Peter Bloom

Dr. Peter Bloom is a lecturer in the Department of People and Organizations at the Open University. He has published widely on issues of 21st-century democracy, politics, and economics in both scholarly journals and in publications including the Washington Post, The New Statesman, Roar, Open Democracy, The Conversation, and Common Dreams. His books include "Beyond Power and Resistance: Politics at the Radical Limits" (2016).
Articles by this author
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Views Saturday, January 23, 2021 Beware Corporate ‘Democracy Washing’: Twitter, Trump, and the Danger of Privatizing the Fight Against Fascism Joe Biden and Kamala Harris's inauguration has brought renewed hope for the survival of democracy to many in the US and around the world. This was no mere “peaceful transition of power” from one political party to another. Indeed, it was only several weeks ago that an insurrection jeopardized this... Read more |
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Views Friday, November 06, 2020 Resisting the "Moderate" Reaction After months of predicting a landslide, the Democrats at best appear to have barely won a contested presidency, lost seats in the House and failed to decisively take back the Senate. Even if Trump loses, his brand of Far Right populist politics has won. November 3 rd was a rebuke to the idea that a... Read more |
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Views Thursday, August 20, 2020 The “Obama Inspiration Syndrome” In the midst of a global pandemic and anti-racist insurrection, the 2020 Democratic National Convention has captured the nation's imagination. Despite being held virtually, key political figures such as Michelle and Barack Obama have delivered electrifying speeches. They have brought in even "... Read more |
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Views Sunday, March 01, 2020 The Real Global Threat to 21st Century Freedom Is Authoritarian Capitalism Not Democratic Socialism Only days after firmly establishing himself as the clear Democratic nominee frontrunner with a decisive victory in the Nevada caucus last week, Bernie Sanders found himself mired in a fresh controversy. In a widely watched and shared primetime interview he appeared to partially support recently... Read more |
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Views Friday, December 13, 2019 UK Election Shows Progressive Must Have More Than Great Policies, They Need to Win Today the United Kingdom woke up to a new and for many troubling political reality—the Conservatives had won a resounding majority. Indeed this was a rightwing landslide unseen in a generation. The Tories will now move into government with the number and the popular mandate to enact policies that... Read more |
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Views Monday, October 28, 2019 Forget Russia, The Real Threat to Democracy Are Corporate Assets Like Clinton and Trump Hillary Clinton recently made headlines around the globe with her strong insinuation that current Democratic presidential nominee Tulsi Gabbard was a “Russian Asset” during an interview. She declared "I'm not making any predictions, but I think they've got their eye on somebody who is currently in... Read more |
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Views Friday, August 02, 2019 Viral Racism and the Politics of Distraction Last week, President Trump ignited perhaps his most vile and controversial tweetstorm yet. He referred to the primarily black district of congressman Elijah Cummings as a "disgusting, rat and rodent-infested mess." Not surprisingly, both the mainstream media and the Democrats both challenged these... Read more |
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Views Sunday, July 21, 2019 The Dangerous Truth about Trump’s Racism: White Power, Elite Rule, and Justified Privilege Last week, President Trump set off a political firestorm that sent shock waves across the US and the world when he tweeted that four non-white progressive congresswomen—Reps. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley, and Ilhan Omar, who all but one were born in the US—should “...go... Read more |
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Views Tuesday, April 16, 2019 The Divisive Center vs. The Unifying Left Bernie Sanders shocked the mainstream establishment this week by appearing on a Fox News Town Hall. Even more surprisingly, he was triumphant on a station most known for its fervent support for Trump and extreme Conservatism. In the citadel of right wing media he effectively and convincingly... Read more |
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Views Wednesday, February 27, 2019 A Conman, a Liar, and a Rigged System Present Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen is testifying in front of congress today. On the surface, this is an attempt to get to the truth of Trump’s misdeeds as a candidate. Cohen has intimate knowledge of his actions and character, and give a first hand account of hush money payments,... Read more |