TLDR; This country is in a deep crisis. We need bold leaders in the Democratic Party with a different vision for the future. No freshman member of Congress with no seniority is going to play a major legislative role. But AOC showed us that a new member with a talent for publica advocacy and connections to progressive advocacy groups can help move the country in the right direction. Sharif Street is the best of the establishment. But establishment policies and political practices can\u2019t save us. Chris Rabb promises to be a very different kind of leader who will join with other progressive to give us the best chance to save our republic.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve said a few times that I like and respect Sharif Street very much. In any normal year, I could support him for Congress. I\u2019m confident he will support Democratic principles and ideas. If he is in Congress for ten years and gains seniority, he will help improve legislation. And he will bring resources back to the district.<\/p>\n
But this is not a normal time. Our country, and because of our influence, the entire world, is in a deep and fundamental crisis.<\/p>\n
DIMENSIONS OF OUR CURRENT CRISIS<\/p>\n
1. Over the last forty years, our economy has been utterly transformed to the benefit of the ultra-rich top .1% who are owners of muti-national corporate behemoths.<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Income inequality has grown to its highest since the Gilded Age.<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Capital\u2019s share of US income is higher relative to labor than it has been since the gilded age.<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The tax burden has been radically lowered on corporations and the rich and raised on working people<\/p>\n
The result of these changes, combined with the rise in costs for basic goods like health care, child care, housing, and education is that life is far harder and opportunities far fewer for working people. And the damage has been felt the most among the mostly Black and brown people who live in distressed urban communities cut off from the dynamic sectors of the economy.<\/p>\n
And all these changes have been made worse by devastating cuts to the social safety net carried out under Trump and the MAGA Republicans.<\/p>\n
As I will explain elsewhere, this transformation was neither an inevitable result of market force nor beneficial to most of us. It was mostly the product of political decisions made mostly (but not entirely) by Republicans at the behest of the ultra-rich.<\/p>\n
2. Over the last twenty years, our democracy has hollowed out by rules changes that make it harder for people to vote, by partisan redistricting that benefits Republicans more than Democrats, by a huge expansion of dark money expenditures on the part of the ultra-wealthy that make a mockery of campaign finance limits, and most recently by the evisceration of the Voting Rights Act. The separation power and checks and balances have been overcome by a Supreme Court that has given the president unprecedented powers while protecting him or her from any legal accountability for violating our laws.<\/p>\n
3. The disaster of losing the Voting Rights Act is only one way that growing influence of racism and sexism over public policy have led not just to a failure to make progress against white supremacy and patriarchy but a horrifying regression in the well-being of Black people and women. DEI programs which nudged the country toward greater opportunity for those who have been left out, are gone. The moral restraints that limited expressions of sexism and racism among political candidates and business leaders are passe. Trump ran the most racist and sexist campaign for president in US history. Even small programs that were meant to repair historical economic and social injuries are being defunded. And, of course, the right to an abortion is denied in about half our states.<\/p>\n
4. Slow progress towards addressing the danger of climate change has been stopped and reversed. The threat to our future well-being are coming closer and closer and can already be seen in extreme weather events.<\/p>\n
5. The foreign policy of the United States, which never lived up to its public commitment to a world ordered by rules that benefit all, is now the leading rogue nation in the world. We implement tariffs that violate our constitution and international law willy-nilly. We start wars that violate moral and legal rules and conduct them in way that are no less immoral. And without ten seconds consideration, we cut small amounts of health aid to developing countries with the result that there have already been over 700,000 premature deaths with the likelihood of over 30 million dying unnecessarily by 2030.<\/p>\n
Our representative democracy\u2014our republic\u2013is more threatened today than at any time in our history. It truly is worse than the civil war because while secession would have divided the country it would have left the North free and democratic. The uprising of fascism we face today threaten those of us every state with an overbearing federal government that answers only to racists, sexist, bigots and the ultra-rich.<\/p>\n
WHAT DEMOCRATS MUST DO WHEN THEY RETURN TO POWER<\/p>\n
Should the Democrats find themselves back in power in the House and Senate and win the presidency in 2028, they will need to take aggressive and bold steps to repair the damage done by Trump and the MAGA Republicans to our democracy and economy. The will have \u00a0to address persistent and long term poverty, and the economic problems that are part of the explanation for white working people voting for Trump. And they will have to do it in ways that address and undermine the racism that is the other part of the explanation for working class support of Trump.<\/p>\n
That means new policies that benefit those who have been left out of economic progress in recent decades, and especially Black and brown people caught in distressed communities and white working people in economically declining regions of the country. These include:<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 New investments in infrastructure, green jobs, and distressed urban and rural communities<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 New funding for an expansion of access to health care and child care.<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 An expansion of the child tax credit to radically reduce poverty.<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 An expansion of funding for post-secondary education including worker training tied to real jobs and reducing the cost of college and graduate school<\/p>\n
These policies are necessary but expensive. And the country is already running deep deficits (which are not always problematic but are when unemployment is low.)<\/p>\n
So we will have to raise taxes. And the only sensible way to do that is to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans and US corporations.<\/p>\n
We will also need new policies that rapidly restore our democracy and undermine the threats to it coming from the Supreme Court and a constitution that gives the right far more power than it deserves. This includes<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 New legislation to fix our democracy including a restoration of the VRA;\u00a0 enactment of the John Lewis bill to protect the right to vote; and mandatory non-partisan redistricting in every state..<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Expansion of the Supreme Court to ensure that a series of democracy- and rights-threatening decisions are overturned.<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Statehood for Puerto Rico and Washington, DC \u00a0to weaken the rural bias of the Senate.<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 An end to the Senate filibuster.<\/p>\n
