American Class Struggle on the Big Screen
Barbara Kopple won Oscars for her gripping documentaries, like Harlan County, USA, on the struggles of the labor movement. She sat down with Jacobin to discuss that and her more recent work, as well.
19372 Articles by: Opal Lee
Opal Lee is a writer.
Justin Trudeau Has Worked With Trump to Support Regime Change
Despite its progressive veneer, the Justin Trudeau government in Canada has supported anti-democratic actions in Bolivia, Haiti, Venezuela, and elsewhere in the Americas. When it comes to foreign policy, Trudeau isn’t much different than Trump.
We Need a Politics That Is Not Only Class-Focused, but Class-Rooted
It’s not enough to make class the subject of our politics. We need to develop our political demands from a ferment that is rooted in class organizing and union density.
Why Conservatives Get Karl Marx Very, Very Wrong
Conservative pundits are more likely to caricature Karl Marx’s writings and beliefs than offer serious rebuttals to his many ideas. Why? Because Marx’s trenchant insights expose deep inconsistencies in cherished right-wing doctrines.
The Opposition in Belarus Is Not All on the Same Side
The strikes in Belarus last week showed that the protests against Alexander Lukashenko aren’t just a “hipster rebellion.” But while citizens are joining the protests for all manner of different reasons, there are well-organized neoliberal forces well-placed to assert their own control.
We Shouldn’t Have to Remind People George W. Bush Was a Terrible President
The campaign to normalize the George W. Bush presidency is part of a broader campaign to separate the Republican Party from Donald Trump. We should reject the whole project, and call Bush what he is: a war criminal abroad and a villain at home.
This Year’s DNC Was 2016’s DNC on Steroids
Open contempt for the progressive left, speeches from Republicans, and a liberal class hopelessly out of touch with the moment, this week was 2016’s DNC all over again — and the Democrats are at risk of the same result: failing to defeat Donald Trump.
New York’s Successful Socialist Slate Shows the Left Should Think Big
In New York City, the Democratic Socialists of America ran a five-candidate slate for state office — and won across the board. The campaign’s overwhelming success points to a model of radical electoral organizing in the wake of Bernie Sanders.
Justin Trudeau Just Shut Down Canada’s Parliament To Escape a Scandal
Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberal Party once vowed never to shut down the House of Commons for political reasons, as Trudeau’s conservative predecessor did. This week, as a major scandal continues to engulf his government, Trudeau did exactly that.
Black Radical Prisoner Organizing Didn’t Die With George Jackson
On this day in 1971, California correctional officers killed the black revolutionary George Jackson in San Quentin prison. In the decades since, the truth about his Black Guerilla Family has been distorted by lies and misinformation — but its legacy of black political militancy in American prisons lives on.
Joe Biden and the Democrats Could Still Screw This Up
Joe Biden delivered the speech of the convention and maintains a large lead in what should be an unlosable election. So why does it feel like it could all suddenly fall apart?
When Socialists Gain Power in States Like New York, Expect Bogus “Antisemitism” Charges to Follow
New York Democrats: stop trying to make “socialists are antisemitic” happen. It’s not going to happen.
Hours Before Planned Capital Strike, Court Grants Uber and Lyft a Reprieve
Last week, Uber and Lyft were ordered to stop misclassifying their drivers as independent contractors. They’ve once again gotten out of doing so, granted a reprieve today by a judge in the face of the companies’ threatened capital strike.
Fernando Tatís Jr Knows Baseball Better Than the Scolds
The Fernando Tatís Jr controversy this week shows how absurd many of baseball’s “unwritten rules” are. Imagine the NBA’s Zion Williamson or NFL’s Patrick Mahomes having the game of their life and the focus afterward being their need to do less.
Joe Biden’s Campaign Is Making It Very Clear: They Will Push Austerity in the White House
Almost no one noticed it, but earlier this month, a top Joe Biden advisor indicated that the entire agenda Biden is campaigning on won’t be pursued once he’s in the White House. Instead, Biden’s inner circle appears wedded to the ideology of austerity.
New York Democrats’ Absurd Antisemitism Smears Against Democratic Socialists Won’t Work
Unable to contest the Democratic Socialists of America’s progressive agenda on issues like affordable housing, the New York Democratic Party has resorted to the absurd smearing of socialists as antisemitic. Unfortunately for them, it’s not going to work.
After Donating to Trump, a Trucking Company Owner Got a Big Postal Service Payout
A trucking magnate poured $250,000 into a pro-Trump super PAC. His company quickly saw a windfall from USPS contracts.
Democrats Should Be Ashamed of the Rejection of Medicare for All in the DNC Platform
On Medicare for All, the Left has won the battle of ideas. But that’s not enough, as the DNC’s rejection of M4A shows. We have to get serious about overcoming the entrenched economic and political power that is stopping us from having free public health care for everyone.
The Bernie Sanders Doctrine on Foreign Policy
We talked to Bernie Sanders foreign policy adviser Matt Duss about the internationalism that animated the Vermont senator’s 2020 campaign.
Uber and Lyft Are Threatening a Capital Strike
Uber and Lyft want you to believe they’re suffering an unfair assault by the state of California’s government to end drivers’ independent contractor status. The reality: Uber and Lyft are very wealthy and very powerful, and they’re using that wealth and power to threaten a capital strike, a withdrawing of investment in a way that would hurt drivers and riders, to get what they want.