We all know that Robert Reich was Secretary of Labor with President Clinton's administration. He was also a Common Cause intern in 1972 and now he is "thrilled" to be the new Chair of Common Cause.
This morning I participated in a telephone conference with Robert Reich and Bob Edgar (President of Common Cause) that discussed critical issues facing our country and a new progressive movement to work on measures to take our country back from the rich, greedy, corporate special interests that like to work in secrecy. Reich also discussed briefly his meeting with President Obama in the Oval Office last week, and his solution for our unemployment mess sounds just like two diaries Meteor Blades wrote months ago with his own proposals about modernized WPA or CCC type of programs.
Reich discussed our central problem for democracy is the intersection of politics and economy in a "perfect storm of money, politics and secrecy" as corporations keep buying increasing access and influence over DC. Not since 1928, has the U.S. income and wealth been so concentrated at the top. This peak concentration of wealth is not just an economic issue but "also a concentration of political power" to control decisions at the state and national level. Reich discussed how the Citizens United decision "opened the floodgates" of money and power enabling billions of dollars to be "poured into politics by secret organizations." The result is that decisions by government are "lopsided in favor of corporations and the wealthy."
One impact from this secret storm is that it "breeds cynicism in the public at large at government's ability to do anything." Reich emphasized that "economics can not be separated from politics." There is no indication that our 9.8% unemployment rate will lower much. This generates more cynicism and anger that "feeds the politics of resentment," such as anger against immigrants.
Regarding his meeting with President Obama, Reich left with the "sense that he [President Obama] had no other options" and was "convinced had reached end of road" in terms of the tax deal with the GOP. Reich states that many others have discussed how there have been "coordinated assaults on democratic values." Reich believes the remedy is a grassroots movement. From his own experience, he stated that "politicians do pay attention" when constituents talk and that progressives need to remember that "we are larger in number than teapartiers." Reich also stated that the divide in our country is not so much a divide of Democrats v. GOP, but a division between the "intimidating effect of money and politics" and "those liking the status quo."
Reich believes that it is "highly probable" that we can create a grassroots movement to take our country back. President Obama has discussed before how he needs a movement to help him. Common Cause is now working to build a movement for "reclaiming our democracy" from a growing plutocracy. We need to mobilize to reverse this dangerous course of this political-economic perfect storm by pushing for comprehensive reform to "revive our economy, rescue the middle class, corral runaway deficits and solve other national problems."
Common Cause will be launching a number of initiatives in 2011. It is working on a draft plan for the next 6 months and consulted with people like Reich and Bill Moyers to develop a plan that will unite actions from cities across our nation. An article discusses some of the first steps that would focus on the following measures:
(1) DISCLOSE Act: Transparency is needed by requiring groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to disclose the identity of donors for their political activities.
In this year’s election, dozens of special interest contributors were allowed to operate in secret. Just one, Crossroads GPS, helped elect 23 new GOP lawmakers; NBC reports that Crossroads got "substantial" funding from a handful of hedge fund and private equity managers fighting a proposal to raise taxes on their profits. How many who owe their election to such donors are likely to put the public interest above their private interest?
(2) Campaign Finance Reform: Focus on the small donations and public funds to finance political campaigns to remove the money power game from corporations and rich executives.
(3) Strengthen the Federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA): More of the work of public officials should be disclosed to the public to provide a more open government. The Office of Congressional Ethics should be strengthened, not shut down, by the incoming House GOP majority.
(4) Filibuster Reform: Protect the minority's right for an opportunity to be heard but balanced so can not hold the majority hostage.
Should filibuster reform not be achieved this January, Common Cause is prepared to file a lawsuit in federal court to argue that the current filibuster is unconstitutional and it has already prepared its legal brief.
I asked a question suggested by Meteor Blades: Will most jobs come back without some serious federal work to deal with structural unemployment. Reich responded, "in a word, no." Reich also explained that we need to reorganize the economy. Our current economic mess requires the creation of a new Works Projects Administration or WPA to get the unemployed back to work as well as measures for infrastructure and a new green jobs industry. In short, Reich is suggesting that we implement the proposals that Meteor Blades suggested in two diaries months ago.
This was an interesting telephone conference that also validated our focus here at Daily Kos. It was also nice to speak to Reich and thank him personally for participating in our GOTV blogathon for the midterms last October. It's also good to see that some progressives are on the same page. Our new series at Daily Kos – DK Poli – will be working on projects with lawmakers, progressive organizations and activists that address these same structural or process issues that need to be reformed before we can really obtain reform on substantive issues that are growing by the day.