In New York City, Occupy Wall Street Got the Last Laugh
Back in 2011, the media dismissed Occupy Wall Street as a mere flash in the pan. But in the long run, the movement reshaped the landscape of New York City and State politics.
53 Article(s) by: Ross Barkan
Ross Barkan is a Jacobin columnist based in New York City. He is the author of The Prince: Andrew Cuomo, Coronavirus, and the Fall of New York.
Andrew Cuomo Was Bad at Being Governor
Disgraced New York governor Andrew Cuomo has finally left office. We look back at his emperor-has-no-clothes record, in which flashy infrastructure projects took the place of real improvements to the lives of working-class New Yorkers.
Cuomo’s Ouster May Have Saved Public College in New York
Andrew Cuomo's record as New York governor was marked by an undisguised personal contempt for public university education. His ouster offers a chance to roll back the attacks on higher ed.
NYC-DSA Still Has Plenty of Openings to Seize
After electoral breakthroughs in the 2020 state legislative elections, New York City's Democratic Socialists of America have had a disappointing 2021 so far. But the prospect of more major DSA upsets in the near future keeps getting brighter.
How DSA Won — and Lost — in New York City Elections
In this year’s New York City Council elections, the Democratic Socialists of America chapter elected two of its six candidates after the Democratic establishment entered the elections fully prepared to fight the Left. It’s a stark reminder of how hard it will be to take on elite interests and win.
Is New York Really Going to Elect Eric Adams?
New York City mayoral election was bizarre. And it's not over: Eric Adams’s unique blend of supposedly anti-racist law-and-order politics, pro-landlord policy, and appeals to outer borough resentment of liberal Manhattan elites won the first round.
New York’s Mayoral Race Has Frustrated the Left — But the Tide May Soon Turn
Polling places open tomorrow in New York City as the race to succeed mayor Bill de Blasio effectively comes to an end. The campaign has been endlessly frustrating for the city's left — but its chances in other upcoming races look quite good.
Why Did New York’s Senate Appoint a Cuomo Hack to the Court of Appeals?
It’s not surprising that New York’s centrist governor, Andrew Cuomo, would nominate a vocal opponent of criminal justice reform to the state’s powerful court of appeals. But why is a supposedly progressive state senate confirming her?
Which Dianne Morales Will New York City Get?
Diane Morales has managed to secure the endorsements of groups like the Working Families Party behind progressive campaign promises. But she’s also a landlord, a supporter of “school choice,” and someone who “probably” supported Andrew Cuomo in 2018. How should we understand her contradictions?
The NYC Mayor’s Race Is Avoiding the City’s Most Important Issue: Housing
The one major issue that the progressives in New York City's mayoral contest have failed to address with any degree of radicalism is also one of the city's most important problems: the lack of affordable housing.
The Manhattan DA Race Could Be a Disaster for the Left
Next month, a little-discussed election will decide who will occupy one of the country’s most powerful offices: the Manhattan district attorney. But a divided left could throw the race to a Wall Street–funded opponent of criminal justice reform.
We’ll Have a Socialist New York City Mayor — But Not This Year
This year’s race for New York City mayor is off to a disappointing start as Andrew Yang hoovers up media attention while the Left lacks any unifying favorite in the race. But NYC socialists are honing their electoral skills and deepening their bench of candidates for the long haul.
Andrew Cuomo Is Clinging to Power and Rewarding His Billionaire Loyalists
Real estate titans and landlords might just be New York governor Andrew Cuomo’s last base of support. The embattled governor is rewarding them handsomely for their loyalty.
The Left Needs to Run Candidates for Governor
Socialists have punched above their electoral weight lately, sending candidates to state legislatures and city councils across the country. But to win the kind of power it will need to transform the country, the Left will need to run credible campaigns for governor.
Joe Manchin Is the Poster Boy for a Doomed Centrist Politics
West Virginia senator Joe Manchin is an embodiment of centrist Democrats’ worst instincts. He says he wants to win over Republican-voting workers, but he is consistently on the wrong side of populist economic issues like a minimum wage hike that are wildly popular among those workers.
Hedge Funds to Newspapers: Drop Dead
After more than two decades, New York’s storied tabloid, the Daily News, finally has a staff union again. But with the paper’s sale to Alden Global Capital, a rapacious hedge fund notorious for crushing newsrooms, the union is going to have its work cut out for it just keeping the paper alive.
The Myth of Andrew Cuomo the Competent, Steady Statesman Is Finally Being Punctured
For the better part of a year, New York governor Andrew Cuomo has basked in an absurdly undeserved, media-driven reputation as a wise and competent COVID-19 statesman. Now reality is finally catching up with him.
The Era of Neoliberal Svengalis Like Larry Summers Might Be Coming to an End
From GameStop to COVID-19 relief, the past year has given us an abundance of reasons to ignore the advice of neoliberal economists like Larry Summers. There are tentative signs that the Biden administration might do just that.
This Year, the Afghanistan War Turns 20 — and There’s Still No End in Sight
The forgotten war in Afghanistan, a senseless waste of money and lives, will soon turn 20, and there is no sign that Joe Biden is serious about ending it. When it comes to US militarism, the much-heralded leftward shift in American politics has so far had little effect.
Andrew Cuomo’s Vaccine Debacle Perfectly Encapsulates His Style of Governing
Governor Andrew Cuomo’s failure to contain the virus in the earliest weeks of the outbreak doomed New York to far more suffering than it needed to endure. Now, with a vaccine here, he is again proving his unfitness to lead his state through the worst crisis it has faced in modern history.