Instability Comes Home
Here's what's behind the turbulence shaking US politics — and why it will likely only get worse.
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The Nightmare in Portland
Twenty years of a “war on terror” and centuries of elite fear of popular revolt led to the nightmare that played out on Portland’s streets. And your town could be next.
Democrats Should Be Ashamed of the Rejection of Medicare for All in the DNC Platform
On Medicare for All, the Left has won the battle of ideas. But that’s not enough, as the DNC’s rejection of M4A shows. We have to get serious about overcoming the entrenched economic and political power that is stopping us from having free public health care for everyone.
Capitalism Made Gay Identity Possible. Now We Must Destroy Capitalism.
Gay identity became possible thanks to capitalism’s emancipatory side: its liberation of the individual from material dependence on the family. But that sexual freedom wasn’t automatic — it required decades of militant struggle. Today, we need more such struggles to combat the oppressive aspects of capitalism, which keep gay and straight people alike from living fully free lives.
The Democratic Convention Put the Party’s Contradictions Front and Center
Even as John Kasich reassured conservatives Joe Biden wasn't moving left, Michelle Obama lectured progressives to muster Obama 2008–style enthusiasm for him regardless. It's an incoherent message that could cost the party come November.
Reject Imperial Feminism
From suffragette jingoism in 1914 to the liberal support for the war in Afghanistan, a long tradition of feminists has made excuses for Western imperialism. But women’s liberation demands that we break up established power structures — and start by focusing on the women who most suffer the effects of imperial violence.
Supreme Court Expansion Isn’t Even a Tough Call
To court pack, or not to court pack? That is the question Democrats are doing everything they can to avoid answering — even though Republicans have been successfully packing the courts for years.
Kanye’s Dark Twisted Presidential Fantasy
Kanye West’s bid for president didn’t come out of nowhere. He’s always been a contradictory figure, and arrogance always mingled with his nuance and consciousness.
After 2020, There’s No Going Back to the Old America
Coronavirus has brought the United States to its knees not only due to our system’s countless weaknesses, but also because of our delusional self-assessment. Despite all evidence to the contrary, many believed that this country was invincible. That fantasy has been destroyed.
Australian Unions Can Win the Fight Against COVID-19 — And Against Neoliberalism
Australia’s employers and federal government have failed to halt COVID-19, while the country’s public health system and union movement have stepped up. The Australian labor movement now has an historic opportunity to push for an alternative to neoliberalism.
Meet Erin O’Toole, Canada’s New Conservative Ghoul
The Conservative Party of Canada has announced a new leader: Erin O’Toole. A seemingly spiritless, staid candidate, his leadership may nevertheless prove a strategic win for Conservatives.
How US Neocons Inspired the Netherlands’ New Radical Right
Commentators have long drawn sharp distinctions between conservatives in English-speaking countries and Europe's own far-right traditions. Yet in the famously liberal Netherlands, such divides are becoming increasingly blurry, as reactionaries seeking a cultural counterrevolution try to imitate US neocons.
Lula Can Win This Year’s Presidential Election in Brazil
Lula is free and polling ahead for this year’s presidential election in Brazil. Is the far right losing its stronghold in Brazilian politics?
Assessing Togliatti
Palmiro Togliatti helped build the Italian Communist Party into the envy of the European left. But just how tangible was his Italian road to socialism?
The Courts Were Always Bad. Now They’re Fundamentally Illegitimate.
For too long, progressives have accepted without question the legitimacy of the courts. That needs to change now.
Trump’s Lethal Threat
Donald Trump's administration has already proven deadly for trans youth. It's up to the Left to fight the new attacks.
There Was Actually a Lot of Good News for the Left on Election Day
Don’t let the gloom of Tuesday’s national elections obscure the remarkable results in lower-level races across the country. Dozens of socialists were elected to legislatures, while minimum-wage hikes, rent controls, and taxes on the rich to fund schools all won voter backing, even in very red places.
Kathy Hochul Is Committed to New York’s Billionaires
In the 2023 New York budget fight, Governor Kathy Hochul is relying on billionaires like Michael Bloomberg to try to build support for an austerity budget — rather than listening to wildly popular left-wing demands to tax the rich.
Socialists Should Be Republicans
The first generation of the GOP tried — and failed — to build a modern republic. Socialists today won’t get very far unless we finish their work.
The Feminist Case For Single Payer
It's time to take health care away from the power of bosses and spouses.