Good discussion - but the whole thing revolves around our side playing by the rules, while they don’t. They grab people off the street and send them to foreign dungeons, institute illegal tariffs, fire people they have no right to fire, destroy agencies created by our elected representatives…. and our side does a “vote-a-rama” to give us some more talking points in next year’s election, if there is one. That’s why we’re mad, out here. Why are you playing by the rules, while the country blows up? I don’t think a single Congressman or Senator has even gotten arrested, much less knocked down the doors at a locked agency to prevent DOGE from stealing property, or applying the 2nd Amendment where it might do some good. Betsy has the policies right, but she’s bringing a knife to a nuclear fight. Still, after all this time.
What you're arguing here is an illustration of what Saul Alinsky called "low political literacy". There is NO way to defeat fascism in order to reinstall democracy in a way that is not itself democracy. Democracy is never an end goal, it IS the means with which we fight. The only alternative is violence.
What that means is that ELECTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES. So instead of being mad at those whose political power "we the people" just took away, it will be more helpful to finally inform yourself about how the democratic process works. Then you'll see how crucially important it is that Democrats do what Warren and so many others are doing (24/7).
In a democracy, there are no silver bullets. Everything takes time. But either you want fascism, OR you accept a slow and messy process. There is no other choice, as history has proven again and again.
I think the MAGA movement will evaporate at the same rate as everyone’s 401ks. People will awaken to the fact that Trump has been an unhinged clown this whole time. It’s already happening. My father, a lifelong Republican and Trump voter, said Trump is “fucking up.” He’ll be run out of office, and maybe even out of this country to Moscow, before he knows what hit him. Then fingers crossed we’ll be back to regular old free market, strong national security Republicans. Real Republicans.
Do I have permission to use this comment word for word the next time? I'm confronting someone who wants the Democrats to sink to the level of Republicans or that says that voting doesn't matter? Because this is a fabulous argument and puts it so concisely.
If we skirt the rules we're just as dirty as they are. I agree that they need to escalate the bluster and rattle the light saber. But the Republicans are feeding the greedy billionaires and the billionaires in turn, fund them. They are intrinsically linked as Paul and Elizabeth point out in their conversation. Democrats have average Americans as their base. We need to push for a wealth cap and redistribution plan. We have poverty because of the greedy ultra rich. It's that simple. People really need to examine the companies they use. Americans have made Bezos a greedy tax avoiding crook who has monopolized business and now is restructuring the Washington post at the outrage of its longtime staff. Everyday his companies products get cheaper and cheaper. Soon he will be the new dollar store at Saks 5th Avenue prices. And Zuckerberg who has removed guardrails of misinformation which allows clowns to confuse people and then there is Musk. We all know how egregious his character is. A guy who hates average and especially poor, brown and black people. A very unsavory Nazi saluting character sticking his nose in our US treasury's business and our personal data. A father who disowned his own trans daughter. A man who has said, "Empathy is what's wrong with western civilization". In truth, it's lack of empathy that is what's wrong with him. He has no business doing what Trump has allowed him to do. He needs to get in his clown car and go home. If he has one.
So your idea is to throw away democracy, now that the GOP is throwing it away. In order to do what, more precisely? Reinstall democracy? How does that work, concretely?
Even if Democrats were to exclusively rely on Senate rules, they've failed to use them to slow Trump's momentum.
Many Biden nominees languished for years, some just withdrew. Republicans used every trick to stop the Biden administration.
Trump has had zero speed bumps.
Nothing stops a Tammy Duckworth and House veterans from holding a press conference with vets from every state...forcing the media to cover the decimation of veterans benefits.
Ditto with seniors.
Ditto with pediatric families.
Ditto with teachers.
Etc, etc
Hiding behind Senate rules, appearing in scattershot fashion on very friendly podcasts, not holding town halls...
There won't be anything to save by 2026...it may be too late already.
I'm sorry, but if you disagree with Senate rules, you'll have to (1) convince a majority of the American people and then (2) convince them to vote, so that politicians can change them. THAT is how a democracy works.
And yes, blocking nominees is 100% democratic. Each time "we the people" reelect the GOP, we tell them that it's perfectly fine to do so.
Obviously, you and I do not agree. What does that mean, in a democracy? That you and I need to talk with Trump and GOP voters and convince them of why what the GOP does is a bad idea. That is how a government "by and for the people" works. If we skip the "by" part, we won't have the "pro" part.
Anyone who feels disappointed realizing this should ask himself: what do you actually want? A democracy? Or do you want the alternative, fascism? Any idea?
In the meantime: just listen to what Warren explains she's doing. THAT is the job of a minority party, in a democracy. It's where they have real power, and activating it to slow down the installation of fascism is absolutely VITAL (as the situation in Poland today shows).
Either you do that, or you constantly hold press conferences. You can't do both. Or rather, Democrats ARE holding press conferences each day, and appearing on TV and YouTube and each day. But that's not their main job.
It's OUR job to be well-informed about who's doing what in DC. And again, SO much more importantly is to finally ask ourselves what WE can do for our country, because that is how democracy is supposed to work. And it means the opposite of what you're saying: just waiting. It's NOW that we need to protest, make our voices heard, and most of all, talk with Democrats who became too cynical to vote and with GOP voters. There are no silver bullets. This is the only way. Time to wake up!
Well said. Short of a popular uprising, which would give the fuhrer the right to impose martial law, this is where we are. But there are ways of protesting peacefully, and WE, not the Democrats in Congress, need to use them every single day. If you have red representatives in Congress, call them every single day. Write them postcards (letters are held too long by the USPS for safety reasons. Be active on social media. Join HANDS OFF protests today and others every time there's one near you. Expecting the minority in Congress to bear the whole burden of saving us is not productive.
