Anti-Democrat cries Anti-Democracy: Robert Reich

Debunking the Left #2

The choice for mankind lies between freedom and happiness and for the great bulk of mankind, happiness is better.

George Orwell, 1984

Robert Reich recently penned the article, “The dangerous anti-democracy coalition” and it’s probably safe to say I’m not a fan. For those who don’t know, Mr. Reich is a Left leaning substack bestseller who at the time of this writing describes himself as: “Professor, writer, former Secretary of Labor, author of The System, The Common Good, Saving Capitalism, Aftershock, Supercapitalism, The Work of Nations. Co-creator of "Inequality for All" and "Saving Capitalism." Co-founder of Inequality Media”. A quick web search identified the gentleman as a man who worked in the administrations of President Ford and Carter before working for Bill Clinton from 93’-97’ as the already mentioned secretary. He was an outspoken critic of the Trump-Russia scandal and has been ever since as we shall see from this article. He’s also looking forward to publishing a 10-week “Debunk” series so as Machiavelli said: “It is a double pleasure to debunk the debunker.” And also in 1573: “Don’t trust random quotes on the internet.” Let’s get on with it!

Friends,

Elon Musk and entrepreneur and investor David Sacks reportedly held a secret billionaire dinner party in Hollywood last month. Its purpose: to defeat Joe Biden and reinstall Donald Trump in the White House. The guest list included Peter Thiel, Rupert Murdoch, Michael Milken, Travis Kalanick, and Steven Mnuchin, Trump’s Treasury secretary.

If you click on the link above it will try to take you to Puck media. In my opinion, a new and untrustworthy media organization that was started in 2021. As of January 5, 2024 it is headed by a former employee from Twitter: Sarah Personette who quit hours after the Musk takeover (Business Insider). Checking their bias and reliability, mediabiasfactcheck.com says Puck is “Mostly Factual”, or 4 out of six tiers of credibility. Given the new nature of the company and the conflict of interest by the CEO it’s possible that this little get together alleged by Puck and Mr. Reich is exaggerated.

Reich is playing a risky game by having the lynchpin of his article be “reportedly” plausible. However, I also don’t do deep dives into some of the sources I use because I use a LOT compared to Mr. Reich. I was kinda taken aback by his rare usage of hyperlinks to add teeth to some of what he was saying. I will touch on that later in the article.

There is a bit of irony in Mr. Reich complaining about the billionaires in deep blue California interfering in elections now. Time celebrated these sorts of cabals to “save democracy” in 2020. I believe the title of the article was: “The Secret History of the Shadow Campaign That Saved the 2020 Election”.

“The participants want the secret history of the 2020 election told, even though it sounds like a paranoid fever dream — a well-funded cabal of powerful people, ranging across industries and ideologies, working together behind the scenes to influence perceptions, change rules and laws, steer media coverage and control the flow of information,” Ms. Ball wrote. “They were not rigging the election; they were fortifying it. And they believe the public needs to understand the system’s fragility in order to ensure that democracy in America endures.”—Washington Times quoting the author of the article

They’re just fortifying it Mr. Reich what’s the big deal? Doesn’t the Right get a turn? Let us continue:

Meanwhile, Musk is turning up the volume and frequency of his anti-Biden harangues on his X platform.

According to an analysis by the New York Times, Musk has posted about President Biden at least seven times a month, on average, this year. He has criticized Biden on issues ranging from Biden's age to his policies on heath and immigration, calling Biden "a tragic front for a far left political machine.”

The Times analysis showed that over the same period of time, Musk has posted more than 20 times in favor of Trump, claiming that the criminal cases Trump now faces are the result of media and prosecutorial bias.

He then uses the same link to the New York times article twice. I often source to the New York Times, they are a good left-wing paper with a lot of gems. To name some for you, they have articles like: “We Can Replace Them” talking about replacing whites in the title and byline, “Are We All Authoritarians at Heart?”, or this one “The Constitution Is Broken and Should Not Be Reclaimed” (by guests from Harvard and Yale). If Mr. Reich reads this, I’d like to ask: are we all authoritarians at heart and should the constitution be scrapped? They even had an article saying “Capitol Rioters Walked Away. Climate Protesters Saw a Double Standard.” on Jan. 7th after the atrocious coup. Why did the people who performed the coup walk away? That’s rather orderly and odd. They didn’t run and start a guerilla war obviously.

