On Election Day, Follow the Money for Both Parties
In an oligarchic system, there are few better predictors of how a president will govern than where they got their money. Here’s who’s funded both the Biden and Trump campaigns.
791 Article(s) by: Branko Marcetic
Branko Marcetic is a Jacobin staff writer and the author of Yesterday’s Man: The Case Against Joe Biden.
Trump Has Been Quietly Setting the Stage for an Authoritarian Second Term
Since Donald Trump’s election, hyperbolic warnings about a descent into fascism have been constant background noise, even as he has repeatedly shown his weakness. But that noise has made it harder to hear the alarming signals of the past several months, as the White House has prepared the ground for a major power grab in a second Trump term.
We Shouldn’t Trust the FBI’s Narrative on the Gretchen Whitmer Kidnapping Scheme
The details of the kidnapping plot targeting Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer are disturbing and show the real danger of the far right. But given the FBI’s very recent history of using undercover informants as provocateurs to push people into planning “terror plots” that otherwise would have never happened, we should examine its narrative closely.
The Real Hunter Biden Bombshell Is That the Tech Monopolies Now Officially Decide Which News Stories You Get to See
The most important part of the New York Post's dubious Ukrainegate story has nothing to do with Ukraine: It's Facebook and Twitter's partisan rush to censor the story, a reminder of the tech monopolies' growing threat to a free press.
Want to Know What a Return to “Normal” Will Look Like? Stare Into Mike Pence’s Dead Eyes.
Mike Pence spent the vice presidential debate lying, rule-breaking, and selling the Trump agenda, but he did so unburdened by Donald Trump’s chaotic personal behavior — and the political establishment on both sides of the aisle swooned.
Joe Biden’s Vanishing Act Isn’t Making It Any Easier to Beat Trump
With the election campaign in its final stretch, Joe Biden has taken nearly a third of September off from campaigning. It’s an enormous strategic blunder that anyone hoping for Donald Trump’s defeat should be very worried about.
Chris Coons Is Big Pharma’s Man in Washington
Senator Chris Coons is driven by the sincere belief that government and the people exist to serve the interests of Delaware’s big pharmaceutical companies.
Over and Over and Over Again, History Has Vindicated Edward Snowden
An appeals court recently ruled a mass surveillance program exposed by Edward Snowden was illegal. It's only the latest example of Washington admitting Snowden had, despite being continuously denounced by pundits and politicians, done the right thing by leaking information about the government’s massive surveillance operations.
Donald Trump’s Executive Orders Are Covering Both His Left and Right Flanks
Trump's recent flurry of executive orders on “anarchist jurisdictions” and diversity training have him moving hard to the right to shore up his base — but, perhaps more worryingly, moving further left to keep Americans from losing their homes during a crisis than Obama did.
Last Night’s Elections Remind Us Change Doesn’t Come Overnight
Yesterday's primaries were full of disappointments for the Left. But by rallying around the Green New Deal's coauthor Ed Markey and striking fear into the hearts of conservative incumbents, progressives and leftists have put the Democratic establishment on notice.
Richard Neal Has Spent Decades Carrying Water for Corporate America
Richard Neal's career is the story of a low-profile lawmaker keeping his head down, doing the work, and serving the interests of the corporate donors who give him money.
Cops Have Long Encouraged Armed Right-Wing Counterprotesters Like the Teenage Shooter in Kenosha
Since the latest uprising for racial justice began, police throughout the country have been very friendly with cop-worshipping, armed right-wingers who have shown up on the streets across America to oppose protesters. The teenage shooter in Kenosha who killed two protesters this week wasn’t the first and probably won’t be the last.
Last Night’s GOP Insanity Proves How Much the Two Parties Need Each Other
The lunacy on display at last night's Republican National Convention is what keeps frightened liberal voters satisfied with the meager crumbs of progress offered by the Democrats — and the meagerness of those crumbs is what keeps working-class whites inside an increasingly lunatic GOP.
Joe Biden and the Democrats Could Still Screw This Up
Joe Biden delivered the speech of the convention and maintains a large lead in what should be an unlosable election. So why does it feel like it could all suddenly fall apart?
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.
The Democrats’ DNC Plans Show They Aren’t Even Pretending Anymore
The DNC is the four-yearly apotheosis of the Democratic Party's love of progressive symbolism and empty rhetoric in place of real political vision. This year, it's not even committing to that.
Joe Biden Has Found His Neoliberal Match in Kamala Harris
It should be no surprise Kamala Harris has been chosen as Joe Biden’s running mate. From her career-long pursuit of right-wing goals to her flexibility with the truth, the two are remarkably similar politicians.
The George W. Bush Administration Lives on in Donald Trump
The media is full of anti-Trump pundits pining for the leadership of George W. Bush. Yet virtually every aspect of Donald Trump’s presidency was built on the hard-right, authoritarian legacy of his Republican predecessor.
Silicon Valley’s Vast Data Collection Should Worry You More Than TikTok
Practically everything TikTok critics and China hawks say about the country’s data collection applies to the United States and its tech firms, too. We should be finding ways to protect privacy and free speech from governments and corporations everywhere — including our own.
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.