Friends,
Today is the third anniversary of the launch of this newsletter community, and I want to thank you.
Three years ago today I posted my first daily letter, not knowing who would be out there to receive it.
Heather Lofthouse egged me on. (A special thanks to her, as well. And to Alessandra Bosco, whose gimlet eye has caught misspellings and grammatical mistakes I’m too embarrassed to admit, and to Michael Lahanas-Calderón, for his technical help.)
I wanted to key off current news but didn’t want this to be a mere summary of what’s happened. I wanted to provide context and background. Connect the dots. Expose the uses and abuses of power.
A few naysayers told me it was impossible to do this every day, seven days a week, and I shouldn’t even try.
It is sometimes difficult. But you have responded beyond my wildest dreams, sustaining and inspiring me.
I’ve been amazed by how many of you have embraced this letter and formed a community around it. I’ve been delighted by the thoughtfulness of your comments.
I’ve been humbled that some of you are “taking” my 13-part UC Berkeley course on Wealth and Poverty, or following my series on economic myths needing debunking, on the common good, and on the Roots of Trumpism.
I’m thrilled that so many of you enjoy Heather’s and my weekly coffee klatch podcasts, our presidential (and soon-to-come, vice-presidential) debate watch-alongs.
And my Sunday caption contests — to which some of you have contributed fabulously memorable captions.
“And that’s why there’s no 45 button in elevators anymore.”
***
I thank you from the bottom of my heart for making this possible — for making this such a civil and insightful community and for your financial support to sustain this effort.
A few of you worry that I’m “preaching to the converted” and not reaching the people who need to be reached — people whose democratic convictions are wavering and who are attracted to Trump and Trumpism.
I sometimes worry about this, too.
Yet most of you share my belief that we must know the truth if we are to effectively persuade others.
And that it’s vitally important that we spread the truth about the threats to the common good, to our democracy, and to our planet. And that in these perilous times it helps to know we are not alone. In fact, we are the majority.
But I’m not going to sugarcoat it: The 2024 election scares the hell out of me.
Even if Trump is defeated, the months or even years following the election will not be easy. Trump supporters will not just go away. Nor will the forces that fuel them.
The Trump criminal trials — if they occur, and they must — will test the nation.
On the other hand, if Trump wins the election or prevails in its aftermath, democracy and the rule of law are likely to be more endangered than the first time he took office.
In either case, it will be more urgent than ever that we know the truth, spread the truth, and feel the strength of community.
All of this feeds my determination to keep going.
America is threatened both by lies from the authoritarian foes of democracy and by increasing amounts of big money in our politics from corporations and the ultra-wealthy.
I promise to keep standing up to these forces (including the richest man in the world, no matter how many names he calls me).
In the next 12 months, I’ll provide more content. More analyses. More critiques of the ultra-wealthy who are turning their wealth into political power. More personal history bearing on what’s happening today. More podcasts and drawings.
My goal is to keep this community going for everyone who wants to read, listen, and contribute, each day.
But please don’t feel compelled to pay to be a part of it. These are tough times for so many.
That said, if you can support us to keep generating new content, we welcome it. If you’d like to become a paid subscriber with access to everything we’re doing, great.
A founding supporter, enormous thanks. Give a gift subscription, wonderful.
We do need help to sustain this effort. Your contribution allows us to post the vast majority of content without a paywall and ensures we keep getting the message out.
On to year four? You betcha.
All best,
Robert Reich
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