This is no small matter. Musk has 184 million followers on X, and because he owns the platform he’s able to manipulate the algorithm to maximize the number of people who see his posts.

No other leader of a social media firm has gone as far as Musk in supporting authoritarian leaders around the world. In addition to Trump, Musk has used his platform in support of India's Narendra Modi, Argentina's Javier Milei, and Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro. 

Some of this helps Musk’s business interests. In India, he has secured lower import tariffs for Tesla vehicles. In Brazil, he has opened a major new market for Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet service. In Argentina, he has solidified access to lithium, the mineral most crucial to Tesla’s batteries.

There is no link in the first claim that Musk is blatantly manipulating the code he made partially open source. I’m not a social media whiz by no means however. I’d really like to drill down on the ridiculous claim that Musk is supporting authoritarians far more than say Walter Duranty¹ covering up Stalin’s genocide in the Holodomor and getting a Pultzier Prize for it and oh- he also worked for the New York Times. The New York Times is just the organization that just keeps on giving! As for his business ventures, I’m glad he’s not taking loans from the Chinese like Hunter getting Cobalt from the Congo (NY Times mentioned); both countries being infamous for their slave labor by the way and China has a domineering presence in this de facto Second Cold War going on. Let’s just say I prefer Musk over China.

Musk has slammed Biden for his decisions on electric vehicle promotion and subsidies, most of which have favored unionized U.S. auto manufacturers. Musk and his Tesla are viciously anti-union.

But something deeper is going on. Musk, Thiel, Murdoch, and their cronies are backing a movement against democracy.

Peter Thiel, the billionaire tech financier, has written, “I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible.”

Hello? If freedom is not compatible with democracy, what is it compatible with?

Again, I must go back to the Times article since the Left likes to brag about what they do out one side of their mouth and then call us nutjobs out the other.

“There was a conspiracy unfolding behind the scenes, one that both curtailed the protests and coordinated the resistance from CEOs. Both surprises were the result of an informal alliance between left-wing activists and business titans.”—Times, The Secret History of the Shadow Campaign That Saved the 2020 Election

Mr. Theil did indeed say those words in the second paragraph of the linked article. One should read it in full for context as he seems to be bemoaning the inefficacy of the Libertarian party back in 2009. Did Theil’s views change since then? I doubt it but honestly, I don’t know. 

Thiel donated $15 million to the successful Republican Ohio senatorial campaign of J.D. Vance, who alleged that the 2020 election was stolen and that Biden’s immigration policy meant “more Democrat voters pouring into this country.” (Vance is now high on the list of Trump vice presidential possibilities.)

Thiel also donated at least $10 million to the Arizona Republican primary race of Blake Masters, who also claimed Trump won the 2020 election and admires Lee Kuan Yew, the authoritarian founder of modern Singapore.

Concerning J.D. Vance, one can go back to the NYT article about their desires to replace whites. Ironically, there’s a lot more demographics that are going to get replaced before that happens. Blacks in Chicago come to mind among many other POC’s. Will Mr. Reich admit Left leaning policies are hurting the demographic they seem to care so much about? I doubt it, after Biden is the one who passed legislation to arrest many of them in the The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994.

The link concerning Blake Masters does bear fruit to what Mr. Reich is saying in this regard in the bottom of the transcript. I will quote it below:

The Review: Last question: Do you have a favorite historical figure?

Masters: Let me give you two. One will be familiar. The other will be a bit more unexpected.

The first is George Washington, which I know is a bit cliché, but I don’t think people realize how much of a boss this guy was. The discipline and respect for his own understanding power as a corrupting influence to decline a third term. Washington was a powerful guy, there was no one more suited to lead the government into the next century and he declined to do it for the nation’s great benefit.

