Richard Eskow
Common Dreams
Washington, DC, United States
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Past articles by Richard:
The Apocalypse Must Be Near. I Agree With Henry Kissinger—About Cold War With China
The US is waging an economic, propaganda, and military cold war against China, heightening tensions and increasing the risk of future confrontations. And it's getting worse. → Read More
As People Keep Dying, Can the President—Can We—Really Say 'We Did Everything We Could'?
As a nation, as a society, we've settled instead for half measures. That leaves us with the moral stature of someone who could have saved a drowning person but didn't want to get their shoes wet. → Read More
Ma Bell with Mind Control: Liberalism, Radicalism, and the Evolving Face of Censorship
Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper recently lamented the rise of domestic extremism in the Washington Post. "We pride ourselves on the institutions that have evolved over hundreds of years," Clapper said, adding that "legal institutions, the rule of law, protection of citizens' liberty, privacy" were "under assault."Clapper's concerns would sound more → Read More
How a Rahm Emanuel Appointment Would Hurt Biden and the Democrats
An appointment for the notoriously abrasive former mayor of Chicago should be of even more concern to the new administration and the Democratic Party than it is to the left. → Read More
The Sunset Gun: One Nation, Under the Influence of Hate
I recently found myself re-reading Walker Percy’s 1970 novel, Love in the Ruins, a deeply problematic work by a writer with extraordinary gifts. Lately, I’ve found myself repeating these lines as I follow the news:"Either I am right and a catastrophe will occur, or it won’t and I’m crazy. In either case the outlook is not so good." | By Richard Eskow → Read More
David Graeber, 1961-2020: History is a Living Weapon
When I was a teenager, I overheard my bass teacher commiserating with some other jazz musicians over the premature death of a colleague. “Yeah,” one said, “he was a soulful cat.” Of all the memories that might have resurfaced all these decades later, that was the one that came to mind when I learned that David Graeber had died at the age of 59. | By Richard Eskow → Read More
A Message to the Left About Kamala Harris—And Us
Millions of people have worked for change in this country in recent years. An incomplete list includes the Occupy movement, Standing Rock, the Sunrise movement, the Bernie Sanders campaigns, Black Lives Matter, the Red State teachers' strikes, and the Women's Marches. For the activist left (I include myself in this group), here's a thought: It matters who Joe Biden chose for → Read More
Rehearsals for Apocalypse: From the A-Bomb to Covid-19
Who knew we'd be this bad at facing the end of the world?Most baby boomers remember the national emergency warning system known as Conelrad. The name stands for "Control of Electromagnetic Radiation"—an aspirational goal if there ever was one. Although it was used for other kinds of emergencies, Conelrad's purpose was unambiguous: to warn Americans of a nuclear attack."In the → Read More
John Bolton and Liberals’ Irrational Hatred of Trump
It’s irrational to invest someone like John Bolton with credibility, when Bolton lied and deceived us into war. .. In June 2019, two men sat in the Oval Office and talked of war. One was the bloated embodiment of American evil, a smug and fatuous egomaniac whose power and arrogance posed an existential threat to millions of the planet's inhabitants.The other was Donald Trump. → Read More
It's Not a "Chinese Virus." The Correct Name Is "The Capitalism Virus"
The novel coronavirus is new, but greed is an ancient disease... In the strange, time-bending world of the pandemic, it seems like ages since Donald Trump first referred to COVID-19 as "the Chinese virus." But it's only been about a month since that appellation left the president's lips, earning praise from conservatives like → Read More
Should Bernie Drop Out or Stay In? Wait, There’s Another Choice.
The most selfless thing Bernie can do now is not to leave the race, but stay in it... The question’s been raised, publicly and privately: Should Bernie Sanders quit the presidential race or keep going? It will almost certainly be asked again now that the Wisconsin primary—like so many others—has been postponed. → Read More
How Many Nedas? Iran Sanctions Are Biological Warfare Against Civilians
The world was rightfully shocked and outraged in 2005 by the death of Neda Agha-Soltan, the young Iranian woman shot during a protest. “She was a person full of joy,” said her music teacher, who was with her when she died. “She was a beam of light.”According to her teacher, Neda’s last words were, “I’m burning. I’m burning.” | By Richard Eskow → Read More
Of Course Bloomberg's an Oligarch—and He's Coming For Your Social Security
A recent exchange on MSNBC turned viral after Nina Turner, a national campaign co-chair for Bernie Sanders, described billionaire Michael Bloomberg as an “oligarch.” That drew a heated response from MSNBC contributor and political science professor Jason Johnson, who insisted that Turner’s word choice was unfair and inaccurate. | By Richard Eskow → Read More
Iowa Wasn't a Technology Failure. It Was a Failure of Democratic Values.
What we saw at the Democratic Party’s Iowa caucuses wasn’t a failure of technology. It was a failure of values.This failure casts a shadow on the party’s ability to carry out its basic responsibilities. Worse, it suggests that its leaders care more about helping their friends than serving the public interest. | By Richard Eskow → Read More
Gavin Bade: The Oil Industry vs. The Electric Car
We need to save this planet, and we know that electric cars have a roll to play in saving this planet. RJ Eskow is joined by Gavin Bade to discuss the oil industry’s efforts to block electric vehicles. → Read More
Two Months, Unpaid: A Resisting Miner's Report w/ Josh Holbrook
Some coal miners in Cumberland have been blocking a train carrying more than 1 million dollars worth of coal. It is being blocked to protest the fact that their former employer who declared bankruptcy owes them backpay. RJ Eskow is joined by Kentucky coal miner, Josh Holbrook, to explain more. → Read More
Prof. Richard Wolff: Air Rights And Economic Freedom
Richard Eskow is joined by Professor Richard Wolff to discuss more of the challenges we face as a nation when is comes to economic inequality and how out of control the wealthy and powerful have become. → Read More
Ryan Grim: The State Of Play
Richard Eskow is joined by Ryan Grim, the DC bureau chief at The Intercept, to talk about the latest Netroots Nation event and the build up to the 2020 election. → Read More
Jenn Budd: "Why I Left The Border Patrol"; & Humanizing Immigration
A lot of people have been watching with horror at what has been going on at the Southern border of the United States for sometime now, which has reached a new crescendo with images that have been surfacing. Former senior border patrol agent Jenn Budd joins Richard Eskow to tell her story. → Read More
Alex Lawson: We WILL Expand Social Security
Is expanding Social Security a fringe idea of the radical left, or is it the new normal in American politics? Alex Lawson joins RJ Eskow to discuss. → Read More