Tag: progressive books

Need to Heed #3

~ rebelwillfarnaby ~ Leave a comment

When someone tells you who they are, believe them.

Washington DC can drive corruption into any man’s heart it seems. As lobbying efforts grow more complex it can become impossible to determine where candidates really stand. However, even when candidates like President-Elect Joe Biden have sworn to cut social security in the past and has told lobbyists that fundamentally, “nothing would change.” Yet camp Bernie was still in total shock to see him appoint nothing but corporate individuals from Lyft, Amazon, and Air B’n’B. The big lesson here, when someone tells you who they are, believe them. Maybe if we would have believed that Biden and the other Corporate Dems really hated Bernie like they said they did we would have been prepared on Super Tuesday. Why do we constantly get got by this group? We assume they care about the people of this country the same as us. When in reality they hate us and only seek and serve power and the powerful. How long will we let Republican candidates run the democratic party? 

Happy Warriors – Harnessing The Franklin D. Roosevelt Mentality

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One of TAR’s founding principles states that we will not follow the breaking news cycle, but instead write pieces on political history, principles, and strategy. However, the recent event at the capitol, like the rest of the nation, has made us stop and think. Another founding principle states that we call out our own side. CNN has got the conservative bashing on lock, it occupies 100% of their content. Due to the sheer volume of misinformation that the Corporate Dems have spread about Bernie and his policies, we engage in extreme language, primarily directed at the enemies of the Progressive movement within the party. This is primarily due to them being the gatekeepers of power, holding the keys that lock us up. That being the case, calling out phonies in our own party often becomes item #1. However, that fervor must be matched with integrity and values. We can’t criticize the mayor Pete’s of the world being cynics ourselves. See, as a cynic, you opt-out of participating in the solution. Moving forward let’s carry the demeanor that has built this movement, the cheerful FDR, the never-mud-slinging-always-on-task Bernie Sanders, the intellectual drive for equality of Eleanor Roosevelt.

The scene of protestors becoming terrorists and overtaking our capital yesterday was horrible. So perplexed, I at once found myself feeling vulnerable that it was possible for them to waltz right in. What if Trump would have told them to hurt people, would they have started shooting? We saw one photo of a man holding zip-tie handcuffs as if he planned to take captives. After the initial shock, it sank in those now terrorist live sad lives. They will face up to 20 years in prison over a massive lie told by a man who could not care less about them. How have we come to a place in America where people are so hurt and in such bad shape that they risk their lives for conspiracy theories? During COVID we must all be aware of the pressures people face. Mental illness and substance abuse were running rampant, COVID was the icing on the cake. As a publication of any kind, we must have a sense of decency for others and society at large. While we really don’t like Mayor Pete, we respect him as a fellow human being and American. These events highlight the importance of a core American principle- settling disagreements with conversation, debate, and elections. We must avoid hateful speech. It is dangerous. It is a losing strategy. 

Did you know the media hated FDR more than any President in American history!? Yep, he received fewer newspaper endorsements than Donald Trump! How did FDR respond? Did he flip out like Trump, and start spreading propaganda of his own? Nope, FDR smiled and laughed his way to becoming the greatest President in American history. For his positive attitude and sheer effectiveness, they called him the Happy Warrior. With every big business and every media outlet against them, he never lost his cool or went down to their level. Time and time again he outwitted and like a comic sleuth exposed them. Perhaps the sentiment is best captured in his speech defending his dog, Fala, whom the papers and Republicans claimed he had recently left him on a trip and got a massive naval destroyer to go back and get him, wasting taxpayer dollars- 

After any political event that the media is hyping up, it is always best to check in with the human litmus-test Bernie Sanders. Bernie’s most admirable trait is his discernment. The man has never wavered on his positions and as the news cycle breaks, he knows where he stands. While other politicians take the easy route and engage in extreme partisan rhetoric, Bernie will only discuss the issues. And we mean only, like literally just issues. After the riots at the capitol, Bernie called out the President and the lawbreakers, confirming his main line of attack on the President since 2017, “the most dangerous President in the history of the United States”. Yet, the next day, Bernie immediately presses into the Biden administration calling to pass $2,000 stimulus checks. Notice how Bernie takes control of the narrative by reframing the conversation, Cuomo is trying to score a dramatic sound bit by luring Bernie into calling Trump names. In the end, he always brings it back to the most important issues, people need healthcare, childcare, and decent jobs. 

