When Robert Reich has something to say I pay attention. I’m often haunted by the past and ‘what if?” I remember the theme of an article from decades ago about President Clinton’s economic policies having been a tale of a choice between ‘The Two Bobs’ – Bob Reich and Bob Rubin. Clinton chose the latter but was it the best choice for the long-term? We’ll never know but Robert Reich has kept weighing in at times. Not just on economics but politics in general and he’s written a piece suggesting there are several indications what so many of us hope for, which is the tide has truly started to turn ON Trump.
You can read his OpEd on Alternet but I’ll summarize it for you. What makes me hopeful after reading it is Reich cites multiple things we see happening in rapid succession. If you never were a fan of boxing I’ll explain something about knockouts. A championship level boxer almost never gets knocked out by a single punch. Instead a knockout is the result of what in boxing terms called a ‘combination.’ A rapid set of at least two or three punches sets a boxer up for that big blow that knocks them out. Reich lists multiple political punches Trump has been hit with in fairly short order.
He starts by talking about the Elon Musk/DOGE debacle. While Reich doesn’t address the fact Musk’s DOGE minions are still at work and doing all kinds of damage we don’t even know about yet the fact is the whole thing turned into a PR nightmare. For all the fanfare, and the fact many conservatives still openly support DOGE it’s caused a lot of anger. Even in red states Congress Critters are catching hell. As for Musk, his antics became an embarrassment to Trump who grew infuriated by the bad PR.
Trump has always had limited knowledge and skills. However he’s been blessed (and the rest of us cursed for it being so) with an intuitive grasp for marketing himself and his brand. His list of failures is long BUT he has always been able to ‘spin’ his way out of the failures and convince others, from big bankers (once upon a time) to rank and file people he was a business genius. He also assumed his MAGAs were so devoted to him that when he had to acknowledge they too would have to endure some pain they’d just suck it up and suffer in silence. It turns out he was wrong about that, and Musk’s public antics didn’t go over at all well even with the bulk of MAGAs.
As Reich notes there were any number of ways Musk and Trump could have worked around the ‘120 day rule’ but weeks ago it was clear Musk was going to be gone. Musk denies it and the Board has been cagey but he was in danger of losing control of his flagship business. Tesla is what made him rich and made him popular. Now as Reich notes Tesla is in serious trouble. Combine that with his having cemented Space X as essential to our space program and no wonder he’s decided to ‘go home’ and tend to basics. Alas, as I said he’s left behind plenty of junior tech bros to keep doing DOGE stuff.
But the point I think Reich was making is that DOGE hasn’t been just a policy disaster. It’s been a PR one. Trump HATES being made to look bad. He also HATES not getting unconditional ‘love’, especially from his MAGAs and scales have been falling from their eyes. They don’t like what they see and are saying so. Publicly even and if you’ve never lived in small-town/rural America that’s a BFD for lifelong Republicans to shout at their elected representatives or to give TV interviews criticizing TRUMP because of DOGE.
Reich notes the problems the Trump/Musk DOGE pogram has caused, riling up Veterans, Seniors and for that matter those small-town/rural folks who realize there are government programs they not only like but depend on and that’s quite a combination of punches. Reich calls that ‘progress.’ I do too.
Then there are the tariffs and Trump’s stupid trade war. Too many MAGA goobers still don’t get that THEY are the ones paying (via higher prices) them instead of foreign governments. However even some MAGAs are starting to get the truth through their thick skulls. That those tariffs are actually a tax they are having to, or will have to pay. That’s not going over well at all. Add this in with the DOGE stuff and it’s no wonder that, as Reich notes Trump’s polling numbers have mostly tanked. Again, he calls it progress and again I agree with him.
The way I see it Trump decided to pick a fight against not one but two opponents – laying waste to the government and creating a trade war. He led with his chin and has been hit hard. The polling Reich refers to show those punches have hurt. Now we have another ‘bigly’ looming matter which is Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill. I fear he might get something but the fact is the public, including plenty of MAGAs don’t like what they see coming!
Then again, Trump might not get much at all. The thing only passed the House by one lousy vote. Not that the GOP had many to spare but still. Moses Mikey Johnson somehow managed to herd cats to get passage but the fact remains there are several competing factions with more than enough members that could have killed it then and there. For the moment they avoided ‘The Wrath of Trump’ and gave him a “win” all the while knowing that over in the Senate there would be major changes.