WHAT KIND OF REPRESENTATIVE DO WE NEED<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s be honest. A new representative, with no seniority, is not going to play a major role in working out the details of every public policy I just mentioned. But he or she can play an important role in making the case to the country as a whole, and to their fellow legislators, that we must move forward with this bold agenda.<\/p>\n
AOC and others have shown that strong public advocacy can change and broaden the political agenda in ways that build support for progressive legislation<\/p>\n
We need the most skillful public advocates who can convince people that we need to take all the steps outlined above. And we need them to make the case that raising taxes on the rich not only will not hurt our economy but, by funding an expansion of consumption for low- and middle-income people, help the economy.<\/p>\n
Chris Rabb is the right person for this job. His critics say that he is all talk with no achievement. This is false for reasons I\u2019ve explained elsewhere. In the difficult circumstances for Democrats in Harrisburg no legislator, including Sharif Street, has a strong record of accomplishment. But it is true that Rabb has a talent for public advocacy. He works extremely will with outside advocacy groups whose work is absolutely necessary to moving our country in a different direction. He has a nose for publicity. He gives good speeches that are laced with powerful lines.<\/p>\n
And he is not afraid of bold ideas that challenge the status quo or go far beyond conventional policy proposals.<\/p>\n
He has done that in Harrisburg. He and a few other strong leaders like Senators Hughes and Haywood have introduce bold, progressive tax policies. He and a few other strong leaders have advanced criminal justice reform proposals. And as we saw recently, he\u2019s not afraid to stand alone for a time if that\u2019s how he can mobilize public support for his ideas.<\/p>\n
This is EXACTLY the kind of political leadership we need right now. This is the ONLY kind of political leadership that can overcome not just the opposition of Republicans but the inertia of establishment Democrats who are afraid to draw on and direct the anger of so many people in this country by proposing a new, bold, and different way forward.<\/p>\n
As much as I like Sharif Street, that\u2019s not the kind of leader he is.<\/p>\n
He is among the best of regular Democrats. He\u2019s smart.\u00a0 He\u2019s honest. He\u2019s decent. But he\u2019s never shown that he understands the crisis of our time or is ready to take steps to address it. Sharif succeeded in a political system that doesn\u2019t expect or reward bold leadership. And like most politicians, he acts in ways that has brought him success in the past.<\/p>\n
Chris Rabb got to the state legislatures by challenging an incumbent supported by one of the most powerful factions in Philadelphia politics. And he did it with the support of Black and white progressive allies and an enormous amount of hard work.<\/p>\n
Philadelphia Democrats and its functionaries, the ward leaders, have never forgiven Chris for challenging their entrenched power. That\u2019s why they are so threatened by his campaign today.<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s the only reason they care about this race. The ward leaders have no understanding, no agenda, no foresight, and no energy. That\u2019s why their criticisms of Chris and those whoe support him consist of nothing but personal attacks and lies.<\/p>\n
They put forward the same tired arguments that the establishment always uses against those who challenge it.\u00a0 They say he is a loner who doesn\u2019t work well with others. That he doesn’t pass legislation<\/p>\n
What they mean is that he doesn\u2019t work well with them. But Chris does work well with the people who can save this country. Chris is a leader in the progressive caucus that makes up half the House of Representatives. He has close relations with progressive advocacy groups. (All the groups in the coalition, Pennsylvanians Together, have worked very closely with him over the last ten years.)<\/p>\n
And he actually does work with regular Democrats well. He\u2019s a chair of a Finance Committee sub-committee. Because of his relationship with the chair of the whole committee, it held hearings on progressive tax legislation for the first time in decades.<\/p>\n
Given Republican control of the Senate, no Democrat in Harrisburg has much of a legislative record. Street takes credit for setting up Pennsylvania’s health care exchanges which was mainly an uncontroversial effort by Governor Wolf’s administration. But Rabb has \u00a0a record of advocacy especially for tax reform \u00a0that will set the stage for what Democrats will do next year should they take control of the Senate in November.<\/p>\n
Electing Chris Rabb to Congress won\u2019t by itself address the crisis of our time. But it is one more step and one necessary step towards re-making the Democratic into a force that can do so.<\/p>\n
And if you are at all cognizant of the danger our country and our world faces, you will eagerly vote for Chris Rabb for Congress.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THESE ARE NOT NORMAL TIMES. AND THAT\u2019S WHY WE NEED TO ELECT CHRIS RABB TLDR; This country is in a deep crisis. We need bold leaders in the Democratic Party with a different vision for the future. No freshman member of Congress with no seniority is going to play a major legislative role. But AOC showed us that a new member with a talent for publica advocacy and connections to progressive advocacy groups can help move the country in the right direction. Sharif Street is the best of the establishment. But establishment policies and political practices can\u2019t save us. Chris Rabb promises to be a very different kind of leader who will join with other progressive to give us the best chance to save our republic. THE WHOLE STORY I\u2019ve said a few times that I like and respect Sharif Street very much. In any normal year, I could support\u2026 Continue reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1896,"featured_media":135889,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[308,160,153,15],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/marcstier.com\/blog2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Chris-Rabb-1-e1778519308721.jpg?fit=940%2C535&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p35YuU-zlJ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcstier.com\/blog2\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135887"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcstier.com\/blog2\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcstier.com\/blog2\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcstier.com\/blog2\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1896"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcstier.com\/blog2\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=135887"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/marcstier.com\/blog2\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135887\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":135893,"href":"https:\/\/marcstier.com\/blog2\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135887\/revisions\/135893"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcstier.com\/blog2\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/135889"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcstier.com\/blog2\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=135887"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcstier.com\/blog2\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=135887"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcstier.com\/blog2\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=135887"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}