I like your ideas a lot, but I don't think we have to task our senators with that. WE can and should get moving on this. Not wait for a hero to rise so we can follow him or her. Do what we can in our communities, like Indivisible Action. When the Rs threatened to take away ACA/Obamacare everyone went to their representatives office and got media coverage of their protests. We can do some of these things on our own and get it to snowball through social media etc.
Each one of those topics can have their own plan of action attached. Seniors - soc. security medicaid, teachers/schools-vouchers, bookbans,libraries; family medicine - etc.
The tRump Organization is nothing so much as a high-priced NY mob. And Donnie brought his mob boss tool kit to the Whitehouse. He also brought enough personality disorders for a whole mob... He believes rules and laws are for everyone but him.
Because real leadership doesn't get the other side to "play by the rules".....by breaking them. That just adds fuel to the fire and helps the corrupt argue that they haven't done anything wrong. We must win by educating and by peaceful yet strong resistance, a la Civil Rights Movement.
If Saul Alinsky were here I suspect that he would suggest that you don't necessarily need to break rules to have an impact. Instead, what you need to do is carefully assess where the leverage points are and be creative in putting pressure on them. Oftentimes following the rules religiously can result in highly effective organizing tactics.
Alinsky was a community organizer around the same time period that some militant leftist groups were "applying the 2nd Amendment where it might do some good." One can point to limitations in Alinsky's approach, but I would suggest that all the militant lefty groups accomplished was to keep the FBI busy infiltrating them.
You are so right. I suspect the real reason is to invoke a crisis so the Fed creates another 9 trillion in bailout that essentially goes to the rich. No better gains have been made by the rich other than the various and recent crises.
Yes playing by the rules seems to be a real disadvantage. Which is why all this stuff needs to be reversed and rule breaker punished. But it isn’t easy within the rules. Kind of a catch 22
THEY DO NOT HAVE THE VOTES. Until you get willful ignoramuses to become more informed voters and not vote to screw themselves and the whole world, you're not going to get more than a knife as a weapon.
Gotta agree with Urb. Great that Cory Booker talked for 25 hours straight, etc.,etc., but the Trumpster just goes ahead and charges us for another golf trip, AND then goes to a million dollar a plate dinner with members of a PAC that supports everything he is doing. I was happy to be part of one the “Hands Off” rallies today, but … Meanwhile sh*t keeps moving forward. We need to more direct action. Sit-ins, real boycotts, general strike, shutting down the crap that is happening…in Congress, in the Courts, in whatever the Trumpsters and the Muskrats are doing.. We need our own chain saws. Non-violent resistance. What Dr. King and Ghandi taught us.
Throw some sand in the machine. I think Urb is correct when he says that the fact that our “leaders” aren’t leading us in this direction is why so many of us are p*ss-off. We seem to be waiting until it is too late. Like we waited to prosecute Trump for leading an insurrection. How did that work out? We need a John Lewis to lead us in some good trouble!
Totally agree, Urb. They need to do lots of Cory Booker stuff, do tons of amendments (no tax breaks on income over $10M gets voted down by Rs? Ok, increment that up by ONE million increments!). Use EVERY Mitch McConnell trick in the book to SLOW IT DOWN, and have video go instantly to Youtube and Tiktok, have every D Senator who can talk (Cory Booker, Chris Murphy, Raphael Warnock, John Ossoff) be on someone's podcast EVERY NIGHT.
I'm not sure what anyone could do in the short term to really stop these excesses. Someone is arrested, Trump pardons them even before the trial. Trump is doing everything he can to abuse the rules.
By documenting those supporting it, every step of the way, it means that in future elections, many supporting Trump will face defeat.
As well, there are the courts and other tactics to slow or maybe stop various abuse.
Yep! The trump/Musk sh*tshow moves at lightning speed doing horrible, illegal things. The resistance playing catchup moves at “court speed.” They are sooo different. Meanwhile, Trump/Musk do five more horrible/illegal things. The resistance “plays legal” which is how America should work. What we are seeing now is some new kinda ugly that is malevolent and terrifying.
Yes playing by the rules seems to be a real disadvantage. Which is why all this stuff needs to be reversed and rule breaker punished. But it isn’t easy within the rules. Kind of a catch 22
Amazed to see all the breathless praise for her here, after her faction turned Build Back Better and Chips into an unwieldy mess of boxes to check that pretty much stopped all that spending from actually doing any good. She and her proteges are responsible in large part for the failure of the Biden administration's domestic agenda.
I won’t claim to know all there is on Build Back Better and Chips, but I will say Elizabeth Warren was responsible for putting consumer protections in place. Undeniable and not breathless!
the CHIPS Act was a great success, responsible for nearly a trillion dollars of private investment by the end of 2024. And the encouragement for small businesses led to the creation of thousands of small businesses by then too.
So a lot of good was done. Mainstream media found it boring and Biden did not pound the table enough about it, alas.
Recall that they had a tiny majority through 2022 then no majority in the House - so their ability to legislate was precarious then non-existent for the last two years.
As a resident of Massachusetts I am very proud Elizabeth Warren is our senator. Republican's despise her because she is smart, articulate and has integrity. I thank my lucky stars I live in this great state.
I've always admired Elizabeth Warren but listening to her today just raised that admiration up several notches. She is so real, so honest, and has only the best interests of the country in her legislative efforts. If only there were many many more like her and they were split between all parties so they could work together.
Marlo, yes and tell him to allow votes to be confidential. Then we’ll see how Republicans vote when they no longer fear MAGA’s primary revenge and Musk’s money. Think he’d do it? No, neither do I because he fears Trump’s rage but if everyone writes to him, Johnson just might have the excuse to act.
THIS. Was waiting for Sen. Warren to discuss the reasons for and effects of the tariffs as Sen. Murphy sets forth in the clip above. The tariffs are much more serious than $2100 additional annual cost to consumers….they, with all the other attacks on the Constitution, congress, judiciary and our legal and educational institutions, could cost us our democracy.
