In the First Debate, The People’s Issues Came Second

The debate was largely a clash of personalities, rather than a clash of visions for the nation’s future. In her zeal to defeat her opponent, which she clearly did, Hillary Clinton didn’t do enough to inspire and motivate her base.
Richard Eskow
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Immigrants Don’t Steal Jobs or Wages. Billionaires Do.

Not all anti-immigrant arguments are based on fear, dehumanization, or inappropriate analogies. Economically vulnerable populations are often told that immigrants “take our jobs” and drag down wages. Is it true?
Richard Eskow
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Wells Fargo Had a Bad Day. That’s a Start.

People looking for drama in Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf’s Senate testimony on Tuesday did not come away disappointed – even if he did not crack on the stand and admit everything like the villain in a Perry Mason episode.
Richard Eskow
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Despite Some Good Economic News, The Status Quo Is Not Enough

Should Democrats present themselves as fighters for a transformative economic vision, or as skilled managers restoring and maintaining the status quo of the last several decades? The question came up again last week.
Richard Eskow
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Al Capone, Meet Wells Fargo

Chalk it up to a culture of criminality ... Bank executives need to understand that the public’s anger is deep – and justified. If Democrats like Hillary Clinton are smart, they will grasp the depth and rationality of that anger.
Richard Eskow

How Much Will the War On Unions Cost You This Labor Day?

The decline in union membership has probably cost you, or someone close to you, thousands of dollars in income since last Labor Day – not because of some immutable law, but because of a cultural and political war.
Richard Eskow

Health Care Is a Right, Not a Business

The U.S. insurance industry has objectively failed to manage either the cost or quality of health care. Health care is a human right, and private insurers have failed to safeguard it. They had their shot, and they blew it.
Richard Eskow

The “People’s Fed” and the Oracles of Jackson Hole

Many of the Fed officials who met with Fed Up activists expressed support, at least in principle, for the group's goals. That's commendable. But the Fed is hamstrung by its own ambiguous structure.
Richard Eskow

Workers of the Future, Unite

Automation will undoubtedly transform society in the future. But that's no reason to ignore the problems we're facing right now. The best way to ensure a more equitable economy tomorrow is by fighting for one today.
Richard Eskow

The Fiscal Myth That’s Killing The Economy, In 7 Steps

This week, yet another paper reinforces our need for more government spending, not less, to repair the economy for millions of working Americans. Unfortunately, our political debate is being held back by an economic myth.
Richard Eskow

The Birds on Trump’s Brain

Here's what Trump said about wind power on Monday:"The wind kills all your birds. All your birds, killed. You know, the environmentalists never talk about that." Trump has birds on the brain. Who put them there?
Richard Eskow

As Republicans Defect, Will Clinton Be Tempted To Tack Right?

Republican support poses a dangerous temptation for Clinton. She may see it as a mandate to form something like a unity government with Republicans, a call to tack right toward the failed "centrism" and "bipartisanship" of the past.
Richard Eskow

The Birds on Trump’s Brain

  Donald Trump’s brain. It’s an unusual instrument, and a frightening one, even in the best of circumstances. Now someone has “put a bird on it”– a lot of them, […]
Richard Eskow

Trump’s Terrifying Pitch: It Was Better Than You Think

It's Demagoguery 101: Terrify, then reassure. Threaten people with destruction, then reassure them with the warm embrace of your fatherly arms. It’s what kidnappers do to instill Stockholm syndrome in their prisoners. Trump’s good at it.
Richard Eskow

Clinton Must Go Bold – and Go Left – For VP

Reports say Hillary Clinton will announce her vice presidential choice on Friday, and rumors that she’s going with a “safe” pick should worry Democrats. In this political climate, "safety" could put her candidacy in serious danger.
Richard Eskow

Trump 2016: The Three Shadows Haunting Cleveland

When Donald Trump’s Republican Party convenes in Cleveland, three shadows will haunt the arena. If you look carefully, you're sure to see them. If you’re not afraid, you don’t know your history.
Richard Eskow

Eric Holder’s Justice

Matt Taibbi called Eric Holder a "double agent" for Wall Street, but it's doubtful that he sees himself that way. Few of us think of ourselves as bad people. But then, how does the former attorney general justify his behavior to himself?
Richard Eskow

Don’t Stop the Revolution: The Sanders Movement After Orlando

Bernie Sanders’ "political revolution" scored impressive wins in the Democratic Party’s draft platform, which ABC News calls “exceptionally progressive." This new movement has already had a major impact, with more battles to come.
Richard Eskow

Inequality’s Getting Worse. How Do We End This?

At the start of the Independence Day weekend, we learned that income inequality in this country became even worse last year. Economic inequality produces scars that last a lifetime – and even longer. We must act.
Richard Eskow

Dear Tony Blair: It’s Not the Pitch, It’s the Product.

Although Tony Blair laments the failure of the “political center,” the Brexit vote didn’t happen because he and his colleagues failed. It happened because they succeeded. Voters don't like the effects on either side of the Atlantic.
Richard Eskow

Brexit and the New Global Rebellion

The neoliberal order that has dominated the world's economy is now in danger. That's not necessarily a bad thing, by any means. But poisonous weeds are just as likely as green shoots to grow up through those cracks.
Richard Eskow

The 13 Democrats Who Just Did Wall Street’s Dirty Work

Meet the "Hedge Fund 13," the House Democrats who joined Republicans in voting to protect private equity and hedge funds from regulatory oversight. Votes like this one should have consequences.
Richard Eskow

The People’s Summit: A Talk with Thom Hartmann [Video]

This past weekend I spoke at "The People's Summit," a gathering dedicated to building a longstanding movement out of the momentum of the Bernie Sanders campaign. I discussed it with Thom Hartmann.
Richard Eskow

For Nine Souls in Charleston, One Year Later

We live on. Whether you believe in an afterlife or not, we live on in memory. So let's start by remembering each of them by name, the nine kind souls who welcomed a stranger into their midst one year ago.
Richard Eskow

Would You Trust Henry Kissinger with Your Social Security?

The Peterson Foundation has added Henry Kissinger to a list of defense experts who declare that the federal debt is the "single biggest threat to our national security." But consider Kissinger's own threats to our global well-being.
Richard Eskow

Muhammad Ali Speaks to the Activist Soul

Ali's occupation was inseparable from his aspirations, his spiritual ideals inseparable from his worldly activities. That's an important lesson for any historical moment, and for this moment more than most.
Richard Eskow

What’s Killing the American Middle Class?

A new study by the Pew Research Center spurred a rash of headlines last week about the "dying" middle class. It's dying, but not from natural causes. It's being killed. What – and, for that matter, who – is responsible?
Richard Eskow
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