The final patron saint of the movement and perhaps the most overlooked is Eleanor Roosevelt. While FDR was the face of progress, the truth was that he was a moderating force between Eleanor and the country. She was easily 100-120 years ahead of her time. If we passed the legislation she wanted today it would be an advancement. A natural intellectual drive to solve problems paired with a Mother Teresa like respect for other humans made her a powerful force. It is extraordinary to have someone with pure morals and high intelligence, guiding the most powerful country on earth. Who knows how many times it has happened, 2-3 times possibly? Many don’t know that back in the ’30s and 40’s Eleanor was pushing for marriage equality for the LGBT community and pushing the voting rights act before it even existed. Unfortunately, the country was not as progressive as Eleanor. However, for everything else that FDR did pass where he went big, was him splitting the difference with what Eleanor thought. She also created the model of the first lady that we see today. Before her, the First Lady was a symbolic role, merely acting as hostess, wearing nice clothes, and being polite. When Eleanor arrived she immediately started leveraging her role for good! FDR wasn’t the only one to make radio appearances, one could argue Eleanor had more success with over 300 appearances. Beyond the first lady, Eleanor paved the way for women in broadcasting and media. Her impact today is incalculable, she is the deserved hero of progressives, women, LGBT, and all of her generation. 

Warriors are required for tasks like winning the white house, not warriors that carry firearms, but smiles. Warriors like Nina Turner who rally on the mic to uplift, instead of tear down. Warriors armed with solutions, not conspiracies. 

Need to Heed #2

~ rebelwillfarnaby ~ Leave a comment

The Four-second rule.

Have you ever been in a heated discussion where neither side is listening? Both sides think up their next talking point as the other is speaking. Chris Voss, the FBI’s top hostage negotiator, calls this the dueling schizophrenics, both parties speaking to themselves in their own heads, without listening. These conversations are what our divided nation looks like at the most micro level, the inability to communicate with each other and show respect. All it takes is the person we are conversating with to mention one point of view that helps us identify them as “the enemy” according to our source of news. Challenge yourself every time you communicate to really listen and care about what others have to say. Anger isn’t the only thing to inhibit listening, it can be excitement as well, we think “oh boy, what they just said leads so beautifully into what I am about to say!” then you proceed to interrupt and vomit all over them. How do you stop yourself? Try using the Four-Second Rule! Originally from Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People, Carnegie suggests that once someone seems to finish a thought or stop talking you pause for 4 seconds before speaking. This will seem like an eternity, but it is extremely powerful. Try asking someone how their day was and wait four seconds after they say “Good”, they will elaborate every time,” well there was this really annoying moment at work, then I had a good call with a client we were worried about”. This one habit will unlock sensitive political conversations and ease tensions. When someone feels listened to instead of attacked, they will be open and honest. Most shockingly, you will find that people don’t buy into extreme beliefs 100%. For example, a conservative thinks you are about to attack them so they preemptively throw out a “Pelosi and Democrats are so corrupt and owned by china!” ….. four-second rule…. “ Well look I know Trump has done plenty of bad things as well I just don’t see the Democrats doing anything to help.” Now that they tamped down their own rhetoric you can ask a targeted question, “haven’t done anything to help?”. 

What to expect from TAR in 2021

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After three months of writing, we are looking forward to what 2021 holds. As a Progressive organization, it is so important to make use of all the time between elections. While this might be the presidential off-season, right now is when the strength of a campaign or movement is built. Just like pro sports those who excel during the season put in the most work during the offseason. Our goal throughout has been to become the hangout or destination for the supporters of the Sanders campaign, while also serving to expose Corporate Democrats. While our founding has been exclusively text-based we are excited to build upon our foundation with content to suit everyone’s preferences. We are excited to be adding two new forms of content to supplement our written pieces.

2.)  Audio Book Style recordings for all Articles! 

Starting after the new year we are excited to offer an audio version of all articles! For those who prefer audiobooks, we are recording all past articles to have at the click of a button!

1.) Podcast!

Now that we have laid a decent foundation of topics we are going to release in-depth conversations elaborating upon each topic! Make sure to get the full story on each article as we will go in-depth on books, movies, and speeches that have influenced us! 

Written Content

Following the New Year, we will continue to cover the topics we enjoy most. However, will be doing so with more consistent but less frequent posting. 

From a topics perspective, these are a few of the intensely critical topics we will continue to cover, in no particular order-

The value of morals based politics

The opposition Progressives face from Corporate Democrats

The inherent Americaness of Progressive Ideals

The dangers and effects of Inequality

The Struggles of small business and Entrepreneurs 

The hypocrisy of the media

The global threat of social media

The destructive power of monopolies

&

Solutions.

Progressive Political Tactics Vol. #1 – Leveraging Sales Tactics

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Watching the democratic primaries since 2015 Progressives have seen hopes dashed before their eyes, over and over and over again. While there are a million different reasons for our losses, the media blacking us out, a smaller movement than we thought, the list goes on. One thing we can unanimously agree on is that the group we are up against definitely out gamed us. They knew and used the system, and to no fault of our own many of us were new to politics. It is now long past due to all brush up on our tool kit, we need to be sharp to keep the Sanders coalition from fracturing. Primarily we need to have the ability to talk confidently about our candidates and learn how to make their case. Sadly being the most caring group with the most morals leads us to be bulldozed by Corporate Elite Democrats that will do anything to keep power. We don’t have to be nasty, we just have to work harder. We know how badly people need Medicare for All, we just can’t sell it. If Corporate Dems can sell an agendaless party to the country, getting buy-in for real solutions should be simple!

