It amuses me no end to see how differently we define "realistic." I agree in the main with your goals, Zeke, but I dispute what you call a "realist's" approach. Yes, we need to reset the agenda, but there is no path from here to there that doesn't involve skipping numerous steps. As the Brexit vote demonstrated, democracy does not ensure the use of common sense.

I continue to believe that the most "realistic" approach is to elect leaders who come closest to our preferences, then put pressure on them to move in our preferred direction. That is what Bernie Sanders is attempting now, and it has worked in civil rights and many other subjects. Do you think any such reforms would come from a Republican?

A well reasoned argument is like a diamond: impervious to corruption and crystal clear - and infinitely rarer.

Here, as elsewhere, people are outraged at what feels like a rigged game -- an economy that won't respond, a democracy that won't listen, and a financial sector that holds all the cards. - Robert Reich