Leftists want a fair, democratic & sustainable economy.

Capitalism inherently & systematically delivers the opposite.

If your long-term vision doesn’t include replacing capitalism with something better, either you’re not a leftist or you don’t understand capitalism. 1/9 Wages are our claim to our share of our collective economic efforts.

A good economy would provide equitable wages rewarding us for effort, sacrifice or duration of work.

Capitalism doesn’t do any of those things. 2/9

https://twitter.com/ArashKolahi/status/1210332075787608065

I’m super excited to announce some HUGE professional news:

I have joined the Biden/Harris administration as Director of the Radical Left Agenda and will be leading the transition to a Radical Left Economy.

Let’s get to work! 1/33 I’m kidding, of course, because the Biden/Harris administration is not remotely radical left.

But since so many seem confused on what a Radical Left economic agenda might actually look like here’s exactly what I would do if I were to lead such an effort 2/33

How might the Left overcome self-defeating infighting & endless strategy disputes and instead start building the type of solidarity necessary to win a radically better world?

Left Solidarity in a Hostile World 1/30 There is little disagreement on both the importance & urgency of the systemic changes we desperately need.

We are facing grim challenges on multiple fronts:

Capitalism’s systemic ecological destruction, injustices & alienation 2/30

https://twitter.com/ArashKolahi/status/1260960535618543616

The current split we’re seeing in the Republican Party is not a sudden split of ‘consciousness’ or ‘doing what’s right’, but rather a split between two factions of their billionaire donors: Langone et al. vs. Mercers et al. 1/14 Policy-wise, these two groups agree on nearly everything, but there is a rift in strategy. One group funds & supports conspiracy theories, right-wing & white-supremacist extremist groups, etc.

They do so for two primary reasons: 2/14

The economic & humanitarian crisis we are living through right now was 100% entirely avoidable.

It’s just that Wall Street, large corporations, the 1%, and the political duopoly they control simply don’t give a shit about you. 1/5 What we needed:
• A comprehensive *bottom-up* stimulus of approx. 40% of GDP
• Rent & mortgage freezes
• $2k/mo to keep people home & safe
• M4A

What we got:
• Trillions for the 1%
• Crumbs for the 99%
• Cronyism / corruption 2/5

After 4 years of a belligerent racist, sexist, authoritarian President - supported by millions, what lessons can we on the Left draw?

And how do we continue to organize for the radical transformations we seek within a society so deeply entrenched in racism & sexism? 1/18 First, it’s incredible how so many people’s entire narrative of this country completely changes based on if enough voter suppression or ballot purging changes the result of an election between two people who are both ‘widely disliked.’

It's worth examining.. 2/18

There’s really no way to look at the election results thus far and not conclude that the Democratic Party is a complete & utter failure.

This was literally the most ‘winnable’ election of our lifetimes. 1/10 And by ‘failure’ I mean failure to the people they *claim* to represent: the working class, people of color, women, etc.

Dems certainly are NOT a ‘failure’ to the corporations & 1% they *actually* represent. 2/10

Yesterday’s “debate” may have broken some brains.

Vacuous statements, like ‘we got what we deserve’ not only hollow out any systemic understanding of *how* & *why* we got here, they also insinuate blame on the people with the least power.

Stop that shit. Lost in the MSM’s post-debate conversation is the fact that this debate was NOT an aberration from a normally engaging, meaningful & participatory democratic political process – but rather a logical extension of consolidation of power by corporations & the 1% for over 40 years.

Trump is a white supremacist, fascist. Biden is a corporate shill. Both elevate the interests of corporations & the 1% at the expense of everyone else.

To break free from this cyclical nightmare, we must change the underlying systemic institutions that got us here. 1/12 Both major political parties are far to the right of the US population. Why? Because both parties represent the interests of corporations & the 1%.

Studies show, the opinions of the vast majority mean little to nothing in terms of *actual outcomes*. 2/12

https://twitter.com/ArashKolahi/status/1285647367585374208

Capitalism is theft!

Some of the things capitalism steals from the working-class EVERY👏SINGLE👏DAY👏:
• Equitable wages
• A fair say in the decisions that affect their lives
• A sustainable environment
• Dignity
• Time
• A stress & anxiety-free life

Thread 1/26 In a capitalist economy, labor is bought & sold on a market system, and, like all market-based prices, wages (price of labor) is a function of the relative bargaining power between buyers (employers) & sellers (employees).