Here are three simple lessons from sales to ease tension and have open conversations with anyone. 

1.)It’s all about listening, not speaking! 

The common misconception about sales and salespeople is that the person who talks the loudest and the fastest would make the best salesperson. The truth is the opposite, the best salespeople are those who are genuinely curious and ask great questions. When the questions are being answered they listen intently. See it is the opposite of human nature to buy from a pushy person. It robs your freedom of thought and choice, making us want to buck like a wild Broncho. It is also very rude. However, most people have plenty of reasons why they could benefit from supporting your side, but they must come to that conclusion on their own. You cannot actually control/persuade people of anything. With great questions and an open and pleasant attitude, they can reach their own conclusions. 

2.) Find a pain point and determine the consequence.

When selling a brand new product that is a never before seen solution, you face some very tough challenges compared to established products like the Democratic party. The toughest challenge is finding a pain point. For example, every American hates their insurance but they are unaware that it is a problem. We’ve never had a reason to think there was an alternative. If someone knocks government-run health care, respond with a question, “Do you like your health insurance?” “Have you or your family ever had a bad experience with the healthcare system?” They will then think about the pain of the reduction in their paycheck. That pain becomes real when you know there is an alternative. Switching would put $1200/month in your pocket, here is the consequence. “What difference would $1200/month make for your household?”

3.) Whoever controls their emotions wins! 

Ok, the goal isn’t ultimately about anyone losing, this is a negotiating lesson. Perhaps the most valuable sales to life lesson is learning to control your emotions. Many people who end up buying from you and being long term partners started the conversations with you completely uninterested. Every time you lose your cool on someone and return the favor, they will never work with you, this requires having more emotional control. This is a golden rule in debates as we saw with people like Biden getting flustered into gaffe after gaffe, whereas someone like Mayor Pete was slicker than Clark Grizwolds non-choleric-silicon-based kitchen lubricant. Pete was unflappable on that stage and danced his way out of every attack with a smirk. Talking politics requires emotional control, people will say things that really press your buttons. We have all been on both sides of flipping out in a conversation, you feel like an immature jerk and immediately regret it. Remember you will never regret taking the high road! 

Are Progressive Policies Bad for Small Business Owners?

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During the last two election cycles Bernie Sanders ideas were slowly heard by nearly every American Conservative and Liberal alike. Shockingly his ideas seemed to gain steam across the Democratic party then started gaining popularity across the aisle as well. However, the idea of so many radical changes seemed to scare small business owners. The Conservatives narrative of low taxes being the savior of small businesses has been extremely successful. Despite the fact that Conservatives couldn’t care less about small business owners, they are feeding large corporations, with the rest of us begging for table-scraps. Let’s do a play by play on each supposedly “Radical” idea of the Sanders campaign.

  1. Medicare for All

Perhaps the most debated and lied about program of all time. This is undoubtedly due to the insane amount of lobbying by insurance and large pharmaceuticals to both Republicans and most successfully to democrats. People like Pete Buttigieg and President Elect Biden took this money and spouted talking points from the Lincoln-Project(Conservative think tank). Before we get into the corruption weeds lets talk small business. 

First, Warren Buffett has voiced support for the plan, but more importantly he views the current system as a massive competitive disadvantage for American businesses. Not only does this hurt every large business, other than Insurance companies, it is often largest deterrent from starting a business. If you have a family the risk is so great when leaving a large company because you will likely pick up $1000-$2000/month in healthcare with the worst plan on the market. One medical emergency will bankrupt the family. Then think about the entrepreneurs who are successful, having to provide insurance to workers can literally be the difference in being profitable and making a living. With M4A small business would flourish as risk lowered and growth would accelerate as the burden was lifted of medical expenses. Keep in mind we are choosing to pay more than any other developed nation just to fund the millionaires and billionaires that own these healthcare companies. Oh yeah, and we don’t even make the top 10 for quality of care!

  1. Making Public Universities and Colleges Tuition Free.

First lets be honest here, if you are the older retired person with no children, this wont directly benefit you, other than by improving society at large. However this can impact small businesses in two big ways. This would really blow the doors off opportunities that have only been available to a small elite group of the country(since the 80’s or so). Essentially anyone with the drive and tools to make it in the college environment would no longer be held back by their parents financial situation. We understand there are still many other factors that will leave even the ambitious no chance to really make through college(poor primary schooling). However, taking money out of the picture would allow many ambitious potential small business owners to expand their knowledge and skills.

