If we put our minds to it, Bernie will be able to feel at least a little shade from the trees he's helped plant— it's not impossible. (Things are shifting!)
So ready for this. Was very excited to see the win in DC this week, and so many DC voters saying they wanted their own "Mamdani". Hoping these moderate Dems wake up, and that the coming progressive wave will wash them out if they don't.
That's just silly. He's consistently anti-Israel and anti-war, the two most important "left" issues at this particular time and not easily reducible to "class"
He's incredibly pro-war. He volunteered to fight an imperial war of choice in which the main victims were civilians, and loved it so much re-volunteered to fight with an unaccountable mercenary force that mainly does war crimes and is owned by a billionaire in Trump's inner circle.
He, like Trump, does this incredible move known as 'lying' where you say one thing and do another. It takes a team of top scientists, an abandoned salt mine filled with heavy water and years of sustained observation but we have confirmed the phenomenon is real. Impossible for the layman to discern though, no shame.
But if Israel is a salient issue (and if so good for you) voting in a proud Totenkopf-sporter (if so bad for you) is certainly one way to guarantee genuine anti-israel sentiment.
You missed this comment above huh? "I'm not really a fan of Platner or a defender more broadly. I'm simply responding to the "only lens is class" assertion" I'm not a big Platner guy so I'm not sure what all this vitriol and sarcasm is for even but yeah he's definitely a problematic guy and candidate. I was just saying that his main thing is critiquing the current wars etc. not making any assertion as to how genuine it is
It's really, REALLY weird and point-missing (and worth calling out every time) to conflate 'A Nazi' with 'anti-zionist'. People are going to jail behind that specific 'confusion'.
Calling 'A Nazi' 'problematic' is damning with faint praise in reverse.
"He's consistently anti-Israel and anti-war" != "his main thing is critiquing the current wars"
Let me put this more gently - *I* am anti-Israel (anti zionist) and *I* am anti war. I was anti Iraq and anti Afghanistan when he was signing up multiple times to go 'put a boot in the ass' of (murder the children of) the Iraqis and Afghanis.
I (and people like me) have *nothing* to do with this nazi, rapist, rich son. We agree on nothing and I spent my entire youth arguing with red pilled macho reddit pricks like this guy used to be up until last year when he decided a switcheroo would help him get the job hes decided he deserves which is UNITED STATES SENATOR.
Don't lump me or the actual anti war/anti genocide left in with a person with a Nazi tatoo on his chest.
Yeah I don't think he's like literally present day a card carrying organized neo-nazi. He shouldn't have gotten the tattoo though I agree that was bad. Anyway it seems like he's dropping out so maybe you'll have time so sort through your own obvious anger issues
Some of us are angry when we see a nazi and others of us aren't 'crazy'.
If he's dropping out that's news to me. Although earlier today I just read in the news that things 'he shouldn't have done' I'm sure you 'will agree was bad' was multiple sex-assaults (over explicit and repeated 'no' which we have a word for that's shorter than 'sex assault'.
Can you recommend a therapist so I don't go all 'crazy angry' when I hear about people given life and death power doing stuff like this?
I thought the rise of really insidious racism and the loss of reproductive rights at a large scale were a thing, but I'm just a woman who doesn't trust men who abuse women and have nazi tattoos. My bad.
Those are class issues as well. If abortions were made 100% illegal, guess who could STILL get them no questions asked and guess who would lose access completely.
You were suggesting that women's right to bodily autonomy was SEPARATE from class issues. I was merely pointing out that that wasn't true. I wasn't 'explaining' abortion in the least
Hamilton, I would like to see a deeper dive from you on the tensions between the nice vision you lay out here and the reality that in many blue states and cities, the labor councils throw their weight aggressively behind the moderate Dem machine candidates in firm opposition to the DSA/progressive candidates
Labor politics, or politics within unions, are a parallel playing field to electoral politics and require their own individual efforts inside of each union. But longer term/ big picture, most transactional unions follow power. Many big NYC unions endorsed Cuomo but now that Zohran won are much friendlier to the DSA wing of the party because the power is there.
Thank you. I would love any reporting and thoughts from you on this dynamic, whether you think it is short sighted or not, how different unions approach this Q, etc. It can’t be just reactive
Hey Julian, the other project of the left alongside seizing power in the Democratic Party is seizing power in unions. It's happened in other towns - Chicago Teachers Union, for one - but mostly only starting to bubble here in NYC.