The second is Lee Kuan Yew, the man who created modern Singapore. Yew understood markets and capitalism in a way that so-called ‘free-market’ people at conservate think tanks don't. He created a modern, prosperous country and did it in a way that was more conservative than libertarian. He did something genuinely new in politics.

The sad part is that the Singaporean youth today, a generation or two removed from the Singaporean miracle, don’t understand their history. They themselves are rich and complacent and falling to the same sort of left-wing forces that plague us here. People who study Lee Kuan Yew can see what one committed person can do to change things.

I am no expert on Singapore but here is a quote from Lee Kuan Yew on his political philosophy:

“I am often accused of interfering in the private lives of citizens. Yes, if I did not, had I not done that, we wouldn’t be here today. And I say without the slightest remorse, that we wouldn’t be here, we would not have made economic progress, if we had not intervened on very personal matters–who your neighbour is, how you live, the noise you make, how you spit, or what language you use. We decide what is right. Never mind what the people think.” (Straits Times, 1987) {My source: The Wall Street Journal}

Not very free markety in my opinion. Unless Masters has clarified that he wished to cherry pick some of the Singaporean leader’s policies and adopt it to an American framework Mr. Reich and I could be in agreement that this is a tad concerning. Am I missing something? Or this is all a over exaggeration on Mr. Reich’s fault. At the top of the article is a quote from Orwell, a socialist. Does that mean I am a Socialist? No, I just thought “1984” was quite prophetic. Many of the “Republicans” in Congress don’t accurately represent me but Chip Roy does pretty good rhetorically, just amp him up to 11.

Back to Mr. Reich:

Billionaire money is now gushing into the 2024 election. Just 50 families have already injected more than $600 million into the 2024 election cycle, according to a new report from Americans for Tax Fairness. Most of it is going to the Trump Republican Party.

Stephen A. Schwarzman, the billionaire chairman and chief executive of the Blackstone Group — who had called the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol an “insurrection” and “an affront to the democratic values we hold dear” — is backing Trump because he believes “our economic, immigration and foreign policies are taking the country in the wrong direction.”

Trump recently solicited a group of top oil executives to raise $1 billion for his campaign, promising that if elected he would “immediately” reverse dozens of environmental rules and green energy policies adopted by President Biden. According to The Washington Post, Trump said this would be a “deal” for them “because of the taxation and regulation they would avoid thanks to him.” (Bold added by me.)

This is one of the candy sticks of the Left, quote: “Democrats, including President Biden, who are pushing for more effective taxation of great wealth, the income generated by that wealth, and the transfer of wealth between generations. Republicans advocate for just the opposite: lower taxes on the rich, on the corporations they control and on the great inheritances that perpetuate and exacerbate wealth inequality. (The ATF article he mentioned.)” Nowhere does the Left reflect, why is opening a lemonade stand only legal in 14 states? How do cities and towns discriminate against hotdog or other food stands? Why does the NYT report that New York’s weed dispensaries are being hampered? Why with 7.5 billion dollars does the government only have 8 EV chargers up? Oh right!

Regulations.

Currently there are more states where you can openly carry a gun than open a lemonade stand and become an entrepreneur. We have woefully too many regulations barring the common man from earning some more money. The government can’t even sell weed right, idiots can sell weed right. Get out of the way government!

Speaking from the World Economic Forum’s confab last January in Davos, Switzerland, Jamie Dimon — chair and CEO of JPMorgan Chase, the largest and most profitable bank in the United States, and one of the most influential CEOs in the world — heaped praise on Trump’s policies while president. “Take a step back, be honest,” Dimon said. Trump “grew the economy quite well. Tax reform worked.”

Rubbish. Under Trump the economy lost 2.9 million jobs. Even before the pandemic, job growth under Trump was slower than it’s been under Biden.

That’s a nice factcheck Reich but I used that website before. While it’s true the first line says Trump lost 2.9 million jobs the second line reads thusly: “Paychecks grew faster than inflation. Average weekly earnings for all workers were up 8.7% after inflation.” You slimy little rascal you.

I advise everyone to read the whole fact check as it actually gives a rather balanced look on Trump. It’s a long one and I can’t decisively share it here.