On the back end of this is the crippling cost of send children through college. If you are a small business owner with inconsistent income or even consistent income, paying for 3 kids college tuition is going to devour your savings, if you have any! Most small business owners don’t have the luxury of a company matching their 401k retirement plan. Not only do you have to be a great business owner or craftsmen, but also a financial advisor to navigate shark infested waters. Taking the burden of paying for children’s college would be a massive boon to the economy. Imagine all the baby boomers and gen Xer’s cash that would be distributed through the system. And holy sh*t not to mention student debt. You think someone will take the risk of starting a business with $300-600/month student loan payment, forget about it! 

3.)Free Child-Care and Pre-K

Maybe you hadn’t noticed but most other advanced nations have acknowledged this is the most critical time in child development and provide quality child care to working parents. If you don’t have a college degree and can’t earn over $30,000 it will not even justify taking the job to pay for childcare. Imagine starting a business paying the highest possible rate for insurance and $1,000-$7,000/month in child care. One down month and you are absolutely screwed. Not only would we see many more workers enter the work force, their checks would circulate in the economy.

When you really step back and compare all the expenses put on individuals in America vs. other nations there is no comparison, we are extremely disadvantaged. Today in Germany, France, Japan and countless other countries their citizens are not footing all these bills without benefits. They pay taxes but the personal gains are enormous. On average M4A would save the average house hold $1200/month. Then take away anywhere from $80,000-$500,000 in student loans that a given family/individual will pay(already the case in so many countries). Then take away the $1,000-$5,000 in child care. To be conservative a small business owner will have an additional $3,000/month. Their retirement fund will have $100,000 more in it from not paying for two children’s college. Or their children will be able to buy a house after college because they don’t carry that student loan debt. 

5 Ways the Sanders Coalition can Win Friends and Influence People.

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5. Talk politics with everyone.

People say they are sick of it, not the case. Here is the most important lesson from Dale Carnegie’s book, the best conversationalist or most interesting people ask thoughtful questions and listen. The key here is that they do not talk the most! Start being genuinely curious about why people believe what they believe.  Even if you are completely underconfident in your beliefs you don’t have to say everything you believe, use the opportunity to listen and learn. One of the easiest actionable tips is to employ the four-second rule. This means when someone else is speaking you wait four seconds after they get done speaking before you speak. They will usually keep talking adding more info and triggering the self-disclosure loop.

The self-disclosure loop is a phenomenon discovered by psychologists. They determined that gathering information as well as sharing information actually triggers the reward system of our brains. Yep, strangers randomly telling you their life story filled with TMI topics is due to the brain’s reward system. The more you tell, the more you want to tell. With a little patience and natural curiosity, you can learn so much about what people believe and why. Eventually, someone will shock you and throw out that they voted for Trump but would have gone Bernie. Not likely, but not impossible. 

4. Read! Competence breeds confidence.

The only reason this is four instead of five is that to prevent complete procrastination on item five. Never let perfect get in the way of good. Often times our belief that we always need more information before acting is our most limiting. If you have the time, do the research! While it is extremely important to not just pull ideas and figures from thin air the greater value is self-confidence. With confidence in our beliefs, we are far less likely to lose control of our emotions when having a political conversation. Plus, when was the last time you ever believed someone who was filled with self-doubt and acted defensive. Remember though the more you study and know the greater your awareness must be of the fact that others are not researching. When confidence is replaced by acting condescending it becomes negative to the cause. 

3. Openly admit the flaws of your party/side.

Look when two voters are talking they are not the politicians voting and enacting exact legislation. The average person has no idea all the different actions their candidate or party of choice has taken. Triggering their ego over every little flaw and hypocrisy will end the conversation immediately. All the while they are thinking in their head, “They think we’re bad when they don’t even have an answer for X, Y,  and Z, they can’t even see what’s right in front of them.” The most disarming comment in a political conversation is to bash your own side, people will relax and open up without fear of backlash. Typically when you admit the faults of your side they will do the same.

2. Trade social media action for real action.

We will continue to write in-depth on the damaging impacts of social media, but for a political movement or campaign, supporters are better off hopping offline. First let’s just go ahead and face the music, posting politically charged articles on Facebook and ‘owning’ conservatives in the comments is actually a politically losing tactic. Spending 100’s of hours a year posting on social media is going to guarantee 5-300 people will never be open-minded to your candidate. Then consider having 1-5 casual conversations a year, in the worst-case scenario one of them changes to your candidate. 

1. Run for office.

While the AOC scenario immediately comes to mind, there is a real possibility here. There are rural districts all over the country where Republicans run uncontested. There are even more seats where incumbent corporate Democrats are the only candidates who have run for the seat in 5+ years. We don’t have to win them all, but we are forfeiting hundreds of opportunities to get the message out. Even a failed campaign gets some amount of media coverage and awareness. And who knows, you could be the next AOC. 

Elizabeth Warren is a Dangerous Enemy of the Progressive Movement, Will we Acknowledge it?