Sterling words, dear Hamilton! Thank you for mapping out hope for true socialism. May our hamstrung-tied state of Florida benefit from the pull. Until then, we are heartened by our Georgia neighbors' Republican legislature recognizing gerrymandering for what it is... foilingTrump and the radical right. (Time for some datil peppers and pie.)
Thank you, Hamilton! As my friends in Northern Plains Resource Council have been known to say, "Hope is not a strategy. But, without it, strategy is worth nothing."
"Antonio Reynoso, who is also very progressive and very pro-labor and who, I trust, would be almost completely politically aligned with me if he were in Congress."
How is he not running under the DSA banner then?
I don't know what to think about races like this. On one hand its win/win because WHOEVER wins is miles above the fray, but then you lose the 'loser' in that race...
I felt the same about the Talarico/ Crockett primary..I mean its GREAT to be able to be thrilled with either outcome but in the process we lost Crockett for the nonce.
This is such new territory for us...having such a deep bench of stellar candidates out there. I'd just prefer they were more dispersed among different races instead of going head to head where one of them gets booted out of politics altogether for at least 2-4 years
DSA won’t endorse two people running against each other in the same race. Their endorsement comes with infrastructure so that would be counterproductive. I’ll also say, we’re in the middle of a housing crisis in NYC and I think that makes taking real estate money in an election absolutely unacceptable, which Reynoso did along with some other shady stuff, like hiring a conservative consulting firm that goes after progressives.
As for Jasmine Crockett, she isn’t even remotely progressive, from Crypto to Israel to supporting Wesley Bell over Cori Bush, I find her politics middling at best. And I used to like her because she’s a good communicator and a good partisan, but that just feels empty now.
But, even if these were great candidates, we don’t have to worry about “losing them.” Everyone has a role to play and we are so so far away from a critical mass in Congress we should be actively recruiting as many good people who actually share our values as possible.
I hope one day we’re in the place you outlined, though.
A lot of this DSA news is really encouraging. But we can't welcome Brad Lander, who invested NYC pension funds into Elbit Systems, the genocidal Israeli weapons manufacturer. Under Lander, the fund increased its holdings in Elbit, not just from stock appreciation, but also from purchases of new shares. When he's been accused of supporting BDS, he's (accurately) pointed to this and other genocidal investments he's made.
I do not think now is the time for progressives and democratic socialists whether small ds or capitalized DS to be busying ourselves with applying labels like centrist and corporate liberals and so forth to other Democrats. Let's put forth our issues and keep our eye on the prize, which is not just to have new standard bearers but to defeat MAGA, as you put it, "post-Trump." We are not post-Trump until Democrats win in 2028.
I've found in Ohio that it serves little purpose to for instance demonize Congresswoman Shontel Brown as some are wont to do. Also, there is nothing wrong with contested primaries against incumbent Dems, but how we go about that is key, or we serve the interests of pro-MAGA forces who like to point to the Dems as a big den of vipers.
"Now, we are at last seeing the glimmering possibility of systemic, organized left politics that are robust enough to break free of any one personality and flourish in both likely and unlikely districts across the country."
I agree that it is about the movement, not any one person, but that does not mean I would vote for anyone simply because they professed progressive left politics. One person(or a few people) could do great harm to the momentum of the DSA if they are elected and become an embarrassment (see DJT), effectively stymying the gains that are being made.
I am a big fan of AOC, but I do not know enough about her that I would endorse her as a presidential candidate at this time (perhaps you do).
I know that the perfect is the enemy of the good, but so is the mediocre or the incompetent.
Read the old Gawker article. It’s never not striking to me how many men “idly wonder” about abortion, who treat a human right and bodily autonomy as a thought experiment. I know it was a while ago, so hopefully your views have evolved and you wouldn’t write something so careless now.
A minor correction (if I am not reading this incorrectly): Chris Rabb isn't "newly elected to the Pennsylvania statehouse", he was first elected in 2017. He just won the primary for the PA 3rd congressional district.
If we put our minds to it, Bernie will be able to feel at least a little shade from the trees he's helped plant— it's not impossible. (Things are shifting!)
So ready for this. Was very excited to see the win in DC this week, and so many DC voters saying they wanted their own "Mamdani". Hoping these moderate Dems wake up, and that the coming progressive wave will wash them out if they don't.
Graham Platner is only a move to the left if your only lens is class.
That's just silly. He's consistently anti-Israel and anti-war, the two most important "left" issues at this particular time and not easily reducible to "class"
He's incredibly pro-war. He volunteered to fight an imperial war of choice in which the main victims were civilians, and loved it so much re-volunteered to fight with an unaccountable mercenary force that mainly does war crimes and is owned by a billionaire in Trump's inner circle.
