If Joe Biden Moves Left, You Can Thank the Left
Joe Biden has issued a raft of executive orders that are surprisingly progressive. But we know who to thank: the organized left, which has helped transform US politics.
276 Article(s) by: Liza Featherstone
Liza Featherstone is a columnist for Jacobin, a freelance journalist, and the author of Selling Women Short: The Landmark Battle for Workers’ Rights at Wal-Mart.
Workers Are Standing Up to Far-Right Violence
In industries across the economy — from airlines to tech — the past two weeks have seen workers and their unions take the lead in combating Donald Trump’s far-right base.
It’s a Little Late for Mike Pence to Pose as a Brave Dissenter to Donald Trump
Mike Pence built his political career on theocratic extremism, Dickensian economics, and sycophancy toward Donald Trump. It's a little late for him to be posing now as a defender of democracy and a counter to Trump's authoritarianism.
How Amy Coney Barrett and Barack Obama Transcended Petty Partisanship to Crush Community Activists in Chicago
Community activists battling plans for a hideous Chicago shrine to Barack Obama have been dealt a series of blows in recent months. Perhaps most notable was a rebuff from none other than Amy Coney Barrett, whose decision in favor of Obama bore all the hallmarks of ruling class solidarity.
Any Politician With “McKinsey” on Their Résumé Is Unfit for Public Office
Revelations about McKinsey’s grotesque actions to further the opioid epidemic should remind us how closely entwined the company is with the Democratic Party. We should work toward a day when McKinsey’s presence on your résumé is as disqualifying as a gun manufacturer or a tobacco company.
Why Is Joe Biden Considering an Anti–Green New Dealer for Energy Secretary?
With Donald Trump’s defeat, the planet dodged a giant meteor. Now, it needs protection from Joe Biden, whose energy secretary short list includes fracking fanboy and enemy of the Green New Deal, Ernest Moniz.
There Was Actually a Lot of Good News for the Left on Election Day
Don’t let the gloom of Tuesday’s national elections obscure the remarkable results in lower-level races across the country. Dozens of socialists were elected to legislatures, while minimum-wage hikes, rent controls, and taxes on the rich to fund schools all won voter backing, even in very red places.
New York’s Elected Socialists Are Building a Movement
In New York this campaign season, something extraordinary happened: a dedicated effort by AOC and the state’s newly elected DSA-aligned socialist legislators to transform their campaigns into non-electoral socialist organizing vehicles within their districts.
Maybe Masks Really Are a Socialist Plot
The fight over pandemic prevention isn’t just about surviving the coronavirus. It’s about our potential to build a more collective and compassionate society. Despite Donald Trump’s absurdities, most Americans are ready and willing to adopt solidaristic measures.
Surprise “Air Ambulance” Bills Are the Latest Nightmare in Private Health Insurance
On top of skyrocketing medical costs, many Americans face staggering surprise bills for “air ambulances.” What’s no surprise is that the private equity industry is deeply implicated in this nightmare — and spending heavily to make sure no one puts a stop to it.
Public Schools Are Starting to Charge “Fees” for “Childcare”
In an alarming trend, financially strapped school districts across the country are introducing “fees” for looking after students. We need to stop the COVID-19–era privatization of public schools.
Don’t Mistake Public Shows of On-the-Job Cleanliness for Real Workplace Safety
The importance of cleanliness in the workplace has become key in the COVID-19 era. But conspicuous scrubbing can also become a key form of boss propaganda — and a substitute for real worker protections.
Happy Birthday, Jacobin! Here’s to Ten More Years.
Back when Jacobin was founded this month in 2010, there was hardly any socialist media in the United States. Today, we’re a small part of a growing movement that can still change the world.
Good Riddance to the Kennedys
This month, Joe Kennedy III became the first Kennedy ever to lose an election in Massachusetts. In light of the occasion, a Masshole reflects on the awfulness of the Kennedy clan and celebrates the end of Kennedy hegemony.
Post Office Workers Can Be Defenders of Key Public Goods
Melissa Rakestraw, a postal worker in Schaumburg, Illinois, grew up in a tiny rural town and didn’t plan on becoming a radical. But “I guess the short version," she says, "is, 'I got a job at the post office and became a socialist.'”
In Tennessee, Socialists Are “On the Cusp of Something Incredibly Big”
Three socialists ran in this month’s Tennessee primaries. With endorsements from the Memphis chapter of Democratic Socialists of America, all three of them won.
Where Do Sex Panics Come From?
Sex panics keep happening because they tap into Americans’ deepest fears about the need to protect innocents from the threat of evil — fears that are endemic among the Left as well as the Right. Meanwhile, lives are destroyed in the process.
The Left Needs to Stop Falling for Absurd Sex Panics
The absurd allegations against progressive Congressional candidate Alex Morse have now been exposed as a hoax. But they couldn’t have been better calculated to excite a Left prone to mindless sex panics.
DSA Electeds Are Carrying on the Socialist Tradition in New York
One hundred years ago, five socialists elected to the New York State Assembly were expelled for their views. Today, a slate of five Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidates are following in their footsteps by fighting for working people and terrifying the political establishment.
Meet Marcela Mitaynes. She Just Gave Brooklyn’s Democratic Socialists Their First Big Upset In This Year’s Primaries
Marcela Mitaynes, a Peruvian immigrant and Brooklyn tenant activist, overcame long odds — with the help of the city’s Democratic Socialists of America chapter — to defeat her incumbent rival in last week’s primaries for a New York State Assembly seat. Her story underscores the power of socialism to connect radical politics with everyday struggles.