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At the risk of alienating potential Warren supporters, it is better to have an open discussion on her past and present actions to determine if we really want her to be part of our future. First, let’s state that there is zero animosity towards voters. Voters have no control over a candidate, they cannot control them behind closed doors or know what they say or do behind closed doors. On paper and at campaign events the appeal of Warren is obvious. A super-intelligent college professor who started the consumer financial protection bureau before even entering Washington sounds like a home run candidate! However, if you align where she stands with a chronological timeline of her actions starting in 2014, you will find a power-hungry politician that changes positions on a daily basis, and perhaps the greatest roadblock to real change from people like Bernie and Nina Turner. 

If we take it from the top, we all remember that super annoying speech of her military brothers being working-class Republicans, so she gets “normal” people. However, most people do not know that for the majority of her life Warren was also a Republican. Not just a Republican, her coworkers at Harvard vouch for the fact that she was the most vocal Reagan supporter in the college administration. So why did she support the Republicans until into her 40’s!? Well, let’s take her word for it here- 

“I was a Republican because I thought that those were the people who best supported markets. I think that is not true anymore,” Warren said. “I was a Republican at a time when I felt like there was a problem that the markets were under a lot more strain. It worried me whether or not the government played too activist a role.”

Hold the GD phone, this is the candidate who was “just as progressive as Bernie!”? Get real. Actually, let’s get real, Bernie Sanders was a self-declared socialist in his very first run for Mayor of Burlington. If someone tells you everyone changed positions before, that is not entirely true. And yes sometimes it is a sign of a good leader, but that is really a business saying not a political one. Let’s really dissect her response there. She claims she felt that the Republicans were no longer supporting markets and had to switch. That is an admission of the corporate nature of the new Democratic party, she believed they were the more natural continuation of Reaganomics. This really makes sense as we see the party move away from the working class to cater to the coastal elites and exclusively those with a college education. It also makes sense that Mass has the most college grads per capita in the US. It seems Warren has always just been an advocate of college elites, the Dems really moved to her. 

Many are probably in disbelief that the Hyper-Woke-Slay-Queen has been a Republican her whole life, but if you really listen to her this is not such a shocker. Her track record of helping progressive causes isn’t only bad, she actively fights to destroy progressives. Before we are labeled as wounded Bernie supporters let’s take it way back to 2014. 98% of Dem voters have no idea that before Bernie ran he and other progressives were actively pushing her to run for president against Hillary. Not only did she decide not to run, but she did so with a very keen understanding of how flawed Hillary was. Then came her first sin of blasphemy against progressives, she refused to back Bernie. We will never know if a 2016 endorsement could have pushed him over the top. Not to mention that was possibly the most important election of our lifetimes. We all now know that she did so out of the selfish desire to wield power herself, either with a Hillary cabinet position or with the presidency in 2020.

Let’s detour to mention the fact that she claimed to be a native American without actually being one. No wonder the right won’t listen when someone actually does something racist or sexist. If Trump, Rubio, Cruz, Jeb Bush, any one of them did this, they would be canceled into oblivion never to be seen again! Oh, but not one of our own who slams Trump, we can’t call her out for being super racist. Honestly, what is the difference between this and wearing black face? If you don’t know, the Cherokee nation blocked her, she cannot and will never be a member of their tribe. They were also deeply offended by the false claim that she made strictly to enrich herself. She has been a liar her whole life! 

Fast forward to 2020, she declares for the white house. Before we get to her most offensive and nefarious acts of the campaign, let’s analyze her “progressive campaign that accepted big money donations.” So how did it work out for her trying to talk progressive and stay in bed with big business? Here is Krystal Ball on her campaign-” “attempts to co-opt revolutionary rhetoric in service of an establishment campaign, like Disney doing socialism, satisfied no one and left her unable to win more than 1 county in Iowa and an embarrassing distant fourth behind Klobuchar in New Hampshire.” 

In case you forgot let’s rehash, Bernie won Iowa however the DNC delayed the result to look like Pete tied him. Bernie then won New Hampshire and devastated the field in Nevada. By all accounts, he was in the first place. Let’s not forget Warren going for a murder-suicide on Bernie that just so happens to be in front of a hot mic. She claimed that months ago before the campaign, Bernie told her in a one-on-one meeting that a woman could never win the White House. So he said it and she was friendly for months, then when he is leading the race you claim that to the media. Not a private conversation or a debate when he said it, months down the road you drop that during a debate. Sorry, we refuse to believe one of the people who urged you to run in 2016 believes that you can’t win as a woman.  

