International Socialism Project

It’s important to understand the election as a repudiation of Trump and Republican rule but not an endorsement of whatever it is the Democratic Party stands for…

In the event of a Democratic sweep, people who despise Trump and MAGA will alternate between celebrating and feeling relieved. But, just as in 2020, they shouldn’t assume that the threat of U.S. authoritarianism is vanquished. This will be so for both specific, “conjunctural,” reasons, and for more general aspects related to our political era.

Even though DSA, Jacobin, CWCP and the rest aren’t in practice committed to a fundamental goal of 19th century social democracy—that is, building a social democratic or labor party—they operate on a theory of working-class politics and consciousness very much in line with their social democratic forebears.

The balance sheet for the “socialist” wave won’t be known until November. But there is a good chance that DSA members could add Los Angeles and Washington, DC to New York on the roster of U.S. cities with “democratic socialist” mayors. Democratic primary victories in New York, Philadelphia and Denver could add three to four more DSA members to Congress. And DSA-adjacent progressives like Michigan senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed could boost liberal Democrats in the next U.S. Congress.

Throughout U.S. history, conservative and reactionary forces have taken advantage of the perfectly legal ways that the Constitution allows political minorities to veto or derail the popular will. That was how the Jim Crow Democrats maintained their control over the South and the federal government for a century. It’s how the loser of the popular vote became president five times, including twice in the last quarter century.

Though the resolution on the D9 bulldozers failed by a vote of 59 to 40, it was notable the large number of Democratic Senators that voted for it, nearly 80% of them. Yet, the crucial seven votes that killed it also came from the Democratic side of the aisle.

The fact is that Donald Trump’s style in world politics looks very much like a mafioso’s conduct on the global arena. Here are some of the Mafia methods applied by Don Trump on the world scene…

The idea that the Democratic Party is the place for leftists didn’t originate with Jackson. But his campaigns provided an entry point for the 1960s/1970s generation of radicals and revolutionaries to be reconciled with mainstream U.S. politics.

Workers in Texas suffer under this crushing weight coming at them from all sides because of Abbott. Oxfam America’s “The Best States to Work In The US 2025” reported that Texas is 45th out of 50 U.S. states in wage policies, worker protections, right to organize and the minimum wage, which is still $7.25 per hour. It mirrors the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour that’s been frozen since 2009. 

Politics are fluid, and maybe the Democrats will sell out for a higher price. But their entire trajectory—from last year’s MAGA-lite to this year’s reluctant obstructionists—should disabuse anyone of the notion that they are true allies in the fight against ICE and Trump.

The broad array of trade unions, community and immigrant rights groups supporting the day of action is breathtaking and points to how deep the hatred of ICE and the Border patrol runs in Minnesota, right now.

In line with other authoritarian politicians, Trump has leveraged his position to turn the state into a cash machine for him and his cronies, using his position of power to extract wealth through various means, including extortion based on legal threats, sales of Trump-themed trinkets, lavish gifts, and crypto-currency trading.

In virtually every election held in every district and every state, Democrats improved on their performance in the November 2024 presidential election. And in many places, they exceeded their most optimistic predictions.

Beyond a handful of commitments, mostly revolving around ways to boost his own power and to line his pockets, Trump is completely mercurial. Perhaps this is part of his projection of a “strongman” image, but it can also produce a situation where, among his minions, “the knives are out for everyone,” as Trump biographer Michael Wolff said.

Developments since Kirk’s death should clarify some points amid the noise and social media vitriol. They have exposed the lie that conservatives and the far right are somehow champions of “free speech” against a censorious left “cancel culture.” When billionaires like X’s Elon Musk and Fox’s Rupert Murdoch own massive communications platforms from which they spread conservative and far-right ideology into the body politic, it’s hard to take the claim seriously. With few exceptions, the right’s pretensions to “free speech” were always phony and mostly raised when others used their free speech to criticize the right’s bigotry.