url: https://youtu.be/J2XFfh6BDv8?t=3745

  • Robert Reich, “The Common Good”

    Robert B. Reich discusses his book, “The Common Good”, at a Politics and Prose event at Sixth and I historic synagogue in Washington, DC on 2/22/18.

    Robert B. Reich has been one of America’s leading political thinkers since he served as Bill Clinton’s Secretary of Labor, for which Time Magazine named him one of the ten most effective cabinet secretaries of the twentieth century. A constant voice for social change, Reich is the author of 14 books, including the best-sellers Saving Capitalism and The Work of Nations. Now, he makes the case for restoring the idea of the common good to the center of our economics, our politics, and our national identity. The Common Good argues that societies undergo both virtuous and vicious cycles, and that the vicious cycle the U.S. is now undergoing can and must be reversed. Reich challenges us to weigh what really matters, and to join forces to save America’s soul.

    https://www.politics-prose.com/book/9…

    60:40
    Civic things but instead I worked for
    the Democratic Party of Arkansas in 2014

    I heard a lot of oh I love the
    Affordable Care Act and I realized that
    my health care is important but I just
    can’t vote for people who kill babies
    and I know that my mom has some
    sentiments and I’m glad that she votes
    this way even though she sometimes has
    some issues with people that aren’t
    necessarily like us but she says you
    know if they’re gonna take away my right
    to the right of choice I would never
    vote for them and so I’m fine with her
    voting for Democrats even though that’s
    probably not where she would align
    ourselves but how do we deal with people
    I’m not sure you’re familiar with the
    campaign talk you never engage of five
    so when somebody’s like I’m just not
    gonna vote for somebody because they
    kill babies like you just you move on
    how do we deal with people who are like
    that um yeah I mean we’re seeing it a
    lot with the gun debate I don’t want to
    I don’t want a caricature certainly not
    your mom but people who have one issue
    and they feel deeply about it and they
    think it’s the most important issue at
    all and it is their litmus test for all
    politics and all politicians and there
    are going to be people like that and you
    know I think it’s important to respect
    their views and not to denigrate them
    and I don’t want to get too much
    involved in you and your mom let me just
    say that every every Thanksgiving every
    Christmas every you know my students
    they a ganar about going home because
    they always have an Uncle Louie or
    somebody who voted for Trump or who is
    just you know in the 19th century and
    they don’t know how to talk to them and
    I would say they’re really there there’s
    something that I try to do and I don’t
    do it well but it’s I call it eloquent
    listening
    which is which means you you
    really open yourself up to what they are
    trying to tell you and you allow
    yourself and give yourself permission to
    possibly be persuaded and you repeat
    back to them what they said to you so
    that they know and you know that you
    really understand them
    and that can be a
    gateway to communication because once
    people feel safe in terms of sharing
    their deepest values they can then be
    open to maybe if not reconsidering them
    at least understanding where you’re
    coming from that’s something we’re not
    doing them