Robert B. Reich is Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley and Senior Fellow at the Blum Center for Developing Economies. He served as Secretary of Labor in the...
Robert B. Reich is Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley and Senior Fellow at the Blum Center for Developing Economies. He served as Secretary of Labor in the Clinton administration, for which Time Magazine named him one of the ten most effective cabinet secretaries of the twentieth century. He has written fifteen books, including the best sellers "Aftershock", "The Work of Nations," and"Beyond Outrage," and, his most recent, "The Common Good," which is available in bookstores now. He is also a founding editor of the American Prospect magazine, chairman of Common Cause, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and co-creator of the award-winning documentary, "Inequality For All." He's co-creator of the Netflix original documentary "Saving Capitalism," which is streaming now.
Robert Reich / TruthdigOct 17, 2012
During Tuesday night's debate, the president was articulate and forceful -- in sharp contrast to his performance in the first presidential debate. He stated his beliefs. He defended his record. He told America where he wanted to take the nation in his second term. And he explained where Romney wanted to take us. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / TruthdigOct 17, 2012
President Obama can rebound in Tuesday night's second presidential debate again Republican challenger Mitt Romney by emphasizing five points. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / TruthdigOct 11, 2012
Joe Biden's job during Thursday's vice presidential debate is to smoke Paul Ryan out, exposing his fanaticism. And the best way to do this is to force him to take responsibility for the regressive budget he created as chairman of the House Budget Committee. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / TruthdigOct 11, 2012
The latest Pew Research Center poll shows Mitt Romney ahead of President Barack Obama among likely voters, 49% to 45%. But the latest Gallup poll shows President Obama leading Romney among likely voters, 50% to 45%. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / TruthdigOct 6, 2012
We’re still crawling out of the deep crater we fell into in 2008 and 2009. The percent of the working-age population now working or actively looking for work is higher than it was, but still near a 30-year low. But at least we’re crawling out. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / TruthdigOct 4, 2012
In Wednesday night’s debate, Romney won on style while Obama won on substance. Romney sounded as if he had conviction, which means he’s either convinced himself that the lies he tells are true or he’s a fabulous actor. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / TruthdigOct 3, 2012
A sampling of questions you should not expect debate moderator Jim Lehrer to ask during Wednesday's night highly anticipated showdown between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / TruthdigOct 1, 2012
The biggest election news this week won’t be who wins the presidential debate Wednesday night. It will be how many new jobs were created in September, announced Friday morning by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / TruthdigSep 27, 2012
Romney’s stories on the campaign trail have been about business successes -- people who started businesses in garages and grew their companies into global giants, millionaires who began poor. Curiously absent from these narratives have been the stories of ordinary Americans caught in an economy over which they have no control. At least until now. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / TruthdigSep 25, 2012
There are two major theories about why Romney is dropping in the polls. One is Romney is a lousy candidate, unable to connect with people or make his case.The second is that Americans are finally beginning to see how radical the GOP has become, and are repudiating it. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / TruthdigSep 22, 2012
For the last several days I’ve been deluged with calls from my inside-the-beltway friends telling me “Romney’s dead." Hold it. Rumors of Romney’s demise are premature for at least four reasons: Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / TruthdigSep 19, 2012
A president is supposed to represent all of America, not just the 51 percent who elect him, and have a modicum of sympathy for the less fortunate among us. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )
Jake Johnson / Common DreamsDec 10, 2019
The former U.S. Labor Secretary explains his case for why Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren have the best chance of defeating Trump. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / RobertReich.OrgJun 2, 2018
Why should banks ever be permitted to use customers' deposits—insured by the federal government—to place risky bets on the banks’ own behalf? Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / RobertReich.OrgMay 13, 2018
Donald Trump promised to rein in drug prices, but his plan does little but add another battering ram to his ongoing economic war against America’s allies. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / RobertReich.OrgMay 9, 2018
Trumponomics is a thin veneer of an excuse for giving America’s rich, such as billionaire Carl Icahn, whatever they want, while sticking it to everyone else. (At left, a drawing of Icahn.) Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / RobertReich.OrgMay 2, 2018
If they really want to stop the president, Democrats must address the causes of Donald Trump’s rise: years of stagnant wages and big money’s corruption of our democracy. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / RobertReich.OrgApr 23, 2018
Congressional Republicans would be more willing to stand up to Trump if their major financial backers – big business and Wall Street – had more backbone. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / RobertReich.OrgApr 16, 2018
