On March 2, as congressmembers considered the For the People Act, a bill that would enact the most comprehensive expansion of voting sights in the United States since the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Democratic representatives Cori Bush of Missouri and Mondaire Jones of New York introduced an unprecedented and groundbreaking amendment to the bill […]
Tag: Bernie Sanders
Progressives Sparked a Movement; The Democratic Party Killed It
As the progressive movement advances past the leadership of Bernie Sanders, it must come to terms with the difficulties in challenging the Democratic Party establishment. When Senator Sanders entered the presidential race in 2016, he hoped to shift the Overton window — the range of policies politically acceptable to the mainstream population — to the […]
The Decay of Neoliberalism
As the weeks go by, and as we inch closer and closer to election day, both candidates Donald Trump and Joe Biden increasingly begin to finalize their political calculus and triangulate their most optimal stances on the issues in order to try and garner the most votes. Naturally, there has been much debate and rumination […]
Campaign Finance as it Relates to Progressivism
As the 2020 presidential election draws closer and closer, the field of Democratic candidates is slowly winnowing. Gone are the likes of former Governor John Hickenlooper and Representative Eric Swalwell as they failed to gain traction in a crowded race. But there are two candidates that are likely to stick around for quite some time. […]
Medicare for All: Resolving the Affordability Crisis Obamacare Didn’t
Prior to the enactment of the Affordable Care Act — or, as it is more commonly known, Obamacare — health insurance in the United States failed Americans in two significant ways: it did not cover a sizable amount of the country, and it did not make healthcare affordable. Health insurance companies were legally allowed to […]
Are Democrats Dumping Charters?
Leila Hooshyar and Tara Madhav Discuss the Changing Debate Around Charter Schools within the Democratic Party
Beating Trump: Five Things Democrats Need To Do Before 2020
Beating Trump in 2020 will not be easy. If there is anything that the Democrats should’ve learned from 2016, this is probably it. The truth is Donald Trump is a much better politician than many of us give him credit for. He is savvy and has great political instincts along with unmatched abilities to manipulate the […]
Blue-Dog Democrats: Teaching the Party New Tricks
In 2016, Bernie Sanders swept the Democratic Party with a wave of progressivism. But there’s a force with a totally different agenda than the progressive tide: the Blue-Dog Coalition. Progressives like Bernie Sanders are open to the viewpoints of different races and sexual orientation, yet they remain prejudiced to those of conservative mindsets. Still, despite the ideological obstacles […]
Voter Turnout is Too Low in the U.S. – Here’s How to Fix It
It’s no secret — voter turnout is too low, and it doesn’t need to be. To increase voter turnout, two important changes should be made to the election. First, an option to select “None of the Above” should be included on the ballot. Second, election day should be made into a national holiday. The United States […]
Democrats Join the Mad Tea Party: The Contest Begins between Feinstein and De León
The December midnight was drenched in silence. A large crowd stared on from the harbor as the Sons of Liberty crept along the docks in Mohawk Native American costumes. They swept through the streets of Boston with one pursuit in mind: dump the coercive British tea. With the quiet punctuated only by the sound of […]
The Power in a Political Narrative
It may be a cliche, but the phrase “Trump means it seriously, but not literally” may be quite telling about the power of rhetoric that supports a particular worldview. Narratives, or larger stories about the way the world is, are essential to political candidates. When one thinks of former president Ronald Reagan, we not only […]
The Cost of Care?
It was a sunny Sunday in Los Angeles when my great uncle, Gaylord Moss, got a phone call from my grandmother, Sabrina, in Cambridge, England. As they chatted about their day, the conversation moved to the topic of health. Part way through the conversation, they both realized that the other had a very different experience […]
Dear Mr. Sanders: Tuition-Free Education is a Handout to the Rich
As an eye-catching, sloganeering, vote-winning policy, tuition-free public university is certainly a crowd pleaser. It was for Bernie Sanders, and his left-wing doppelganger in Britain, Jeremy Corbyn, is discovering the same thing. It’s the kind of policy that sounds big, bold, and revolutionary — especially to their young, usually middle-class college student supporters. However, as […]
Will the Party Go On?
