It’s hard not to be cynical. As essential workers bail out the country, Congress is bailing out (non-essential) corporations. The COVID-19 pandemic highlights just how much the United States government depends upon the working class but fails to govern for the working class. The Presidential debates will likely feature two contenders who believe that’s OK. In that sense, the election will likely be tone-deaf and incoherent.

Yet even if the most promising candidate had reached the general election — or the White House — there would still have been a need for better people in Congress to champion working-class interests. It is Congress that has the power to pass legislation, and Congress is still up for grabs, which is why SPRI’s focus in the coming months will be congressional races. Challenges to Democratic incumbents from the left will be of particular interest to us.

SPRI’s mission is to align U.S. foreign policy with the interests of the working class. Because foreign policy starts and ends at home, we will continue to make common cause with our allies fighting for Medicare For All and the Green New Deal. If you want to empower us to do more, you can support us here: patreon.com/SPRI. We rely exclusively on small donations. This doesn’t get us much, but it does afford independence from the whims of non-essential influences like billionaires and corporations.