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28 Dec, 4 tweets, 1 min read
If you are in my social circle, this is the truth I live every day. An unending litany of complainants about the state of society from the people who have benefitted the very most from its structure.
And not an iota of recognition that the main beneficiaries of the structure of the system may be in some way responsible for the pathologies and problems that system creates.
And not a smidgen of willingness to make any material trade offs in behavior, lifestyle or politics to make the systemic changes necessary to reduce the social, political and economic problems that now surround them.
Just endless, relentless blaming- of elected local politicians, of the poor, of the weak, of the lazy good for nothings that didn’t grow up in affluent, white homes, go to Ivy League schools and get jobs at Goldman Sachs. In my peer group, every problem is someone else’s fault.

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More from @NickHanauer

Nick Hanauer Profile picture
18 Oct
If you were wondering why it is so important for Democrats to shed Neoliberals from their leadership, @CassSunstein is exhibit A. In this nutty editorial, he actively argues that raising wages kills jobs- the core claim of trickle down economics and Neoliberalism.
In the absence of any empirical evidence, and in the direct service of economic elites and their enablers everywhere, he repeats the tropes of trickle-down, all in the tone of "seriousness" than always accompanies such nonsense.
The people at the Chamber of Commerce and the Heritage foundation must be wetting themselves over this. Nothing is as useful to the disinformation campaign against working people and a thriving and inclusive economy than emboldening a trickle-downer that wears a Democratic hat.
Read 8 tweets
Nick Hanauer Profile picture
13 Mar
As many of you know, I think a lot about Neoliberalism, and the degree to which it has harmed our country. In the midst of this crisis, the anti-collective action, anti-government, libertarian nonsense this ideology represents becomes more vivd- and deadly.
It will cost my state, Washington, many billions of dollars to pay for the health care and broader economic damage this virus does to us. We need immediate action to build the capacity to do this, as does the nation overall. This will be very expensive.
What makes it most expensive though, is the fact that we have purposely built an incredibly fragile society over the last 40 years. By suppressing the wages of workers, lowering taxes on the rich, and eviscerating our governments capacity to respond to crisis-
Read 8 tweets
Nick Hanauer Profile picture
19 Oct 19
1) Some people think that Trump awarding the G7 contract to himself isn't a big deal. If that is you, you are a fucking idiot. Because if Trump can direct government contracts to his own hotels..
2) then why can't an army procurement officer award a billion dollar contract to a company he or she owns, or, alternatively, set up a company to deliver on upcoming contracts???
3) Or what stops a governor from directing contracts to businesses that he or she owns? Or for that matter, what stops a school superintendent from "supplying" a school district with paper and books from a company that they own?
Read 5 tweets
Nick Hanauer Profile picture
19 Jul 19
I’ll elaborate more on why ‘moderation” in the Democratic Party is such nonsense. The central political fact of our time is that over the last 30 years, the top 1% have gotten $21 trillion richer, while the bottom 50% have gotten $900 billion poorer.
Please explain to me how “moderate” that transfer of wealth was. And please suggest some “moderate” policies that can fix that problem. Middle class wages have been stagnant for 40 years. A ‘moderate’ increase in the minimum wage isn’t going to get families back on track.
The trouble with “moderation” is it always seeks to split the difference, no matter how dire the situation. As in, “well, I know you folks would be earning twice as much if we hadn’t screwed you for the last 40 years, but how does a 2% salary bump sound and we call it good”??
Read 4 tweets
Nick Hanauer Profile picture
30 Jan 19
Another thread on Howard Schultz’s presidential aspirations, this time focused on his policies. What Howard calls “centrism” is just trickle-down economics—tax cuts for the rich, de-regulation for the powerful, and wage suppression for everyone else—but without the overt racism.
He’s clothing it in the bogus Neoliberal “responsibility” frame by stoking fears about the deficit and arguing, as trickle-downers always do, that anytime we tax the rich or big Corp's, it will kill jobs, kill growth and, you know, harm the very people we intend to help.
Howard argues that the only honest, reasonable path is to balance the budget by cutting the programs that sustain the middle class, cutting taxes for the rich to increase growth, and keeping wages low (no $15) to “help business.” All of this is an empirically demonstrable lie.
Read 11 tweets
Nick Hanauer Profile picture
28 Jan 19
I wanted to riff on why business people like Howard Shultz usually make terrible political leaders. Put aside Howard's policy positions on economics which are straight up trickle down economics.
I have spent my entire life both building businesses AND doing policy and politics. Today, I run a team entirely devoted to policy and politics. What I can tell you is that the tow domains are completely different, and require profoundly different skills.
The biggest difference is that in business, everyone who surrounds you WORKS FOR YOU. You can fire them, at any time. As a business leader, you define the goals, the culture, the terms of service, everything. If people do not comply, you fire them or they leave.
Read 8 tweets

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