After that exchange clearly cost Warren, she set her sights on making sure that Bernie was defeated by Biden. In possibly the most corrupt dealing in primary history winning candidates like Pete dropped out immediately to defeat Bernie, but most importantly to secure jobs in a potential Biden admin. And it worked, Pete is now Secretary of Transportation. However, there was one chance to stop the now unified centrist, if Warren just dropped out of the race. She didn’t even have to endorse Bernie, just drop out! She got 3rd place in her own state! Bernie nearly doubled her 16% with 30%! She was a loser up to that point with no shot at victory, yet she stayed to guarantee Bernie would lose. Had she dropped out Bernie Sanders would be the President right now. 

What did Warren get for helping Bernie? Completely snubbed from Biden’s cabinet! See when you abandon real allies for fake friends, no one has your back. If we are to succeed with Nina Turner, we must fight Warren with everything we’ve got. This might seem extreme but we know based on multiple occurrences, she will fight against any progressive that is not her! She is a cynical self-enriching politician just like Pete and Kamala. 

The People, No! A Brief History of Anti-Populism.

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By Thomas Frank

TAR book review/recommendation 

Readability 6/10 (if you enjoy history, it is a 7.5/10)

Value 9.5/10

In The People, No Thomas Frank historically frames how the Democrat’s abandonment of the working people over time has led them, most recently, to drive Trump to victory. Democrats now find themselves as the elitist party, constantly attacking “populism” and referencing an expert class at every turn. Frank’s most poignant lesson is that populism or harnessing the power of the common man in your message is the most powerful tool in American politics, and always has been. Unfortunately for the Democrats, they have completely seeded that ground and message, completely to their demise. 

The Start of Populism

Frank starts in 1896 with the first Populist to get on a major party ticket for President – William Jennings Bryant. Very similar to our current state, inequality was rampant. Farmers across the country were going further into debt on a daily basis due to the gold standard, while factory workers in the city were being treated horribly for pitiful wages. A group of Farmers from Kansas started what they called “The People’s Party” they saw that both sides were no different when it came to corporate ownership. While the majority of their ideas went on to become mainstream in the FDR administration, the most controversial policy in 1896 was the idea of leaving the gold standard. Why did they want to get off the gold standard? If the value of money is based on a finite or limited amount of gold, as we got more productive the value of the dollar was rising at a breakneck pace because we don’t add more gold. A dollar today is worth two dollars tomorrow. This was an amazing system if you were a lender, you gave away $100 and when it had to be paid back that $100 was really worth $1000. Think about this when purchasing goods, $100 yesterday bought two bales of hay, tomorrow it buys three. For Farmers who had to borrow money each season, this was a guaranteed sentence to poverty as you fell more behind each passing season. 

The populist party sought to unite all farmers and workers in the country. This was a radical group, they believed in uniting white and black farmers in the south. The original populist were perhaps the most powerful class movement in American History. Jennings lost the presidential election of 1896, interestingly enough, he was outspent 100 to 1. There still has never been a candidate outspent to that degree or have the business class be more united against them. 

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Frank next moves to FDR, one of the only presidents to actually fight for the people. While there are many debates about FDR, Frank highlights the populist vein through his enemies. Interestingly enough, the same articles written about Trump were written about William Jennings Bryant and FDR many times over. The media hated FDR more than they hate Trump. One of their favorite hit pieces still remains a favorite- let’s get a group of “experts” to denounce everything they do. “FDR is a narcist, 20 psychiatrists all agree” “100 economist sign letter denouncing FDR and the New Deal” “90 Nobel laureates endorse Biden and denounce Trump”. Similar to Trump, FDR believed that 70-85% of the media was against him, and the endorsements reflected it.

This is where Frank puts up the warning sign for the Dems, if you are with the experts trying to delegitimize working-class voters, you are usually on the losing side in America. So where did we go wrong, why are we losing the working poor?

Enter the 70’s, Pat Buchanan was an aide to Richard Nixon and convinced Nixon to start adopting the Left’s working-class dialogue. Speak to the forgotten men and women, the silent majority that the elites don’t care for. Boy did it work, the republicans merged the wealthy class with the working class. However, the Democrats were more complicit in the loss than anyone, Nixon was able to take that ground because the left stopped fighting for workers. They had sold out, which left them impotent, they couldn’t call his or Reagan’s bluff, the New Deal was long ago. No longer were the Republicans a mild imitation of the Dems, the tables turned the Dems became Republican Lite.

Fast forward to the late 90’s early 2000’s Pat Buchanan is on the scene constantly. What is Pat’s message, that Washington Elites are out of touch with the rest of the country. In 2000 Buchanan takes this platform to a 3rd party bid. According to Roger Stone, he then recruited the TV celebrity Donald Trump to also declare a 3rd party bid for the white house,(that part is confirmed fact) to sink Buchanan and save George Bush Jr. Fast forward again to 2016 and we see Donald Trump take the populist message from Pat Buchanan all the way to the white house. And guess who predicted Trump could flip the Midwest with that message? Pat Buchanan.

