Re the story about the guy who went down at some event and the staff rushed in with white sheets to create a barrier while first aid was administered. This is what I love about Catholics. They seem to know a ritual response to every situation, no matter how unusual or beyond our control. Same reflex when a helicopter ambulance is visible from the ground. Someone will inevitably do the sign of the cross.
"...No Kings protests building up to hopefully some gigantic rally in mid October...and maybe you get lucky and you provoke the administration into an outsized response to that."
JVL!!! Ouch!!
Ok, but if you are gonna wish for that luck, you better be out there with us!!
I have decided that if I can manage to expand my political activity, I will focus on helping prevent or document 2026 election fraud, and to be anti-stop-the-steal post- any 2026 Dem wins. Step 1: Spend less time watching and posting comments on political videos! Step 2: Get local! (become a poll-worker? Idk, I'll figure it out.)
Re economic inequality, illiberalism, and so forth: It seems that illiberalism is really gaining ground worldwide, and I myself don't think anyone really knows why. But, if income inequality is a factor, it is interesting that it is also happening in the countries that have more of a Scandinavian social democracy style economic system.
I think in order to keep the propaganda around different policies from pushing us into voting for things we don't actually want, or things that don't actually work, we need to have a lot of discussion over what the differences between socialism and capitalism actually *are*, and what the differences between liberalism and authoritarianism actually are.
We need to parse out the differences between an economic model and a model of government. It is far too muddled together.
I feel like folks on The Bulwark do understand and believe this, but then also continue to speak in ways that perpetuate the confusion.
I have heard people say "socialism (the economic model) cannot coexist with liberal democracy because it has to be enforced by a repressive government," that only capitalism can work with democracy and freedom, because it is driven by self-interest (greed) instead of having to be fueled by altruism and community-spirit. Is this really true?
In other words: The reason Americans reject anything called socialism is that they think socialism is anti-freedom. Is it?
Is capitalism pro-freedom? How?
I have also heard people say that socialism can't ultimately work as an economic model. Is that true? Why?
I have heard others say capitalism can't ultimately work as an economic model, because it requires never-ending infinite growth in a finite world. Is that true?
Bulwarkians who disparage socialism—Why? What are your arguments?
I think there are some options to make things better for rank and file Americans at large and may address some structural problems at the same time.
1) Cost of Living - Figure out a wage number that that is a small percentage above the federal poverty level and key the federal minimum wage off that wage number. But NOT below that number. Base the hourly rate on some metric that prevents business usage of part-time workers as a business strategy. I’m a believer in the carrot and stick method so the federal minimum wage should reward a business that that maximizes full-time (40 hr/week) employment and penalizes the use of part-time workers.
2a)Some form of healthcare for all. For those of you that read this and have not had a need to use the services of an ER, we are providing the most inefficient “healthcare for all”, already. Folks who do not have health insurance are availing themselves of “healthcare by ER visit” already. That is the most expensive healthcare possible. These cuts to ObamaCare will just increase their use of ER’s. I have to use ER’s on occasion due to the timing of when I get sick, and I have insurance. The current model is broken broken broken. People are going to get some form of healthcare. The GOP is stupid in this regard because they thing the medicaid cuts have no downside effects. Those folks that will fall off ObamaCare may end up with no financially viable healthcare option are still going to get their healthcare, those cuts just roll over to increased ER usage. That is expensive, overloads ER’s that are already overloaded. 2b) M4A also has the benefit making people much more free to seek employment wherever they want. You do away with people working in places and jobs they do not like because they have themselves or a family member with special healthcare needs. M4A allows people freedom of choice.
3)Multi-Billionaires - Tax the enterprise that is the source of that generational wealth. Exactly why we are giving the wealthy among us tax breaks when they are already able to live like medieval kings baffles me. I’m no fan of taxes but but I also think the GOP’s Maker/taker argument is BS. Somewhere below a single billion, you have achieved a level of financial freedom beyond what probably 99% of Americans will ever see.
Bezos and Musk are like the poster-children for why unfettered wealth is a bad thing. JVL made the perfect point on this. When a Musk or Bezos can can alter the behavior of nations, and become de facto non-state actors, that is a problem in itself because their own interests are always going to take precedence over the nations goals.
Also why in the hell does a billionaire need any tax break. I might be more agreeable if they got a tax break which they converted into improved employee pay but both Bezos and Musk have well documented efforts at union-busting. They try to thwart unions at their businesses and the GOP gives them a tax break. Any push to unionize among blue collar workers, you can bet it is because their wages are too low. Boards of Directors awarding $1Trillion pay packages to Musk is absurd because those are the same people that would scream bloody murder about giving Tesla workers a raise.
A little story about Bezos and his yacht. He built this yacht that just happened to be on the wrong side of a bridge from the ocean. Google “Bezos yacht bridge” and you can read about the controversy around the potential partial dismantling of the historic De Hef Bridge in Rotterdam, Netherlands, so that Jeff Bezos's new superyacht could pass through. That one has the money to dismantle a historic bridge and make that happen, just boggles my mind. Build the yacht on the ocean side of the bridge. Damn. It caused a public outcry apparently and did not happen, but when you have that level of money and would even ask the question says you have too much wealth and are out of touch with society at large.
