To Fight or Not to Fight
As the Democratic Party clings to a message of compromise and conflict aversion, the GOP has adopted a fighting posture that seems to be resonating with working-class Americans.
19477 Articles by: Benjamin Case
Benjamin Case is a researcher, educator, and organizer living in Pittsburgh.
Swedish Social Democracy Has Always Been Contradictory
Over the last century, Sweden’s Social Democrats built a world-leading welfare state. But the party’s role in undoing some of its own past achievements also shows the contradictions in its project of democratizing capitalism.
The Billionaires’ Party and the Union Leader
Teamsters president Sean O’Brien headlined the RNC’s opening night and praised two of the party’s leading snake-oil salesmen: vice presidential candidate J. D. Vance and Missouri senator Josh Hawley. The party of billionaires couldn’t be happier.
Joe Biden Wanted This
No one forced Joe Biden to run for president — or to facilitate a genocide. His unlikely conversion to economic populism was a triumph for the Left, but he ultimately proved his own worst enemy.
At the RNC, the GOP Poured Old Wine Into New Bottles
Republicans claim to have abandoned economic libertarianism and embraced labor. But their platform doesn’t mention unions, and the party’s stalwarts at the RNC suggested a second Trump term would let the good times roll for the rich with little for workers.
Which Kamala Harris Are We Getting?
Kamala Harris appears likely to be the Democratic presidential nominee. A look back at her political career reveals a politician who matched every progressive achievement with a conservative one.
Biden’s Departure Presents an Opportunity for the Democrats
Joe Biden and his political machine damaged the Democratic Party by delaying his withdrawal. The Democrats can still recover from this crisis — but only if they don’t repeat their past mistakes.
Joe Biden’s Replacement Must Embrace Economic Populism
Joe Biden is out of the race, and a second Trump term would be a nightmare. To avoid it, Democrats need more than a candidate who can complete sentences. That candidate must put pro-worker policies at the heart of their campaign.
Mexico’s Lessons for the International Left
Claudia Sheinbaum won Mexico’s presidential election thanks to her party’s record of passing universal social policies, respecting working-class voters, and rejecting biased media narratives.
More Democrats Should Talk About Capping Rents
The fact that Joe Biden felt the need to call for nationwide rent-increase caps this past week is a refreshing turn toward pro-tenant policy at a time when millions of renters are all but ignored by both parties.
Big Tech Consolidation Amplified the CrowdStrike Outage
On Friday, an update to a cybersecurity program took down Microsoft systems across the globe. Microsoft has resisted efforts to regulate a root cause of this chaos: the concentration of digital infrastructure in the hands of a few tech giants.
Enough With the Housing Crisis Already!
There is no excuse for a wealthy society like ours to have any problem providing enough housing for everyone. The housing crisis is an intolerable and glaring policy failure, and we are approaching a critical mass of collective exasperation.
Why Is the US Still Backing Israeli Genocide?
Over nine months since October 7, Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza continues — and the US is still aiding and abetting it. Jacobin spoke with two pro-Palestine activists about the movement for Palestine in the US and its prospects for changing American policy.
How the Stauffenberg Plot Became an Alibi for German Crimes
On July 20, 1944, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg led a failed bid to assassinate Adolf Hitler. In the postwar years, the coup attempt was used to claim that Germans had never accepted Nazism — and today even the far right calls the plotters its heroes.
Israeli Settlers Believe Their Moment Has Come
The Hamas attack on October 7 shook Israeli society. But to its powerful settler movement, it was an opportunity to realize its expansionist vision.
The Rise and Fall of Britain’s Universities
When Britain’s Labour Party introduced tuition fees in 1998, they did so ostensibly to fund the expansion of higher education. But underlying this decision was the confused idea that social mobility could be an alternative to economic redistribution.
The GOP Presented a Racially Diverse Party at the RNC
Republicans know the charge their party is racist is a central line of attack on them. On top of their recent inroads among voters of color, this year’s RNC speaker lineup suggested the party has figured out how to effectively parry the accusation of racism.
The Rich Are Pushing Right-Wing Tax Education in Schools
The Tax Foundation’s TaxEDU curriculum teaches students that corporate tax cuts help workers. With backing from the Koch network and big oil, the right-wing nonprofit is implanting this agenda in public schools.
Trump Was Shot With a Gun PA Republicans Refused to Ban
Just months before an assassin tried to kill Donald Trump, Pennsylvania Republicans blocked an attempt to ban the type of assault rifle used in the attack. It’s lunacy that these guns are on the streets — and that you can buy them at only 18.
So Much for a Newly Reborn Republican Party
People keep saying that economic populism and an antiwar, anti-interventionist spirit have swept the GOP. But there wasn’t much substantive evidence of that at the RNC.