5 Books every Bernie Sander’s Supporter Must Read…

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Fancy yourself a Progressive? It can be difficult to find helpful literature to learn more about the ideas and policies of Bernie Sanders. This is an odd list in that it isn’t entirely Political or Economic non-fiction, there are biographies and some fiction. While understanding the reasoning and logic behind the policies is certainly the first step, learning from Bernie’s grit, attitude and character is the only way we can achieve his vision in the future. Here are TAR’s five books that every Bernie supporter must read! 

5.) Our Revolution by Bernie Sanders

TL;DR- Hear it from the man himself. Extremely dry but information-dense, you’ll be a Jedi next time politics is mentioned with friends. 

Straight from the horse’s mouth. Controversial figures like Bernie tend to be hard to find accurate information on. You’ve never heard a full Bernie speech on a tv network. Non-fanatics beware, this is dictionary dry if you don’t love data and policy. However, if you are sick of being defenseless when people trash Bernie’s ideas you have to pick this up. This book is like a Jedi getting a lightsaber, Bernie breaks down every single policy. Most importantly he explains how bad the current system is leaving no other option but “radical” change. 

4.)Island and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

TL;DR While most people have heard of the dystopian Brave New World, it tends to overshadow Huxley’s masterpiece about a “perfect” society. This book is a crucial exercise in opening your mind to the way the world could be. 

Ok go ahead and get the conspiracy theory comments out of the way here. If you haven’t read Huxley, he is one of the greatest writers of all time from a prose, entertainment perspective. This is wild considering these are two of the greatest philosophical works ever created. Island is first because it will exercise your ability to think big and reimagine society. It is the opposite of the dystopian Brave New World, centering around a “perfect” society. 

 The plot centers around an Island named Pala, which is nearly impossible to reach due to ocean currents but sits upon the largest untapped oil reserve in the world. Strangely enough, Pala is also home to the happiest longest living humans on earth. The main character, a cynical journalist named Will Farnaby is hired to attempt to get to Pala and do the bidding of an Oilman. 

Upon his arrival he is stunned to meet people who are shockingly authentic and honest, essentially calling out his BS and negativity. Farnaby’s mission is to win over the new king’s mother, who is not a native of Pala. Farnaby and the outsider mother hit it off as fellow cynics. All the while a nearby dictatorship is threatening to invade Pala to take its oil. Will Farnaby navigates his own selfish ambitions of a future paycheck with the acceptance and love from the people of Pala, knowing that he was sent by an Oilman. 

Brave New World is much more well known with reviews abounding. However, Huxley’s main critique of capitalism is worth noting. If you live under a rock the book is about a dystopian future(that is very similar to the present) where instead of the Government ruling with force, they give people as many drugs as they want and give them simple jobs. An opening scene really sums up one of the best messages. They breed humans in a lab and raise them to adhere to society. In one room babies and let out to crawl and play with a room full of books and plants. They are having a great time exploring when all of a sudden blaring sirens and flashing lights erupt, leaving the babies horrified. A visitor asks the main scientist, “I know we don’t want people to read because if they like reading they will stay home and not consume anything, but don’t we want people to like plants so that they will consume transportation resources to get there?” The main scientist replies “Yes, at first we thought that as well, but once people grew to love nature they would stay out there and consume less and less. Now we make them hate plants but love country activities like dirt bikes and golf consuming more than ever.” 

Essentially, the things we love are what perpetuates an “unfair” capitalist system. There is a one-percenter getting a large cut of everything you buy. 

3.)A Traitor to His Class by HW Brands.

TL;DR – Are you mired in thoughts that even if Bernie won he couldn’t get anything done? Grab any FDR resource you can. Not only will it give you some hope, but it is also important to see the tactics used against the greatest President of all time.

It was really tough to not make this number 1. Honestly, the only thing stopping it is list continuity and the fact that it is extremely long. While many might not read this one, take this into account and watch anything you can on FDR. The Roosevelt series, an awesome Doc by Ken Burns, was on Netflix recently which is an excellent intro to what the man did, and why he was so informative to Bernie’s life.

You likely gathered this by the title that FDR did not grow up poor like Bernie. Yep FDR was a 1%er. So what turned this high achieving Richy rich into the most progressive pro-worker president in American history? Well, while he always leaned that direction it is safe to say the experience of losing the use of his legs late in life created the FDR that built so much of America we know today.  See FDR grew up not only wealthy but also handsome and very active. He loved playing sports and early on was being groomed for a Presidential run. Once he was viewed as handicapped the party was not so keen on him anymore, plus he lacked the confidence himself being overcome with self-doubt. Until he ran for Governor of New York during the Great Depression, becoming the most popular Governor in the country. 

What is perhaps makes FDR so relevant to Bernie is that the media hated FDR more than any politician in history. Yet despite the hatred of all of the wealthy elites, he enjoyed record-breaking popularity with voters. If we wish to succeed we must study FDR’s playbook, the wealthy have been obsessing over his impact and aggressively dismantling it for decades. 

