I want four things from my ideal presidential candidate:
1. Both a willingness and a plan to tax the everloving balls out of capital gains and inheritances in order to increase the importance of work as the engine of the US economy
2. A plan to rebuild the government from the shrapnel left by the Trump administration
3. Strength and will to hold every single goddamn person in the last 10 years' worth of administrations accountable to the law
4. The fortitude to do 1 through 3 without throwing vulnerable people under the bus GAVIN.
I'm all for Bernie's wealth tax and even something more stringent. But I think the most important litmus test is Gaza. If someone doesn't have enough moral gumption to have a firm commitment to stopping that genocide, including if necessary by cutting off all aid to Israel, then nothing else they say that has any moral element is believable.
Yes. Absolutely. But this isn't enough. If you don't have a red line at genocide -- if you don't refuse to vote for anyone who supports or supported the genocide in Gaza -- then you, personally, are a fascist who is helping the fascists. It has to be both: Eat the rich AND destroy the genociders.
I'm a California voter, I submitted a comment to Newsom that he should be supporting the billionaire tax. I think I'll also call. https://www.gov.ca.gov/contact/
I think 5% annually on wealth over $1.0B is extremely modest. I would argue for 20% but that would be a political non-starter. Or maybe 5% annually plus a one time take of 50%! Oops another non-starter. I trust Bernie and Rho, probably my two favorite federal level elected officals.
I hear you, but I can recall elections that weren't 'the most important in my life.' I never voted for Bill Clinton. Too much of a sleazeball, I thought, before Monica. I worked briefly for Jerry Brown in his 'Labor Party' phase. But in the general election, I left the top of the ticket blank, but voted for Danny Davis and Luis Guttierer downballot. I may have been wrong in 1980, backing Barry Commoner over backing Carter vs Reagan. But yes, calling 'Wolf' too often hurts us when the Wolf is really at the door. Go all out to block MAGA victories.
"By 1996, when Clinton himself was running for a second term against Senator Robert Dole, Ralph Reed, executive director of the Christian Coalition, declared it 'the most important election of our lifetime,' while John Sweeney, president of the AFL-CIO, pushed the envelope by describing it as 'the most critical election in the long history of the American labor movement.'”
Yes. Do not help the billionaires get richer or more plentiful. They don’t know the best way to spend it in order to keep fascist leaders from being cultivated, and being human, cannot help themselves. If a tax is forced upon them they may become resentful and disgruntled and need to be caged in order not to hurt others. How can we make this work?
Completely agree. I think people get nervous about taxing salaries - someone who earns $400,000 is earning a lot but let's start with stuff that would affect the billionaires. First I'd like to see laws and relentless enforcement to prevent the wealthy from hiding money offshore and I'd like to think that there's a Project 2029 tax reform committee working on the exact changes to the tax code that are required, because current taxes on the wealthy are a joke. Former Republican U.S. Senator Mitt Romney, in his guest essay in the New York Times "Tax the Rich, Like Me" (Dec. 19, 2025) suggested closing the loophole that doesn’t tax capital gains at death and the loophole that allows real estate developers to defer and possibly avoid paying the capital gains tax on the profitable sale of a building.
I do want to be able to vote for a candidate who would endorses Mr. Nolan's confiscatory policies for billionaires, or at minimum that 5% wealth tax. If such a one fails to materialize among the Democratic candidates, draft Hamilton Nolan.
I agree wholeheartedly with Hamilton. When Reagan ditched the 70% tax rate and started taxing Social Security, that's when things started going down for workers and up for the leisure class. Now they swagger around with tax breaks for private jets and yachts. WTF....and now they want unfettered capitalism their way by paying Trump openly. Bottom line A return to steep tax rates on wealth and prosecute all crimes and criminal activities of Trump I and II. Return our government back to the people and Democracy.
Not if the candidate in question supports or supported genocide. Genocide is *the most evil thing that can happen on earth*. It is *worse than low taxes for the rich*.
I want four things from my ideal presidential candidate:
1. Both a willingness and a plan to tax the everloving balls out of capital gains and inheritances in order to increase the importance of work as the engine of the US economy
2. A plan to rebuild the government from the shrapnel left by the Trump administration
3. Strength and will to hold every single goddamn person in the last 10 years' worth of administrations accountable to the law
4. The fortitude to do 1 through 3 without throwing vulnerable people under the bus GAVIN.
Corbin nails it here. We build or we die.
https://www.americasundoing.com/p/the-war-were-not-fighting?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=57821&post_id=189988816&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=eov1&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
My god that's a convention keynote speech. Amazing.
Now we just need a candidate willing to give it.
I'm all for Bernie's wealth tax and even something more stringent. But I think the most important litmus test is Gaza. If someone doesn't have enough moral gumption to have a firm commitment to stopping that genocide, including if necessary by cutting off all aid to Israel, then nothing else they say that has any moral element is believable.
