Biden Is Still Refusing to Give Railworkers Paid Sick Leave
If he wanted to, Joe Biden could give railworkers the sick days they’re seeking without any need for Senate approval. He is choosing not to.
489 Articles by: Luke Savage
Luke Savage is the author of The Dead Center: Reflections on Liberalism and Democracy After the End of History and a writer on Substack.
Nationalize the Railroads
As we learned in the recent rail union contract negotiations, ruthless profit-seeking has made conditions for railworkers unbearable. It’s also made railroads less efficient. America badly needs a national rail service owned and operated for the public good.
Don’t Blame Republicans. “Amtrak Joe” Biden Is the One Who Defeated the Railworkers.
Beyond the rhetoric of liberal politicians and the complexities of congressional sausage-making, one fact should not be forgotten: it was the Democratic leadership — not Republicans — who spearheaded last week’s efforts to trample on the rights of workers.
Are Hispanic Voters Really Switching to the GOP?
Democrats aren’t losing Hispanic voters — they’re losing the entire working class.
A Record Number of Canadians Are Now Going Hungry
Even before the pandemic, decades of cuts and austerity were already pushing Canada’s social fabric to a breaking point. Now, more Canadians than ever are being forced to turn to food banks to stave off hunger.
The Railway Labor Fight Is an Object Lesson in Democratic Party Hypocrisy
Joe Biden’s betrayal of railworkers is a case study in everything that’s wrong with the Democratic Party: a party that talks about workers’ rights while governing in the interests of capital.
By Forcing a Contract on Railworkers, Joe Biden Is Betraying Workers Everywhere
“Which side are you on?” is the most fundamental question in politics. And in siding with the Chamber of Commerce rather than exploited workers at America’s railways, “the most pro-union president in American history” has made clear where he really stands.
Elon Musk Is Destroying the Myths of Silicon Valley in Front of Our Very Eyes
The myth of Silicon Valley touts the grit and flair of its tech bro champions. But the chaos of Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover has revealed that there’s no genius or elaborate game of multidimensional chess behind the curtain: just garden-variety capitalists.
The Republican Establishment Wants to Ditch Trump. They’re Probably Stuck With Him.
We’ve seen this movie before, and there’s every reason to believe it’s going to have the same ending: the GOP base rallying around the “antiestablishment” Donald Trump.
The Midterms Are No Victory for the Democrats, but They Are a Defeat for the GOP
The Republicans calculated that by focusing on inflation they could immunize themselves from the growing backlash against the Supreme Court’s abortion decision. They were wrong, but the Democrats shouldn’t celebrate too much.
Tim Ryan Is Testing the Limits of Workerist Liberalism
Tim Ryan’s nostalgia-laced fight to recapture postindustrial Ohio for the Democrats offers a glimpse at one possible future for the party in an era of cultural polarization and a rising China. But it’s not a future anyone should feel excited about.
Ontario’s Right-Wing Government Is Launching a Draconian Attack on Workers’ Rights
Canadian workers have a constitutional right to strike. Conservative Ontario premier Doug Ford is blatantly trying to violate that right for the province’s education workers.
Even the “Good” Billionaires Are Bad
Liberals and right-wingers have the same love-hate relationship with billionaires: both love the ones on their side of the partisan divide and hate those on the opposite side.
In Today’s Election, the Survival of Brazil’s Democracy Is at Stake
Today, Brazilian voters are not just choosing between Bolsonaro and Lula — the far right and the Left — but whether their nation’s politics will be authoritarian or democratic.
The Politics of Celebrity Are Still a Dead End for the Democratic Party
From Howard Dean to Hillary Clinton, from Beto O’Rourke to Pete Buttigieg, the Democratic Party seems addicted to using personality-driven stardom as a substitute for real politics.
Bernie Is Right: Extreme Wealth Concentration Has Turned America Into an Oligarchy
A new congressional report commissioned by Bernie Sanders finds that the 1 percent now own one-third of all wealth, while the bottom half of Americans hold only 2 percent. It’s another sign of the slide into oligarchy that Sanders has warned about for years.
American Political Corruption Is the Worst It’s Been Since the 19th Century
With the proliferation of favor-trading and the use of public office as a stepping stone to lucrative private gigs, America’s political institutions have become as debased and corrupt as they were in the 1800s.
For Proof Reaganomics Was a Sham, Look to American CEOs’ Pay
CEO pay has jumped nearly 1,500 percent since 1978. It had nothing to do with hard work or greater productivity. Corporate bosses simply grabbed what they could.
Barack Obama Still Doesn’t Get It
A recently unearthed conversation between Barack Obama and reporters, held days before Donald Trump took office, reveals an outgoing president unable to let go of his allegiance to the “norms”-venerating, elite-driven politics that doomed his presidency.
State Governments Are Colluding With Billionaires to Shield Their Wealth From Taxation
You’ve heard about tax havens like the Cayman Islands. But billionaires aren’t just dodging their taxes with international loopholes — US states have turned their tax codes into plutocratic rackets where billionaires can stash their cash tax-free.