Interesting discussion, but I think a lot of it missed the point. Let’s face it: the current administration is engaged in multiple „high crimes and misdemeanors “. It needs to be impeached and replaced with people who are willing to follow the law and are intelligent enough to put smart policies in place. Until we all reach this conclusion, we’re just wasting our breath.
true, but with a Republican majority in the House - that won't even object when Trump/Musk are shuttering programs and agencies created by Congress - what are the chances of impeachment? Zero. So there is no point waiting for the day it can come, or advocating it. Move on to something that can be done.
I’m not waiting for anything. I’m merely pointing out the obvious. We are only powerless if we think we are powerless. I’m trying to create momentum for the solution.
How politics have evolved: "Now, we couldn't change their votes, but what we could do is get them on the record, which is exactly what we did. We put it together in a little video and put it out. A million and a half people saw it, and put the pressure on the Republicans."
Hi Paul. Im a longtime fan from Ireland. I just wanted to talk about the way democratic politicians talk and communicate all my life. I could see you get irritated at times during the interview as the dems go into the '5th grade civics class' mode that you get from the likes of Obama, Pelosi and so on. I think theyve been coached to talk like that because they think average people over there are not exactly 'with it'.
But if theyre in a chat with 'middle americans' or activist groups or other officials/regulators etc, why do still need to talk like that? Its just weird and fake and puts people off the party making every speech a 5th grade civics lesson on how the system is supposed to work 300 years ago.
Trump talks like a guy in the bar and even former democratic voters love it.
Can you tell these politicians to stop talking like that. Those 'low information' voters never vote anyway. Why are you designign your whole communication style around it. Talk like a normal person. Her answer to your questions should have been 20 seconds long, not 3 minutes 40 seconds regugitating basic conceptual knowledge.
And i like Warren and Obama and so on. But basic social intelligence guys. Just please. They are at 26% approval rating because they talk like childrens tv hosts. I could see the irritation you had listening to it as well.
Unfortunately, the low information voters come out and vote every four years. They vote on "vibes". They vote on feelings, who they can imagine having a beer with or enjoy watching on tv. They confuse a reality celebrity for a real businessman.
The Republicans have made it a science and art form in how to manipulate those voters.
In the general election there was a clean sweep in the local election in favor of MAGAs. They are as greedy and incompetent as their national counterparts. A few weeks later there was a recall election. That MAGA commissioner lost by a large margin. The voters that time were the ones who read the local newspaper, which is excellent, balanced and unbiased.
Elizabeth Warren talks in a simple, repetitive way, which is what the uninformed can digest.
He's a psychopath with a little dementia maybe added in. Surrounded by otherwise unemployable yes men and fawning billionaires who care nothing about you and me.
From Wikipedia on Psychopath:
"- Arrogant and deceitful interpersonal style: impression management or superficial charm, inflated and grandiose sense of self-worth, pathological lying/deceit, and manipulation for personal gain.
-Deficient affective experience: lack of remorse or guilt, shallow affect (coldness and unemotionality), callousness and lack of empathy, and failure to accept responsibility for own actions.
- Impulsive and irresponsible lifestyle: impulsivity, sensation-seeking and risk-taking, irresponsible and unreliable behavior, financially parasitic lifestyle, and a lack of realistic, long-term goals."
Our guy will do absolutely anything for power, money and the appearance of success. We're in deep trouble because those around him, Vance and Musk, share many of the same characteristics and then there is Johnson, who get his inspiration from talking in tongues. In a nutshell that's America's leadership. Putin and Xi sort of like it.
Thank you Paul and especially Elizabeth. She enlightened me on many things I do not understand in finance and also vote-a-rama. My little brain did not explode so that was a positive side.I called my senators this morning to thank them for the vote-a-rama (both dems). When they do the right thing it is important to acknowlege it, as we do when they have made wrong decisions.
If you can grasp that space and time are mixed together and are flexible, and if you know the Pythagorean Theorem (a²+b²=c²) you can fully understand Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity, and can understand why E=mC².
What's the point? Even complex and confusing issues are comprehensible to anyone of average intelligence if you provide clear explanations of the few, simple basic principles.
That's exactly what Krugman and Warren did here.
And BTW, you know it's right when, after grasping the basics, a whole bunch of stuff makes sense and it all fits together.
Or as Einstein said "The principal task of science is to find the point of view where everything appears in its simplest aspect."
Everyone should read the essay. I'm sure many others won't agree with his solution, but in a single, simple sentence I think he explained why we've come to this pass,
"Production is carried on for profit, not for use."
I'd love for someone, anyone, to explain to me why he wasn't accurate in his assessment.
For those who do not want to take the time to read it, here is a Summary (written with the help of my AI-Assistant).
Einstein begins by asserting his right—as a non-economist—to speak out on social and eco-nomic questions because they concern ethical ends, not just technical knowledge. He argues that modern capitalism promotes economic anarchy, egotism, and a sense of isolation in individuals, weakening their social instincts and sense of community. Capitalism, he warns, leads to oligarchy, concentration of power and wealth, media manipulation, and systemic in-security for the working class.
He advocates for socialism as a necessary transformation—not just of economics, but of society’s values. A socialist economy, in his vision, would be planned and equitable, distrib-uting labor and resources according to human need rather than profit. But he warns: socialism must also avoid the trap of bureaucracy and authoritarianism, and it must preserve indi-vidual rights and democratic structures.
Key Points
1. Ethical Foundation Over Technical Expertise
• Social and economic systems are ethical issues, not just scientific ones.
• Ethical goals should be defined by people, not just by experts.
2. Man as Social and Solitary
• Humans are biologically driven both by self-interest and by a need to belong.
• Capitalism suppresses the social drive, leading to alienation.
3. The Crisis: Individual vs. Society
• Modern individuals feel threatened by their dependence on society.
