584]

Well,yeah. It’s quite obvious that it’s a case that,if Trump wins immunity will be granted. A Trump loss would mean immunity is out the window…as it should be,anyway. This shouldn’t even be a consideration by the court.

[@robertnapier624]

If Trump wins, they’ll drop it. If he loses, they better say no immunity and the republicans better remove Trump as leader to preserve whatever reputation they have left. Biden isn’t running again in 2028. Trump will be 82 by then. Roughly Biden’s age now. The democrats will find someone a lot younger than both Trump and Biden to lead them and if the republicans still stick with Trump in 2028 then they may as well throw in the towel before that election even begins.

[@bennybaker4926]

The Court may wait until after the election: if trump wins, the Court will vote for immunity, if Biden wins the Court will vote against immunity.

[@avanm420]

Thank you both🙏🧡watching in Canada 🇨🇦

[@vmacart]

Betty Bowers, Women who pay for abortion should go to jail. Men who pay for abortion should go to congress.

[@MotherofOdin]

Republican Congress and their double standards. It’s almost like a religious zealots ideology take-over.

[@sundayoliver3147]

And do, and have, even when abortion was illegal in this country.

[@LilikoiJammin]

Love Betty . BTW anyone remember the scene from The Birdcage when Nathan Lane (as a woman) and the senator (I forget the actor) Are discussing abortion and she comes up with the idea the women should be killed, 20 to 30 years ago it was hilarious I never thought we’d get therre

[@user-dc4cm8nz1f]

Some wise person said, "If men could get pregnant, there would be a free clinic on every corner, with free beer and sports on TV."

[@bobbarker1798]

Really?!! You don't know much about real life.

[@grizzlybear4]

1950s: "I like Ike" vs. "I find St. Paul appealing and St. Peale appalling." And large corporations actually paid taxes.

[@poz26]

Please bring up the damage that private equity does to the companies they take over and saddle with debt. This affects things like hospitals that we depend on.

[@lamars2486]

And newspapers

[@dianneantonio9293]

Excellent teacher.....break it down to small, understandable items. I wish, somehow, MAGA can be taught.

[@eric.gardenerextraordinaire]

THANK YOU For bringing the country illuminating insights and honesty to this corrupt world, and country, we now live in. Bringing the bad into the light is the first step to correcting these huge problems.

[@hoofarmorhoofcare]

💙💖 Can't wait for your commentary on the debate!

[@deanaderrick3474]

I LOVE IT!! Thurs night. Can't wait.

[@Chulitatr]

, Mike Johnson the GOP house speaker said that we're going to decentralize the gov't at a press conference. And Trump said at his 'I Hate America' rallies in Iowa 2023: "We've been waging a war against Democracy, and we're going to finish the [coup] job if i win....The Sedition NEVER stopped. That's what happens when the rule of law is NOT enforced w/o fear or FAVOR!

[@lamars2486]

James Carville put out a video on what Mike johnsons central core of beliefs are in a POLITICON session a few months ago, he is aligned with the SBC but seems to get his core thinking out of the old POPES MANIFESTIO that pre dated vatican II. That's the same philosophy that the LATTER RAIN MOVEMENT uses and their "police backers" THE KKK. It is amazing how this all goes back to the 1830s of the UK, US, and eastern european thought schools. ONE SINGLE SECRET PLOT THREAD. BE IT JEWISH, CATHOLIC or PROTESTANT. The mind games I think have tanked the world's psyche. Broken it.

[@stevesutube]

UK here. I’ve just stumbled on your channel and I’ll say that it is so refreshing and comforting to know the US has not totally lost its mind. Great discussions. Keep up the good work.

[@JohnnyBeegood1]

Coffee Klatch is so informative. Well done. PBS should pick this up as a weekly show. Pretty clear there's a need to beat the ignorance out of the public.😄

[@johncano2594]

I love you two! Seriously, I look forward to The Coffee Klatch.

[@davesnothere.]

I woke up today to the sun shining, the birds chirping and The Donvict breathing. Today sucks.

[@joeschmoe8685]

this is such an important conversation!

[@brenthorn2475]

Always enjoy your enlightening conversations. Keep up the good fight!

[@catherinefleet9213]

34 convictions! Why is this criminal not in jail. Any other criminal would be taken straight from the court room to the big house to await his appeal.

[@broddr]

Maybe not straight to jail. It’s a low grade nonviolent felony and Dumpty is a first time convict. A suspended sentence is pretty common in NY in those cases.

[@patbrennan6572]

Ah, because he's Don Trump ? that would be my guess. Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding.

[@cdorman11]

Bannon has been free for about a year now. He drew a Trump-appointed judge. Trump appointed nearly as many appeals court judges in four years as Barack Obama appointed in eight.

[@vmacart]

There’s no hate as pure as Christian love.

