Does hashtag activism work?

Published: The Daily Dot (March 24, 2016)

There was an interesting debate at the University of Pennsylvania this week. TheFoundation for Individual Rights in Education, or FIRE, hosted a panel discussion on the effectiveness of hashtag activism.

The debate featured Zeynep Tufekci, an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Zellie Imani, an educator whose protest career was forged in the literal fire of the Ferguson protests.... Read Original Article

Why Bernie Sanders’ Judaism is so important

Published: Salon (February 11, 2016)

With his New Hampshire primary victory now in the books, Bernie Sanders has done more than simply guarantee that Hillary Clinton won’t have a free ride to the Democratic nomination. Indeed, even if Clinton ultimately bests Sanders in the upcoming primaries, the Vermont senator has still achieved something of lasting significance:

He is the first Jewish American to win a presidential primary.... Read Original Article

The Fundamental Difference Between Sanders and Trump

Published: Alternet (January 31, 2016), Salon (January 31, 2016), The Good Men Project (January 21, 2016)

As the 2016 presidential election gathers steam, it’s tempting to compare the Bernie Sanders surge among Democrats with the Donald Trump phenomenon among Republicans. After all, both candidates are marshalling support from the ideological grassroots in their respective parties (the left in Sanders’ case, the right for Trump), and both have successfully tapped into a deeper anger that animates their campaigns.... Read Original Article

Hey progressives, Hillary isn’t the enemy

Published: Salon (November 12, 2015)

The inevitable has finally happened: Bernie Sanders supporters are beginning to openly proclaim that, if Hillary Clinton defeats their champion in the upcoming Democratic presidential primaries, they will not support her in the subsequent election.

I refer to this trend as “inevitable” because, as a Sanders supporter myself, I’ve heard this sentiment privately uttered in numerous conversations with (otherwise sympathetic) minds.
... Read Original Article

The Right (and Wrong) Way to Discuss Socialism

Published: Salon (October 20, 2015)The Good Men Project (October 17, 2015)

Is the term “socialist” losing its stigma? There are two examples from last week’s news cycle that shed some light on that question.

At the beginning of Tuesday’s Democratic presidential debate, Anderson Cooper challenged Sen. Bernie Sanders on the Vermont liberal’s willingness to describe himself as a democratic socialist.... Read Original Article

Understanding the Sanders Revolution

Published: The Daily Dot (October 13, 2015)The Good Men Project (October 13, 2015)

In tonight’s Democratic presidential debate, Bernie Sanders will take his first big step in avoiding the fate that befell another Vermont liberal, former Gov. Howard Dean, whose candidacy tanked after the public got a negative first impression of him following his defeat in the Iowa caucuses.... Read Original Article