TrueValueMetrics ... Impact Accounting for the 21st Century

Date: 2025-07-03 Page is: DBtxt003.php txt00028789

COMMENTARY THE COFFEE KLATCH ... JUNE 26TH, 2025 with Robert Reich and Heather Lofthouse in Manhattan Zohran Put Big Money Democrats on Notice PLAY YOUTUBE VIDEO Original article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgfVgrDSau4
Zohran Put Big Money Democrats on Notice \| The Coffee Klatch with Robert Reich Robert Reich 1.25M subscribers Subscribed 10K 163,995 views Premiered Jun 28, 2025 The Coffee Klatch with Robert Reich Zohran’s remarkable win. The Republicans’ big, ugly bill. Trump’s growing list of broken promises. We discuss all of this, and more, on a special Coffee Klatch live from New York City! Heather and I are in NYC for the premiere of “The Last Class” — Inequality Media Civic Action’s new film about my final semester teaching. Learn more about how you can see it where you live: https://www.thelastclassfilm.com/wher... How this content was made Auto-dubbed Audio tracks for some languages were automatically generated. Learn more Peter Burgess COMMENTARY Peter Burgess Transcript 0:01 and it is the Saturday coffee clutch with Heather Loft House No I think we do these and yours truly Robert Rush We are not in our normal place today We are actually in Central Park in New York City Uh and uh Heather why are we in New York well we're here First of all I've always wanted to live from New York It's Saturday morning It is How did that pretty good we are here because the last class is a documentary that Inequality Media Civic Action has produced and it is about Professor Rich's last semester of teaching your humanity Oh come on I don't want to be talk about it Okay Anyway we're here for a movie and everyone should see it Okay Now back to the coffee And and we're also here because uh we have a new mayor or we did We're on site We're not I mean he hasn't been elected yet but it's likely to be a new mayor and this is a new era possibly Zoron Mandani in Democratic progressive American politics Maybe I overstated it 1:02 Did I overstated i don't think you overstated it I mean have you seen the headlines well the headlines some of them are just negative I mean the media is upset The corporate Democrats are beyond themsel I mean they are just irate They are worried They think he's a you know he has described himself as a democratic socialist By the way do you remember Bernie Sanders at the start of the 2016 uh primaries he described himself as a Democratic socialist and he almost went on to win the presidential primary uh and would have won it I know but it was a pjorative but now it's less so it seems I think young people young people actually like the term democratic socialist I mean I've done a number of uh of show of hands and oneoff interviews Focus groups of one Yes With my granddaughter for example I mean and they they don't mind Democrats They like it But it is wild to watch the headlines and to you know is there a rift will the 2:00 party ever come back oh and so the the Associated Press had this phrase about the pragmatic wing of the Democratic party doesn't like it Right As opposed to the as opposed to the non-pragmatic the idealistic Right I mean that it's just such horseshit U you know they're worried I mean the corporate way then Wall Street Democrats are all worried because they don't want uh it's not that they they're worried about winning elections They're worried about somebody like AOC or um you know Mumami or uh or Bernie Sanders for that matter anybody who actually is talking about what's happened to the economy and why uh and and who refuses to take corporate dollars and who is supremely authentic and who wants to raise taxes on big corporations and the wealthy in order to pay for what people need instead of doing the opposite which is what Trump is doing you know raiding Medicaid and food stamps and nutrition assistance in 3:00 order to provide a big tax cut for the wealthy Uh so obviously corporate Democrats are worried Good Good So you you endorsed Mumani Yeah I did This is exciting I find it invigorating I do too I like First of all I like Central Park Oh that and we're sitting you know we are sitting How's your coffee yeah my s my coffee is good It's New York coffee I had a New York bagel this morning Me too I think some of it's still in my teeth I apologize Let me see We're sitting outside the the Museum of Natural History and inside I know there is a set of dinosaurs including moderate Republicans Oh yes there it is Um but um the the the point is that uh this really does feel like a lot of energy and excitement in politics for the first time in a very long time That's what I think And it's fun to watch it online and it's fun you know the underdog this what was you know who knew his name he 4:01 he had less than 1% name recognition when he started and the person we have not even mentioned yet Andrew Kuomo not only did he have huge name recognition he had a giant war chest uh I mean this is what what I think Democrats have a hard time understanding many do is that right now the biggest force