He, like Trump, does this incredible move known as 'lying' where you say one thing and do another. It takes a team of top scientists, an abandoned salt mine filled with heavy water and years of sustained observation but we have confirmed the phenomenon is real. Impossible for the layman to discern though, no shame.
But if Israel is a salient issue (and if so good for you) voting in a proud Totenkopf-sporter (if so bad for you) is certainly one way to guarantee genuine anti-israel sentiment.
You missed this comment above huh? "I'm not really a fan of Platner or a defender more broadly. I'm simply responding to the "only lens is class" assertion" I'm not a big Platner guy so I'm not sure what all this vitriol and sarcasm is for even but yeah he's definitely a problematic guy and candidate. I was just saying that his main thing is critiquing the current wars etc. not making any assertion as to how genuine it is
It's really, REALLY weird and point-missing (and worth calling out every time) to conflate 'A Nazi' with 'anti-zionist'. People are going to jail behind that specific 'confusion'.
Calling 'A Nazi' 'problematic' is damning with faint praise in reverse.
"He's consistently anti-Israel and anti-war" != "his main thing is critiquing the current wars"
Let me put this more gently - *I* am anti-Israel (anti zionist) and *I* am anti war. I was anti Iraq and anti Afghanistan when he was signing up multiple times to go 'put a boot in the ass' of (murder the children of) the Iraqis and Afghanis.
I (and people like me) have *nothing* to do with this nazi, rapist, rich son. We agree on nothing and I spent my entire youth arguing with red pilled macho reddit pricks like this guy used to be up until last year when he decided a switcheroo would help him get the job hes decided he deserves which is UNITED STATES SENATOR.
Don't lump me or the actual anti war/anti genocide left in with a person with a Nazi tatoo on his chest.
Yeah I don't think he's like literally present day a card carrying organized neo-nazi. He shouldn't have gotten the tattoo though I agree that was bad. Anyway it seems like he's dropping out so maybe you'll have time so sort through your own obvious anger issues
Some of us are angry when we see a nazi and others of us aren't 'crazy'.
If he's dropping out that's news to me. Although earlier today I just read in the news that things 'he shouldn't have done' I'm sure you 'will agree was bad' was multiple sex-assaults (over explicit and repeated 'no' which we have a word for that's shorter than 'sex assault'.
Can you recommend a therapist so I don't go all 'crazy angry' when I hear about people given life and death power doing stuff like this?
I thought the rise of really insidious racism and the loss of reproductive rights at a large scale were a thing, but I'm just a woman who doesn't trust men who abuse women and have nazi tattoos. My bad.
I'm not really a fan of Platner or a defender more broadly. I'm simply responding to the "only lens is class" assertion
Those are class issues as well. If abortions were made 100% illegal, guess who could STILL get them no questions asked and guess who would lose access completely.
Thanks for explaining abortion to me, guy.
You were suggesting that women's right to bodily autonomy was SEPARATE from class issues. I was merely pointing out that that wasn't true. I wasn't 'explaining' abortion in the least
Hey man you gotta call in, not out in lefty spaces. Its a multi-tendency organization.
The DSA National-Socialist Caucus is gonna file a greivance with the steering committee for these microaggressions.
Well the only lens IS class...
Hamilton, I would like to see a deeper dive from you on the tensions between the nice vision you lay out here and the reality that in many blue states and cities, the labor councils throw their weight aggressively behind the moderate Dem machine candidates in firm opposition to the DSA/progressive candidates
Labor politics, or politics within unions, are a parallel playing field to electoral politics and require their own individual efforts inside of each union. But longer term/ big picture, most transactional unions follow power. Many big NYC unions endorsed Cuomo but now that Zohran won are much friendlier to the DSA wing of the party because the power is there.
Thank you. I would love any reporting and thoughts from you on this dynamic, whether you think it is short sighted or not, how different unions approach this Q, etc. It can’t be just reactive
My book has a lot on this.
Thank you
Hey Julian, the other project of the left alongside seizing power in the Democratic Party is seizing power in unions. It's happened in other towns - Chicago Teachers Union, for one - but mostly only starting to bubble here in NYC.
Sterling words, dear Hamilton! Thank you for mapping out hope for true socialism. May our hamstrung-tied state of Florida benefit from the pull. Until then, we are heartened by our Georgia neighbors' Republican legislature recognizing gerrymandering for what it is... foilingTrump and the radical right. (Time for some datil peppers and pie.)