• Social bonds have been weakened by capitalism’s emphasis on competition and profit.
4. Capitalism’s Core Problems
• Private ownership of production concentrates power.
• "Free labor contracts" are distorted by inequality and insecurity.
• Democracy is undermined by capitalist influence on media and politics.
• Unemployment and underproduction are systemic, not accidental.
5. His Socialist Vision
• Social ownership of production and planning based on human need.
• Equal access to meaningful work, education, and livelihood.
• Education should foster cooperation, not competition.
6. Cautions About Socialism
• Central planning can breed authoritarian bureaucracy.
• Need to balance collective ownership with individual rights and democracy.
Why This Is Still Relevant in 2025 — Especially in Trump’s America
1. Democracy Under Corporate Influence
Einstein’s critique of capitalist oligarchy resonates loudly in 2025. Under President Trump’s second term, critics point to increased influence of wealthy donors, deregulation favoring cor-porations, and media landscapes dominated by partisan or profit-driven narratives. Einstein foresaw the dangers of electorates being disconnected from legislatures—and that's exact-ly what’s playing out in voter disillusionment and low civic trust.
2. Erosion of Social Bonds
Social fragmentation, fueled by economic inequality, hyper-individualism, and divisive politics, mirrors the "crippling of social consciousness" Einstein warned about. The rise of culture wars and online tribalism are symptoms of a society where individuals no longer see them-selves as part of a cohesive whole.
3. Technological Change, but Old Insecurities
While AI and automation transform productivity, the worker still lives in fear of job loss—just as Einstein described in 1949. The promise of technology easing work has become the fear of obsolescence. His call for a planned economy that adapts production to real needs seems prescient in today’s conversations around Universal Basic Income, Green New Deals, and AI-driven inequality.
4. Profit Over People
The pandemic and climate crises exposed how profit still trumps social need in sectors like healthcare, energy, and housing. Einstein's insistence that production must be oriented to-ward use, not profit, hits home today as people question the logic of billionaires flying to space while cities face homelessness and crumbling infrastructure.
5. Authoritarian Drift
Einstein’s warning about socialism becoming authoritarian is just as urgent—though now flipped. In 2025, the threat is that capitalism cloaked in nationalism drifts toward authoritari-anism: silencing dissent, weakening democratic institutions, and targeting minorities. The challenge is to find a system that is both just and free, not just efficient or “great again.”
Final Thought from Einstein’s Legacy
“Man can find meaning in life…only through devoting himself to society.”
That line may be the most important in 2025. Einstein wasn’t advocating for Soviet-style so-cialism, but for ethical humanism—a society where our systems reflect our deepest values: justice, solidarity, and dignity.
His essay challenges us not to take capitalism or democracy as immutable, but to rethink how we live together, how we share power, and how we care for one another—especially in uncertain times.
Too many words are not a substitute for too little knowledge. Distilling meaning from words is a rare talent. The professors were a joy to hear. Can things move faster than light?
No material object can move faster than the speed of light. But what is not generally understood is that everything ALWAYS moves at the speed of light. You need to understand that things move, not through space, but through spacetime. If you are stationary, you move through time at lightspeed. As you begin to move through space time slows down
As you approach lightspeed in space time slows to near zero. You need to understand the spacetime 4-vector
Time doesn't stop. It rotates into the space-like part of the 4-vector. A photon emitted at the Big Bang, and still traveling has not experienced the passage of time.
As best we know, space and time were created at the moment of the Big Bang. Gravity, i.e., the curvature of spacetime, was a consequence of the presence of matter and energy.
Thanks for presenting this conversation. Elizabeth Warren is my Senator. I have always respected her knowledge and integrity. I just wish her public delivery did not come across like she was a pissed off college professor that knows so much more than everybody else - even though she does know so much more than others. She is a great public servant, and I wish more than half the American voters realized what they have in her instead of the know nothing dopes they keep electing.
Good discussion - but the whole thing revolves around our side playing by the rules, while they don’t. They grab people off the street and send them to foreign dungeons, institute illegal tariffs, fire people they have no right to fire, destroy agencies created by our elected representatives…. and our side does a “vote-a-rama” to give us some more talking points in next year’s election, if there is one. That’s why we’re mad, out here. Why are you playing by the rules, while the country blows up? I don’t think a single Congressman or Senator has even gotten arrested, much less knocked down the doors at a locked agency to prevent DOGE from stealing property, or applying the 2nd Amendment where it might do some good. Betsy has the policies right, but she’s bringing a knife to a nuclear fight. Still, after all this time.
What you're arguing here is an illustration of what Saul Alinsky called "low political literacy". There is NO way to defeat fascism in order to reinstall democracy in a way that is not itself democracy. Democracy is never an end goal, it IS the means with which we fight. The only alternative is violence.
What that means is that ELECTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES. So instead of being mad at those whose political power "we the people" just took away, it will be more helpful to finally inform yourself about how the democratic process works. Then you'll see how crucially important it is that Democrats do what Warren and so many others are doing (24/7).
In a democracy, there are no silver bullets. Everything takes time. But either you want fascism, OR you accept a slow and messy process. There is no other choice, as history has proven again and again.
I think it is time for a show of passive resistance. The protests must be peaceful. That means refraining from putting gum on a Swasticar.
As people get angrier, it will become more difficult. When the magas realize they've been had again, it will become very hard.
Peaceful, passive resistance is important.
Voters need to hound and chase down their representatives, shame them.
Musk tried to buy Wisconsin and failed.
Good advice.
I think the MAGA movement will evaporate at the same rate as everyone’s 401ks. People will awaken to the fact that Trump has been an unhinged clown this whole time. It’s already happening. My father, a lifelong Republican and Trump voter, said Trump is “fucking up.” He’ll be run out of office, and maybe even out of this country to Moscow, before he knows what hit him. Then fingers crossed we’ll be back to regular old free market, strong national security Republicans. Real Republicans.