in politics is anti-establishment rage against a system that seems rigged rigged and is a rigged It is rigged With all due respect you spoke about this in 2016 With all due respect I talked about it in 1994 right but I mean really this is old newsish Well it's it it's old newsish until you actually look at elections and uh it's new newsish in terms of actually people breaking through and doing uh what I had hoped they would do for years So this is I think this is a cause for celebration I 5:01 think so too Um and hope and I think it's the beginning of some momentum that we've all been looking for is the way I'm seeing it Me too The first chapter Um I think this is definitely chapter one and and you have it's not just you know some people want to write write it off as New York New York New York This is just New York But it's not just New York It it really is uh something that's happening across the country Um you know people are beginning to realize that big corporations and the corruption that comes with concentrated wealth and power uh and that comes with the wealthy having a you know a almost a record amount of the nation's wealth Uh that spells corruption right but also I mean it's a small it's a big small race but you endorsed I mean we had former presidents endorse Wait a minute Uh my former boss endorsed Andrew Cuomo right But so that's a small race That's a big 6:01 race I mean there was some national attention on this Yeah Not because of my endorsement but No But yes Andrew Cuomo I think this is this could be the end of the Quomo dynasty right but isn't he still technically on the ballot i think he is You know I knew his father quite well Tell us Mario Mario was a wonderful man Oh I just I loved him I mean he was he was just such a kind man and he really was in politics for the right reasons and he was the most articulate His speeches did you ever hear one of Mario Kama's speeches not probably but I don't remember that Before you were born it was just amazing Amazing Yeah Um so here can we talk about can we move on to other things in the news yes Okay So Trump and the war in the Middle East I mean supposedly we're on a pause Did he do what he said he did i'm not sure Never I mean when you're talking about Donald Trump and you ask 'Did he do what he said he did?' 7:02 Right Uh I mean he has no credibility with anybody who has half a brain Uh and when he says he obliterated or eviscerated what was his word i think it was obliterated Obliterated uh you know the Iran's capacity Yeah And fodor And you saw Heg Seth was like 'You'll need a shovel.' I mean the fact of the matter is the defense the defense intelligence agency came up with its own independent assessment and said that Iran can be back there in three weeks 3 months I'm sorry Uh with its own where wherever it was I mean at the same level in 3 months And that's uh that to me spells uh a failure uh on the part of the Trump administration a failure not just to eradicate the capacity to make nuclear weapons but a failure in a more profound way because right now Iran is on notice that it has to make a nuclear weapon I know but what about the goods weren't they able to take some of the 8:02 uranium to go they don't even know where the uranium is I mean they they they this is this is kind of a failure of intelligence on top of a failure of intelligence uh the stockpile of uranium that is uh actually of the grade needed for making a nuclear bomb uh is still there in Iran and nobody knows where it is How's that to make you feel comfortable yeah I'm going to sleep really well But I think what's important to know is the size of it It's not the size of the natural history museum No it's very very small Portable It's portable It could be in a briefcase Right in some or maybe that a back Um yeah and that's and that makes it scary Obviously the whole thing is very scary Uh and why would Trump I I started to ask you a question just now that I answered for myself I was going to ask you why would why would 9:01 Pete Hags and and others around them ever get Trump into that stupid business i mean the fact of the matter is Heather pause Pause What kind of truck is it garbage truck A big garbage truck These are the sounds of the city This is real life and a bunch of caps Okay But the question in my mind was why in the world would um Trump and his advisers put him in that kind of position and the obvious answer is incompetence I mean can you imagine Pete Hegsth and and Tulsi Gabbard and these other characters uh being trustworthy enough and intelligent enough to make these decisions of course not Or experienced enough or experienced but also he puts himself in that position He puts himself in the position where he gets to be the king making all the decisions and he hires these court jesters to serve around him It is a and he has all the power and he and he as 10:00 long as he has the power and he feels that he looks like he keep keeps the power and he maintains uh some monocum of face then who cares he says to himself doesn't matter what the truth is doesn't matter what actually happens right uh