Found here. Reproduced here for fair use and discussion purposes. My comments in bold.
It's interesting that the Left views the holiday season as a time for advancing their political talking points, and doing it by shutting down opposition. Leftist websites are replete with scripted talking points designed to end the conversation.
This video is one of those efforts. I suppose that Dr. Reich thinks his arguments are devastating to the hapless uncle Bob. However, you'll discover that they're glib and inane.
Notice that uncle Bob is portrayed as a sour, unpleasant killjoy, while Dr. Reich is the purveyor of fact and reason. Uncle Bob never actually gets to advance an argument, and never gets to offer a rejoinder himself. That makes uncle Bob a caricature feeding catch phrases for Dr. Reich to swat down.
If only Dr. Reich had actually sat down with a real adversary and have a discussion. That might be worth watching.
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Transcript:
Smug, condescending narrator, Dr. Reich: Holidays with the family can be great, but sometimes they can be complicated.
Irritating dinner guest, Robert Reich: Happy holidays uncle Bob.
Uncle Bob: What’s good about it. I’m paying too much in taxes to support poor people who are sitting on their duff. (Ahh, yes. It's important for Dr. Reich to establish the off-putting nature of uncle Bob, which Poisons the Well against him.)
Smug, condescending narrator, Dr. Reich: Good old uncle Bob, Sweet man. Wrong... Here’s some suggestions to help answer the favorite arguments of the uncle Bob in your holiday gathering:
Irritating dinner guest, Robert Reich: Actually uncle Bob, the top tax rate, which I assume you’re paying, is just a little more than half what it was for four decades before 1981. (Dr. Reich dishonestly substituted marginal tax rates for actual taxes paid. While tax rates have indeed decreased, those in the higher tax brackets are actually paying more tax:
And only a tiny percent of your taxes go to the poor. (Remember uncle Bob's complaint? He didn't like supporting people who should be working. Notice that Dr. Reich never answers the charge. Rather, he tells us that it's "only a tiny percent." Let's look at the numbers:
$949 billion in 2013, while total spending was $3.5 trillion, so that "tiny percent" is 27%!)
By the way, the poor are working harder than ever, often 60 or 70 hours a week at more than one job. (Uncle Bob wasn't complaining about the working poor, he was complaining about the poor who should be working but aren't. However, Dr. Reich counters by making a sweeping generalization, and a false one at that.
We know that the poor are not 100% employed, so at least some of them are not working any hours, let alone 60-70 hours. And we also know that being on public assistance means you aren't working. So Dr. Reich answers a point not raised.)
We know that the poor are not 100% employed, so at least some of them are not working any hours, let alone 60-70 hours. And we also know that being on public assistance means you aren't working. So Dr. Reich answers a point not raised.)
Uncle Bob: But they aren’t paying any income taxes.
Smug, condescending narrator, Dr. Reich: You see, he just wants to talk about income taxes. That’s a trick. (Actually, the trick is to do what Dr. Reich does: Divert the conversation. Uncle Bob's point is indisputable, so Dr. Reich himself employs a trick by talking about something else entirely.)
What you need to do is talk about the total tax burden.
Irritating dinner guest, Robert Reich: Actually uncle Bob, they’re paying a higher share of their incomes than you are for SS, state sales taxes, property taxes, user fees, and tolls. Add all these up, and the entire bottom half of Americans are probably paying a higher tax rate than you pay. (Apparently it has never dawned on Dr. Reich that it is the government that sets all this up, the government Dr. Reich so loves. So in an attempt to refute uncle Bob, Dr. Reich accidently acknowledges the heavy burden of government.)
Uncle Bob: But if the government taxes people like me, the economy suffers because we’re the job creators.
Smug, condescending narrator, Dr. Reich: Every holiday I hear about this job creator stuff. (What kind of holidays does Dr. Reich go to? "Every year?" Really?)
Even uncle Bob. If he thinks about it, brilliant businessman I’m sure he is, knows that he only hires people when he has customers. (False. Businesses routinely gear up with supplies, equipment, and workers to make a product that no one has purchased yet.)
