Inequality for All and Activating Empowerment Amid Economic Despair

In this edited interview, psychologists Eric Greene and Nisha Gupta converse with filmmaker Jacob Kornbluth about his documentary film Inequality for All (2013), which is a passionate argument on behalf of the middle class. The film features Robert Reich—professor, best-selling author, and Clinton cabinet member—as he demonstrates how the widening income gap has a devastating impact on the American economy. The film is an intimate portrait of a man whose lifelong goal remains protecting those who are unable to protect themselves, as Reich explains how the massive consolidation of wealth by a precious few threatens the viability of the American workforce and the foundation of democracy itself. In this dialogue with the film director, Kornbluth describes his personal socioeconomic background that inspired this project, his creative collaboration with Reich in attempt to evoke critical consciousness among the public about the truth of income inequality, and his vision of creating an emotionally intimate story that balances righteous despair and anger with a tone of political hope.

Long Live Teddy/Death to Woodrow: The Polarized Politics of the Progressive Era in the 2012 Election

Two historic moments from the run-up to the 2012 presidential election might well stir the interest of readers of theJournal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era:December 6, 2011: President Barack Obama traveled to Osawatomie, Kansas, to deliver what proved to be his signature speech about the economy. Indeed, former labor secretary Robert Reich called the address, “the most important economic speech of his or any modern presidency.” Obama castigated radical free marketeers, he vindicated communal bonds, and he upheld the great middle class. And the reason that the president traveled to the metropolis of Osawatomie? Because in 1910 Theodore Roosevelt had gone there to repudiate the laissez-faire policies of the Gilded Age and put forth his case for a progressive “New Nationalism” in an oration that White House press secretary Jay Carney characterized as “the speech that really set the course for the 20th century.”

The Future of US Health Care: Is Medicare Really Better at “Saving” Money?

Paul Krugman, Robert Reich, and others see Medicare as a panacea. Krugman, for example, points out that average Medicare costs have grown only 400 percent while private insurance costs have grown 700 percent. Should the US move to Medicare for all? The case is not as clear as such statistics suggest.

Book Reviews

K. Holbrook, A. Kim, B. Palmer, and A. Portnoy (eds) Global Values 101: A Short Course with Howard Zinn,Amy Goodman, Naomi Klein, Robert Reich, Juliet Schor, Katha Pollitt, Paul Farmer, Lani Guinier and othersReview by Jakob Krause-JensenJanet MacDonald Blended Learning and Online TutoringReview by Eurig ScandrettAmie MacDonald and Susan Sa´nchez-Casal (eds) Twenty-First Century Feminist Classrooms: Pedagogies of Identity and DifferenceReview by Penny WelchMonica McLean Pedagogy and the University: Critical Theory and PracticeReview by David Mills