How wages *really* work: 2/26

https://twitter.com/ArashKolahi/status/1210332075787608065

Myopic econocentrism is harmful to the left & hinders the solidarity necessary for revolutionary change.

Rather than focus on economics-first theory & strategy, the left should focus on oppression/liberation-based theory & strategy. Here’s why: 1/12 First, econocentric leftists are correct when they claim that economic injustice is pervasive, from widespread poverty to international exploitation, from massive disparities in wealth to lacking opportunities for gaining the material means to live & thrive. 2/12

Almost all of the injustices we’re fighting against today were always there.

But for many, the disruptions caused by the pandemic broke the spell of business-as-usual complacency & capitalism's rat-race exhaustion.

This is a critical moment for radical consciousness-raising 1/6 People are looking for answers to why their lives are so full of pain, anxiety, alienation, injustice, & oppression.

Now is the time to connect the dots of those lived experiences with their true *systematic* sources: capitalism, racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. 2/6

Capitalism is inherently & systematically:
• Anti-democratic
• Environmentally destructive
• Inequitable
• Creativity & innovation stifling
• Heartlessness & callousness incentivizing

We will PROVE each & every one of these claims & EXPOSE common capitalist propaganda. 1/22 Democracy means people have a fair say in the decisions that affect their lives. 2/22

https://twitter.com/ArashKolahi/status/1125471207086649346

Recent discourse around parenting, children & sexuality provides an incredibly insightful glimpse into the sheer shallowness of the MSM & their supposed 'experts' tasked with helping us make sense of our world - but instead obfuscate & hollow-out any meaningful conversation. 1/12 On one side of the spectrum, they present our world as if unknown & unknowable forces are at work to corrupt & hypersexualize our children.

There is no context of capitalism's commodification of sexuality or how sexist & patriarchal norms contour every aspect of our lives. 2/12

Advocating for people from traditionally marginalized communities - who historically have had little to no access to represent their *own* identity in their *own* voices - to be allowed the means & space to do so is NOT 'identity politics.' 1/5 Using your power & privilege to cherry-pick people from traditionally marginalized communities to parrot *your* views (or views you find palatable) is. 2/5

Part of what makes conspiracy theories like Q-Anon so appealing is that the sheer magnitude & scale of these theories match people's lived experiences of pain, alienation, indignity & oppression.

Centrism's 'business-as-usual' could NEVER compete.

But could the left? 1/26 The people backing RW conspiracy theories are not stupid. They are targeting the disillusioned & alienated & giving them targets to place blame for how oppressed they feel.

Of course, their theories blame everything but the *true systematic sources* of people's suffering. 2/26

Trying to prevent an economic recession/depression from the top-down is like trying to push string: The more you push, the more slack develops – but nothing moves along.

Corporations will keep hoarding their capital & won’t hire employees or invest in the REAL economy. 1/4 Corporations won’t spend one additional penny on hiring workers or additional capacity unless that penny returns more pennies. And that doesn’t happen unless consumers have money to spend on the goods & services they need. 2/4

Fascism is not *just* about the consolidation of power.

It’s also about expanding/maintaining those systems which allow for power to be consolidated, while eroding any systems that stand in the way of power consolidation. 1/4 Looking at the political/corporate nexus of power in the US through this lens, it’s quite clear that both parties have been complicit in paving the road to fascism for decades.

From bipartisan expansions of executive power... to universal capitulation to corporate power. 2/4

Imagine the economy as a train roaring towards a precipice. All that is needed to avert catastrophic disaster would be for a few levers to be pulled.

Long ago, the First-Class cabin was bailed out with $Trillions.
What will be the fate of the remaining 99%? Thread 1/12 In a functioning democracy, there would be some correlation between the will of the people & which levers are pulled.

But this train is not a functioning democracy & there is ZERO correlation between the will of the people & which levers get pulled. 2/12

https://twitter.com/ArashKolahi/status/1294324256348622848

People with zero understanding of societal change, who have never read any history of how change against status quo has ever been won, who completely misunderstand how & why civil disobedience works, out here lecturing protestors on the right way to protest. The logic of civil disobedience:

https://twitter.com/ArashKolahi/status/1230218303102046209

The primary systemic function of the US criminal “justice” system is to control & criminalize black, brown & poor people while serving the interests of corporations & the wealthy. 1/14 Every person regularly breaks laws (either knowingly or unknowingly) – an estimated three times a day, on average.

However, the particular communities & the specific laws that are heavily policed, prosecuted & criminalized are along highly racist & classist lines. 2/14