Irritating dinner guest, Robert Reich: Actually uncle Bob, the real job creators, the vast middle class and poor, whose spending motivates companies to add jobs. (A chicken before the egg argument. Dr. Reich claims that spending drives employment, but this is not true. there has to be both supply and demand in order for the economy to function. Companies identify and produce a product they hope people will buy. People will not buy if they don't have the money. The two work in concert.)
Without customers there would be no jobs. (Without jobs there would be no customers.)
That’s the real economic problem. The wages of most people haven’t gone anywhere for 35 years, if you adjust for inflation. Most of the economy’s gains have gone to the top 1%. (Thanks to big government, its oppressive taxation and regulation, and profligate spending. Couple that with its insinuation into the economy in an attempt to steer outcomes, and crony capitalism which funnels money to pay off donors and corporate fatcats. Thank you, big government.)
Uncle Bob: Aghhh, the problem is labor unions.
Smug, condescending narrator, Dr. Reich: If they criticize unions, tie the decline of unions to what’s happened to middle class incomes. (Correlation is not causation.)
Irritating dinner guest, Robert Reich: Actually, uncle Bob, unions built the great middle class of the 1950s and 60s, giving workers bargaining power to get a fair share of the economy’s gains. But because union membership has plummeted, from a third of all private sector workers then, to fewer than seven percent now. The median wage has been stagnant, and the middle class has been shrinking. (Dr. Reich seems incurious as to WHY unions have shrunk. Could it be that corruption, strong arm tactics, or overly generous employment contracts with employers had a negative impact on unions? Or maybe because expensive unions have driven many companies to outsource their products and labor? Or how about forced membership in unions drove workers to non-union shops?)
Uncle Bob: So, I suppose you want to raise the minimum wage, too.
Smug, condescending narrator, Dr. Reich: Be ready for this one.
Uncle Bob: That’ll mean fewer jobs, because with a higher minimum wage employers will substitute machines or send the jobs abroad, rather than pay people more.
Irritating dinner guest, Robert Reich: Actually, uncle Bob, research shows (Actually, this "research" comes from a leftist thinktank.)
a higher minimum wage creates more jobs because people spend most of their paychecks in the local economy, thereby fueling job growth. (Which is nonsense from beginning to end. Notice the train of thought that is becoming evident. Employers don't create jobs. It's workers who create jobs by spending money. And they spend more money because of the minimum wage. that creates more jobs.
This means that government action is necessary to move the economy forward. That's why the stimuli. That's the reason for subsidies and bailouts. Government intervention in the economy is always good and always yields good results. In fact, government intervention is NECESSARY because eevil capitalism is a failure.
Left unanswered by Dr. Reich is why the minimum wage isn't $100 per hour. That will really get the economy going, won't it? And why not just let government run the economy and manage all the businesses, since they can do so well?
Oh, wait, that's what Bernie Sanders wants. Because it's worked so well already. And government has shown its house is in order.)
And it’s also good for employers, because it leads to more loyal and reliable employees and less turnover. (Thus it is government's job to create more loyal and reliable employees by forcing employers to pay them minimum wage. Minimum wage employees have lower turnover and are so happy, apparently. Does any of this seem vapid to you?)
Uncle Bob: You know what you are? You’re a socialist.
Smug, condescending narrator, Dr. Reich: Once they start the ad hominem attacks, you’ve won. (Waaait. An ad hominem is "an argument directed against a person rather than the position they are maintaining." We have yet to see any argument at all from uncle Bob. All we have witnessed is caricatured statements from him, with extended lectures from Dr. Reich. So we can forgive uncle Bob's frustration at being talked under the table by the imperious Dr. Reich.
And "socialist" is not an ad hominem any more, it is actually a badge of honor. The Left swarms around Bernie Sanders, defending him from every perceived slight by explaining what his socialism really is. We are assured that we don't really understand socialism and how wonderful it is. Those atrocities of yonder year have nothing common with today's socialism, because it's "democratic" socialism now.)
Irritating dinner guest, Robert Reich: No, uncle Bob. I’m just interested in facts, not labels. (Applause. Uncle Bob chokes.) (Poor uncle Bob. He's been set up, first by the lines he was forced to feed to Dr. Reich like the straight man in a comedy team; and second by a slippery, dishonest Dr. Reich who misdirects, avoids, and steps around issues like an Irish line dancer.
I'm surprised Dr. Reich didn't do a victory lap around the dining room table with his hands in the air.)
