Mass Movements Can Curb Regressive Politics in 2017

From left: Truthdig communications coordinator Sarah Wesley, contributor Bill Blum, Deputy Editor Kasia Anderson and staff writer Emma Niles.

For many Americans, 2017 is a year filled with uncertainties. What changes will the incoming Trump administration and the Republican-led Congress bring?

The Truthdig team sat down Thursday with guest Bill Blum to take a hard look at the year ahead and to make political predictions. Watch the full conversation below:

Blum, a longtime Truthdig contributor and a former judge, shared some of his own predictions on the final day of 2016. He anticipated, among other things, the reinvigoration of National Security Agency spying, the dismantling of the Department of Education, the acceleration of global warming and the nomination of “an Antonin Scalia clone to the Supreme Court.”

“You’ll know your president is lying if his lips move,” Blum concluded. “The world will end, or it won’t. I’ll be batting .500 on this one, either way.”

However, in Thursday’s discussion, Blum expressed optimism about combating the regressive politics that seem inevitable in 2017. He argued that people have the power to band together to influence their legislators and spur them to action.

The conversation also focused on the Electoral College, Supreme Court nominations and the role of executive actions in a Trump administration.

Have your own prediction for 2017? Let us know in the comments below. You can also watch past editions of “Live at Truthdig” here.

—Posted by Emma Niles