Joe Biden Tried to Cut Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare for 40 Years
Joe Biden was once a New Deal Democrat. Then he “evolved” and starting backing decades of Republican plans to cut Medicare and Social Security.
19231 Articles by: William G. Martin
William G. Martin teaches at SUNY-Binghamton and is co-author of After Prisons? Freedom, Decarceration, and Justice Disinvestment (2016) and a founding member of Justice and Unity for the Southern Tier; he covers local justice matters at www.justtalk.blog
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.
Ben Shapiro, Keyboard Drone Pilot
Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro cheered Trump’s assassination of Qassem Soleimani and the escalation of hostilities with Iran with a simple underlying message — American lives matter in a way that Iranian lives do not.
Scotland Must Not Become Another Catalonia
When Scotland held an independence referendum in 2014, Catalan leaders criticized Madrid’s sharp refusal of any similar vote. There, Spanish nationalists have exploited the Left’s weaknesses on self-determination — and Boris Johnson’s bid to block a fresh vote in Scotland risks bringing the same dynamics to Britain.
“You Have to Get Out of Parliament and Speak to Workers”
Last May, Marc Botenga was elected as the Belgian Workers’ Party’s first member of the European Parliament. In an interview he spoke of the elite echo chamber he found there — and how he’s trying to finally make labor’s voice heard within its walls.
France’s Transit Workers: “We’re Fighting for Everyone”
A six-week strike has paralyzed France’s bus and rail networks, forcing Emmanuel Macron to water down his pension reform. The transit workers at the heart of the strike want to block the reform entirely — but their hopes of victory rely on other groups of workers joining them.
England Doesn’t Exist
There’s a void at the heart of English identity, with its reliance on empty clichés and old dreams of empire. But decentralizing power to the regions points to an alternative — replacing narrow nationalism with an inclusive community pride.
Keeping Homeless Families Homeless, By Force
When our housing system’s primary function is to enrich capitalists rather than provide for humans’ basic needs, it’s no surprise that developers would rather deploy a small army complete with guns, a battering ram, and a tank to remove homeless families from an empty home, as they did earlier this week in Oakland, California.
Voting Is a Right, Not a Privilege
After the Florida Supreme Court upheld the state’s modern-day “poll tax” this week, right-wing governor Ron DeSantis gloated that “voting is a privilege.” He’s wrong — and socialists should be at the forefront of fighting for democratic rights.
Neocons Don’t Regret the Iraq Disaster — And Now They Want War With Iran
You might have thought the media’s Bush-era peddlers of Middle East death and mayhem would be too humiliated to show their faces in public. Nope, they’re still here — and now they want war with Iran.
A Communist Designed Your Kitchen
Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky is renowned as creator of the first fitted kitchen, designed to cut the time devoted to household chores. But her “social architecture” was just part of her deep political convictions — a journey that led her to the Communist resistance against Nazism.
Our New Books Are $10, With Free Shipping
We have a bunch of important new books out, and this weekend we’re offering them at solidarity rate.
Rebecca Long-Bailey Is Being Smeared for Her Religion
The anti-Catholic attacks on Labour leader candidate Rebecca Long-Bailey are a reminder that an old form of British bigotry never completely went away.
How the AFL-CIO Can Fight Imperialism and Climate Change
The US labor movement has a long history of aiding US imperialism. By adopting a strong internationalist strategy, making solidarity with the global working class a top priority — including on fighting climate change — the AFL-CIO can reverse that history.
How an Anti-Sexist Candidate Got Smeared as Sexist
The recent scandal alleging that Bernie Sanders told Elizabeth Warren a woman couldn’t beat Trump captured attention for days. The manufactured narrative shows how the media repeats cynical, bad-faith attacks until they get seen as fact.
The Labor Movement Must Fight for Medicare for All — Not Employer-Based Plans
Unions have been at the forefront of almost every progressive policy advance for a century. So why are AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka and American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten denouncing Medicare for All by parroting talking points crafted by health care industry lobbyists?
Why They Killed Patrice Lumumba
Patrice Lumumba was a radical leader of the Congolese independence movement who resisted Belgian colonialism and corporate interests. That’s why he was assassinated in a US-backed coup 59 years ago today.
Why College Should Be Free
A whole range of goods should be publicly provided, financed by taxes, and free of charge to all — regardless of whether it’s the affluent or the poor who use them most. College is one of those goods.
Why Trump Fears Bernie Sanders
Donald Trump’s escalating attacks on Bernie Sanders show that he’s starting to realize something that still escapes most pundits: Sanders would be his toughest opponent to beat in November.
Socialists Will Determine Labour’s Future
The Labour Party contest to replace Jeremy Corbyn as leader has so far featured confusion and acrimony. But the situation promises to improve as actual campaigning gets underway — and the position of socialists in the party remains infinitely stronger than it was before Corbyn.