Thank you, Hamilton! As my friends in Northern Plains Resource Council have been known to say, "Hope is not a strategy. But, without it, strategy is worth nothing."
Let’s go!!
"Antonio Reynoso, who is also very progressive and very pro-labor and who, I trust, would be almost completely politically aligned with me if he were in Congress."
How is he not running under the DSA banner then?
I don't know what to think about races like this. On one hand its win/win because WHOEVER wins is miles above the fray, but then you lose the 'loser' in that race...
I felt the same about the Talarico/ Crockett primary..I mean its GREAT to be able to be thrilled with either outcome but in the process we lost Crockett for the nonce.
This is such new territory for us...having such a deep bench of stellar candidates out there. I'd just prefer they were more dispersed among different races instead of going head to head where one of them gets booted out of politics altogether for at least 2-4 years
DSA won’t endorse two people running against each other in the same race. Their endorsement comes with infrastructure so that would be counterproductive. I’ll also say, we’re in the middle of a housing crisis in NYC and I think that makes taking real estate money in an election absolutely unacceptable, which Reynoso did along with some other shady stuff, like hiring a conservative consulting firm that goes after progressives.
As for Jasmine Crockett, she isn’t even remotely progressive, from Crypto to Israel to supporting Wesley Bell over Cori Bush, I find her politics middling at best. And I used to like her because she’s a good communicator and a good partisan, but that just feels empty now.
But, even if these were great candidates, we don’t have to worry about “losing them.” Everyone has a role to play and we are so so far away from a critical mass in Congress we should be actively recruiting as many good people who actually share our values as possible.
I hope one day we’re in the place you outlined, though.
A lot of this DSA news is really encouraging. But we can't welcome Brad Lander, who invested NYC pension funds into Elbit Systems, the genocidal Israeli weapons manufacturer. Under Lander, the fund increased its holdings in Elbit, not just from stock appreciation, but also from purchases of new shares. When he's been accused of supporting BDS, he's (accurately) pointed to this and other genocidal investments he's made.
Yeah, I voted for Lander because he’s 1000x better than Goldman, but we really deserved a leftist in this seat.
Hamilton here is a good piece by Harold Myerson in The American Prospect on the rise of socialist politics: https://prospect.org/2026/06/19/why-cities-go-socialist-zohran-mamdani-janeese-lewis-george-nithya-raman/. I would be interested in your reaction.
I do not think now is the time for progressives and democratic socialists whether small ds or capitalized DS to be busying ourselves with applying labels like centrist and corporate liberals and so forth to other Democrats. Let's put forth our issues and keep our eye on the prize, which is not just to have new standard bearers but to defeat MAGA, as you put it, "post-Trump." We are not post-Trump until Democrats win in 2028.
I've found in Ohio that it serves little purpose to for instance demonize Congresswoman Shontel Brown as some are wont to do. Also, there is nothing wrong with contested primaries against incumbent Dems, but how we go about that is key, or we serve the interests of pro-MAGA forces who like to point to the Dems as a big den of vipers.
🥖🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹
Hi Hamilton,
Great as usual. One addition and one correction.
Addition: Katie Wilson is the socialist mayor of Seattle, elected alongside Zohran last fall.
Correction: MLK did get to the mountaintop, and he'd seeeeeeen the promised land.
Katie Wilson, yes!
"Now, we are at last seeing the glimmering possibility of systemic, organized left politics that are robust enough to break free of any one personality and flourish in both likely and unlikely districts across the country."
I agree that it is about the movement, not any one person, but that does not mean I would vote for anyone simply because they professed progressive left politics. One person(or a few people) could do great harm to the momentum of the DSA if they are elected and become an embarrassment (see DJT), effectively stymying the gains that are being made.
I am a big fan of AOC, but I do not know enough about her that I would endorse her as a presidential candidate at this time (perhaps you do).
I know that the perfect is the enemy of the good, but so is the mediocre or the incompetent.
Read the old Gawker article. It’s never not striking to me how many men “idly wonder” about abortion, who treat a human right and bodily autonomy as a thought experiment. I know it was a while ago, so hopefully your views have evolved and you wouldn’t write something so careless now.
Amen
A minor correction (if I am not reading this incorrectly): Chris Rabb isn't "newly elected to the Pennsylvania statehouse", he was first elected in 2017. He just won the primary for the PA 3rd congressional district.
Correct, fixed.