The Los Angeles Fires Didn’t Have to Be This Bad
From budgetary neglect to climate inaction to private monopolies, political choices have fanned the flames of California’s devastating fires.
255 Articles by: Ben Burgis
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Ben Burgis is a Jacobin columnist, an adjunct philosophy professor at Rutgers University, and the host of the YouTube show and podcast Give Them An Argument. He’s the author of several books, most recently Christopher Hitchens: What He Got Right, How He Went Wrong, and Why He Still Matters.
How Capitalism Undermines Freedom
In his refutation of the famous libertarian arguments of Robert Nozick’s Anarchy, State, and Utopia, socialist thinker G. A. Cohen showed the absurdity of thinking that we had to accept an unequal society in order to preserve liberty.
Elon Musk Is Inaugurating a New Era of Billionaire Rule
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, just used his political influence to shut down a bipartisan deal to keep the government open. It’s obscene — but it’s just one example of the ways billionaires dominate American democracy.
No, Brian Thompson Wasn’t a “Working-Class Hero”
Commentators like the New York Times’ Bret Stephens have called slain CEO Brian Thompson a “working-class hero.” You don’t have to condone murder to see through that ridiculous claim about a man who was at the helm of a legalized extortion racket.
Privatizing the Post Office Would Be a Disaster
Yesterday Donald Trump confirmed that he’s considering privatizing the US Postal Service. That would be a big step in the direction of a libertarian dystopia.
Tulsi Gabbard Stands for Nothing
Some observers are hoping that Tulsi Gabbard, as Donald Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence, will be a counterweight to warmongering “neocons” in his administration. But a sober look at her record doesn’t inspire much confidence.
Hunter Biden Was Pardoned Because Laws Are for Little People
It’s obscene for President Biden to withhold pardons for far more deserving people while helping his own son.
Calling a Football Riot a Pogrom Insults Historical Memory
Israeli ultraright football hooligans rampaged through Amsterdam, and regular fans were targeted with violence in turn. The whole episode was atrocious, but calling it a pogrom is historically ignorant and trivializes genuine horrors.
The Election We Could Have Had
No law of history dictated that a right-wing billionaire would win over vast swaths of the working class in this year’s election. It simply didn’t have to be like this.
On Joe Rogan’s Show, Trump Had Nothing to Offer Young Men
Donald Trump went on The Joe Rogan Experience to connect with young men and demonstrate he has solutions to their concerns. Instead, the conversation showed the hollowness of his brand of fake populism.
There’s No Pride in a Dick Cheney Endorsement
Kamala Harris and her surrogates keep bragging about Dick Cheney’s endorsement. It’s deeply obscene: Dick Cheney is a depraved war criminal whose image should not be rehabilitated.
The Strangely Empty Politics of Kamala Harris
With Kamala Harris’s campaign struggling to extinguish the possibility of another Trump presidency, she seems willing to try everything — except for a clear political vision that folds together broad antiwar sentiment and economic populism.
One Year After 10/7, Israel’s Eye-for-an-Eye Logic Must End
One year ago, Hamas killed hundreds of Israeli civilians. Israel has since killed tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians, justifying it as righteous revenge. The only way out of the entire region spiraling into war is to slam the brakes on retribution.
At the VP Debate, Neither Candidate Spoke Up for Peace
At last night’s vice presidential debate, Tim Walz spoke eloquently and passionately on abortion rights. But on Israel, Palestine, and Iran, he might as well have been J. D. Vance.
Trump Wants to Purge the Deep State So He Can Weaponize It
How bad could a second Donald Trump term get? That depends on how serious he is about replacing the career bureaucrats who staff the security state with MAGA loyalists ready to carry out his most demented policies.
Two Demands: Free Gaza, Free Speech
College administrators have been trying to preemptively shut down the eruption of new protests against the genocide in Gaza. The movement needs to emphasize the urgent importance of protecting free speech.
This Can’t Be It
In last night’s debate, Kamala Harris rightly insisted that much of the country is exhausted by and ready to move on from Trump. But we deserve to move on to something better and more substantive than what Harris had to offer.
Shawn Fain Has Been a Light in the Darkness
UAW president Shawn Fain’s speech was the best part of the DNC. It featured a direct focus on workers otherwise absent from party rhetoric, and sidestepped the culture wars to identify the “one true enemy” of corporate power.
Let a Palestinian Speak at the DNC
The Democratic Party has refused the request of “uncommitted” delegates to let a Palestinian American speak at the DNC. Remember this moment if Kamala Harris loses Michigan this fall.
Obama’s DNC Speech Was the Same Old Technocratic Liberalism
Obama’s speech last night at the DNC showcased his rhetorical talent. But it was also a reminder of his incrementalist brand of liberalism, which failed to meaningfully address the profound issues facing the working-class majority.