Republicans who for years have voted against subsidies for solar and wind power are now eager to have government subsidize coal. Meanwhile, China’s success in renewables grows. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / RobertReich.OrgApr 11, 2018
The petulant adolescent in the White House—who has replaced most of the adults around him with raging sycophants—lacks adequate supervision. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / RobertReich.OrgApr 2, 2018
A recent incident involving Fox News' Laura Ingraham shows how the economy is now centered on such intangibles as brand image, whose value erodes if connected with something nefarious. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / RobertReich.OrgMar 19, 2018
The president has become the Mad King who says or does anything his gut tells him to, while his courtiers genuflect. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / RobertReich.OrgMar 11, 2018
The recently sentenced businessman's story is tragic and pathetic, but he isn't really different from other figures who dominate American life today. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / RobertReich.OrgMar 5, 2018
The president's son-in-law's most significant contribution to the stench of this administration may arise from his financial conflicts of interest. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / RobertReich.OrgFeb 28, 2018
If Americans can’t be secure from someone packing an assault rifle, or from the predatory behavior of powerful men, or from the police, we do not live in a functioning society. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / RobertReich.OrgFeb 18, 2018
We are forgetting the real meaning of America—the ideals on which the nation was built, including the seemingly long-forgotten "common good." Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / RobertReich.OrgFeb 11, 2018
Public policies such as President Trump’s tax cuts and President Reagan’s legalization of stock buybacks are tilted to the benefit of those at the top. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / RobertReich.OrgJan 22, 2018
During the year of his presidency, the Republican Party has taken a giant U-turn on its guiding principles. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / RobertReich.OrgJan 21, 2018
On the White House story about who will benefit most from the new legislation, the president may be a fool. But the treasury secretary is most certainly a knave. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / RobertReich.OrgJan 7, 2018
Some who work with the president have called him remarkably stupid. But hold on. It would be dangerous to underestimate the abilities of this con artist. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / RobertReich.OrgDec 31, 2017
Almost one year in, it’s time for another update on the president's election promises. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / RobertReich.OrgDec 27, 2017
A president’s most fundamental legal and moral responsibility is to uphold and protect our system of government. Trump has degraded that system. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / RobertReich.OrgDec 18, 2017
Most Americans know that the GOP tax plan is payback for such major Republican donors as Charles Koch (pictured). Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / RobertReich.OrgDec 17, 2017
It will weaken the economy for years—reducing demand, widening inequality and increasing the national debt by at least $1.5 trillion over a decade. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / RobertReich.OrgDec 10, 2017
The tax bills big corporations are pushing through Congress are designed for one thing: to boost their share prices. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / RobertReich.OrgDec 3, 2017
Invest in the education, health care and infrastructure that average Americans need to be more productive. Growth doesn’t “trickle down.” It rises up. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / RobertReich.OrgNov 25, 2017
There are two kinds of liars: fools and knaves. Fools lie because they don’t know the truth. Knaves lie because they intend to mislead. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / RobertReich.OrgNov 19, 2017
Powerful and wealthy men who have felt free to impose their will on others, regardless of the pain they cause, may be in for a rude awakening. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / RobertReich.OrgNov 13, 2017
Selling the Trump-Republican proposal should be awkward for an administration that has made patriotism its central theme. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / RobertReich.OrgNov 5, 2017
In pushing for "going after Hillary Clinton," he crossed a particularly dangerous line: In a democracy bound by the rule of law, presidents do not prosecute political foes. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / RobertReich.OrgOct 30, 2017
The GOP is concentrating its efforts on a massive tax cut, 80 percent of which will benefit the richest 1 percent, according to one estimate. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / RobertReich.OrgOct 23, 2017
What if the anti-establishment wings of both parties came together in a pro-democracy coalition to attack the problem? Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / RobertReich.OrgOct 2, 2017
The president is not actively governing the United States. That work is being carried out by others. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / RobertReich.OrgSep 24, 2017
Republicans planning giant tax cuts have somehow stopped worrying about the federal budget deficit. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / RobertReich.OrgSep 20, 2017
All that conservatives have come up with is a bunch of platitudes about how nice it would be to cut taxes, simplify the tax code and spur economic growth. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )
Robert Reich / RobertReich.OrgSep 17, 2017
It's so easy for the wealthy to pass their fortunes to their children, tax-free, and Republicans are about to make it even easier. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )
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