118 Comments

Thank you for your words of wisdom! Whenever I feel overcome by all the negativity in the news, I turn off the TV for awhile and take a walk in my woods, feed the wonderful birds, pet the cat and play with the dog, or complete some tasks on my wife's never ending "Honey Do" list. These simple things restore my soul and strengthen me for the political battles ahead.

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Dec 24, 2021Liked by Heather Lofthouse

You always buoy my spirits and state things with such clarity. Glad to be in this fight with all of you and may 2022 be the year we save our country from fascism!

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Dec 25, 2021Liked by Robert Reich

I really needed to hear that. I'm going to gear up for a strong 2022 and put my efforts into strengthening our hand in the senate and the house. Let's go kick ass again!

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The term used in our Constitution and today was The Common Good. A neon sign for congress with those words would be a nice reminder. 😄 Happy Holidays to everyone.

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Dec 24, 2021Liked by Heather Lofthouse

Thank you, I needed this and today was the perfect day to deliver your message of hope.

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Dec 24, 2021Liked by Heather Lofthouse

Onward and upward! We don't want to give up!

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Thank you so much, Professor Reich, for all that you do. Your Substack is one of the best and most encouraging things I've encountered in 2021. Your latest note this morning really buoyed me, at a difficult time.

I just paid $50 for a paid subscription, for all the right reasons. Work like your Substack needs to be supported. I don't want to distract you or others here by talking about my own projects, but one that I'm working on as a small book publisher is directly relevant - a memoir by Nelson Mandela's former prison guard who became his lifelong friend, Christo Brand. South Africa's story has so very much to teach all of us Americans in this hard time. This passage from your note ...

"It’s not only the famous leaders who are agents of change. Movements are fueled by individuals giving their time, energy, and hope. Small actions and victories lead to bigger ones, and the improbable becomes possible."

… directly echoes this from Ian Middleton, a teacher and rugby coach from Ottawa who has led groups of his students to South Africa. This is part of a section of fresh writings by others who knew Christo and Mandela that we're adding to the book's new edition, and a portion of this quote will grace the back cover:

"Too often the study of history focuses on the stories of the great figures alone and fails to look at the equally important role played by common individuals in shaping history. There has always been a mass of people who blindly follow the party holding power or act with indifference to preserve their own safety when evil occurs, and a very small number of people who courageously follow their values, fight for the rights of the oppressed, and change the world for the better. This is where the power and importance of Christo’s story comes in. His story provides a very personal touch to South Africa and Nelson Mandela. Sure, it is about Mandela and being a witness to some of the most important events in South Africa’s history. But it is truly Christo’s story, one that shows how a young man working for the apartheid state was not afraid to break the rules, show humanity, and do the right thing to make the lives of his prisoners more bearable while standing up against the system. It provides a lesson of the importance of the ordinary individual in actively challenging the system, doing the honourable thing, and influencing necessary change.

"It also provides the valuable lesson that two men of different generations, races, backgrounds, and authority could put their differences aside, respect each other, and ultimately form a lifelong friendship, while shifting the balance of history. The authenticity of Christo’s message, focusing on his personal relationship with Mandela, gives the listener an intimate understanding of both Christo and Mandela and how the two men formed a lifelong bond. This is what really resonated with my students and colleagues."

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Dec 24, 2021Liked by Heather Lofthouse

You are a beacon of light and reason! Thank you!

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founding
Dec 24, 2021Liked by Heather Lofthouse

Thanks for the uplift. It's not like we're adrift but more like we are in a relentless tug-of-war with evil. I shall continue to fight back, but first a healing rest with my family and friends.

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I can offer a few coping skills to deal with our current political, economic, and environmental problems. Keep up the good fight. Don't give up. Learn all you can about the issues we face so you can have substantive arguments to teach your Republican friends, family, and colleagues what you know to be true. Also remember that many Republicans still believe the Big Lie. Their "knowledge" must be dismantled slowly. As a nation we progress and regress, progress and regress, with movements, until we finally make strides toward our goals for the common good. It is easy to be cynical or complacent, but we cannot let our guards down at this crucial juncture. Indeed, we are at Biden's inflection point, and we must do what we can now, because we haven't much time. We can support each other on this site, and inundate social media with facts. We can speak to our neighbors and friends and family with kindness about how we feel about Republican actions and opinions. Things might get extremely difficult, but we shouldn't give up. Too much is at stake.

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founding

A beautiful and timely message…and a perfect setup for one of my favorite videos of Chris Hedges https://youtu.be/KP8YcfdHIN4

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Thank you, Mr Reich. Just hoping that what has been stripped away by the pandemic will make it clear that we need one another more than ever.

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Thank-you! I needed that! I asked you what keeps you going in the good fight, and you answered me. I wish you Happy Holidays and a very happy new year, Robert Reich.

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Thank you for your inspiration. I needed your uplifting message today after reading that our state attorney general, who reportedly has ambitions to be governor, said in an interview that he doesn't believe the abysmal Covid-19 statistics posted by our state department of health, doesn't believe that our hospitals are overrun with unvaccinated Covid-19 patients (accusing hospitals of lying and committing fraud), and believes that the shortage of healthcare workers (which existed before vaccines became available) is due to vaccine mandates. He has wasted our taxpayer money on lawsuits against every one of President Biden's vaccine mandates, and now, for good measure, against his mask mandate for Head Start programs. I will probably volunteer for the campaign of his opponent in his next election, in 2024, but he has an excellent chance of winning. This is the reality on the ground in so many states.

For me, a way to fight despair is 1) to appreciate that there are great people, in government and out, including you and commenters in this forum, who want to move the country forward; and 2) don't wallow in the bad news, but keep thinking of things that even we ordinary citizens can do to make the country better. I have a theory that even commenting in forums such as this, or in response to articles published online by news outlets, can potentially have a positive effect. I hope that perhaps someone with more power than I have to take action will see my comment and say, "Yes, that's a good idea. I'll try it."

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Thank you for your letters and videos! Here’s to having hope in 2022 that Democracy and Truth will win this current battle over autocracy and misinformation/lies/propaganda.

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My mother and grandmother were not able to apply for and get a credit card in their own name. That was notwithstanding that they worked OUTSIDE and inside the home. That battle for “equal credit opportunity” was only won in the 1970’s, state by state. As you indicate, we cannot give up. There’s a lot of opportunity for victory! In Ohio, senior citizen African Americans stood in line for 8 hours in 2004 undeterred, to ensure they voted. I’m a witness, and they voted a Democrat majority into our county; that was my election victory. I vowed to get more voting machines (paper trail verified), and we did.

Be that burr under the proverbial saddle! It’s rewarding. Thank you Robert.

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