2.)Saving Capitalism by Robert Reich

TL;DR – Reich lays out exactly how modern-day mega-monopolies like Amazon and Google spend all of their resource rigging the system away from true market competition. From contract law to the tax code, the system is aligned entirely against workers and consumers. Super powerful info in this book that is a little less dry than Bernie. 

We all know Robert Reich, he is all over Facebook with cute little videos. And I will admit I have seen him occasionally fall in line with the regular corporate Dems on culture issues. However what makes Saving Capitalism so powerful is not only his extensive background in economics, he also served in the Clinton administration. That might seem like a bad thing until you actually see him out there constantly explaining why Bernie is not only morally right but also economically proposing the best agenda. Perhaps Reich’s familiarity with the Corporate Dems is what enables him to explain precisely why they are so wrong on economic policy. For the record, it has long been said Reich was often ignored by Clinton whose staff and advisors were taking often times the opposite position. 

Saving Capitalism is a deceptive title, especially for this list, but it is actually making a brilliant point. Reich makes the argument that large corporations and the wealthy have tilted the system so far in their favor by changing laws and regulations they are on the verge of breaking our market economy. His point is that, in a certain sense, this is not even a capitalist system in the first place. He points to companies like Comcast lobbying to change contract law. Meaning that when you sign a contract for their service they can now include in the fine print that you forfeit the right to take any legal action against the company and will accept the results of arbitration they provide. Meaning they can not live up to any part of the contract, provide the worst service imaginable to all of their customers just to boost the bottom line, and the customers have to accept it. Why do we accept it, because the alternative is AT&T, which lobbies with Comcast for the same laws. All the while Comcast and AT&T refuse to compete against EPB of Chattanooga. EPB has the highest customer satisfaction in the country and was the first provider in America to provide GB Fiber internet. So why don’t you have EPB? Comcast has been using them since their inception and has successfully gotten the government to block EPB from expansion. Why? All because they are funded by the taxpayers of Chattanooga. This beckons the big question from Reich, who is really stopping progress here? 

1.)The People, No. A Brief History of Anti-Populism by Thomas Frank

TL;DR- Courting college-educated elites has been the downfall of democrats. Frank explains how the current trend is leading to the Democrats being the party of rich elites as opposed to the party of FDR that fought for workers. Frank makes the case that Populism or anti-elitism has always been the most powerful tool in American politics. If the Democrats don’t make drastic changes they risk being on the wrong end of the most powerful political weapon in America. 

What really puts this book at the top of the list is its relevance. Because this is a list of the proper “tools” of a Bernie supporter this book takes spot numero uno. If you read this title and went “eww populist are racist!” you need to order this book immediately. That very reaction is what led to Frank writing the book. Hailing from Kansas Frank is a historian who has written about the history of the original populist party that started in Kansas. Knowing the real story he was shocked to see Democrats using the word populist as a term for the boogie man and anyone who is racist, oh yeah, and somehow they used it slander, Bernie Sanders. However as Frank demonstrates, the elites will always demonize regular people and as they have done since the beginning, except now the roles are reversed, the Dems are the elites and the Republicans are now wielding the most powerful tool in American politics, anti-elitism.  

The book starts with the original people’s party of Kansas who attempted to form a party of western farmers, black and white southern farmers, and industrial workers of the city. While their success was limited, most of their ideas became a reality in America through none other than FDR. The Peoples part eventually became the populist party and went on to have one of their candidates run for president on the Democratic ticket, William Jennings Bryant. WJB was the first politician ever to self fund a campaign. He was also the first politician to actually travel around the country to stump, solidifying him as one with the people. WJB ended up being outspent by the largest margin in American history. 

The book continues to show how the Democrats dominated politically after the great depression by becoming the party of the people that were against the media and the wealthy elites. It represented workers and unions, sticking it to the boss. This domination continues until Richard Nixon with the help of Pat Buchanan stole the Democrat’s thunder as they were starting to sell out and work for elites. See Nixon, while working for millionaires, started using populist rhetoric, speaking to the forgotten, underrepresented population. Thus began the shift of working people to the republican party. 

Pat Buchanan went on perfecting his message of anti-elitism, seeing its effectiveness with real voters. Perhaps you know where this story ends…. Buchanan seeks a third party run in 2000, only to be run out of the race when Donald Trump claims he is also running third party. Next thing we know, Trump takes Buchanan’s whole entire script straight to the white house. Guess who guessed that Trump would flip the midwest? Pat Buchanan!

Bonus* Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins

This is added as a bonus, however, we truly believe the very thing that makes Bernie so successful, his grit and determination, are exactly what we as supporters are lacking. This book is one of the best ever for motivation and mental health. We are in for a long ride here, we need to be mentally strong. 

The Most Eye Opening 10 Minutes Of Your Life | David Goggins – YouTube