Democracy

Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis

The Zombie Populism of Today’s GOP The Zombie Populism of Today’s GOP

The right’s crass appropriation of anti-elitist rhetoric makes less sense than ever. That doesn’t mean it’s going away.

Apr 24, 2023 / Chris Lehmann

Students protesting gun violence make their way through the state capitol in Nashville on April 3, 2023

Is a New Civil Rights Movement Taking Hold in Nashville? Is a New Civil Rights Movement Taking Hold in Nashville?

We see the work of John Lewis and Diane Nash in the multiracial movement behind Justin Jones and Justin Pearson. Simplistic comparisons are dangerous. Hope is not.

Apr 11, 2023 / Joan Walsh

Judge Janet Protasiewicz onstage

Wisconsin Chooses a Progressive Justice in the Most Important Election of 2023 Wisconsin Chooses a Progressive Justice in the Most Important Election of 2023

Janet Protasiewicz’s victory matters not just for Wisconsin but for any American who cares about democracy, fair elections, voting rights, and much more.

Apr 5, 2023 / John Nichols

18th-century map of Madagasca

The Hidden Treasures of Pirate Democracy The Hidden Treasures of Pirate Democracy

In his final book, David Graeber looks at an experiment in radical democracy and piratical justice in Madagascar.

Mar 21, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Marcus Rediker

A sign reading Cancel Student Debt is staged outside of the Supreme Court of the United States in Washington, D.C., on February 28, 2023.

Reports of the Death of Biden’s Student Debt Cancellation Program Are Premature Reports of the Death of Biden’s Student Debt Cancellation Program Are Premature

Pronouncing debt cancellation DOA takes the Supreme Court’s ruling as the last word—precisely at the moment when the court’s authority demands challenge, not complacency.

Mar 13, 2023 / Eleni Schirmer

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gives a victory speech after defeating Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rep. Charlie Crist during his election night watch party at the Tampa Convention Center on November 8, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. DeSantis was the projected winner by a double-digit lead. (Photo by Octavio Jones/Getty Images)

It’s Time to Call Out the DeSantis Deflection It’s Time to Call Out the DeSantis Deflection

The question isn’t whether the College Board’s AP Black History course is “woke” but whether we're awake enough to call DeSantis’s bluff.

Feb 27, 2023 / Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove

Michael Pertschuk, Federal Trade Commission Chairman and consumer advocate in Washington, August 27th, 1979. (Photo by Ben Martin/Getty Images)

Ralph Nader Remembers Michael Pertschuk Ralph Nader Remembers Michael Pertschuk

Mike was called the “101st Senator”—his life and work offer invaluable lessons for today’s progressive movements and electeds.

Feb 23, 2023 / Ralph Nader

Newly elected US Representative Bernie Sanders poses in front of an image of labor leader Eugene V. Debs

Bernie Sanders: Anti-Union Capitalism Is Wrecking America Bernie Sanders: Anti-Union Capitalism Is Wrecking America

Workers deserve a better deal than the unfettered capitalism that is destroying our health, our democracy, and our planet.

Feb 16, 2023 / Feature / Sen. Bernie Sanders with John Nichols

Our Democracy Is More Fragile Than We Would Like to Think

Our Democracy Is More Fragile Than We Would Like to Think Our Democracy Is More Fragile Than We Would Like to Think

The insurrections in the United States and Brazil simply demonstrated what has always been true.

Feb 1, 2023 / Karen J. Greenberg

Children read books in a public library near Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn, New York, New York, 1947.

Bullying Librarians Is for Know-Nothings Bullying Librarians Is for Know-Nothings

Why the GOP’s war on books is ripe for cancellation. 

Jan 31, 2023 / Katrina vanden Heuvel

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