The Venezuelan Opposition’s Latest Harebrained Scheme
The Venezuelan opposition has repeatedly failed to depose Nicolás Maduro. So now they’re launching a last-ditch effort to get Donald Trump to intervene — by tying Maduro to Iran and Hezbollah.
19276 Articles by: Ryan Switzer
Ryan Switzer is a PhD candidate in sociology at Stockholm University. He researches right-wing politics in welfare states.
Bernie Sanders the Realist
Pundits love to narrate progressive politics as a story of “dreamers” like Bernie Sanders versus “realists” who understand the political constraints they face. They may be right about those roles — but they’ve got the casting backward. Sanders is the realist in this election.
Adam Schiff Is a Dangerous Warmonger
Adam Schiff, the liberal hero of impeachment, is a wholly owned subsidiary of the military-industrial complex and a fervent exponent of permanent war.
Bernie Sanders Was Right to Talk About Wage Slavery. We Should Talk About It, Too.
When Bernie Sanders compared wage labor to slavery in the 1970s, he wasn’t equating the two. He was drawing on an emancipatory tradition, encompassing everyone from Frederick Douglass to Eugene Debs, that sees wage labor as shot through with subjugation — and insists on the need to democratize the workplace.
Who’s Afraid of Karl Marx?
Brazil’s far-right president Jair Bolsonaro stokes his base’s fears by warning of the “communist threat” posed by “cultural Marxism.” But if you don’t make a living off exploiting workers, there’s no reason to be afraid of Karl Marx and his friends.
Without a Treaty, Australia Day Will Always Be Invasion Day
For Indigenous Australians, Australia Day commemorates nothing but the invasion of their territories. While the Change the Date campaign gathers momentum, only a Treaty can begin to address the trauma and bloodshed of British settlement.
James Thindwa, Presente
He wasn’t a household name, or even well-known outside Chicago labor and community organizing circles. But James Thindwa, who died this week after a long bout with cancer, was as dedicated, hard-working, and joyful of an organizer as was humanly possible — whose impact will continue to ripple across Chicago and beyond long after his death.
Labor Union Membership Has Just Hit an All-Time Low. We Need to Reverse This Trend.
Unions are more popular than ever, but union membership just hit a new low. We need to elect Bernie Sanders, make his “Workplace Democracy Plan” a reality, and encourage a new wave of workplace militancy to stop the decline and end the devastation of working-class communities.
Abolish the Au Pair Program
The American au pair program is closer to indentured servitude than cultural exchange.
Class Struggle Built the Finnish Welfare State
Lots of myths and half-truths circulate about Nordic countries like Finland. But make no mistake: socialists and militant workers built the Finnish welfare state — not an enlightened or pro-business elite.
Jess Phillips’s Failed Campaign to Become Labour Leader Should Be a Lesson for Centrists
Jess Phillips’s brief but disastrous bid for the Labour Party leadership is a cautionary tale for substanceless centrists in politics: just because pundits and TV hosts love you doesn’t mean anybody else will.
The Fight for Abortion Must Be Part of the Fight for Medicare for All
Anti-abortion advocates have gained ground in recent decades by separating abortion from health care overall. We have to see abortion rights as an integral part of the fight for Medicare for All.
Joe Biden’s Checkered Ethical History Is Fair Game for Criticism
Joe Biden has a history of shady dealings, from protecting the interests of corporate donors to the business in Ukraine. Running him against our corrupt president would be a catastrophe.
Glenn Greenwald Is Innocent
The Bolsonaro government’s attack on Glenn Greenwald is an attack on free speech and democracy. We should unequivocally stand by his side.
Happy Birthday, Antonio Gramsci
Antonio Gramsci is remembered as a great theorist of modern politics and culture. But he didn’t think big ideas were just a matter for intellectuals — and he insisted that workers must become the leaders of their own organizations.
The Orwellian Assault on Bernie Sanders
Pundits who once decried Joe Biden’s attacks on Social Security are now insisting he never made them, while self-declared “fact-checkers” with an ax to grind are treated like an infallible Ministry of Truth. The anti-Sanders attack machine has taken an Orwellian turn.
How Austria’s Greens Became the Right’s Best Ally
Austria’s right-wing chancellor Sebastian Kurz promises his coalition with the Greens will “protect both the climate and the borders.” But while the Greens have accepted a right-wing agenda on immigration, the partners’ shared neoliberal assumptions will hobble action on the climate.
We Regret to Inform You that Hillary Clinton Is at It Again
In an absurd interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Hillary Clinton — one of the least popular politicians in modern memory — trashes Bernie Sanders, one of the most popular. Yet again, Clinton has showcased the elitism and cluelessness that cost her the 2016 election.
“Believe Women” Can’t Be Used to Score Cheap Partisan Points
The phrase “believe women” was coined to demand that women’s experiences of sexual assault be taken seriously. Elizabeth Warren’s defenders cynically using that rhetoric to attack Bernie Sanders isn’t just dishonest — it hurts the movement against sexual harassment and assault.
Ronald Reagan’s “October Surprise” Plot Was Real After All
A batch of quietly released documents confirms what many have long suspected: Ronald Reagan’s 1980 presidential campaign worked behind the scenes to delay the release of US hostages in Iran, for the benefit of Reagan’s election campaign. It raises the question: When was the last time a Republican won a presidential election without the help of dirty tricks?