Robert Reich

The Robert Reich Substack centers on dissecting the dynamics of power and its misuse in the political and corporate spheres, focusing on critiques of the Trump administration, the Republican Party's strategies, media integrity, and the influence of corporations and billionaires on democracy and public policy.

Political Analysis Media Critique Corporate Governance Election Dynamics Social Justice Democracy and Governance Legal Accountability Personal Perspectives

The hottest Substack posts of Robert Reich

And their main takeaways

Biden’s brain, Trump’s brain

36282 implied HN points • 09 Feb 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Government Election Policy Scandal Justice
  1. Special counsel Hur cleared Biden of any criminality due to memory lapses, sparking concerns about Biden's aging brain.
  2. Hur's lack of medical background and Trump's own memory issues bring into question the validity of his assessment.
  3. The focus in electing a president should be on knowledge, temperament, and judgment, qualities where Biden stands out compared to Trump.
  4. The issue of Biden's memory should not overshadow Trump's indictments and lack of cooperation with investigators.
  5. Hur's previous affiliations with Trump raise suspicions about the political motivations behind his statements.

Why I preach to the choir

37815 implied HN points • 05 Feb 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Opinion
  1. The writer believes in reaching out to people with open minds.
  2. Providing data, arguments, and logic helps in spreading truth.
  3. Feeling confident in your thoughts is important, especially in challenging times.
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No immunity for Trump

28735 implied HN points • 06 Feb 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Legal Supreme Court Justice System
  1. A federal appeals court rejected Trump's claim of immunity for charges related to the 2020 election.
  2. Trump's legal delays may allow him to postpone a trial until after the presidential election.
  3. The court system should set tighter deadlines to prevent Trump from running out the clock on accountability.

Citizen Musk

32331 implied HN points • 26 Jan 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Government Political Rhetoric Media influence Wealth Inequality Democracy
  1. Elon Musk has been spreading misinformation about immigration and voting laws, similar to Trump's tactics.
  2. Musk's massive influence and control over Twitter (X) pose a threat to democracy and accountability.
  3. The concentration of wealth in individuals like Musk can be dangerous for democracy by allowing them to evade consequences and manipulate public opinion.

Why is Boeing such a shitty corporation?

33589 implied HN points • 18 Jan 24
💼 Business Outsourcing Ownership
  1. Airbus has taken the lead over Boeing in manufacturing and sales of commercial aircraft
  2. Boeing's commitment to safety has been doubted by the public and airlines, affecting its reputation
  3. Airbus and Boeing differ in ownership and worker power, which impacts their approach to manufacturing and safety

BS on the border

23998 implied HN points • 30 Jan 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Immigration Border Security Election Policy Reform
  1. The bipartisan Senate deal on immigration focuses on border security and lacks real reforms like a pathway to citizenship.
  2. Political posturing over border security has intensified as a key issue for the 2024 election.
  3. Trump's rhetoric on immigration, laden with false claims, is evocative of neofascist language and a troubling historical parallel.

What Trump's lawyer was really advocating

26140 implied HN points • 11 Jan 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Government History Policy Democracy Leadership
  1. Trump's lawyer argued for immunity from criminal trial through impeachment, resembling the 1933 Enabling Law in Germany.
  2. American democracy is stronger than Weimar Republic's but caution is needed to protect it.
  3. Author highlights the importance of upholding democratic norms, media truth-telling, and citizen participation for safeguarding democracy.

How to understand the politics of Israel and Palestine?

16254 implied HN points • 04 Feb 24
🌍 World Politics Israel Palestine Conflict History Education
  1. Organizing for difficult subjects in universities is essential to foster open dialogue and avoid polarization.
  2. Collaborative teaching with diverse perspectives can create a more enriching and open-minded learning environment for students.
  3. Approaching the conflict between Israel and Palestine with a sense of tragedy can help students understand the complexity and motivations behind the narratives of both sides.

What do Dartmouth basketball and Tennessee’s VW plant have in common?

14308 implied HN points • 07 Feb 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Labor Unionization Income Inequality
  1. Dartmouth basketball team is on its way to becoming the first unionized sports program in the country.
  2. The United Auto Workers are making progress in organizing autoworkers at the Volkswagen plant in Tennessee.
  3. Unionization efforts in the U.S., supported by Biden's National Labor Relations Board, are gaining momentum and support is increasing across various sectors.

What’s the “Chevron doctrine,” and why should you want to preserve it?

21187 implied HN points • 16 Jan 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Regulations Supreme Court Presidency Government Agencies
  1. The Chevron doctrine allows agencies to interpret laws to protect the public, but it's under threat
  2. Challenges to the Chevron doctrine could give judges, not experts, power to invalidate regulations
  3. Corporate interests are pushing to end the Chevron doctrine to increase profits and reduce public protections

How Trump is exploiting our scarcest resource

19988 implied HN points • 12 Jan 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Election Attention Media Candidates Campaigning
  1. Our attention is a scarce resource that is being exploited by individuals like Donald Trump for political gain.
  2. As demands on our attention increase from various sources like social media, our ability to focus elsewhere decreases.
  3. By dominating public attention through provocations, Trump can make other candidates, like Biden, appear weaker and less significant.

How the oligarchy shrank America’s middle class (Why American capitalism is so rotten, Part 8)

19752 implied HN points • 12 Jan 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Labor Unions Economic Policy Income Inequality Corporate Governance
  1. The virtuous cycle of rising wages with productivity gains broke in the late 1970s, leading to stagnant incomes for most American workers.
  2. Corporate governance shifted in the 1980s, with a focus on maximizing shareholder returns, leading to massive job cuts and weakened worker bargaining power.
  3. Decline in union membership since the late 1970s has contributed to shrinking middle class as unions effectively negotiated better wages and benefits for workers.

Resurrecting Countervailing Power (Why American capitalism is so rotten, Part 9)

16509 implied HN points • 19 Jan 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Economic System Political Power Policy decisions Political landscape
  1. American capitalism underwent a significant transformation post-World War II leading to economic challenges and inequality.
  2. Countervailing power was instrumental in balancing economic and political control in America after World War II.
  3. The rise of populism calls for establishing a new countervailing power based on progressive ideals to combat the influence of big money in politics and achieve economic and political control for the majority.

Where in the world is Lloyd?

19025 implied HN points • 08 Jan 24
🌍 World Politics Military Dictatorship
  1. The military chain of command is crucial in both democracies and dictatorships.
  2. Being aware of potential misuse of military power by political leaders is important.
  3. Historically, dictators heavily rely on the military to maintain power.

Sunday caption contest: pray

9139 implied HN points • 10 Feb 24
  1. Robert Reich hosts a Sunday caption contest about praying where participants can submit captions to win
  2. Winners are announced weekly, and last week's winning caption was 'Too many good people did nothing,' by Rita Fuller
  3. The contest encourages engagement by inviting people to participate and leave comments to create a sense of community

Sunday caption contest: Grandchild’s curiosity

10102 implied HN points • 04 Feb 24
  1. Sunday caption contest with a theme of grandchild's curiosity
  2. Readers can participate by submitting captions in the Comments
  3. Winners are announced weekly on Sundays

Sunday caption contest: Land Ho?

10967 implied HN points • 28 Jan 24
  1. Post about Sunday caption contest on Robert Reich's Substack
  2. Participants can submit captions for a chance to win
  3. Winners of the caption contest are announced weekly