Requiem for the Obama Coalition
The data is clear: the Democratic Party’s alienation from the working class extends across racial lines.
19772 Articles by: Opal Lee
Opal Lee is a writer.
Election 2024: How Billionaires Torpedoed Democracy
Both parties’ 2024 campaigns claimed to be about “saving democracy.” Yet both parties ended up bought and paid for by billionaires.
Democratic Party Elites Brought Us This Disaster
The story that is about to be pushed hard is that Kamala Harris lost because she was too far left. It will be pushed because this is the Democratic establishment’s go-to explanation for all its failures.
It’s Happening Again
And until Democrats can find a way to win back some large chunk of working-class voters, Donald Trump’s successors will be favored in the next presidential election too.
The Uber Rival Putting a New Spin on Anti-Labor “Disruption”
In Washington, DC, rideshare service Empower is arguing that it shouldn’t be subject to the same labor and safety regulations as competitors like Uber. In doing so, it’s updating the antidemocratic “disruption” strategy that Uber pioneered.
The Problem With AI Is About Power, Not Technology
Artificial intelligence has the potential to seriously harm workers — not because of something inherent to the technology, but because bosses are in control of it.
Die Linke Can’t Just Rely on Middle-Class Progressives
A new study explains an uncomfortable truth for Germany’s Die Linke: the left-wing party’s base is today highly educated and middle-income. While the party’s new leadership promises to rebuild working-class roots, it won’t be easy.
Leonard Leo’s Dark Money Web Is Sowing Election Day Chaos
Right-wing activist groups with ties to conservative Supreme Court mastermind Leonard Leo have been on a voter-suppression blitz ahead of Election Day, pushing unfounded claims of noncitizens voting and filing lawsuits that have restricted voting rights.
Before World War II, Zionism Was a Fringe Ideology
Prior to Israel’s founding, the majority of European Jews rejected the idea of an ethnically Jewish nation. Instead they fought antisemitism by building solidarity.
If Harris Loses Today, This Is Why
To win working-class voters — and possibly today’s election — Democrats need to attack economic elites. But the Kamala Harris campaign hasn’t consistently offered an anti-elite counter to Donald Trump’s right-wing populism.
“Western Marxism” Is Not a Monolith
In Western Marxism, Domenico Losurdo takes 20th-century European and American Marxists to task for unfairly dismissing anti-colonial socialist movements. But his broad-brush condemnation fails to do justice to the rich and varied intellectual tradition he attacks.
American Workers Are Riding the Income Roller Coaster
Uneven and unpredictable paychecks are on the rise for American workers. Income volatility doesn’t just make it harder to plan; it makes every unexpected expense a potential crisis.
‘Tis the Season to Organize Amazon
During peak season, when Amazon’s holiday rush hits maximum velocity, the company’s finely tuned machine becomes surprisingly fragile. For workers seeking to organize, the high-stakes holiday months may be their strongest opportunity to exert leverage.
Why Is Health Care Reform Absent This Election?
Despite polling consistently showing that voters are deeply concerned about medical care and its costs, neither Donald Trump nor Kamala Harris is offering a sweeping vision of health care reform.
How Devaluing Palestinian Lives Became a Western Obsession
Openly racist attitudes to the Palestinian people are pervasive in the European and American political mainstream, from the liberal center to the far right. This form of bigotry is a gateway through which old-fashioned colonial racism can gain new legitimacy.
Claudia Sheinbaum Stares Down Mexico’s Highest Court
Mexican judges have threatened to throw their own president in jail for implementing constitutional reforms that subject them to direct elections. The effort is destined to fail, but the confrontation could set the tone for lawfare campaigns across the region.
Will the Next President Help Banks Trap Customers?
Wall Street CEOs are courting both the Trump and Harris campaigns. If their effort succeeds, a new rule that makes it easier for customers to change banks will almost certainly be on the chopping block.
The GOP Playbook for Sabotaging Environmental Regulations
As climate disasters intensify, conservative politicians are systematically undermining the agencies meant to protect us — slashing budgets, firing experts, blocking climate data from informing policy, and weakening enforcement against corporate polluters.
Kurds Have Good Reason to Fear Trump — and Harris
Donald Trump’s presidency was bad news for the Kurdish movement, as Washington abandoned Rojava and gave NATO ally Turkey a free hand in the region. But Joe Biden continued to allow Turkish impunity — and Kurds fear Kamala Harris will do the same.
The Puerto Rican Right Is Rallying Against a Rising Left
For years, Puerto Rico’s right-wing establishment has branded the Left as “communists” seeking to impoverish the island by isolating it from the US. Yet decades of economic mismanagement have discredited the Right and strengthened the populist Alliance.