Economist and former Labor Secretary Robert Reich wants to talk about the plumbing. Not the personalities, not the tweets, but the actual pipes of American government, the ones that, in his view, are leaking badly. And he's got a ten-point repair list.

In a post on X on Tuesday, Reich accused President Donald Trump of unprecedented corruption and lawlessness, and urged voters to elect midterm candidates who support his proposed "10 Commandments for a Better Government."

"Trump's corruption and lawlessness are beyond anything this country has ever seen," he wrote.

He added, "If we want to end his self-dealing and abuse of power, we must elect candidates in the midterms who support these 10 Commandments for a Better Government."

The Ten Commandments, In Brief

In a video accompanying the post, Reich outlined 10 proposed reforms, including 18-year term limits for Supreme Court justices, stricter conflict-of-interest rules for elected officials and independent commissions to draw congressional district maps.

He also called for restoring voting rights protections, preventing political interference in criminal prosecutions, protecting press freedom and ensuring federal funding decisions remain free from political influence.

Other proposals included taxing extreme wealth, replacing the Electoral College with a national popular vote and reducing the influence of large political donors through expanded public campaign financing.

"Donald Trump has revealed how easily our system can be abused, but opposing him isn't enough," Reich said. He argued that lasting reforms would make it harder for future leaders to misuse their authority.

That's the interesting part of the argument, really. The case isn't "this guy is uniquely terrible," it's "the system let him do it, and it will let the next one do it too." Rules, in other words, outlast people.

Democrats and Trump Clash Ahead of Midterms

Reich isn't shouting into the void alone. On Tuesday, former Vice President Kamala Harris criticized Trump over rising living costs and the Iran war ahead of the November midterm elections.

She said Americans struggled to afford necessities and urged voters to check what she called Trump's "callous, corrupt, and incompetent administration."

Earlier this month, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Americans to prepare for the 2026 midterm elections after the Trump administration declined to invite OSCE observers to monitor the elections.

The OSCE called the decision "regrettable," while Human Rights Watch said it could heighten human rights concerns.

Last month, Trump attacked Democrats in a Labor Day Truth Social post, accusing the "Radical Left" of trying to "destroy our Country."

He predicted Republicans would win the midterms "BIG" and pledged to campaign heavily for GOP candidates.

So: two very different stories about what's at stake in November. One side says the system is being abused and needs new guardrails. The other says the country needs defending from the people proposing the guardrails. Voters get to pick a version.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by MarketDash editors.