Radical Academics for the Status Quo
Judith Butler donating to Kamala Harris? Martha Nussbaum supporting John Hickenlooper? You can learn as much about a radical academic’s ideas by searching their campaign contributions as by reading their books.
252 Articles by: Liza Featherstone
Liza Featherstone is a columnist for Jacobin, a freelance journalist, and the author of Selling Women Short: The Landmark Battle for Workers’ Rights at Wal-Mart.
Alan Dershowitz Has Wasted His Life Doing Terrible Things
Celebrity attorney Alan Dershowitz has done so many bad things during his life, joining Donald Trump’s impeachment legal team doesn’t even rank among the worst of them.
Mayor Pete Buttigieg Is Even Worse Than He Seems
There are three things Pete Buttigieg wants you to know: He’s smarter than you. He’s allergic to any hint of a progressive agenda. And he’s smarter than you.
How Mindfulness Morphed from Ancient Spiritual Practice to Big Business
The roots of mindfulness as a spiritual practice go back thousands of years. But today, corporations like Facebook and Google are using it as a technique to extract more productivity and more profits from workers.
Who’s Winning the Vampire Squid Primary?
From Bill Clinton to Barack Obama, top Democrats have long been beholden to the predatory and socially useless private equity industry. This time, the finance bros are donating in droves to Biden, Buttigieg . . . and Deval Patrick (?). They just really want to stop Bernie Sanders.
Is Bernie “Trumpian”?
Only to frightened elites.
Deval Patrick Is Everything That’s Wrong With the Democratic Party
Former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick’s resume reads like a dystopian novel about the nihilism and brutality of contemporary capitalism. He should leave public life forever.
Here’s What Voters Actually Think About Medicare for All
“Medicare for All isn’t politically viable” is the refrain from the pundits. But how many non-pundits have they actually talked to about Medicare for All? Democratic Socialists of America activists have been going door-to-door talking to thousands — here’s what they’ve been hearing.
Joe Biden’s Fascist Friends Should Worry Us More Than Tulsi’s
For all the Democratic Party’s warnings about Trump’s far-right friends, it’s home to an alarming number of supporters of India’s quasi-fascist prime minister Narenda Modi. One of them is a top staffer to Joe Biden. That’s a big problem.
When the Ruling Class Feared Communism
As we commemorate the many horrors of the Cold War, let’s not forget some of the good things it brought us — above all, a frightened ruling class scared into making concessions.
No More Compromise on Abortion
After years of retreat, we need to reject the approach of conservative NGOs and fight for abortion without apology.
The Banality of Insurgency
AOC and Ilhan Omar’s inspiring victories and brave advocacy helped create a narrative about “fresh-faced insurgents.” But beware: young neoliberals will use the same rhetoric to oust veteran progressives and call them the “establishment.”
Looking at Impeachment From the Left
How should the Left view the impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump? Are they a political opportunity or a distraction from the issues that leftists care about? A Jacobin roundtable.
Why Greta is Good
Greta Thunberg, the Swedish teenager and climate activist, has grabbed the world’s attention and kept it focused on the threat of climate change. She’s an unlikely leader of a world movement — and yet uniquely suited for that role.
Why Political Candidates’ Family and Friends Are Fair Game
Class shapes our social world — not just through the economy, but through our personal networks. Whether it’s Kamala Harris’s corporate lawyer husband or Elizabeth Warren’s McKinsey alum daughter, it’s legitimate to ask how a politician’s class connections might influence the decisions they make in office.
The DNC Doesn’t Want a Climate Debate for a Reason
The DNC has banned the Democratic presidential candidates from taking part in any debate on the most urgent issue of our time: climate change. The party’s fealty to plutocratic donors and centrist has-been politicians has never been more apparent.
The Seventh-Inning Stretch Under Socialism
It’s possible to elevate the working class without the jingoism.
After Releasing His Incredibly Strong Labor Plan, Will Unions Back Bernie Now?
Bernie Sanders just unleashed the most pro-union platform in recent history. The labor movement should finally wake up and endorse him.
Socialists Need to Be Part of the Labor Movement
Politico recently attacked the Democratic Socialists of America for the high crime of looking to transform the labor movement. But for young socialists, there are few better ways of doing politics than getting a union job and working to push that union to the left.
Bring a Book
Socialism’s detractors love to natter on about long lines, but under capitalism, we wait around endlessly.