Reflections on the Rank and File Strategy
Socialists have a key role to play in building the labor movement — if they can avoid the pitfalls of sectarianism and union bureaucracy.
20412 Article(s) by: Elizabeth Mahony
Spain’s Right-Wing Populist
Last month Pablo Casado was elected leader of Spain’s People’s Party. His project: to use Reaganomics, flag-waving nationalism, and a war on feminism to reinvigorate the Right.
What’s the Matter With Chicago?
Chicago’s horrifying gun violence last weekend isn’t the result of a “spiritual deficit,” as Mayor Rahm Emanuel argues. It’s the result of decades of poverty and austerity.
The Rank and File Strategy
The labor movement is the critical institution for the Left. Socialists should root themselves in it — not as supporters from afar or paid staff, but as rank-and-file workers.
A Crime of Anticommunism
A new book proves that the Indonesian army was responsible for the systematic slaughter of leftists in the 1965–66 genocide — and that orders came directly from the top.
Joe Biden, Mass Incarceration Zealot
For years, Joe Biden was determined to make Democrats the tough-on-crime party. The 1994 Crime Bill and its expansion of mass incarceration was his crowning achievement.
The SPD Should Return to Its Anticolonial Roots
Germany’s Social Democrats now have a chance to make amends for the German empire’s genocidal policies in Africa. In doing so, they’d be returning to the party’s anti-imperialist roots.
Democrats and Their Promises
Of course Democratic candidates will claim to support progressive policies. Don’t assume they’re telling the truth.
The Continuity of Khan
Corruption and military might have long dominated Pakistani politics. And Imran Khan’s reform-minded rhetoric is unlikely to change that.
Down With the Philosophy Factory
Marx said the point of philosophy is to change the world. The neoliberal university thinks the point is to sell books.
The Phony Martyrdom of Tommy Robinson
Tommy Robinson wants you to believe he’s a plucky underdog who’s been unfairly repressed. But the British far-right leader is no martyr — just a clever fascist with blood on his hands.
The Employment Doctrine That Screws Over Workers
It’s called “at-will employment.” But for workers, it simply means employers hold all the cards.
Democratic Socialism Isn’t Social Democracy
Social democracies like Norway show that more humane, equitable, democratic societies are possible. But democratic socialists want to go beyond them.
Which Side Are They On?
A titanic struggle is brewing in California between Silicon Valley capitalists and workers. Democratic Party elites will have to pick a side.
Joe Biden, Neoliberal
Joe Biden proudly called himself a “Third Way” Democrat who hates “class warfare.” His forty-five-year political career shows how right he was.
The Kanye/Jay-Z Approach to Bargaining
Even when they’re flush with cash, companies like UPS still attack workers’ standards. Workers have to force their bosses to back off.
Neoliberalism From the Left
In the 1970s and ’80s, left parties turned to markets and spin doctors to adjust to economic changes. The results have been disastrous.
Striking on Other People’s Behalf
Shutting down ports, roads, and railways has long been a key weapon of French labor. But overreliance on small groups of workers in “strategic industries” can also demobilize broader social movements.
When Will Capitalism Answer for Its Crimes?
People aren’t turning to socialism because they’re naive. They’re turning to socialism because they know we don’t have to live in misery.
The Day Zach Galifianakis Saved Obamacare
Liberalism, they said back in the 1930s, was freedom plus groceries. In the Obama era, it was faulty websites plus hip celebrities.