One Year of Vulgar Marxism

The newsletter now has over 1,000 subscribers, and its reporting has been featured in mainstream outlets like the Washington Post, New York Magazine, and Harper's.

Readers,

This week, Vulgar Marxism celebrates its first year of publication! The newsletter now has over 1,000 subscribers, and I want to thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart for your support over the past twelve months. Because of you, I've been able to deliver high-quality, original reporting on New York and national politics that's had a real impact on the way people think about important issues. Even the lying, fake-news media agrees: Vulgar Marxism has been cited in outlets like the Washington Post, New York Magazine, Harper's Magazine, the Guardian, the Intercept, Democracy Now, Jacobin, Huffpost, the New York Post, and more.

I love writing this newsletter and would love to continue writing it for another year - and for many years after that. However, only about 13 percent of subscribers are paying, and while more people are signing up than ever, very few are choosing to purchase a paid subscription.

One thing I'm quite proud of about Vulgar Marxism is how much original reporting and analysis I put into it. Whether it's crunching the numbers on election returns, interviewing elected officials, or digging into underreported stories, I try my best to avoid pure takery and deliver value that you won't find in other sources (and of course, beginner-intermediate Canva graphics too). All of this takes an enormous amount of time and effort, and while I love doing it, it's only sustainable with your support.

So please help Vulgar Marxism stay in the content game for another year by purchasing a paid subscription for just $5.60/month. Paying subscribers get access to the newsletter's audio interview series, featuring guests like New York City Councilwoman Tiffany Cabán and New York State Assemblyman Ron Kim.

To mark this happy occasion, here were the ten most popular stories on Vulgar Marxism over the past year. Eight of them are jam-packed with original reporting and analysis (and oh so many lovely Canva graphics), which just goes to show how much readers value real journalism - though the takes aren't half-bad either, if I do say so myself. Thank you again to everyone who's supported the newsletter this year, and keep your eye out for some great pieces coming next week.

No. 1: Professional Losers: The Transformation of the Democratic Electorate

"Between 2008 and 2020, the share of working-class voters in the Democratic presidential primary shrank, while the share of affluent voters grew substantially."

No. 2: New York Democrats Keep Losing Ground with Hispanic and Asian Voters

"In Queens, Eric Adams' coalition was whiter and weaker than Bill De Blasio's, while a cross-racial collapse in Democratic support powered Republican City Council wins." 

No. 3: These Billionaires are Bankrolling the Booming Anti-Racism Racket

”Woke consultancies are weaponizing identity claims to fight for the expansion of charter schools.”

No. 4: The Cabán-Adams Voter

"Black voters in Astoria’s public housing projects backed a prison abolitionist for City Council and a retired cop for City Hall." 

No. 5: Queens is More Diverse Than Ever and More Republican than 20 years Ago

"National patterns that see voters of color drifting right are playing out in the heart of the American socialist project."

No. 6: How to Win Comrades & Influence People

"Popularism is all well and good, but the real way to win is through The Cool Zone." 

No. 7: Eric Adams was Right to Hire His Brother as Chief of Security

"Adams understands that even a pro-cop mayor isn’t necessarily safe from the NYPD. That’s a lesson the left would do well to remember." 

No. 8: New York Democrats Preach Pay Equity While Their Own Employees Earn Poverty Wages

"The State Assembly just passed a bill requiring government contractors to disclose their wage gaps. But the chamber's own finances reveal deep inequities." 

No. 9: The Dianne Morales Campaign Reveals the Charter School Industry's Remarkable Reach

"In 2016, Morales was inducted into a network of the industry's leading advocates and executives. Now, they're backing her campaign for mayor of New York City." 

No. 10: Class War in Chinatown

"Christopher Marte explains how the multiracial working class of Lower Manhattan helped him beat the sweatshop queen of Chinatown for City Council."