The Romance of American Clintonism
The politically complacent ’90s produced a surprisingly large number of mainstream American rom-coms about fighting the Man. You’ve Got Mail gave us a new fantasy, fully neoliberalized: What if the Man is Mr Right?
322 Articles by: Meagan Day
Meagan Day is a staff writer at Jacobin. She is the coauthor of Bigger than Bernie: How We Go from the Sanders Campaign to Democratic Socialism.
Workers at the Immersive Entertainment Company Meow Wolf Are Unionizing
Workers at Meow Wolf, the multimedia immersive arts and entertainment company based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, are voting today on whether to unionize. The Meow Wolf Workers Collective says they’re trying to keep pace with the growth of what was once a loose artist collective and is now a multimillion-dollar business.
The Pandemic Is Hurting Trump in Rural America
One in four rural households have been unable to get the medical care they need during the coronavirus pandemic. Rural Americans have been struggling to obtain and afford care like never before, and Donald Trump could end up paying the price in November.
We Can’t Ignore Rural Voter Resentment
Political scientist Katherine J. Cramer has studied the changing political attitudes of rural Wisconsinites — a group that helped put Donald Trump in the White House. “Rural resentment” may not get much attention, but it’s a real and powerful force in US politics.
Wisconsin’s Teachers Didn’t Have a Gender Pay Gap — Until Scott Walker’s Anti-Union Assault
There was no gender pay gap among Wisconsin teachers until Scott Walker’s brutal assault on the state’s public sector unions almost a decade ago. Now women teachers are earning less than men. It’s yet more proof: unions empower women.
We Can’t Trust Oil Companies to Regulate Themselves
Newly leaked documents show that ExxonMobil is planning a major increase in oil production, despite warnings from scientists about calamitous climate effects and the company’s own promises. We can’t keep relying on oil companies to regulate themselves — they need to be brought under democratic control.
Donald Trump’s Coronavirus Relief Measures Are Totally Inadequate
The president made a big show of stepping in to help struggling Americans when Congress failed them. But his executive orders have failed, too. Trump claims to back the working class, but he has abandoned them at every turn.
We Shouldn’t Have to Work So Damn Much
We’re working longer hours than in decades. But we don’t have to. We deserve a more democratic economy in which we have the free time to develop our talents, hang out with friends and family, and do whatever else we please.
Donald Trump Endorsed Right-Wing Violence During the Debate
In last night’s debate, Donald Trump failed to condemn white supremacists — even telling the Proud Boys to “stand by” — then refused to promise he would encourage his supporters to refrain from political violence in November. His rhetoric is growing more and more dangerous.
Trump’s “Deterrence” Strategy Targeting Black Voters Doesn’t Have to Work
In both his campaigns, Trump has run ads aimed at killing black voters’ enthusiasm for the Democratic nominee and lowering their turnout. The strategy is craven, but the ads exploit real disillusionment. Without a sharp break from their history of failing black constituents, Democrats will remain vulnerable to such opportunistic gambits in the future.
What Democratic Socialists Should Think About Anti-Communism
A deep commitment to democracy is at the heart of the socialist project. Anticommunists have historically claimed they oppose states like the Soviet Union out of a concern for democracy. But those anticommunists’ real project has nothing to do with democracy — and everything to do with smashing the Left.
Ten Jacobin Articles That Shaped My Thinking
On Jacobin’s tenth anniversary, staff writer Meagan Day reflects on ten Jacobin articles that heavily influenced the way she thinks about politics.
The Pandemic Has Totally Undermined Any Argument for Means-Tested Policies
For decades, austerity-minded politicians have bashed universal programs by concern trolling about the danger that a handful of rich people would get them. The urgency of the pandemic is helping people realize just how inconsequential this hang-up is compared to the advantages of universal benefits.
A School District Tried to Stifle COVID-19 Organizing by Suspending a Teacher. It Backfired.
San Antonio teacher Luke Amphlett says his administration punished him for organizing against an unsafe school reopening plan. But a campaign led by teachers, students, and community supporters drew on bonds of solidarity developed through years of organizing — and quickly got Amphlett back to work.
In South Dakota, a Young Labor Leader Wants to Rebuild a Culture of Solidarity
Kooper Caraway, the 29-year-old new president of South Dakota’s AFL-CIO, grew up in a working-class family and cut his teeth fighting ICE as a high schooler. Now his vision for labor includes union-run housing and childcare: “It’s all about building a working-class culture of solidarity.”
Uber and Lyft Are Trying to Cancel Pro-Worker Activism
Uber, Lyft, Instacart, and DoorDash are paying expensive campaign consultants to incite social media users to hound their critics. These are online mobs in the service of the elite.
The Mill Was Good Socialist TV. Let’s Make More.
We need high-quality, entertaining class-struggle television. The BBC’s period drama The Mill, which was ahead of its time when it debuted in 2013, shows us how it’s done.
Corporations Like Amazon Hire Union-Busting Labor Spies All the Time
Amazon was recently busted hiring intelligence experts to spy on Amazon workers. The practice is unfortunately common — most major multinational corporations have surveillance divisions which overlap with government intelligence agencies, creating a single, powerful security apparatus at the disposal of both the federal government and private corporations to use against workers.
Alex Morse: “I Would Be One of the Few Democrats That Stands Up To the Democratic Party”
The progressive congressional candidate talks to Jacobin about the smear campaign he’s endured, the limitations of a Joe Biden presidency plus Richard Neal chairmanship, his record on policing, his personal relationship to the opioid crisis, and democratic socialism.
From QAnon to Kyle Rittenhouse, the Right is Sinking Deeper Into an Alternate Reality
Instability is a permanent feature of capitalism, but the coronavirus pandemic has introduced a whole new level of volatility. Amid the turmoil, the American right is dreaming more feverishly than ever of apocalypse and heroism.