Friends, Welcome back to our Saturday coffee klatch with Heather Lofthouse. Today we examine: — The Republicans are playing into Putin’s plan to take over Ukraine. Whatever happened to the GOP that was hawkish on Russia? — Israel shifts to bombing southern Gaza. More children have been killed in Gaza since October 7 than all the children killed in every world conflict in 2022. Why isn’t Biden doing more to restrain Netanyahu? — Biden’s confusion about the upcoming election, saying on Tuesday tha...
Dec 09, 2023•17 min
Friends, Welcome back to our Saturday coffee klatch with Heather Lofthouse. Today we examine: — George Santos’s demise. What is there about sociopathic liars and the Republican Party? Why were most House Republicans unwilling to oust him? — Henry Kissinger and Sandra Day O’Connor. Was Kissinger a war criminal? Was O’Connor the most powerful woman in America? — Gavin Newsom and Ron DeSantis. Was their debate on Fox News a preview of what we’ll see in 2028? Whatever happened to reasonable, decent,...
Dec 03, 2023•23 min
Friends, Welcome back to our Saturday coffee klatch with Heather Lofthouse. Today we examine: — The temporary ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. What does it really mean? — Black Friday holiday sales. My personal relationship to the day. Consumer spending is up, so why are so many people down on the Biden economy? — Bob’s new Substack series on the reality of American capitalism and whether American capitalism is compatible with the common good. Is it? — The mess at OpenAI and what it means. Ha...
Nov 26, 2023•23 min
Friends, Welcome back to our Saturday coffee klatch with Heather Lofthouse. Today we examine: — House Republicans will not kick out George Santos despite his fake resume and mounting evidence of illegal activity. Will the GOP and Santos be held accountable? — Incidents of violence and potential violence in the House and Senate, among lawmakers. Why is this happening? — Trump’s full-throated fascism — describing his opponents as vermin, planning to round up undocumented immigrants and place them ...
Nov 18, 2023•20 min
Friends, Welcome back to our Saturday coffee klatch with Heather Lofthouse. Today we examine: — The results of races in Ohio, Kentucky, and elsewhere in “red America” are showing how out of step the GOP’s white Christian nationalism is with the majority of Americans. How much encouragement should Democrats take from this? — Mike Johnson’s utter inability to get anything done , including a continuing resolution to keep the government open after Friday, and aid to Israel and aid to Ukraine. How la...
Nov 12, 2023•22 min
Friends, Good morning, and welcome back to my Saturday coffee klatch with Heather Lofthouse (executive director of Inequality Media Civic Action), where we examine the highs, lows, and even lower points of the previous week. Please pull up a chair, grab a cup, and join us. This week, Heather and I zoom in on: — The war in Gaza. Why not a humanitarian pause? Why is Mike Johnson, the new speaker of the House, conditioning aid to Israel on cutting IRS funding? And why is he not moving forward with ...
Nov 04, 2023•22 min
Friends, Good morning, and welcome back to my Saturday coffee klatch with Heather Lofthouse (executive director of Inequality Media Civic Action), where we examine the highs, lows, and even lower points of the previous week. Please pull up a chair, grab a cup, and join us. Today we examine: — The new speaker of the House, Mike Johnson. Who is he? What does his speakership mean? What does it bode for the future? — The tragedy of Lewiston, Maine. If this can happen in a small Maine city, are any o...
Oct 28, 2023•22 min
Friends, Good morning, and welcome back to my Saturday coffee klatch with Heather Lofthouse (executive director of Inequality Media Civic Action), where we examine the highs, lows, and even lower points of the previous week. Please pull up a chair, grab a cup, and join us. Today we’re adding a new feature so you can watch as well as hear us (should you wish). And we apologize for the technical difficulties this week. Please let us know in the comments if you’d like us to continue this feature (a...
Oct 21, 2023•17 min
Friends, Good morning, and welcome back to my Saturday coffee klatch with Heather Lofthouse (executive director of Inequality Media Civic Action), where we examine the highs, lows, and even lower points of the previous week. Please pull up a chair, grab a cup, and join us. Today, we look at: — The tragedy in Israel and Gaza. Who and what are responsible? Is Israel solving anything by bombing and mounting a ground invasion of Gaza? What’s the likely endgame here? — The dysfunction of House Republ...
Oct 14, 2023•23 min
Friends, Good morning, and welcome back to my Saturday coffee klatch with Heather Lofthouse (executive director of Inequality Media Civic Action), where we examine the highs, lows, and even lower points of the previous week. Please pull up a chair, grab a cup, and join us. This morning we look at: — The life and death of Senator Dianne Feinstein (who was a friend to both of us). What’s her legacy likely to be? — The pending shutdown . Is Kevin McCarthy toast? — This week’s Republican debate . Do...