Do I have permission to use this comment word for word the next time? I'm confronting someone who wants the Democrats to sink to the level of Republicans or that says that voting doesn't matter? Because this is a fabulous argument and puts it so concisely.
Yes absolutely. I didn't invent any of this, it's all out there already, so no "intellectual property" rights applicable! :-)
And then this IS the conversation that we urgently all need to have anyhow...
If we skirt the rules we're just as dirty as they are. I agree that they need to escalate the bluster and rattle the light saber. But the Republicans are feeding the greedy billionaires and the billionaires in turn, fund them. They are intrinsically linked as Paul and Elizabeth point out in their conversation. Democrats have average Americans as their base. We need to push for a wealth cap and redistribution plan. We have poverty because of the greedy ultra rich. It's that simple. People really need to examine the companies they use. Americans have made Bezos a greedy tax avoiding crook who has monopolized business and now is restructuring the Washington post at the outrage of its longtime staff. Everyday his companies products get cheaper and cheaper. Soon he will be the new dollar store at Saks 5th Avenue prices. And Zuckerberg who has removed guardrails of misinformation which allows clowns to confuse people and then there is Musk. We all know how egregious his character is. A guy who hates average and especially poor, brown and black people. A very unsavory Nazi saluting character sticking his nose in our US treasury's business and our personal data. A father who disowned his own trans daughter. A man who has said, "Empathy is what's wrong with western civilization". In truth, it's lack of empathy that is what's wrong with him. He has no business doing what Trump has allowed him to do. He needs to get in his clown car and go home. If he has one.
The "rules" have already been obliterated.
Following these rules has allowed the GOP to win a federal trifecta and distort SCOTUS beyond recognition.
Following these rules has allowed Trump to get EVERY nominee approved, as well as the CR.
Following these rules has allowed Trump to deliberately crater the stock market and give cover to Musk to destroy tens of thousands of jobs.
People aren't voting for the party that follows the rules, they're voting (excepting MAGA) for the party that helps their everyday lives.
So your idea is to throw away democracy, now that the GOP is throwing it away. In order to do what, more precisely? Reinstall democracy? How does that work, concretely?
Senate rules aren't democracy.
Even if Democrats were to exclusively rely on Senate rules, they've failed to use them to slow Trump's momentum.
Many Biden nominees languished for years, some just withdrew. Republicans used every trick to stop the Biden administration.
Trump has had zero speed bumps.
Nothing stops a Tammy Duckworth and House veterans from holding a press conference with vets from every state...forcing the media to cover the decimation of veterans benefits.
Ditto with seniors.
Ditto with pediatric families.
Ditto with teachers.
Etc, etc
Hiding behind Senate rules, appearing in scattershot fashion on very friendly podcasts, not holding town halls...
There won't be anything to save by 2026...it may be too late already.
I'm sorry, but if you disagree with Senate rules, you'll have to (1) convince a majority of the American people and then (2) convince them to vote, so that politicians can change them. THAT is how a democracy works.
And yes, blocking nominees is 100% democratic. Each time "we the people" reelect the GOP, we tell them that it's perfectly fine to do so.
Obviously, you and I do not agree. What does that mean, in a democracy? That you and I need to talk with Trump and GOP voters and convince them of why what the GOP does is a bad idea. That is how a government "by and for the people" works. If we skip the "by" part, we won't have the "pro" part.
Anyone who feels disappointed realizing this should ask himself: what do you actually want? A democracy? Or do you want the alternative, fascism? Any idea?
In the meantime: just listen to what Warren explains she's doing. THAT is the job of a minority party, in a democracy. It's where they have real power, and activating it to slow down the installation of fascism is absolutely VITAL (as the situation in Poland today shows).
Either you do that, or you constantly hold press conferences. You can't do both. Or rather, Democrats ARE holding press conferences each day, and appearing on TV and YouTube and each day. But that's not their main job.
It's OUR job to be well-informed about who's doing what in DC. And again, SO much more importantly is to finally ask ourselves what WE can do for our country, because that is how democracy is supposed to work. And it means the opposite of what you're saying: just waiting. It's NOW that we need to protest, make our voices heard, and most of all, talk with Democrats who became too cynical to vote and with GOP voters. There are no silver bullets. This is the only way. Time to wake up!
The majority of the American people know absolutely nothing about Senate rules and they don't care at all.
Lecturing me about "how a democracy works" is meaningless amidst rapidly rising fascism.
Whats "supposed to work" has utterly failed. The only guardrail is the courts, yet yesterday SCOTUS ripped into Congress' power of the purse.
Some rights will be upheld, even by this off-the-rails SCOTUS, but we won't be a democracy by any stretch of the imagination by 2028.
Just yesterday, the North Carolina Supreme Court disenfranchised tens of thousands of voters...likely handing a 2024 Democratic win to the GOP.
There's a reason the 2 leading US fascist scholars fled to Canada.
Playing by arbitrary rules (that do not exist in the Constitution) will land us a 3rd Trump term, or permanent GOP rule.
Well said. Short of a popular uprising, which would give the fuhrer the right to impose martial law, this is where we are. But there are ways of protesting peacefully, and WE, not the Democrats in Congress, need to use them every single day. If you have red representatives in Congress, call them every single day. Write them postcards (letters are held too long by the USPS for safety reasons. Be active on social media. Join HANDS OFF protests today and others every time there's one near you. Expecting the minority in Congress to bear the whole burden of saving us is not productive.
I like your ideas a lot, but I don't think we have to task our senators with that. WE can and should get moving on this. Not wait for a hero to rise so we can follow him or her. Do what we can in our communities, like Indivisible Action. When the Rs threatened to take away ACA/Obamacare everyone went to their representatives office and got media coverage of their protests. We can do some of these things on our own and get it to snowball through social media etc.