Yes. Absolutely. But this isn't enough. If you don't have a red line at genocide -- if you don't refuse to vote for anyone who supports or supported the genocide in Gaza -- then you, personally, are a fascist who is helping the fascists. It has to be both: Eat the rich AND destroy the genociders.
You answered him perfectly!
I'm a California voter, I submitted a comment to Newsom that he should be supporting the billionaire tax. I think I'll also call. https://www.gov.ca.gov/contact/
Absolute wealth corrupts absolutely. I agree with your assessment wholeheartedly.
I think 5% annually on wealth over $1.0B is extremely modest. I would argue for 20% but that would be a political non-starter. Or maybe 5% annually plus a one time take of 50%! Oops another non-starter. I trust Bernie and Rho, probably my two favorite federal level elected officals.
I hear you, but I can recall elections that weren't 'the most important in my life.' I never voted for Bill Clinton. Too much of a sleazeball, I thought, before Monica. I worked briefly for Jerry Brown in his 'Labor Party' phase. But in the general election, I left the top of the ticket blank, but voted for Danny Davis and Luis Guttierer downballot. I may have been wrong in 1980, backing Barry Commoner over backing Carter vs Reagan. But yes, calling 'Wolf' too often hurts us when the Wolf is really at the door. Go all out to block MAGA victories.
"By 1996, when Clinton himself was running for a second term against Senator Robert Dole, Ralph Reed, executive director of the Christian Coalition, declared it 'the most important election of our lifetime,' while John Sweeney, president of the AFL-CIO, pushed the envelope by describing it as 'the most critical election in the long history of the American labor movement.'”
https://www.cjr.org/the_kicker/the_most_importantest_election.php
Sweeney's quote is surprising, since both candidates were anti-labor. That election was a great argument against the two party system.
Hilarious quote from Sweeney. More important than Roosevelt! More important than Reagan!
I don't disagree. But Sweeny's view had not penetrated too deeply into the left. Later, things would change.
My lord, we have similar histories, except I was not quite 18 in '80 so I only could try to persuade my folks to vote for Commoner.
Yes. Do not help the billionaires get richer or more plentiful. They don’t know the best way to spend it in order to keep fascist leaders from being cultivated, and being human, cannot help themselves. If a tax is forced upon them they may become resentful and disgruntled and need to be caged in order not to hurt others. How can we make this work?
How do you take candy from a baby…and make a clean get away? It’s not impossible, but you might start w/honey…
🇺🇸🫡💜🫵🆘🦅🖖♾️
🚫🤥🐘🦨💩💰🏴☠️🤡s!
🚫🍊🤡❗️🫵🍊🤡👑-🇺🇸⚖️🗣️🫵💀💉😵💫😵⚰️🕳️🚬😮💨🥳❗️
ps: Jesus said “Love your enemy…” see 1st Corinthians 13 on How too.
Completely agree. I think people get nervous about taxing salaries - someone who earns $400,000 is earning a lot but let's start with stuff that would affect the billionaires. First I'd like to see laws and relentless enforcement to prevent the wealthy from hiding money offshore and I'd like to think that there's a Project 2029 tax reform committee working on the exact changes to the tax code that are required, because current taxes on the wealthy are a joke. Former Republican U.S. Senator Mitt Romney, in his guest essay in the New York Times "Tax the Rich, Like Me" (Dec. 19, 2025) suggested closing the loophole that doesn’t tax capital gains at death and the loophole that allows real estate developers to defer and possibly avoid paying the capital gains tax on the profitable sale of a building.
My 3 demands from any candidate that wants my vote:
1) Wealth tax
2)No money from AIPAC
3) Promise to tear down anything that the orange traitor has built (if he gets the Epstein ballroom built)
I do want to be able to vote for a candidate who would endorses Mr. Nolan's confiscatory policies for billionaires, or at minimum that 5% wealth tax. If such a one fails to materialize among the Democratic candidates, draft Hamilton Nolan.
I agree wholeheartedly with Hamilton. When Reagan ditched the 70% tax rate and started taxing Social Security, that's when things started going down for workers and up for the leisure class. Now they swagger around with tax breaks for private jets and yachts. WTF....and now they want unfettered capitalism their way by paying Trump openly. Bottom line A return to steep tax rates on wealth and prosecute all crimes and criminal activities of Trump I and II. Return our government back to the people and Democracy.
Isn't it more important to vote for a Candidate against the genocide in Palestine and vote against AIPAC than simply vote D or R?
Lot of homework to do by investigating these people who run.
I think it's MOST important to get Trump and his anointed successor out by any means necessary.
Yes, even if it requires voting for a candidate who disagrees with your position on a given issue.
Not if the candidate in question supports or supported genocide. Genocide is *the most evil thing that can happen on earth*. It is *worse than low taxes for the rich*.
Shout it from the fucking rooftops!!
💯% agree
https://brutusmac.substack.com/p/a-wealth-tax-on-billionaires-is-not?r=6aexdu&utm_medium=ios