Re: why did so many immigrants not realize that Trump intended to deport as many brown people as possible? It feels like Trump has been getting away with using the shtick of the Literal Doctor on Arrested Development: most immigrants think they’re not the Bad Guys so they think Trump is saying that everything is going to be alright, but what Trump means is that everything is going to be all right.
I watched that video of Trump after his guest collapsed several times. Of course he’s a cold-hearted sociopathic bastard, but he is also very unwell. Or, at the very least, he is aging very quickly. Look at that video again and watch his hands. He can’t stand unaided. He moves his index finger along the desk, because his balance is off and he’s afraid of falling.
JVL, you undersell the ability to be mathematically numerate while also being able to write. I have long thought that every news organization should keep a statistician on staff to keep the not-so-math savvy writers/reporters from being flim-flammed.
Is there a way for us to log in on YouTube so that we can watch there? I prefer to watch on YouTube, because it has fewer glitches; it’s easier to go back or forward.
Many videos are on YouTube with ads, but if you want to watch all the behind-the-pay-wall videos on YouTube, you have to be a member of the Bulwark on YouTube. The two diff platforms, YouTube and Substack, aren't set up so that there can be one membership that covers both.
Picky: are voters stupid, lazy or foolish? Those are NOT mutually exclusive.
I'd argue voting tribally is definitely lazy.
However, if all one's neighbors are heavily armed, have hair-trigger tempers, and howl at the moon for MAGA, it'd definitely NOT be foolish to fly a Trump 2028 flag. OTOH, if one had some economic mobility, it may be stupid to remain living among such neighbors.
I was out walking my dog the other day and saw a flag in an alley. I thought it was a Trump flag, but as I got closer I saw it was a No Kings flag. I might have to hang a flag out of my backyard too lol.
Re the story about the guy who went down at some event and the staff rushed in with white sheets to create a barrier while first aid was administered. This is what I love about Catholics. They seem to know a ritual response to every situation, no matter how unusual or beyond our control. Same reflex when a helicopter ambulance is visible from the ground. Someone will inevitably do the sign of the cross.
I hold no brief for RFK Jr. He is a disgrace. However, if I have understood correctly he ran out of the room to fetch help.
WOW Great discussion. Perfect exploration of ideas, only thing missing is a good pint.
"...No Kings protests building up to hopefully some gigantic rally in mid October...and maybe you get lucky and you provoke the administration into an outsized response to that."
JVL!!! Ouch!!
Ok, but if you are gonna wish for that luck, you better be out there with us!!
I have decided that if I can manage to expand my political activity, I will focus on helping prevent or document 2026 election fraud, and to be anti-stop-the-steal post- any 2026 Dem wins. Step 1: Spend less time watching and posting comments on political videos! Step 2: Get local! (become a poll-worker? Idk, I'll figure it out.)
Can we have a Bulwark cruise? I’m jealous of the group who went on the weekly standard cruise that JBL references, even with the medical emergency!
Can we have a Bulwark cruise but have it not be on a cruise ship? (After Covid, I'm a never-cruiser.)
Excellent, informative discussion.
Re economic inequality, illiberalism, and so forth: It seems that illiberalism is really gaining ground worldwide, and I myself don't think anyone really knows why. But, if income inequality is a factor, it is interesting that it is also happening in the countries that have more of a Scandinavian social democracy style economic system.
I think in order to keep the propaganda around different policies from pushing us into voting for things we don't actually want, or things that don't actually work, we need to have a lot of discussion over what the differences between socialism and capitalism actually *are*, and what the differences between liberalism and authoritarianism actually are.
We need to parse out the differences between an economic model and a model of government. It is far too muddled together.
I feel like folks on The Bulwark do understand and believe this, but then also continue to speak in ways that perpetuate the confusion.
I have heard people say "socialism (the economic model) cannot coexist with liberal democracy because it has to be enforced by a repressive government," that only capitalism can work with democracy and freedom, because it is driven by self-interest (greed) instead of having to be fueled by altruism and community-spirit. Is this really true?
In other words: The reason Americans reject anything called socialism is that they think socialism is anti-freedom. Is it?
Is capitalism pro-freedom? How?
I have also heard people say that socialism can't ultimately work as an economic model. Is that true? Why?
I have heard others say capitalism can't ultimately work as an economic model, because it requires never-ending infinite growth in a finite world. Is that true?
Bulwarkians who disparage socialism—Why? What are your arguments?
(PS I'm not a DSA person.)
Ha! I also have a MCB degree that I am not (officially) using! JVL, did you apply to University of Colorado Medical School?
I think there are some options to make things better for rank and file Americans at large and may address some structural problems at the same time.