Each one of those topics can have their own plan of action attached. Seniors - soc. security medicaid, teachers/schools-vouchers, bookbans,libraries; family medicine - etc.
The American public doesn't have the funds, platform, staff, and megaphone of a US Senator.
We can protest, boycott, and strike…but our elected officials have a dwindling window to alert people that we’re at Defcon 1.
There simply isn't time to build an enduring grassroots movement. 2026 will be too late.
yes
The tRump Organization is nothing so much as a high-priced NY mob. And Donnie brought his mob boss tool kit to the Whitehouse. He also brought enough personality disorders for a whole mob... He believes rules and laws are for everyone but him.
Because real leadership doesn't get the other side to "play by the rules".....by breaking them. That just adds fuel to the fire and helps the corrupt argue that they haven't done anything wrong. We must win by educating and by peaceful yet strong resistance, a la Civil Rights Movement.
If Saul Alinsky were here I suspect that he would suggest that you don't necessarily need to break rules to have an impact. Instead, what you need to do is carefully assess where the leverage points are and be creative in putting pressure on them. Oftentimes following the rules religiously can result in highly effective organizing tactics.
Alinsky was a community organizer around the same time period that some militant leftist groups were "applying the 2nd Amendment where it might do some good." One can point to limitations in Alinsky's approach, but I would suggest that all the militant lefty groups accomplished was to keep the FBI busy infiltrating them.
You are so right. I suspect the real reason is to invoke a crisis so the Fed creates another 9 trillion in bailout that essentially goes to the rich. No better gains have been made by the rich other than the various and recent crises.
Yes playing by the rules seems to be a real disadvantage. Which is why all this stuff needs to be reversed and rule breaker punished. But it isn’t easy within the rules. Kind of a catch 22
THEY DO NOT HAVE THE VOTES. Until you get willful ignoramuses to become more informed voters and not vote to screw themselves and the whole world, you're not going to get more than a knife as a weapon.
Gotta agree with Urb. Great that Cory Booker talked for 25 hours straight, etc.,etc., but the Trumpster just goes ahead and charges us for another golf trip, AND then goes to a million dollar a plate dinner with members of a PAC that supports everything he is doing. I was happy to be part of one the “Hands Off” rallies today, but … Meanwhile sh*t keeps moving forward. We need to more direct action. Sit-ins, real boycotts, general strike, shutting down the crap that is happening…in Congress, in the Courts, in whatever the Trumpsters and the Muskrats are doing.. We need our own chain saws. Non-violent resistance. What Dr. King and Ghandi taught us.
Throw some sand in the machine. I think Urb is correct when he says that the fact that our “leaders” aren’t leading us in this direction is why so many of us are p*ss-off. We seem to be waiting until it is too late. Like we waited to prosecute Trump for leading an insurrection. How did that work out? We need a John Lewis to lead us in some good trouble!
Totally agree, Urb. They need to do lots of Cory Booker stuff, do tons of amendments (no tax breaks on income over $10M gets voted down by Rs? Ok, increment that up by ONE million increments!). Use EVERY Mitch McConnell trick in the book to SLOW IT DOWN, and have video go instantly to Youtube and Tiktok, have every D Senator who can talk (Cory Booker, Chris Murphy, Raphael Warnock, John Ossoff) be on someone's podcast EVERY NIGHT.
I'm not sure what anyone could do in the short term to really stop these excesses. Someone is arrested, Trump pardons them even before the trial. Trump is doing everything he can to abuse the rules.
By documenting those supporting it, every step of the way, it means that in future elections, many supporting Trump will face defeat.
As well, there are the courts and other tactics to slow or maybe stop various abuse.
Yep! The trump/Musk sh*tshow moves at lightning speed doing horrible, illegal things. The resistance playing catchup moves at “court speed.” They are sooo different. Meanwhile, Trump/Musk do five more horrible/illegal things. The resistance “plays legal” which is how America should work. What we are seeing now is some new kinda ugly that is malevolent and terrifying.
Long live Elizabeth Warren! Great conversation. Thanks 🙏
Yes playing by the rules seems to be a real disadvantage. Which is why all this stuff needs to be reversed and rule breaker punished. But it isn’t easy within the rules. Kind of a catch 22
Amazed to see all the breathless praise for her here, after her faction turned Build Back Better and Chips into an unwieldy mess of boxes to check that pretty much stopped all that spending from actually doing any good. She and her proteges are responsible in large part for the failure of the Biden administration's domestic agenda.
I won’t claim to know all there is on Build Back Better and Chips, but I will say Elizabeth Warren was responsible for putting consumer protections in place. Undeniable and not breathless!
the CHIPS Act was a great success, responsible for nearly a trillion dollars of private investment by the end of 2024. And the encouragement for small businesses led to the creation of thousands of small businesses by then too.
So a lot of good was done. Mainstream media found it boring and Biden did not pound the table enough about it, alas.
Recall that they had a tiny majority through 2022 then no majority in the House - so their ability to legislate was precarious then non-existent for the last two years.
https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/is-us-industrial-policy-learning
https://youtu.be/_cl1Rs1hqSs?si=mV3y5JUwBwH32pMR
Biden kept the tariffs and tax cuts from Trump’s first term.
Was he legally able to stop the tax cuts?
I’m not sure. But he could have done it with Congress.
❤️ EW
As a resident of Massachusetts I am very proud Elizabeth Warren is our senator. Republican's despise her because she is smart, articulate and has integrity. I thank my lucky stars I live in this great state.
I've always admired Elizabeth Warren but listening to her today just raised that admiration up several notches. She is so real, so honest, and has only the best interests of the country in her legislative efforts. If only there were many many more like her and they were split between all parties so they could work together.
CONTACT Mike Johnson and tell him to let the Republicans and Democrats VOTE on the tariffs. Let it come to the floor for a VOTE! 202-224-3121
This is STILL a democracy!
