Mass Politics, Not Movementism, Is the Future of the Left
Bernie Sanders is out of the race, but we can’t retreat to the subcultural politics that were hegemonic on the Left before his campaigns began. Mass politics is still our way forward.
80 Article(s) by: Paul Heideman
Paul Heideman holds a PhD in American studies from Rutgers University–Newark. He is most recently the author of Rogue Elephant: How Republicans Went from the Party of Business to the Party of Chaos.
10 Million US Workers Have Lost Their Jobs. And the System Has No Answers.
In the last two weeks, nearly ten million American workers lost their jobs. This is a crisis unfolding at a speed and magnitude unprecedented in the US and what’s left of our welfare state is uniquely ill-equipped to deal with the fallout.
We Can Retool the Economy to Fight Coronavirus — With Labor Playing a Key Role
During World War II, UAW leader Walter Reuther had a plan to reorient the economy toward needed production, centering the interests of labor rather than markets. As the global health system faces massive shortages in vital medical equipment, Reuther’s blueprints can help us generate our own mass-scale response to the crisis.
When Liberals Lose, They Blame the Voters. Leftists Can’t.
Bernie Sanders struggled last night not because voters are stupid, but because he's proposing a way of doing politics that's different from anything they've ever seen. Convincing them of that alternative is extremely difficult — but it's not impossible.
The Democratic Establishment Has (Finally) United Against Sanders
It took them awhile, but the Democratic establishment is consolidating around Joe Biden. Now the fight begins.
Bernie Sanders Is Still Not George McGovern
Pundits continue to push the narrative that Bernie Sanders is just another George McGovern, too far to the left to win. He’s not, and by every measure he's the most competitive candidate to run against Donald Trump.
Bernie’s Democratic Socialism Is a Strength, Not a Weakness
All the best things in America were once decried as socialist: Medicare, unions, Social Security. Bernie’s democratic socialism is his strength, and we shouldn’t shy away from talking about it.
Will Big Money Defeat Bernie Sanders?
Thomas Ferguson’s work traces the history of how big money buys politics in America. He recently sat down with Jacobin to talk about Bernie Sanders, the superrich, and how the flood of corporate cash is shaping the Democratic primary.
Don’t Trust the Process
Impeachment has failed, but Democrats are still trying to defeat Trump by focusing on process over policy. They're going to keep failing — the only way to get rid of Trump is to beat him at the polls.
The Third Way Is the Past. Socialism Is the Future.
For years, Third Way politicians claimed to be modernizing progressive politics by rejecting leftist policies. But their political project now stands in ruins — and it’s democratic socialism that is on the rise.
Would It Not Be Simpler to Primary the People, and Nominate Another?
Centrists like Jonathan Chait are warning that the Democrats are moving too far left, jeopardizing their ability to beat Trump. Don’t listen to them: they’re just mad at how much the ground has shifted under their feet.
What Liberals Miss About Trump Country
Liberal pundits look at Trump voters and see a monolithic mass of reactionary resentment. But class matters — poor Republicans actually tend to hold progressive views on the economy.
The First March on Washington
A. Philip Randolph called for a March on Washington to force President Roosevelt to abolish Jim Crow in the war effort, and shaped the trajectory of the postwar left.
The Democratic Debate Showed the Left Is Winning
Last night’s Democratic presidential debate exposed the deep ideological fissures within the party — and showed again that the energy is with Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and the Left.
The Most Important Black Radical You’ve Never Heard Of
Hubert Harrison was one of the first black socialists in the United States, a fierce champion of racial equality, and a pioneering analyst of how capitalists use racism to divide the working class. He deserves to be remembered.
Bernie: Freedom Is a Democratic Socialist Value
In his speech about democratic socialism yesterday, Bernie Sanders refused to accept freedom as a value of the Right — and laid out all the ways that capitalism limits ordinary workers’ freedom.
Abortion Rights Are More Popular Than You Think
Don't let the slate of new anti-abortion bills fool you — support for abortion rights has actually increased in the last decade. Defeating these draconian measures will mean defeating the elite minority that imposes them.
Class Rules Everything Around Me
The socialist emphasis on the centrality of class isn't about ignoring racial inequalities, but about crafting a politics capable of ending them.
Bernie Isn’t McGovern. Biden Might Be Humphrey.
The pundits want you to see Bernie Sanders as a modern-day George McGovern. They’re wrong — but Joe Biden might well be the next Hubert Humphrey.
The Utterly Bizarre Life of Lyndon LaRouche
American politics produces no small number of eccentrics. Lyndon LaRouche, who died yesterday, towered above them all.