Sep 30, 2023•24 min
Friends, Good morning, and welcome back to my Saturday coffee klatch with Heather Lofthouse (executive director of Inequality Media Civic Action), where we examine the highs, lows, and even lower points of the previous week. This morning we examine: — Kevin McCarthy’s Republican House mess. Will there be a shutdown? Almost certainly. Who’ll be blamed? Why is Trump pushing for this? — The UAW strike. When will it be resolved? Who’ll be blamed? Why is Trump hoping for a long strike? — Bonus questi...
Sep 23, 2023•21 min
Friends, Good morning, and welcome back to my Saturday coffee klatch with Heather Lofthouse (executive director of Inequality Media Civic Action), where we examine the highs, lows, and even lower points of the previous week. This morning we examine: — The awful polls showing Donald Trump running neck-and-neck with Joe Biden. How is that possible? Should we be concerned? — Biden as much more progressive than Bill Clinton or Barack Obama. Why don’t people see this? Why do young people think Biden ...
Sep 10, 2023•20 min
Friends, Good morning, and welcome back to my Saturday coffee klatch with Heather Lofthouse (executive director of Inequality Media Civic Action), where we examine the highs, lows, and even lower points of the previous week. Today we look at: — The “Goldilocks” economy — inflation is coming down, but we’re not heading into a recession. Yesterday’s jobs report showed continuous buoyant growth of jobs. Why? — The Labor Department’s new overtime rule will help millions of workers. (Why Bob wants to...
Sep 03, 2023•19 min
Friends, Good morning, and welcome back to my Saturday coffee klatch with Heather Lofthouse (executive director of Inequality Media Civic Action), where we examine the highs, lows, and even lower points of the previous week. Pull up a chair and grab a mug shot. This morning we’re looking at: — Trump’s arraignment in Georgia on Thursday, and his brazen use of imagery and marketing to circumvent rational thought. Is this the tactic of a fascist? — The Republican primary debate Wednesday evening, w...
Aug 27, 2023•20 min
Friends, Good morning, and welcome back to my Saturday coffee klatch with Heather Lofthouse (executive director of Inequality Media Civic Action), where we examine the highs, lows, and even lower points of the previous week. This morning we’re looking at: — Trump’s FOURTH indictment, this one in Georgia, and why it could be the one that sends him to jail. — The upcoming Republican primary debate, and why Trump’s simultaneous “counter-programming” with Tucker Carlson on Elon Musk’s Twitter/X may ...
Aug 20, 2023•19 min
Friends, Good morning, and welcome back to my Saturday coffee klatch with Heather Lofthouse (executive director of Inequality Media Civic Action), where we examine the highs, lows, and even lower points of the previous week. This morning we’re looking at: — Merrick Garland’s appointment of a special counsel to investigate Hunter Biden. Will this hurt or help Joe Biden? — Judge Tanya Chutkan’s threat to take “whatever measures are necessary” to stop Trump from intimidating potential witnesses in ...
Aug 13, 2023•26 min
Friends, Good morning and welcome back to my Saturday coffee klatch with Heather Lofthouse (executive director of Inequality Media Civic Action), where we examine the highs, lows, and even lower points of the previous week. This morning we’re looking at: — The Trump arraignment in Washington on Thursday. What was notable? What does it suggest about Trump’s future? — Friday’s jobs report. Are we about to have a “soft landing” — getting inflation down to 2 percent while avoiding a recession? And i...
Aug 06, 2023•24 min
Friends, Welcome back to our Saturday coffee klatch, where Heather Lofthouse (executive director of Inequality Media Civic Action, and my former student) and I discuss the highlights and lowlights of the week. Today we share with you our discussion before a live audience at the San Francisco Arts and Lectures series. We focus on: — Parallels between what occurred in the midterm elections of 2022 and the midterms of 1954 (the first election I focused on, when I was eight years old). — How politic...
Jul 30, 2023•1 hr 11 min
Friends, Welcome back to our Saturday coffee klatch, where Heather Lofthouse (executive director of Inequality Media Civic Action, and my former student) and I discuss the highlights and lowlights of the week. Today, on our roster: — The pending Trump indictment for his attempted coup. When will it drop? What does it mean? Will it strengthen democracy or drive us farther apart? Where will this end? — The “unitary executive” theory that Trump will likely utilize should he be reelected, along with...
Jul 23, 2023•22 min
Welcome back to another Saturday coffee klatch with Heather Lofthouse, where we examine the lows and even lowers of the previous week. Today on our roster: — The Hollywood strike, and what it really means for the new economy. — The FTC’s setback on its attempt to stop Microsoft from acquiring Activision, and what it means for the new economy. — The good news on inflation, and what it means for Biden (and why the Fed should relax now and stop raising interest rates). — Special Counsel Jack Smith ...