Marlo, yes and tell him to allow votes to be confidential. Then we’ll see how Republicans vote when they no longer fear MAGA’s primary revenge and Musk’s money. Think he’d do it? No, neither do I because he fears Trump’s rage but if everyone writes to him, Johnson just might have the excuse to act.
Good point about the vote being confidential!
Can one person remove Johnson like they did for Macarthy?
Thanks for the reminder.
Chris Murphy explains insidious motive for tariffs: https://substack.com/@letsgetintoit2025/note/c-105995270?r=1mil03&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action
THIS. Was waiting for Sen. Warren to discuss the reasons for and effects of the tariffs as Sen. Murphy sets forth in the clip above. The tariffs are much more serious than $2100 additional annual cost to consumers….they, with all the other attacks on the Constitution, congress, judiciary and our legal and educational institutions, could cost us our democracy.
Spot on!!!
Interesting discussion, but I think a lot of it missed the point. Let’s face it: the current administration is engaged in multiple „high crimes and misdemeanors “. It needs to be impeached and replaced with people who are willing to follow the law and are intelligent enough to put smart policies in place. Until we all reach this conclusion, we’re just wasting our breath.
true, but with a Republican majority in the House - that won't even object when Trump/Musk are shuttering programs and agencies created by Congress - what are the chances of impeachment? Zero. So there is no point waiting for the day it can come, or advocating it. Move on to something that can be done.
I’m not waiting for anything. I’m merely pointing out the obvious. We are only powerless if we think we are powerless. I’m trying to create momentum for the solution.
Two sane, rational people having a conversation about things that matter. God bless you both 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻❤️
The senator's view of crypto was especially gratifying.
How politics have evolved: "Now, we couldn't change their votes, but what we could do is get them on the record, which is exactly what we did. We put it together in a little video and put it out. A million and a half people saw it, and put the pressure on the Republicans."
Hi Paul. Im a longtime fan from Ireland. I just wanted to talk about the way democratic politicians talk and communicate all my life. I could see you get irritated at times during the interview as the dems go into the '5th grade civics class' mode that you get from the likes of Obama, Pelosi and so on. I think theyve been coached to talk like that because they think average people over there are not exactly 'with it'.
But if theyre in a chat with 'middle americans' or activist groups or other officials/regulators etc, why do still need to talk like that? Its just weird and fake and puts people off the party making every speech a 5th grade civics lesson on how the system is supposed to work 300 years ago.
Trump talks like a guy in the bar and even former democratic voters love it.
Can you tell these politicians to stop talking like that. Those 'low information' voters never vote anyway. Why are you designign your whole communication style around it. Talk like a normal person. Her answer to your questions should have been 20 seconds long, not 3 minutes 40 seconds regugitating basic conceptual knowledge.
And i like Warren and Obama and so on. But basic social intelligence guys. Just please. They are at 26% approval rating because they talk like childrens tv hosts. I could see the irritation you had listening to it as well.
Unfortunately, the low information voters come out and vote every four years. They vote on "vibes". They vote on feelings, who they can imagine having a beer with or enjoy watching on tv. They confuse a reality celebrity for a real businessman.
The Republicans have made it a science and art form in how to manipulate those voters.
In the general election there was a clean sweep in the local election in favor of MAGAs. They are as greedy and incompetent as their national counterparts. A few weeks later there was a recall election. That MAGA commissioner lost by a large margin. The voters that time were the ones who read the local newspaper, which is excellent, balanced and unbiased.
Elizabeth Warren talks in a simple, repetitive way, which is what the uninformed can digest.
I agree. I found her way of talking irritating and off the point. Politician gobbledey gook.
I am not US, looking in from the outside.
A long interview, good questions hardly any good answers. No wonder, i thought, T is getting away with such lawlessness.
And so many commenting here on how good she was. Another reason T gets away with it.
PK is a much better interviewer than most journalist in letting a pol like Warren sharing her views on matters that concern many.
He's a psychopath with a little dementia maybe added in. Surrounded by otherwise unemployable yes men and fawning billionaires who care nothing about you and me.
From Wikipedia on Psychopath:
"- Arrogant and deceitful interpersonal style: impression management or superficial charm, inflated and grandiose sense of self-worth, pathological lying/deceit, and manipulation for personal gain.
-Deficient affective experience: lack of remorse or guilt, shallow affect (coldness and unemotionality), callousness and lack of empathy, and failure to accept responsibility for own actions.
- Impulsive and irresponsible lifestyle: impulsivity, sensation-seeking and risk-taking, irresponsible and unreliable behavior, financially parasitic lifestyle, and a lack of realistic, long-term goals."
Our guy will do absolutely anything for power, money and the appearance of success. We're in deep trouble because those around him, Vance and Musk, share many of the same characteristics and then there is Johnson, who get his inspiration from talking in tongues. In a nutshell that's America's leadership. Putin and Xi sort of like it.
Thank you Paul and especially Elizabeth. She enlightened me on many things I do not understand in finance and also vote-a-rama. My little brain did not explode so that was a positive side.I called my senators this morning to thank them for the vote-a-rama (both dems). When they do the right thing it is important to acknowlege it, as we do when they have made wrong decisions.
Get out and protest today. Strength in numbers!
If you can grasp that space and time are mixed together and are flexible, and if you know the Pythagorean Theorem (a²+b²=c²) you can fully understand Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity, and can understand why E=mC².
What's the point? Even complex and confusing issues are comprehensible to anyone of average intelligence if you provide clear explanations of the few, simple basic principles.
That's exactly what Krugman and Warren did here.
And BTW, you know it's right when, after grasping the basics, a whole bunch of stuff makes sense and it all fits together.
Or as Einstein said "The principal task of science is to find the point of view where everything appears in its simplest aspect."
