In the twilight of the Obama years and the run-up to the 2016 U.S. presidential election, American politics witnessed the fiercest resurgence of left-liberal conflict since the 1960s. This battle recently came to a head in a stunning electoral upset: Democratic Socialist of America member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez beat out incumbent Representative Joe Crowley in the Democratic primary for New York’s 14th congressional district.
As progressives of all stripes mobilize weeks ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, the debate roils on. These pieces from our recent archive survey what’s at issue—from identity politics, Black Lives Matter activism, and the legacy of the Clintons, to the Sanders campaign, revitalized calls for socialism, and the future of the Democratic Party.
—Matt Lord
The Clinton-Sanders conflict betrays the contentious history of the Democratic Party, and holds the key to its future.
The critique of identity politics ignores the role that neoliberalism and neoconservatism have played in creating our present situation.
The Port Huron Statement’s core message is timeless but not dogmatic: we all need participatory democracy.
To read the new biography of Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. is to appreciate that Schlesinger's America has vanished, as has his unique brand of liberalism.
