Robert Reich

"Those who argue for "less government" are really arguing for a different government—often one that favors them or their patrons."

"Government doesn’t "intrude" on the "free market." It creates the market."

"The rich know that as long as racial animosity exists, white and black Americans are less likely to look upward and see where the wealth and power really has gone."

"I’m Jewish. I detest Hamas. I know what it’s like to have family members murdered brazenly because of their beliefs and ethnicity. Which is why I take social justice and human rights so seriously. And why I, like millions of others, am committed to a ceasefire in and humanitarian aid for Gaza. [...] Where is the moral clarity? Where is the moral authority? Why arent we doing everything possible to stop the deaths? Its time for all of us who care about human rights to demand a ceasefire. Now."

"As we bid goodbye to 2025 — and all the thuggery, corruption, squalor, and cruelty it spewed — I want to thank you for standing up to it. Thank you for your activism and your tenacity. Thank you for not giving up hope, despite the daily horrors. Thank you also for receiving my posts, sharing them, commenting on them, and becoming a member of this community. My purpose in sending you at least one post a day (and sometimes more, with apologies to your inbox) has been, first, to assure you that you’re not alone and you’re not crazy. You’ve received that assurance and run with it. I’ve also wanted to fortify your resolve and strengthen your arguments. You’ve excelled beyond my wildest imaginings."

"The mistakes made at one point in time have an eerie way of reemerging two generations later, as memories fade."

"The more Trump’s tyranny is exposed, the stronger the resistance. The worse it gets, the larger the backlash. The crueler and more vicious his regime becomes, the more powerful the alliances being formed at every level of society to stop him. We will sweep vulnerable Republican lawmakers out of office in 2026 or before. We will support groups like the ACLU that are taking Trump to court. We will spread the truth. Tyrants cannot succeed where people refuse to submit to them. We will not submit. We will emerge from this stronger than we were before, and more committed to the common good. Be safe. Be strong. Hug your loved ones."

"Despite this squalid year, our resistance is growing. Despite the loathsome person occupying the Oval Office, we will prevail. In 2026 — if we work hard — we will take back Congress and restore some decency to our government. I write and post every day because I believe in your values. In your thoughtfulness. In your determination to leave this nation and this world a better place than they were before Trump. Thank you for helping preserve what’s good in America."

"My third goal has been to help you get through this nightmare without drowning in denial or despair. You haven’t drowned. You’ve swum — sometimes against raging currents in your community and state — and you set an example for other swimmers. One of the most important lessons of this horrendous year is that it’s been up to us — up to you and me and everyone we can reach — to stop this scourge. Not with violence, but with good trouble. Not just in rage at politicians who have been too willing to allow Trump to tyrannize the country, but with the steadiness, stamina, and organization necessary to force them to respond to the people rather than to the tyrant or the billionaires behind him. Not with anger at those of our fellow citizens who fell for Trump’s lies, but with an understanding that the reason those lies were seductive was because so many of our fellow citizens have been shafted by the system. So, it has been up to us to contain this menace. It will continue to be our responsibility."

"History shows there are no "one day" dictatorships. When democracies fall, they typically fall completely."

"If nothing is done to counter present trends, the major fault line in American politics will no longer be between Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives. It will be between the establishment—political insiders, power brokers, the heads of American business, Wall Street, and the mainstream media—and an increasingly mad-as-hell populace determined to take back America from them."

"The critical things to watch out for arent the rare big events, such as the 2008 bailout of [Wall] Street itself, but the ongoing multitude of small rule changes that continuously alter the economic game. ... The "free market" is a myth that prevents us from examining these rule changes and asking whom they serve. The myth is therefore highly useful to those who do not wish such an examination to be undertaken."