Don’t choke on your apple pie, uncle Bob. (Translation: I hope you choke on your pie, you evil capitalist oppressor.)
Smug, condescending narrator, Dr. Reich: Or in the spirit of being hopeful around the holidays, this may happen.
Irritating dinner guest, Robert Reich: Name calling will get you nowhere, uncle Bob. You know, we have much more in common than what it seems. You care about America. I care about America. We all want a stronger economy. We’re all worried about money and politics. We want to leave a better world for our kids. (How charitable. But it's not necessarily the issues Dr. Reich lists, it's the solution to them where we disagree. And Dr. Reich sets us up with a series of fake scenarios designed simultaneously to impugn the opposition and create a safe win-only situation for him. After taking his potshots, now Dr. Reich calls for peace and agreement.)
All guests singing: Kumbaya, my friends, kumbaya. (Is Dr. Reich trying to have a sense of humor here? "Kumbaya" has become the quintessential touching-toes-let's-all-live-together-and-give-peace-a-chance caricature.
But that's an insult to the original song. The song is a Negro spiritual, and as typical for spirituals, it is a song arising out of the pain of slavery. It is a deep cry for Jesus to hear the cries of the oppressed and rescue them.
Kumbaya means "come by here." That is, it's a call to God to come and deliver the slaves from their horrible conditions and receive them up into Glory.
Not so funny anymore, eh, Dr. Reich?)
Smug, condescending narrator, Dr. Reich: You see, he just wants to talk about income taxes. That’s a trick. (Actually, the trick is to do what Dr. Reich does: Divert the conversation. Uncle Bob's point is indisputable, so Dr. Reich himself employs a trick by talking about something else entirely.)
What you need to do is talk about the total tax burden.
Irritating dinner guest, Robert Reich: Actually uncle Bob, they’re paying a higher share of their incomes than you are for SS, state sales taxes, property taxes, user fees, and tolls. Add all these up, and the entire bottom half of Americans are probably paying a higher tax rate than you pay. (Apparently it has never dawned on Dr. Reich that it is the government that sets all this up, the government Dr. Reich so loves. So in an attempt to refute uncle Bob, Dr. Reich accidently acknowledges the heavy burden of government.)
Uncle Bob: But if the government taxes people like me, the economy suffers because we’re the job creators.
Smug, condescending narrator, Dr. Reich: Every holiday I hear about this job creator stuff. (What kind of holidays does Dr. Reich go to? "Every year?" Really?)
Even uncle Bob. If he thinks about it, brilliant businessman I’m sure he is, knows that he only hires people when he has customers. (False. Businesses routinely gear up with supplies, equipment, and workers to make a product that no one has purchased yet.)
Irritating dinner guest, Robert Reich: Actually uncle Bob, the real job creators, the vast middle class and poor, whose spending motivates companies to add jobs. (A chicken before the egg argument. Dr. Reich claims that spending drives employment, but this is not true. there has to be both supply and demand in order for the economy to function. Companies identify and produce a product they hope people will buy. People will not buy if they don't have the money. The two work in concert.)
Without customers there would be no jobs. (Without jobs there would be no customers.)
That’s the real economic problem. The wages of most people haven’t gone anywhere for 35 years, if you adjust for inflation. Most of the economy’s gains have gone to the top 1%. (Thanks to big government, its oppressive taxation and regulation, and profligate spending. Couple that with its insinuation into the economy in an attempt to steer outcomes, and crony capitalism which funnels money to pay off donors and corporate fatcats. Thank you, big government.)
Uncle Bob: Aghhh, the problem is labor unions.
Smug, condescending narrator, Dr. Reich: If they criticize unions, tie the decline of unions to what’s happened to middle class incomes. (Correlation is not causation.)
Irritating dinner guest, Robert Reich: Actually, uncle Bob, unions built the great middle class of the 1950s and 60s, giving workers bargaining power to get a fair share of the economy’s gains. But because union membership has plummeted, from a third of all private sector workers then, to fewer than seven percent now. The median wage has been stagnant, and the middle class has been shrinking. (Dr. Reich seems incurious as to WHY unions have shrunk. Could it be that corruption, strong arm tactics, or overly generous employment contracts with employers had a negative impact on unions? Or maybe because expensive unions have driven many companies to outsource their products and labor? Or how about forced membership in unions drove workers to non-union shops?)
