Trump’s Kryptonite: How Progressives Can Win Back the Working Class
A first-of-its-kind study from Jacobin, YouGov, and the Center for Working-Class Politics finds that economic populism can help progressives win more working-class voters.
20423 Article(s) by: Opal Lee
Opal Lee is a writer.
The Right Has Been Pushing “Free-Market” Propaganda in US Public Schools for Over a Century
Conservatives today want to root out discussion of racism and other “controversial” topics from schools. Less discussed: the Right is also making advances in its age-old fight to indoctrinate the next generation in rabid free-market ideology.
Faced With the Rising Right, Spain’s Left Is Struggling to Build a Common Front
Spanish deputy prime minister Yolanda Díaz has hailed a unity deal that will see the Left run together in July’s snap election. The deal hasn’t pleased everyone — but it could help keep the far right from power.
In Obama’s Working, There Is No Way Out
Barack Obama abandoned his commitments to unions, and many top staffers went to work for the gig economy. In his Netflix series Working, the former president bears witness to workers’ suffering as if it were immutable — and something he had nothing to do with.
Don’t Be Afraid to Embrace the Utopian Spirit
There’s no substitute for building worker power and winning state power to change the world. But we also shouldn’t reject the utopian spirit that has long driven many to create egalitarian living and working arrangements.
Silvio Berlusconi Was the Iconic Political Figure of Our Times
Silvio Berlusconi, who died today at age 86, centered Italian politics on his TV empire and brought the far right to power. A predecessor to Donald Trump, he remains the ultimate icon of the sidelining of democracy by media power.
The Crowded Room Is a Mystery Series With No Mystery
The highly hyped new crime series The Crowded Room could’ve been an unsparing take on extreme mental illness in a society that’s never been equipped to deal with it. Instead, it gives away its only source of suspense far too early.
In France, Neofascist Violence Is on the Rise
France’s neofascist groups are on the rise, with a spate of recent attacks against their opponents. Their violence against migrants, left-wingers, and even state officials shows that the far-right advance isn’t just “populist” rhetoric — it’s a deadly danger.
Class War Is at the Heart of the Bank of Canada’s Incoherent Rate Hikes
The Bank of Canada’s incoherent stance on inflation and interest rates underscores the class conflict at play in shaping its decisions. As with previous hikes, the bank’s new rate increase will have terrible repercussions for workers.
Making Sense of Antonio Gramsci
The Italian communist Antonio Gramsci left behind a rich and complicated legacy of thought on socialist strategy for transforming the world. Historian Michael Denning guides us through the great — and misunderstood — thinker.
Why Is Harvey Milk Still Dangerous, 46 Years After He Was Assassinated?
The Temecula Valley school board in Southern California wants to erase slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk from history, defaming him as a “pedophile” in the process. It’s precisely the type of ignorance and bigotry that Milk stood against in his lifetime.
When Socialists Put an End to Pasta Inflation
For two years, centrists have mocked claims that profiteering is in part to blame for price hikes. But the history of food inflation during World War I, and the riots that halted it, show how capitalists take advantage of consumer expectations to price gouge.
Raising Interest Rates Won’t Stop Inflation
The Reserve Bank of Australia has raised interest rates again, ostensibly to keep inflation in check. But the reality is that the move will only enrich banks and rich property investors — at the expense of renters and struggling mortgage holders.
Toronto Tenants Are Uniting in a Mass Rent Strike
As Toronto grapples with skyrocketing housing costs, tenant unions across the city are uniting against major corporate landlords in a massive rent strike. The strike is vitalizing the fight for housing justice in one of the world’s most expensive cities.
Attacks on Freedom of the Press Are Ramping Up
The state of democratic rights for journalists in some of the world’s leading Western powers is becoming increasingly worrisome.
Big Oil Lobbied for a Wildfire Smoke Pollution Loophole
Because of a Big Oil–backed exemption, federal air quality data won’t reflect this week’s wildfire smoke. The exemption allows states to ignore pollution from “exceptional events,” freeing polluters from reducing emissions to offset smoke impact.
The Corporate Takeover of Soccer Is Ruining the World’s Most Popular Game
Manchester City is the hot favorite to win tonight’s Champions League final with the best team that an oil-rich autocracy can buy. It’s the latest stage in a long-term process that has converted the people’s game into a plaything of wealthy elites.
George Padmore Played a Vital Role in the Struggle Against Colonial Oppression
Born in Trinidad, George Padmore became a key organizer of Pan-African anti-colonial networks. Strongly influenced by Marxism, Padmore always stressed that national independence should lead to social liberation instead of just replacing one flag with another.
Populist? RFK Jr Doesn’t Even Support Medicare for All.
Many commentators see the eccentric Robert F. Kennedy Jr as an “antiestablishment” alternative to Biden. But he doesn’t even support single-payer health care, the brightest line dividing the centrist Democratic Party from its base.
Syriza’s Electoral Quagmire Reflects Its Crushing of Greeks’ Hopes
Greece’s general election handed a huge victory to the conservative New Democracy, as Syriza shed one-third of its support. With Alexis Tsipras’s party crushing any hope of an alternative to austerity, voters reached for right-wingers promising stability.