During the hyper-masculine clown car that was the Republican National Convention, Trump and his VP nominee, J.D. Vance, spewed absurd anti-migrant accusations and supposed pro-worker policies. Journalist and author Jonathan M. Katz breaks down the reactionary rhetoric of MAGA Republicans and argues that Vance’s populism is anything but worker-friendly, given his well-established ties to Silicon Valley.
Against all expectations, the left coalition, aptly calling itself the “New Popular Front,” was able to win the most seats – 182 out of 577 seats – in the final round of the French parliamentary elections. French-Palestinian sociologist Dr. Sari Hanafi explains how the left quickly formed a political alliance to keep Marine Le Pen’s far-right party, the National Rally, from gaining enough seats to govern in the French parliament. He delves into the weaponization of antisemitism to smear Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leader of France Unbowed, which is the largest leftist party within the New Popular Front.
In part 2, political scientist Dr. Saeed Rahnema discusses his experience in the workers’ council movement leading up to and during the Iranian Revolution of 1979-1980 and addresses the Islamic Republic’s opposition to unions. He also contends that modern-day working classes in the West are ideologically and culturally segmented and that the left has failed to mobilize at numerous historical junctures.
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on January 17, 2017. On Reality Asserts Itself, Nina Turner, former Ohio State Senator and leading Bernie Sanders surrogate during the primary, tells host Paul Jay that she grew up poor, believing in the Democratic Party and the Clintons, but she came to understand the failure of the Party to serve the needs of the African-American community and poor white workers.
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on January 9, 2014. Hopkins trained doctor Marisela Gomez tells Paul Jay that Johns Hopkins expansion plans are changing the class and racial character of the surrounding community.
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on May 26, 2017. On Reality Asserts Itself, Prof. Alnasseri tells the story of his militant working-class family, the class struggle in Iraq and the sectarian conflict created by the U.S. invasion.
This interview was originally published on January 28, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, Mr. Jim tells host Paul Jay about his youth and radicalization in the fight against apartheid. Mr. Jim is now the leader of the largest union in South Africa with 340,000 members, which has recently broken with the ANC and is calling for a return to the principles of the Freedom Charter.
This interview was originally released on January 30, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself: Workers must build a united front to implement the Freedom Charter, which includes participating in electoral politics; the workers’ movement can’t just be about marching, says Mr. Jim, General Secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers of South Africa (NUMSA).
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on January 9, 2014. On Reality Asserts Itself, Marisela Gomez tells Paul Jay that Johns Hopkin’s “broken windows” policy and Baltimore’s use of eminent domain law helped destroy a once vibrant community.
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on January 14, 2014. Marisela Gomez tells Paul Jay that redevelopment in Baltimore must start with revitalizing the community, not to gentrify and raise real-estate values, but for the benefit of people who historically lived there.
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