Uncle Bob: So, I suppose you want to raise the minimum wage, too.
Smug, condescending narrator, Dr. Reich: Be ready for this one.
Uncle Bob: That’ll mean fewer jobs, because with a higher minimum wage employers will substitute machines or send the jobs abroad, rather than pay people more.
Irritating dinner guest, Robert Reich: Actually, uncle Bob, research shows (Actually, this "research" comes from a leftist thinktank.)
a higher minimum wage creates more jobs because people spend most of their paychecks in the local economy, thereby fueling job growth. (Which is nonsense from beginning to end. Notice the train of thought that is becoming evident. Employers don't create jobs. It's workers who create jobs by spending money. And they spend more money because of the minimum wage. that creates more jobs.
This means that government action is necessary to move the economy forward. That's why the stimuli. That's the reason for subsidies and bailouts. Government intervention in the economy is always good and always yields good results. In fact, government intervention is NECESSARY because eevil capitalism is a failure.
Left unanswered by Dr. Reich is why the minimum wage isn't $100 per hour. That will really get the economy going, won't it? And why not just let government run the economy and manage all the businesses, since they can do so well?
Oh, wait, that's what Bernie Sanders wants. Because it's worked so well already. And government has shown its house is in order.)
And it’s also good for employers, because it leads to more loyal and reliable employees and less turnover. (Thus it is government's job to create more loyal and reliable employees by forcing employers to pay them minimum wage. Minimum wage employees have lower turnover and are so happy, apparently. Does any of this seem vapid to you?)
Uncle Bob: You know what you are? You’re a socialist.
Smug, condescending narrator, Dr. Reich: Once they start the ad hominem attacks, you’ve won. (Waaait. An ad hominem is "an argument directed against a person rather than the position they are maintaining." We have yet to see any argument at all from uncle Bob. All we have witnessed is caricatured statements from him, with extended lectures from Dr. Reich. So we can forgive uncle Bob's frustration at being talked under the table by the imperious Dr. Reich.
And "socialist" is not an ad hominem any more, it is actually a badge of honor. The Left swarms around Bernie Sanders, defending him from every perceived slight by explaining what his socialism really is. We are assured that we don't really understand socialism and how wonderful it is. Those atrocities of yonder year have nothing common with today's socialism, because it's "democratic" socialism now.)
Irritating dinner guest, Robert Reich: No, uncle Bob. I’m just interested in facts, not labels. (Applause. Uncle Bob chokes.) (Poor uncle Bob. He's been set up, first by the lines he was forced to feed to Dr. Reich like the straight man in a comedy team; and second by a slippery, dishonest Dr. Reich who misdirects, avoids, and steps around issues like an Irish line dancer.
I'm surprised Dr. Reich didn't do a victory lap around the dining room table with his hands in the air.)
Don’t choke on your apple pie, uncle Bob. (Translation: I hope you choke on your pie, you evil capitalist oppressor.)
Smug, condescending narrator, Dr. Reich: Or in the spirit of being hopeful around the holidays, this may happen.
Irritating dinner guest, Robert Reich: Name calling will get you nowhere, uncle Bob. You know, we have much more in common than what it seems. You care about America. I care about America. We all want a stronger economy. We’re all worried about money and politics. We want to leave a better world for our kids. (How charitable. But it's not necessarily the issues Dr. Reich lists, it's the solution to them where we disagree. And Dr. Reich sets us up with a series of fake scenarios designed simultaneously to impugn the opposition and create a safe win-only situation for him. After taking his potshots, now Dr. Reich calls for peace and agreement.)
All guests singing: Kumbaya, my friends, kumbaya. (Is Dr. Reich trying to have a sense of humor here? "Kumbaya" has become the quintessential touching-toes-let's-all-live-together-and-give-peace-a-chance caricature.
But that's an insult to the original song. The song is a Negro spiritual, and as typical for spirituals, it is a song arising out of the pain of slavery. It is a deep cry for Jesus to hear the cries of the oppressed and rescue them.
Kumbaya means "come by here." That is, it's a call to God to come and deliver the slaves from their horrible conditions and receive them up into Glory.
Not so funny anymore, eh, Dr. Reich?)
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