31 Trump lies in the last week

The New York Times counted 31 lies by Donald Trump in only the last week: A Week of Whoppers From Donald Trump.

Thanks to Kevin Drum at Mother Jones.

Robert Reich: Conservative when he's home

Robert Reich

From The Berkeley Daily Planet:

Why has Robert Reich endorsed a conservative for Mayor of Berkeley?

Harry Brill

September 23, 2016

In Berkeley nine candidates are running for mayor to replace Tom Bates, who is retiring. The two top contenders, who are on the Berkeley City Council, are politically worlds apart. 

Laurie Capitelli tilts in a conservative direction, and Jesse Arreguin is among the most progressive council members. Because Capitelli is an ardent supporter of development projects, he receives substantial contributions from real estate interests. In fact, his habit of favoring developers and landlords as well explains why he raises more money than any other member of the Council. Also, despite Capitelli's recent support for a minimum wage law---elections are around the corner---he has for a long while obstructed efforts to increase the minimum wage.

Although Jesse Arreguin is not opposed to development, he is infinitely more sensitive to the impact of development on small business and residents. Particularly important, Arreguin strongly supports labor legislation that benefits working people. Unlike Capitelli, he has never wavered on minimum wage and any other labor issues. It is no surprise, then, that among his significant endorsers are Bernie Sanders and the Alameda Labor Council, AFL-CIO.

Very surprising to progressive activists, however, is that among Capitelli's endorsers is Robert Reich. Reich is among the nation's most progressive intellectuals. He has no problem criticizing big business, and exposing how they have stacked the deck. Clearly, Reich is many light years away from the politics of Capitelli and also from his close ally, Tom Bates, who Reich had said is "the best mayor in the country".

Just as startling is Reich's comment about Capitelli: "Laurie is a serious progressive, one that doesn't just talk about progressive values but who demonstrates them." The Progressive Student Association, which is based on the UC Berkeley campus, disagrees with Reich's endorsement, because Capitelli has "repeatedly voted to reduce funding for affordable housing and has opposed campaign finance reform."

Although Reich's endorsement of Capitelli is disappointing, it is really, if we think about it, not surprising. Reich pays little attention, as he admits, to local politics...

The truth about the Clinton Global Initiative

From Wired (Unlike Trump Foundation, Clinton Global Initiative Has Data to Prove Its Worth):

...As the Clintons move to disentangle themselves from their philanthropic group ahead of Hillary Clinton potentially clinching the presidency, the Clinton Foundation is winding down the event that has served as a victory lap for global do-gooders. This week’s meeting is the Clintons’ last chance to prove the Initiative’s worth to the world—and to undecided voters, too.

Donald Trump has been telling the American public a different story, repeating on the campaign trail that the Clinton Foundation is “the most corrupt enterprise in political history,” one that exists only to line the pockets of the Clinton family. But now, as questions swirl about Trump’s own Foundation, thanks to a series of investigative articles in The Washington Post that reveal Trump uses almost none of his own money to make donations, the Initiative’s annual meeting is an apt time for the Clintons to show off just how much good their Foundation has actually done.

And boy, did Bill bring the receipts.

Though the former president (and potential future First Husband) didn’t mention the election or Trump’s criticisms of the Foundation, he did spend the first first few minutes of his opening address at the Initiative, rattling off a stunning list of statistics about the Clinton Global Initiative’s impact. 3,600: That’s how many public commitments the Initiative’s attendees have made on stage over the last 12 years. 435 million: That’s how many people those commitments have helped. 52 million: That’s how many children have received access to education as a result of those commitments. 114 million: That’s how many people can drink clean water because of the Initiative. The list goes on.

One of the Foundation’s signature accomplishments, the Clinton Health Access Initiative, has provided low-cost AIDS medication to 11.5 million people since it launched in 2002...

See also Goodbye, CGI: A Moral Victory For Bill Clinton — And Many Others.