In a prescient 1949 essay Einstein warned us about what is happening right now:
https://monthlyreview.org/2009/05/01/why-socialism/
Everyone should read the essay. I'm sure many others won't agree with his solution, but in a single, simple sentence I think he explained why we've come to this pass,
"Production is carried on for profit, not for use."
I'd love for someone, anyone, to explain to me why he wasn't accurate in his assessment.
Thank you for sharing the link.
For those who do not want to take the time to read it, here is a Summary (written with the help of my AI-Assistant).
Einstein begins by asserting his right—as a non-economist—to speak out on social and eco-nomic questions because they concern ethical ends, not just technical knowledge. He argues that modern capitalism promotes economic anarchy, egotism, and a sense of isolation in individuals, weakening their social instincts and sense of community. Capitalism, he warns, leads to oligarchy, concentration of power and wealth, media manipulation, and systemic in-security for the working class.
He advocates for socialism as a necessary transformation—not just of economics, but of society’s values. A socialist economy, in his vision, would be planned and equitable, distrib-uting labor and resources according to human need rather than profit. But he warns: socialism must also avoid the trap of bureaucracy and authoritarianism, and it must preserve indi-vidual rights and democratic structures.
Key Points
1. Ethical Foundation Over Technical Expertise
• Social and economic systems are ethical issues, not just scientific ones.
• Ethical goals should be defined by people, not just by experts.
2. Man as Social and Solitary
• Humans are biologically driven both by self-interest and by a need to belong.
• Capitalism suppresses the social drive, leading to alienation.
3. The Crisis: Individual vs. Society
• Modern individuals feel threatened by their dependence on society.
• Social bonds have been weakened by capitalism’s emphasis on competition and profit.
4. Capitalism’s Core Problems
• Private ownership of production concentrates power.
• "Free labor contracts" are distorted by inequality and insecurity.
• Democracy is undermined by capitalist influence on media and politics.
• Unemployment and underproduction are systemic, not accidental.
5. His Socialist Vision
• Social ownership of production and planning based on human need.
• Equal access to meaningful work, education, and livelihood.
• Education should foster cooperation, not competition.
6. Cautions About Socialism
• Central planning can breed authoritarian bureaucracy.
• Need to balance collective ownership with individual rights and democracy.
Why This Is Still Relevant in 2025 — Especially in Trump’s America
1. Democracy Under Corporate Influence
Einstein’s critique of capitalist oligarchy resonates loudly in 2025. Under President Trump’s second term, critics point to increased influence of wealthy donors, deregulation favoring cor-porations, and media landscapes dominated by partisan or profit-driven narratives. Einstein foresaw the dangers of electorates being disconnected from legislatures—and that's exact-ly what’s playing out in voter disillusionment and low civic trust.
2. Erosion of Social Bonds
Social fragmentation, fueled by economic inequality, hyper-individualism, and divisive politics, mirrors the "crippling of social consciousness" Einstein warned about. The rise of culture wars and online tribalism are symptoms of a society where individuals no longer see them-selves as part of a cohesive whole.
3. Technological Change, but Old Insecurities
While AI and automation transform productivity, the worker still lives in fear of job loss—just as Einstein described in 1949. The promise of technology easing work has become the fear of obsolescence. His call for a planned economy that adapts production to real needs seems prescient in today’s conversations around Universal Basic Income, Green New Deals, and AI-driven inequality.
4. Profit Over People
The pandemic and climate crises exposed how profit still trumps social need in sectors like healthcare, energy, and housing. Einstein's insistence that production must be oriented to-ward use, not profit, hits home today as people question the logic of billionaires flying to space while cities face homelessness and crumbling infrastructure.
5. Authoritarian Drift
Einstein’s warning about socialism becoming authoritarian is just as urgent—though now flipped. In 2025, the threat is that capitalism cloaked in nationalism drifts toward authoritari-anism: silencing dissent, weakening democratic institutions, and targeting minorities. The challenge is to find a system that is both just and free, not just efficient or “great again.”
Final Thought from Einstein’s Legacy
“Man can find meaning in life…only through devoting himself to society.”
That line may be the most important in 2025. Einstein wasn’t advocating for Soviet-style so-cialism, but for ethical humanism—a society where our systems reflect our deepest values: justice, solidarity, and dignity.
His essay challenges us not to take capitalism or democracy as immutable, but to rethink how we live together, how we share power, and how we care for one another—especially in uncertain times.
Thank you for this excellent summary.
Especially relevant is the idea that oligarchy undermines both democracy and society.
A line I've been using a lot lately, "There has to be room for all of us in this world." I don't know if anyone is listening.
Too many words are not a substitute for too little knowledge. Distilling meaning from words is a rare talent. The professors were a joy to hear. Can things move faster than light?
No material object can move faster than the speed of light. But what is not generally understood is that everything ALWAYS moves at the speed of light. You need to understand that things move, not through space, but through spacetime. If you are stationary, you move through time at lightspeed. As you begin to move through space time slows down
As you approach lightspeed in space time slows to near zero. You need to understand the spacetime 4-vector
l =x+y+z-it.
Sure, they can when time stops.
Time doesn't stop. It rotates into the space-like part of the 4-vector. A photon emitted at the Big Bang, and still traveling has not experienced the passage of time.
So, time preceded gravity?
As best we know, space and time were created at the moment of the Big Bang. Gravity, i.e., the curvature of spacetime, was a consequence of the presence of matter and energy.
But all scientific findings are provisional.
Alfred E. Newman has his hands all over our economy.
Thanks for presenting this conversation. Elizabeth Warren is my Senator. I have always respected her knowledge and integrity. I just wish her public delivery did not come across like she was a pissed off college professor that knows so much more than everybody else - even though she does know so much more than others. She is a great public servant, and I wish more than half the American voters realized what they have in her instead of the know nothing dopes they keep electing.