[@sundayoliver3147]

The Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts of 1964 -- we didn't just "take a turn away" from them-- the GOP started its long plan then against those rights, and unfortunately they were very well funded -- when the Reagan administration came in, they were then very well supported by government deregulation and the mothballing of anti-trust laws, which seem to have continued until signs of change from the present administration.

[@jenna2431]

They are BEGGING to get expanded. And I think we'll just divide the payroll more ways instead of allocating more money.

[@DiscoDashco]

Be careful with that idea. That was expressly how Thomas started getting checks from monied interests to come flooding in, when he went in front of Congress to complain of how low his income as a scotus justice was a good 3 decades ago. Paying them insufficiently was the impetus for his grievances with lacking wealth as an individual who was essentially boasting of his power and [potential] influence as a Supreme Court justice.

[@cathyharris4968]

We teach children in grade school that they'll be punished for fighting back, so adult bullies just keep punishing folks for fighting back. Stop punishing children for fighting back and you'll get adults that are more effective at resisting.

[@ThomasHalways]

The Dog that Didn't Bark: Not the 1st time. They did the same regarding gerrymandering in South Carolina. Both sides asked for a timely ruling, they chose inaction. And now it is too late for release of any new set of ballots for the 2024 election. They helped republicans. Ruling worded by Thomas could be just as well written by a Ku-Klux-Klan attorney.

[@shirleed1936]

There was a game show that used sound proof booths that turned off the light and sound. Those should be used for the Biden v Trump debate so there won't be any distractions from either candidate, especially the Donald!

[@patrarus6097]

Thanks for another excellent session!

[@smithgroove945]

When did Trump ever care about your rent, your food etc.

[@ace9840]

In 1913 when politicians allowed the biggest bankers in the world to take over the currency supply. It was all down hill from there.

[@johnbowen4442]

The Fed which is not a goverment agency but a collection of private banks not beholding to the people because we dont elect them which is undemocractic ? Why of all the buildings on the capital mall anyone cant enter , but this one you cant and is guarded with guys with machine guns outside .

[@jewellquander2444]

I'm so very sorry to learn that you were bullied. You have been such a positive role model for me and so many others. Bullies are who we face daily. We the People, in my opinion, still don't know how to negotiate.

[@collinsfriend1]

I keep waiting for Thomases diet to overtake him.

[@earljohnson8936]

The Supreme Court has no public trust when the majority has no respect for their decrees. Their decisions are arbitrary based on personal ideology.

[@karllieck9064]

The blue states can just ignore their capricious, harmful decisions. We're 2 countries now btw.

[@bobbarker1798]

Well said. Justice should be based on higher values.

[@cdorman11]

The 9-0 decision on the 14th Amendment was a bunch of arguments that all worked from the conclusion backward. The Bad Guys had the guts to choose the President back in 2000...

[@SteveNewman-tv6gv]

I wish we, in the United States, were smart enough to elect Robert as president. Alas……🥺

[@Rob_Moilanen]

Dr Reich isn't running for President!!!

[@AngryMan540]

Maybe you guys should take a look at the seemingly outsized influence of the Federalist Society on our Judiciary after about 50% of the judges that Trump appointed are members of the, including 3 SCOTUS justices and the Judge from Texas in the mifepristone case. Also Judge Aileen Cannon worked for a member before being appointed as a judge herself by Trump.

[@patricklynam7433]

The Jan 6 trial will occur in September and October, which is terrible timing for Fat Donald.

[@maryloulindquist7453]

Do we need a Supreme Court anymore?

[@angelajones7195]

At the rate they going, No!!

[@user-ov6fv3qr2n]

We Don't produce enough different things to keep us running more than a week or two. I mean America!

[@elaineisabelle427]

Great show, thx, my sister is suffering, she lives in Indy and has no air or heat either, she's freezing in the winter and burning up in the summer.

[@Maya_Pinion]

Can she stay with you? Call habitat for humanity( that prez Jimmy Carter started)and they will have people go over and help..... They build,bring slightly used everything,paint,mow--- wonderful group.

[@user-nv4mj5rb4n]

Rational thinking cannot always outweigh emotional influences in human decision making. Unfortunately, people in this country vote largely based on emotional, not rational thinking. This is the great, perhaps fatal, weakness in the political processes in this country. When a rationalist such as Biden is opposed by an expert manipulator and expoliter of folks' emotional responses like the Tramp, the outcome revisits 1930's Germany and Italy...

[@Kenjiro5775]

Bastille Day made things right in France, for a time. We need our own version here in the US.

[@dianthaweilepp5294]

Limiting the term length is NOT a solution! We need good people to stay on the court . Impeachment of corruption is the correct way to correct the situation. Thomas and Gorsuch have definitely broken the tax code, as well as the moral code.

[@maggiealena]

Justice corrupted is justice denied.