and that's what we're dealing with Heather yeah okay first of all are you hearing this bird I kind of want to use the Merlin app to see what kind of bird it is I think it's a finch what do you think it is I think it's I think it could be a finch or it could be um a swallow Oh okay Well I'm going to get the app out when you ask the next question and the contest is on So the judiciary we've talked about this time and time again It's one of the places that is still potentially hopefully keeping track of the law keeping Trump somewhat in check But where do things stand we've had so many scary things come out of Scotas right before they go on break What are you paying attention to uh the thing that I'm looking at uh term in terms of the transcendent issue 11:00 here has to do with the separation of powers You you know the constitution has three branches of government and there's supposed to be checks and balances Every school child understands that right you know the judiciary and the legislature and the executive Uh but you have an executive now uh that has basically uh made the legislative branch irrelevant because the Republicans who are in charge of and in control of the Congress are all under the control of Trump and don't dare say anything that riles Trump Uh and meanwhile you have a Trump administration that is now aiming its guns at the judiciary uh in some weird ways Did you see what happened with regards to all the district courts in Maryland i've never seen I mean it's so every single judge in Maryland is under a lawsuit is a defendant I mean the by 12:01 the Department of Justice Department of Justice has has actually aimed at every and made every judge in we're talking about district court judges federal district court judges in Maryland a defendant in a lawsuit that charges them with intruding unconstitutionally on the executive branch's prerogatives with regard to immigration Now the absurdity of this kind of a lawsuit is that it's the judiciary that determines what the executive branch's powers ought to be You can't sue the executive branch or you can't sue the uh the the judiciary for for job on the executive branch I mean we are in a in a in a bonkers state of politics and uh it was almost inevitable Heather when you have a an administration that comes in a regime that comes in and wants to run everything you know that is dictatorial This is a this is another step toward a 13:03 Trump dictatorship Well but that's because courts are referees He doesn't want someone that can say you committed a foul He doesn't want any anything or anybody to be able to check him And I think that's that's the major point That's why Donald Trump is not only aiming to be a dictator It's why he wants to isolate the United States from every international treaty Uh it's you know it's why he wants complete control Uh he's a control freak Uh and that kind of uh controlism is that a new word tonight is an ideal I'll take it Uh that controlism is is really antithetical to our constitutional uh and democratic system I know it it's it's we are at a at a very very dangerous impass and the question is you know what do we do and just to interrupt you for a second here we are in New York City traveling for 14:02 the last class film highly recommend everyone see it And the people that come up to you it's wild because I've known you for 20 years now and I've been around you and people come up to the former secretary But the questions now I mean and the dire looks and it's what do we do is it the end how do we what give me some give me a project Give me a sense of hope Tell me something I mean it's fascinating to watch the train the change in trends of the people coming up to you and what they're asking It's it's fascinating and um and and also saddening to me People are um we're talking about average American people just want to know what I can do to change all of this And the fact of the matter is in our electoral system electoral system uh you know most people you know there are local elections there are there are elections for mayor of New York City and other elections but in terms of the Trump regime there is 15:00 really nothing much that can be done before the 2026 midterm elections And this is all a sort of a prelude to those midterm elections So those midterm elections feel like they're far away And in the meantime people say to me and I think they say with a great deal of fear uh Trump can do anything But in also in the meantime we had the no kings Yeah Protests and amazing numbers of people coming out for that We have a new mayor elect of New York City who's a progressive Democrat Well there are there are there are reasons to be hopeful There are green shoots of hope Uh but the question in my mind Heather and I'd like you to give me your reaction to this We really do need in this country to have a an upheaval to the extent that people know that if they 16:01 do certain kinds of things over the next two years uh we are going to stop our drift toward dictatorship Um people want to know what they can do as a practical matter uh to change the trajectory