The Socialist Origins of Public Defense
It’s no coincidence that Tiffany Cabán was a public defender before her radical campaign for Queens DA. The right to public defense wasn’t granted by elites. It was won by socialist-led mass movements.
19274 Articles by: Jonathan Sas
Jonathan Sas has worked in senior policy and political roles in government, think tanks, and the labor movement. He is an honorary witness to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. His writing has appeared in the Toronto Star, National Post, the Tyee, and Maisonneuve.
How the Federal Government Deepened Segregation
Segregation wasn’t just the product of grassroots racism. It was furthered by decades of top-down federal policies.
We Won’t Load Your Ships of Death
Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen relies on lucrative weapons deals with the West. But the arms shipments can’t happen if dockers refuse to load the ships — and in France and Italy, they’ve already taken strike action to stop the Saudi war machine.
Against Twenty-First-Century Race Science
Scientists claim they can solve racial inequalities in health care through genetics. It’s a wrongheaded and dangerous approach: Reading race into our DNA will only make racism into scientific doctrine.
Bernie to Student Loan Sharks: Drop Dead
Bernie Sanders, Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Pramila Jayapal just introduced a plan to completely eliminate student debt. Now let’s fight like hell for it.
Tiffany Cabán Will Put the System on Trial
District attorneys usually wield their power against working people. If Tiffany Cabán wins election for Queens district attorney tomorrow, she’ll use it to fight mass incarceration.
Canada’s Chance for a Green New Deal
The New Democratic Party has finally proposed a strong climate plan for Canada that opposes new pipelines. But the party needs to be honest about a key fact necessary to save the planet: Canada must euthanize its oil industry.
Mike Gravel Is the Anti–Joe Biden
Jacobin interviews maverick presidential candidate Mike Gravel. A scourge of American imperialism and an old-school populist, the former Alaska senator is the anti-Joe Biden.
“Hong Kong’s Last Battle”
Protesters in Hong Kong are still clogging the streets en masse. Their task: to face down not just the authoritarianism of the Chinese Communist Party but the self-dealing of Hong Kong capitalists.
The Biden Method
For Joe Biden, the pursuit of compromise is an end in itself. That’s what happens when you see politics as a giant boys’ club rather than a site of struggle.
Against Polling
The polling industry claims to offer live snapshots of what the public thinks. Yet the obsession with polls is reducing politics to market research.
Rebuilding France Insoumise
France Insoumise’s future is in doubt. But disputes over its internal structures mask a bigger problem — the party isn’t tapping into popular anger.
Why Stonewall Matters Today
Stonewall wasn’t just an uprising for LGBT rights — it was also part of a broader movement that fought racism, war, and poverty. To go beyond today’s tepid gay activism, we need to remember its anti-capitalism.
Autoworkers Deserve Better Than the UAW
The closing of the Lordstown plant and the recent Chattanooga defeat are the latest crushing losses for US autoworkers. What’s worse, the UAW has proven completely incapable of fighting back.
Why Bernie Should Launch a National Voter Registration Drive
Bernie Sanders should immediately launch a national voter registration drive. At stake is not just his electoral chances but whether his campaign can help shift power from elites to the disenfranchised.
The Grotesque Horror Show of the Tory Leadership Race
The Tory leadership race has got everything: a media class besotted with their latest centrist savior, a kamikaze Conservative Party in full self-immolation mode, and a Labour Party leadership under siege from enraged Remainer ultras. Coming soon: Boris Johnson in 10 Downing Street.
Making Corbynism a Reality
Jeremy Corbyn’s call for a break with neoliberalism has given hope to millions. But implementing his agenda will require more than good policies — Labour needs a mobilizing strategy to defeat resistance within the state machine and the City of London.
War With Iran Would Be Even More Disastrous Than Iraq
The hawks in the Trump administration are raring to go to war with Iran. That would be so catastrophic it would make Iraq look quaint by comparison.
What Can We Expect From Boris Johnson?
Favors for wealthy donors, white-elephant vanity projects, and a carousel of controversies. Welcome to Boris Johnson, prime minister.
The Day the Music Stopped
Musicians in the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra have been locked out since June 17 as management proposes massive salary cuts. Despite their supposedly elite status, classical musicians face the same kinds of brutal austerity measures as other workers.