Robert Reich is a professor at the University of California at Berkeley, he’s a best-selling author, a Rhodes scholar, and, as secretary of labor under Bill Clinton, was named one of the most effective cabinet secretaries of the 20th century by Time magazine. What he isn’t is a big fan of Donald Trump.
“A malignant megalomaniac facing no countervailing power will continue to expand his terrain until he is stopped,” he recently wrote.
And just last month, Reich asked on his blog, “Why did so many working-class voters choose a selfish, thin-skinned, petulant, lying, narcissistic, boastful, megalomaniac for president? It’s important to know, because we need to stop more Trumps in the future.”
These missives began long before Trump became president. Coincidentally or not, Reich’s been working this argument since around the time Trump announced his candidacy. Here’s, for example, Reich’s 10-step checklist of how democracies can become dictatorships
1. First, destroy labor unions, so people have no way to bargain for higher wages and less capacity for political organization.
Wikipedia;
Union membership in the private sector has fallen under 7%— levels not seen since 1932. From a global perspective, in 2016 the US had the fifth lowest trade union density of the 36 OECD member nations.
2. Crack down on college students, so they won’t oppose you (hint: burden them with so much student debt and make it so hard for them to find good jobs that they won’t dare rock the boat).
Wikipedia;
In January 2019, the Federal Reserve said that student loan debt has more than doubled in the last decade, and is forcing many in the millennial generation to delay buying homes.
3. Undermine public education, so people are less able to think critically for themselves.
Wikipedia;
The test scores of students attending U.S. public schools are lower than student scores in schools of other developed countries, in the areas of reading, math, and science. Out of 21 industrialized countries, U.S. 12th graders ranked 19th in math, 16th in science, and last in advanced physics.
4. Cut deals with rich business executives and billionaires that if they back you you’ll reduce their taxes, slash government spending on the poor, and eliminate regulations that impinge on their profits.
5. Make most people economically anxious, frustrated, angry, and insecure.
Wikipedia;
As of 2013, more than 15% of the U.S. population receive food assistance, and more than 20% in Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oregon and Tennessee. Washington D.C. was the highest share of the population to receive food assistance at over 23%.
6. Convince them their problems stem from “them” — foreigners, immigrants, racial or ethnic or religious minorities, intellectuals.
7. Make them cynical about democracy.
8. Convince them all they need is a strongman who will fix everything.
9. Fill the airwaves with big lies.
10. Get elected, and then take over.
Trump & Co er i støtet.....
“A malignant megalomaniac facing no countervailing power will continue to expand his terrain until he is stopped,” he recently wrote.
And just last month, Reich asked on his blog, “Why did so many working-class voters choose a selfish, thin-skinned, petulant, lying, narcissistic, boastful, megalomaniac for president? It’s important to know, because we need to stop more Trumps in the future.”
These missives began long before Trump became president. Coincidentally or not, Reich’s been working this argument since around the time Trump announced his candidacy. Here’s, for example, Reich’s 10-step checklist of how democracies can become dictatorships
1. First, destroy labor unions, so people have no way to bargain for higher wages and less capacity for political organization.
Wikipedia;
Union membership in the private sector has fallen under 7%— levels not seen since 1932. From a global perspective, in 2016 the US had the fifth lowest trade union density of the 36 OECD member nations.
2. Crack down on college students, so they won’t oppose you (hint: burden them with so much student debt and make it so hard for them to find good jobs that they won’t dare rock the boat).
Wikipedia;
In January 2019, the Federal Reserve said that student loan debt has more than doubled in the last decade, and is forcing many in the millennial generation to delay buying homes.
3. Undermine public education, so people are less able to think critically for themselves.
Wikipedia;
The test scores of students attending U.S. public schools are lower than student scores in schools of other developed countries, in the areas of reading, math, and science. Out of 21 industrialized countries, U.S. 12th graders ranked 19th in math, 16th in science, and last in advanced physics.
4. Cut deals with rich business executives and billionaires that if they back you you’ll reduce their taxes, slash government spending on the poor, and eliminate regulations that impinge on their profits.
5. Make most people economically anxious, frustrated, angry, and insecure.
Wikipedia;
As of 2013, more than 15% of the U.S. population receive food assistance, and more than 20% in Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oregon and Tennessee. Washington D.C. was the highest share of the population to receive food assistance at over 23%.
6. Convince them their problems stem from “them” — foreigners, immigrants, racial or ethnic or religious minorities, intellectuals.
7. Make them cynical about democracy.
8. Convince them all they need is a strongman who will fix everything.
9. Fill the airwaves with big lies.
10. Get elected, and then take over.
Trump & Co er i støtet.....