that we're going in And so what what would you tell them i mean I think here comes the truck Stay engaged is the number one thing Two is continue to show up for protests Three is don't give into cynicism which you love to say Four is stay in community Stay in community in a way where you are finding other like-minded people I mean the people you already know but also people who you don't know so you can see and feel and feel reassurance and solidarity and be buoyed because that's part of not being cynical And so ways to do that are you know joining indivisible groups and book 17:01 clubs I mean it range ranges the full gamut Some's political and some's not quite political to stay involved I think those are all good and important The question that occurs to me is what about strikes what about nonviolent civil disobedience right uh what about other things that we can do to protect very vulnerable vulnerable people i mean there are you know 5% of the American workforce is now potentially vulnerable to being deported right uh and because they are here technically illegally although they've been in their communities for years working very hard they are not criminals but ICE is out there in I know in my community uh so what you know do we do we do we risk going to jail uh do we put our own liberties uh on the line and if so where do you begin I mean you know this historically is it around 18:02 corporations and businesses Is it in town halls is it where are the inroads and what is the trigger i mean nobody's going to do it alone right um I mean we can protest is kind of a great thing to do and you you know it's an outlet and you feel uh maybe less lonely and reassured when thousands of other people some are very successful and protest There's a new book coming out I'm so excited by Annie Leonard and it's going to be I mean you can have a protest of one that is successful one person who does if you do it in a spectacular way nonviolent um yes and the question is what is the most effective thing to do now uh you and I through inequality media civic action are trying to reach people who are not already convinced right uh well that's tricky to do it's very tricky and reach people who are convinced with better messaging to convince others U 19:02 but and and the you know we'll continue to do that U but uh there is this ongoing question uh as we as we drift toward uh dictatorship Yeah U but I I want to just emphasize as we conclude here and this has been really I like doing it also Do you know you won the bird contest because I had said it was a finch and you said it was a sparrow It was a house sparrow Passer domesticus What did I I said it was You said passer domesticus Well listen Next time you question my bird knowledge I said this is a fun thing Let's see who it is Uh but it's been lovely to meet you in a park bench here in New York City And also lovely to see all of you from this vantage point which is which is unusual U and the next time we're going to meet is in Hobokun New Jersey Is it i thought we were doing Pikipsy Maybe it was Pipsy 20:01 Uh anyway everybody uh it has been a memorable week Uh bear in mind there are some wonderful positive things happening and the uh likely election I mean the actually the primary election here in New York for the mayor of New York is a good example of uh what can happen when people power is unleashed I mean there was not big money behind him No it was great to see com relatively I loved seeing all the bar graphs of how much money Cuomo bought in Can I brought in can I just say bought in thank you for coming to New York City for the world premiere of the last class but more importantly thanks for letting us follow you around on campus Tell We thought we were just going to do a little video for YouTube We've eaked it out into a featurelength film I'm so excited about it Directed by Elliot Kersner That's why we're actually here in New York City but it'll be coming to theaters around the country and you will have the ability to 21:01 bring it to a theater near you And so thank you Bob for allowing us to see this your processing of this particular time in your life and this chapter Well Heather with that I got you that skyriting You did That says that says that says 'Oh my gosh Professor Richie.' They spelled it Didn't somebody tell the sky rider that there's an I in right anyway all of you out there it's been a pleasure We'll see you next week Heather and I are here We're here not for the coffee clutch We're here for actually What are we here for we're here for a movie called The Last Class World Premiere Listen let me just say that bagels in New York I love you know Yeah in Berkeley Oh he loves But but bagels in New York are a completely different breed altogether Aren't they this guy cuz I ordered it had pumpern nickel He has a pumpern nickel bagel You know I've looked for a pumpern nickel bagel all over the East Bay all over San Francisco Can't find one We got you one And um 22:02 lowfat uh lock shmear That was his order folks Thank you very very much And the coffee I mean it's okay It's okay

SITE COUNT