That same website also has this gem of an article: “Biden’s Job Growth Chart Ignores Impact of Pandemic”. You know, considering your credentials as a former Secretary of Labor Mr. Reich you REALLY look like a liar right now. GET. FACTCHECKED.

Most of the benefits of Trump’s tax cut went to big corporations like JPMorgan Chase and wealthy individuals like Dimon, while the costs blew a giant hole in the budget deficit. If not for those Trump tax cuts, along with the Bush tax cuts and their extensions, the ratio of the federal debt to the national economy would now be declining.

Clearly, some of the increasing flow of billionaire money to Trump and his Republican Party is motivated by the prospect of additional tax cuts and regulatory rollbacks under Trump.

Says the man in the party with zero care about the deficit. You’re just upset the cabal is turning against you. If you were genuine, I would even want to team up to reverse special interest lobbying, but you make me want to spit. As for your comments on tax cuts, no sir; our short experiment of universal income during the pandemic went straight to the top quadrupling Bezo’s wealth alone ten-times faster than trickledown economics.

But not all. A larger goal of these American oligarchs is to roll back democracy.

When asked if he was becoming more political, Musk admitted (in a podcast in November), “if you consider fighting the woke mind virus, which I consider to be a civilizational threat, to be political, then yes. Woke mind virus is communism rebranded.”

Communism rebranded?

A former generation of wealthy American conservatives backed candidates like Barry Goldwater because they wanted to conserve American institutions.

Musk, Thiel, Murdoch, and other billionaires now backing the anti-democracy movement don’t want to conserve much of anything — at least not anything that occurred after the 1920s, including Social Security, civil rights, and even women’s right to vote. As Thiel wrote:

“The 1920s were the last decade in American history during which one could be genuinely optimistic about politics. Since 1920, the vast increase in welfare beneficiaries and the extension of the franchise to women — two constituencies that are notoriously tough for libertarians — have rendered the notion of ‘capitalist democracy’ into an oxymoron.”

(Bold added by me for emphasis.)

I’m not old enough to remember Barry Goldwater but I see your trick there Reich. Institutions = democracy. Even the ones that say the massacre of Jews is “contextual”.

If you click the link, he’s using the same article Mr. Theil wrote in 2009 to say they are a present threat to democracy by not backing their team this go around. If you read the piece, you would find that Theil was talking about the Forgotten Depression, if you click the link I just provided, you could read an excellent article by FEE about the era and Austrian economics with juxtapositions of Keynesians and Friedman-ites.

If “capitalist democracy” is becoming an oxymoron, it’s not because of public assistance or because women got the right to vote. It’s because billionaire capitalists like Musk and Thiel are intent on killing democracy by supporting Trump and the neofascists surrounding him.

Not incidentally, the 1920s marked the last gasp of the Gilded Age, when America’s robber barons ripped off so much of the nation’s wealth that the rest of America had to go deep into debt both to maintain their standard of living and to maintain overall demand for the goods and services the nation produced.

When that debt bubble burst in 1929, we got the Great Depression. Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler then emerged to create the worst threats to freedom and democracy the modern world had ever witnessed.

If America learned anything from the first Gilded Age and the fascism that grew like a cancer in the 1930s, it should have been that gross inequalities of income and wealth fuel gross inequalities of political power — as Musk, Thiel, and other billionaires are now putting on full display. Inequalities of power in turn generate strongmen who destroy both democracy and freedom.

Under fascist strongmen, no one is safe — not even oligarchs.

If we want to guard what’s left of our freedom, we must meet the anti-democracy movement head on with a bold pro-democracy movement that protects the institutions of self-government from oligarchs like Musk and Thiel and neofascists like Trump.

And FDR saved us, right?! He didn’t like, I don’t know, make the Depression last 7-years longer? Or block Jews from coming to the US? Or was racist? Or enacted the economic plans of Keynes and a Communist spy? Or was loved by Communists and Fascists because the New Deal was a lot like their programs according to their newspapers from the time? Oh, and the New York Post you kinda started this off with?

They covered for the Nazi’s too.

1. While not “social” media, it was and still is a media organization that supported/covered up for Hitler and Stalin among many others I’m sure.