1) Cost of Living - Figure out a wage number that that is a small percentage above the federal poverty level and key the federal minimum wage off that wage number. But NOT below that number. Base the hourly rate on some metric that prevents business usage of part-time workers as a business strategy. I’m a believer in the carrot and stick method so the federal minimum wage should reward a business that that maximizes full-time (40 hr/week) employment and penalizes the use of part-time workers.
2a)Some form of healthcare for all. For those of you that read this and have not had a need to use the services of an ER, we are providing the most inefficient “healthcare for all”, already. Folks who do not have health insurance are availing themselves of “healthcare by ER visit” already. That is the most expensive healthcare possible. These cuts to ObamaCare will just increase their use of ER’s. I have to use ER’s on occasion due to the timing of when I get sick, and I have insurance. The current model is broken broken broken. People are going to get some form of healthcare. The GOP is stupid in this regard because they thing the medicaid cuts have no downside effects. Those folks that will fall off ObamaCare may end up with no financially viable healthcare option are still going to get their healthcare, those cuts just roll over to increased ER usage. That is expensive, overloads ER’s that are already overloaded. 2b) M4A also has the benefit making people much more free to seek employment wherever they want. You do away with people working in places and jobs they do not like because they have themselves or a family member with special healthcare needs. M4A allows people freedom of choice.
3)Multi-Billionaires - Tax the enterprise that is the source of that generational wealth. Exactly why we are giving the wealthy among us tax breaks when they are already able to live like medieval kings baffles me. I’m no fan of taxes but but I also think the GOP’s Maker/taker argument is BS. Somewhere below a single billion, you have achieved a level of financial freedom beyond what probably 99% of Americans will ever see.
Bezos and Musk are like the poster-children for why unfettered wealth is a bad thing. JVL made the perfect point on this. When a Musk or Bezos can can alter the behavior of nations, and become de facto non-state actors, that is a problem in itself because their own interests are always going to take precedence over the nations goals.
Also why in the hell does a billionaire need any tax break. I might be more agreeable if they got a tax break which they converted into improved employee pay but both Bezos and Musk have well documented efforts at union-busting. They try to thwart unions at their businesses and the GOP gives them a tax break. Any push to unionize among blue collar workers, you can bet it is because their wages are too low. Boards of Directors awarding $1Trillion pay packages to Musk is absurd because those are the same people that would scream bloody murder about giving Tesla workers a raise.
A little story about Bezos and his yacht. He built this yacht that just happened to be on the wrong side of a bridge from the ocean. Google “Bezos yacht bridge” and you can read about the controversy around the potential partial dismantling of the historic De Hef Bridge in Rotterdam, Netherlands, so that Jeff Bezos's new superyacht could pass through. That one has the money to dismantle a historic bridge and make that happen, just boggles my mind. Build the yacht on the ocean side of the bridge. Damn. It caused a public outcry apparently and did not happen, but when you have that level of money and would even ask the question says you have too much wealth and are out of touch with society at large.
Re: why did so many immigrants not realize that Trump intended to deport as many brown people as possible? It feels like Trump has been getting away with using the shtick of the Literal Doctor on Arrested Development: most immigrants think they’re not the Bad Guys so they think Trump is saying that everything is going to be alright, but what Trump means is that everything is going to be all right.
Glad to hear & see JVL speaking with non-Bulwark podcast hosts. Sarah & Tim & Bill are well-known, now JVL is more visible... a good thing.
I watched that video of Trump after his guest collapsed several times. Of course he’s a cold-hearted sociopathic bastard, but he is also very unwell. Or, at the very least, he is aging very quickly. Look at that video again and watch his hands. He can’t stand unaided. He moves his index finger along the desk, because his balance is off and he’s afraid of falling.
Any production where JVL gets to lt it rip is excellent content. Thank you.
JVL, you undersell the ability to be mathematically numerate while also being able to write. I have long thought that every news organization should keep a statistician on staff to keep the not-so-math savvy writers/reporters from being flim-flammed.
Is there a way for us to log in on YouTube so that we can watch there? I prefer to watch on YouTube, because it has fewer glitches; it’s easier to go back or forward.
Many videos are on YouTube with ads, but if you want to watch all the behind-the-pay-wall videos on YouTube, you have to be a member of the Bulwark on YouTube. The two diff platforms, YouTube and Substack, aren't set up so that there can be one membership that covers both.
Thank you! I guess that I will watch with ads.
Picky: are voters stupid, lazy or foolish? Those are NOT mutually exclusive.
I'd argue voting tribally is definitely lazy.
However, if all one's neighbors are heavily armed, have hair-trigger tempers, and howl at the moon for MAGA, it'd definitely NOT be foolish to fly a Trump 2028 flag. OTOH, if one had some economic mobility, it may be stupid to remain living among such neighbors.
I was out walking my dog the other day and saw a flag in an alley. I thought it was a Trump flag, but as I got closer I saw it was a No Kings flag. I might have to hang a flag out of my backyard too lol.