Jul 16, 2023•20 min
Welcome back to another Saturday coffee klatch with Heather Lofthouse, where we examine the lows and lowers of the previous week. Today on our roster: — Jobs, the economy, and Bidenomics. With everything going well, why are Americans so unhappy? — The presidential sweepstakes. Should we worry that Trump is even more outrageous but seemingly physically strong, while Biden is competent but seemingly frail? — The Supreme Court’s continued rightward drift. If it continues to move in a direction coun...
Jul 09, 2023•22 min
Welcome back to our coffee klatch, where Heather and I discuss the lows and lowers of the previous week. Today we examine: — Inequality on the high seas. Billionaires’ yachts, unsafe submersibles, and dangerous crossings for migrants. Where will this end? — Inequality on the high court. Billionaires and the justices. Where will this end? — Inequality in Big Tech. Google, Facebook, and Twitter open for demagogues again. Where will this end? — How Republicans are undermining public trust in the Ju...
Jun 25, 2023•21 min
Friends, Welcome back to another Saturday coffee klatch, where Heather and I review the highs and lows (and even lowers) of the week. Today we focus on: — Trump’s arrest. Why was there no violence, as many had feared? Can we possibly elect a president who’s in prison? — Trump’s promise to appoint a special prosecutor to “go after Biden and the entire Biden crime family” if Trump is reelected president. Do we need to take Sam Ervin’s advice after Watergate? — The GOP House loonies. Is Kevin McCar...
Jun 17, 2023•20 min
Friends, Welcome back to my Saturday coffee klatch with Heather Lofthouse (executive director of Inequality Media Civic Action, and my former student) where we discuss the highs and lows (and often, these days, even lowers) of the week. On tap for today: — The Justice Department’s momentous decision to indict Trump. What’s the likely political and legal fallout? — The Supreme Court’s decision to save Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Why did the court suddenly change direction? — CNN’s decisio...
Jun 10, 2023•22 min
Lots of news this week, but we thought it a good time to push the pause button for a moment. We get so much mail from so many of you who are curious about, well, us — especially how we got to political views and values we have, and how our stories compare to yours. So we thought we’d spend today’s klatch on the personal and political. Among the issues we talk about are: — Our political “awakenings.” What were the triggers and circumstances? — How our political views have evolved. — How and why w...
Jun 04, 2023•22 min
Friends, Welcome back to my Saturday coffee klatch with Heather Lofthouse (executive director of Inequality Media Civic Action, and my former student), when we review the highs and lows (and sometimes very lows) of the week. Today we focus on: — Ron DeSantis will be announcing his run for the Republican nomination next week. Does he have a prayer? — Trump’s Georgia indictment will likely be announced in August. Will it make any difference? — Joe Manchin is causing trouble again. Will he make a t...
May 21, 2023•17 min
Friends, While MAGA Republicans in the House attack and investigate what they dub Biden’s “weaponized” federal government and blast Democratic mayors for being “soft on crime,” they are blatantly ignoring the crimes of their allies in plain sight. After Rep. George Santos was arrested and charged with 13 federal crimes — seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making false statements to Congress — what did Speaker Kevin ...
May 18, 2023•4 min
Friends, On Sunday I experienced the perfect antidote to the resurgent Trump and Trumpism. I met with Tennessee Representative Justin Jones right after he gave an inspiring talk to our graduating UC Berkeley public policy students. As you may recall, Jones and another young Black Tennessee legislator, Justin Pearson, were expelled last month from the state’s General Assembly for protesting Tennessee’s failure to enact stronger gun controls after a shooting at a Christian school in Nashville took...
May 16, 2023•4 min
Friends, Welcome back to my Saturday coffee klatch with Heather Lofthouse (executive director of Inequality Media Civic Action, and my former student), when we review the highs and lows (and sometimes very lows) of the week. This week we focus on: — Donald Trump’s horrible lie-fest on CNN. Why did CNN give him a full hour in front of a fawning audience of Trump fans? — E. Jean Carroll’s courtroom victory over Trump, as a Manhattan jury awards her $5 million in damages and finds him liable for se...
May 14, 2023•17 min
Friends, Retiring from the university means I have to vacate my office. The university has already scheduled a cleaning and new paint job (as if my years of habitation have somehow infested it). What to do with my books? I’ve accumulated several hundred over the years, now scrunched together on shelves running floor to ceiling. I’ve considered carting them to the student common room with a sign reading “free books” but can’t yet bring myself to part with them. Many are like old friends. They’re ...
May 04, 2023•3 min
