Robert Reich

At the root of most of our political and economic challenges is the pervasiveness of big money in our politics. What can we do about it? Most importantly, three things:

(1) Reverse the appalling Supreme Court 2010 decision "Citizen's United vs. Federal Election Commission" through constitutional amendment if that's what it takes.

(2) Revive and expand the system of public financing of elections. The other night, when he interviewed me on "The Daily Show," Jon Stewart asked me if campaign-finance reform has ever worked. Had I more time and a better memory I would have pointed out that the presidential public financing system enacted in the wake of Watergate scandals in 1974 worked well for 28 years -- through eight elections -- from 1976 to 2004. During these years every major party presidential nominee relied exclusively on public money for financing of his general election campaign. And from 1976 through 1996, every winner of the major parties’ respective presidential nominations did so with the assistance of public matching funds in the primary elections. Indeed, every Republican and Democratic primary candidate (except Connally in 1980, Forbes in 1996, Dornan in 1996 and Maurice Taylor in 1996) relied on public financing in their primaries.

(3) Ultimately, though, no set of reforms will take hold unless we reverse the growing concentration of income and wealth in America. As great jurist and Supreme Court justice Louis Brandeis said in the late 19th century, when we last faced this scourge of inequality, "We can either have democracy in this country or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can’t have both.”
So don't complain. Organize!

Jeff Mincey 

What most determines the strategy and tactics I advocate are their prospects for success. The question I ask myself is always whether I have good reason to believe a particular approach will be effective. It has to be about results.

Does confronting an oppressor bring results? I say no. Activists have been doing precisely that for decades upon decades, and yet here we stand. Oh, sure, in some cases to confront or attack an oppressor will indeed depose them, but only for another oppressor to arise in his place.

To fundamentally transform the soil of society requires a different strategy, one that doesn't confront oppressors so much as simply renders them irrelevant and obsolete.