As liberals defend their tradition from attack, their definition of liberalism has become so broad as to encompass everything and nothing at all. The truth is liberalism has become more about deference to elites than about challenging hierarchy.
The Southern Tenant Farmers Union was founded on the principle of interracial organizing. It challenged the Southern landowning class and the Jim Crow white supremacist order, leaving a proud legacy for both the labor movement and the civil rights movement.
From the UAW to the Writers Guild, this year’s biggest contract victories have been won by unions in which members directly elect their leaders. That’s a right denied to most US union members — but it may be the key to unleashing broader labor militancy.
There are many good reasons to be unhappy with the economy today: by conventional social democratic metrics like union density, welfare generosity, and public ownership levels, the economy is not in good shape, and recent trends have been mixed at best.
German politicians often boast of having atoned for their ancestors’ crimes — but then claim that antisemitism is an ill imported by migrants. Far from a model, German memory culture has created an exceptionalist myth that Germans understand racism best.
The US could learn from the Faroe Islands, a Danish territory where the state automatically removes taxes owed and adds welfare payments to workers’ paychecks. It’s way easier for workers and shows why universal benefits are better than means-testing.
Washington is full of dishonest and corrupt politicians. Congressman George Santos, who managed to get himself expelled for his wild shenanigans, just flouted the norms of what polished DC corruption is supposed to look like.
Ridley Scott’s Napoleon takes one of the most interesting, complex eras in modern history — the French Revolution and its long aftermath — and delivers a morality tale about the dangers of the mob. Even worse, it’s not even compelling viewing.
Donald Trump has spent the past month openly courting fossil fuel money and mocking the very idea of climate change. This delusional and catastrophic posture has barely registered in the US news media.
From launching a historic strike at the Big Three automakers to calling for a cease-fire in the war on Gaza, the UAW has had a big year. And 2024 might be even bigger: the union is pushing to organize 150,000 workers at nonunion automakers across the US.
Since Hamas’s October 7 attacks killed dozens of Thais in Israel, 8,000 of 30,000 Thai migrant workers have fled the country. Their exposure to a war in which they have no part dramatizes their insecure status as heavily exploited laborers.
Filmmaker and entrepreneur Tyler Perry is a billionaire. His Atlanta studios receive massive tax write-offs, premised on the idea that his success will inspire others. If that sounds familiar, it’s because it’s a liberal version of trickle-down economics.