The way I see it the House vote was more like a close fought committee vote. A purely procedural move that might lead nowhere when it really mattered. If the Senate manages to pass its own version (not a sure thing) it’s going to have changes that will enrage House Republicans who did the ‘go along – for now’ routine. Oh to be a fly on the wall when the conference committee tries to hammer out a compromise that can pass both chambers! Because as Reich tells us pleasing the competing factions on both sides of Capitol Hill simply can’t be done:
And Trump’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” — which, if enacted, would be the largest redistribution of income in American history, from the poor and working class to the rich and ruling class — is bogged down in the Senate.
Republican senators are finding it impossible to accomplish three things simultaneously: protect Medicaid, deliver a huge tax cut mainly to the rich, and prevent the budget deficit and national debt from exploding. Two of the three are possible, but not all three. (Even Musk understands this.)
Reich goes on to note people are actually paying attention. More importantly they don’t like what they are seeing. He reminds us Trump’s polls are plummeting because Americans are, while he doesn’t put it as such rejecting this bullshit. He does however call it more progress and I agree. Reich makes a point of saying we aren’t out of danger and he’s right. Still, we have seen Trump as a political boxer step into the ring thinking his mere presence would win the fight. Instead he’s taken a series of powerful punches.
We still need a knockout blow but I agree with Reich about the progress he sees. Trump is stumbling about, politically hurt and dazed. However he doesn’t have the sense to back off. Maybe, just maybe he’ll set himself up for that knockout blow. Or trip over his own feet and face plant into one of the corner posts of the ring and knock himself out! However Reich thinks he’s made himself vulnerable and wandered too far out at low tide. AND that the tide might finally have turned and is about to wash over him. If someone as smart as Robert Reich thinks we might be seeing that happen I have a renewed sense of hope.
***From Ursula*** Zoomers, if you’re able to contribute in any way, we could use help. I’ve been ill and recuperating from a brief hospitalization. Times are tough for political commentary to begin with, and that’s been the case since November 5. Half the country is in a major depression. But we need to keep on keeping on. This too shall pass and there will be a brighter, post-Trump day if we work for it. Please join us and help if you can. Thank you. Ursula
The knockout punch could be his budget bill. If that passes into law it could trigger a debt crisis and a run on the dollar. If you thought tariffs were inflationary, wait for the debt bomb to go off.
I have no idea what the knockout punch may be as I don’t know enough to even hazard a guess. I’m bloody THRILLED that MAGA is noticing, and I’m GLAD Republicans who dare to do town halls, as few as they are, are seeing the wrath of the many instead of the support they thought they would have.
Look at Bernie and AOC’s tour around the country. They are getting *packed* houses, usually *with* spillover, in deep RED states. I think that has helped a whole lot in opening people’s eyes and seeing that their government is playing fast and loose with their *lives* in so, so many ways. Having those two *publicly* out on the road and saying what needs to be said, well, what a team and what a result! I’m hoping they, and others, keep it up as we progress towards midterms.
I hope Republicans doing town halls, as few as they are, because the GOP are cowards, continue to get smacked around. They’re going to deny, deny, deny, but their constituents have noticed their bullsh!t.
My Alternet feed had the “make tRump a King” paragraph in the Big Ugly Bill on it today. I’m hoping that helps get that paragraph noticed. That is something MAJOR, and Alternet has a pretty big reach. FINALLY, bigger names are noticing. How many Democratic, and possibly even the less hardcore Republicans, will notice and get that knocked out is anyone’s guess. But I can hope.
So whatever that knockout blow is, and I agree with you, that it *is* coming, hopefully hits tRump before the midterms, and the Big Ugly Bill they are trying to pass gets stalled before the midterms. The other side of the country has a chance to turn this around. And many, many thanks to Robert Reich, who also has a big reach, for pointing this out. It’s about time someone did.
I’d really like to know who’s paying the DOGE minions? Since DOGE is NOT a government agency, the taxpayers should most definitely not be paying for these little incel toy boys of Musk’s for what they’re doing. And if they are being paid with taxpayer dollars, there should damn well be oversight from Congress (given that Congress controls the purse strings).
But I haven’t heard who’s paying these little boys for their work. I honestly can’t believe they’re doing it “for the experience” (ie, “unpaid interns”) and it just doesn’t seem like the Muskrat would be spending HIS money to pay the boys for work that’s not directly a Muskrat project.
“Oversight from Congress?” Don’t make us laugh, Joseph.
rooting out rival’s contracts and canceling them and replacing them with musk contracts is absolutely a muskrat project. plus finding other programs to cancel so the money can be redirected to muskrat or someone he approves of.