Chuy Garcia and the right to a city

  • March 27, 2015

“Chuy Garcia and the right to a city” first appeared on PeoplesWorld.org on March 27, 2015. Read it on PeoplesWorld.org.

Chicago is abuzz these days as incumbent Mayor Rahm Emanuel is in an unexpected and fiercely competitive election runoff with challenger and longtime progressive Latino leader Jesus “Chuy” Garcia. What was supposed to have been a waltz into a second term for Emanuel has turned into a fight for his political life.

Garcia got a late start, is behind in the polls, has nothing close to the deep pockets or name recognition of Emanuel, and is up against the city’s political establishment and “Gold Coast,” but – and this is what makes the Windy City’s elites lose sleep at night – he is gathering momentum and support from many unions and community leaders and organizations. And it is entirely possible that he comes out on top when the ballots are counted on April 7.

Here’s why.

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Obama and the politics of outrage

  • February 9, 2015

“Obama and the politics of outrage” first appeared on PeoplesWorld.org on February 9, 2015. Read it on PeoplesWorld.org.

Some of the commentary from the left on President’s Obama’s recent State of the Union address struck me as too negative, even cynical in a few instances. It’s said that the speech was at once too little, too late, and too celebratory. Some left critics went further, claiming that it was nothing but idle, and even deceptive, chatter since the president knew that any progressive initiatives in his speech are dead on arrival in the Republican-controlled 93rd Congress.

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A season’s reflections on socialism

  • December 23, 2014

“A season’s reflections on socialism” first appeared on PeoplesWorld.org on December 23, 2014. Read it on PeoplesWorld.org.

This season, besides gaiety, good food and drink (and may all of us have an abundance of these), brings moments of quiet reflection. Sometimes the reflection is of a personal nature; other times, it’s about the larger world in which we live.

Both are good for the soul. But here, I’m going to stick with the larger world – and making it a better one – with some reflections on socialism. It is a subject on which my thinking has changed significantly over the past decade, and continues to evolve.

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Climate change requires a new abolition movement

  • October 20, 2014

“Climate change requires a new abolition movement” first appeared on PeoplesWorld.org on October 20, 2014. Read it on PeoplesWorld.org.

With the elections a few weeks ahead and the People’s Climate March in New York a few weeks in the rear view mirror, I’m reminded of a meeting in the Bronx that I attended and spoke at this summer. I wasn’t the featured speaker by any means; a representative of 350.org was and made a very compelling speech about the science and consequences of atmospheric warming if present trends continue – “business as usual” as they say in the climate change community.

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What our society needs to learn from the Ray Rice scandal

  • September 17, 2014

“What our society needs to learn from the Ray Rice scandal” first appeared on PeoplesWorld.org on September 17, 2014. Read it on PeoplesWorld.org.

“Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.” Sir Walter Scott (Marmion, 1808)

Last week, I wrote that a fading story surrounding the violent assault on Janay Palmer Rice by her then-fiancé and now husband, Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, had gotten new legs.

What triggered this renewed attention was the public release of a new tape – a second tape – that shows Ray Rice knocking out Janay with two powerful blows to her face in the elevator of an Atlantic City casino hotel in February. The first tape had shown Ray Rice dragging her unconscious off the elevator, but not the actual assault.

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