The Election of Tom Perez Tensions were high as delegates cast their ballots for the DNC chair. It had been the only contested DNC election since 2005, and is the first major election the Democratic Party has had since losing the 2016 election, bringing it to the national spotlight. After the recent Republican victories, all […]
Are Asians apolitical and other musings
I was browsing Facebook when I came across Jesse Watters’ “Chinatown segment” from the O’Reilly Show on Fox News. I had some time so I decided to watch it. As the camera panned to Chinatown, New York, a stereotypical Oriental riff chimed in the background. Watters’ first words? “Am I supposed to bow when I say […]
A Disunified Party in Power: Republicans off to a shaky start with ACA Repeal
January 9, 2016 — On the floor of the Senate, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) stands in front of a large posterboard emblazoned with a neon yellow “$9.7 trillion” — the amount of money he claims national spending will be increased by, were the current budget reconciliation plan to pass. Paul is arguing that the current […]
Why the Clinton Democrats Lost and Will Keep on Losing
Bill and Hillary Clinton at Hillary’s Concession Speech. President Trump. Let that sit in. People across the country are confused, angry, or celebrating Trump’s decisive win over Hillary Clinton after a bitterly divisive presidential election. Misogyny, racism, and the FBI are being suggested as potential causes for the loss of a former Secretary of State […]
Why The Golden State Didn’t Bern
Senator Sanders’ rallies, like this one in Oakland, CA drew thousands of enthusiastic supporters. (Getty) Despite the hype, California didn’t swing for Bernie on June 7, 2016. While national polls predominantly aligned with Clinton, a Sanders victory was still a real possibility leading up to the California primary, especially coming on the heels of a well-won Midwest […]
The Cost of Cost Relief: The potential impact of California’s drug price reform initiative
Government regulation is at it again. This time, it’s going after Big Pharma. California is the latest state to propose a ballot measure that, if passed, would set a price ceiling on prescription drugs paid for by state agencies. The California Drug Price Relief Initiative, proposed by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, a Los Angeles-based patient […]
Make America Vote Again: How Sanders and Trump Have Helped to Fight Voter Apathy
Pete* has been apathetic about politics since the death of Robert Kennedy in 1968. After being an active participant in Bobby’s campaign, he has not been able to muster support for another candidate in forty years. Pete is not the only person who feels this way; voter apathy is a major problem in the United […]
Overcoming the Collective Action Problem: Can the Sanders Strategy Work?
As the weather begins to warm, America is “Feeling the Bern.” Widely dismissed as a fringe candidate at the beginning of his campaign, Senator Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) rise to a strong contender in the 2016 presidential race points to his platform’s potential appeal with the U.S. population. The self proclaimed democratic socialist wants to “create […]
The Nordic Model: No Universal Holy Grail
Nordic countries have become somewhat of an international sensation. In the last decade, they seemed impervious to the economic and social woes that ossified economic growth in Europe and Asia and reflected extreme inequality in the United States. Many attribute their success to the “Nordic model,” a unique political and economic template that has raised […]
Trade, Oppression and Uncle Sam
The belief in American superiority poisons nearly all public debate in the United States. In recent months, the effect of this belief has become painfully clear in respect to the debate surrounding the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) — a debate, in which opponents and proponents alike refract their arguments through thick lenses of American nationalism. […]
It Takes Two to Tango
What a bitter runoff between Argentine frontrunners means for its democracy At the first Democratic National Debate, Bernie Sanders knowingly quipped that people would be more prone to vote for him if they knew what a Democratic Socialist was. Sanders presents a new challenge for American voters, quick to stuff Bernie into the oft feared Socialist […]
To Discuss or to Protest? That is the Question
Berkeley’s campus atmosphere is ripe with tension from protests. Numerous campus events have been interrupted by the likes of By Any Means Necessary (BAMN) and Black Lives Matter (BLM) activists who seek to convey their platforms through upheaval and disruption. While their message is certainly conveyed, it comes at the cost of an educational dialogue, […]
The Trans-Pacific Partnership and Fast Track Authority: What’s the Big Deal?
A cornerstone of President Obama’s trade agenda has created a rift between his administration and his Democratic base, who have joined with Tea Party Republicans in an unusual marriage of convenience. The legislation in question, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), is a colossal proposed trade agreement that involves twelve countries, including Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, and […]