Beats socialism any day.

Key Points

• The number of Americans filing applications for unemployment benefits dropped to a more than 49-year low last week.
• The data pointed to sustained labor market strength despite slowing economic growth.
• Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped to 202,000 for the week ended March 30, the lowest level since early December 1969, the Labor Department said.

Could this have something to do with how the current administration operates? Somehow I think so. And hope against hope that it’s getting wide coverage in the nation’s newspapers, etc. tomorrow. I can hope, can’t I?

Give this man a cigar.

Bill Daley: ‘Progressive is [used] just because Democrats didn’t want to call themselves liberals anymore because it was such a negative term’

And they went from progressive many years ago when progressive had become such a negative term.

You need a scorecard, really.

All in all, this is as good a place as any to keep up with leftist rant. FYI.

Thunder from the (far) left, warning about Tuesday’s big, big winner.

Lightfoot claimed to be a progressive, but her record has been scrutinized by criminal justice activists and the CTU (which backed Lightfoot’s opponent, Cook county board president Toni Preckwinkle); she drew a large donation from a murky “dark money” group that uses vague pro-austerity rhetoric as well as support from Emanuel’s personal lawyer. The city’s labor movement and left will probably find themselves joining together to fight Lightfoot in office.

Isn’t that a blessing?

Chicago’s socialist victories [Tuesday] night weren’t a fluke. Throughout the country, people are tired of low wages, soaring housing costs, privatization of public goods, budget cuts and corporate giveaways of public money. They have tried austerity and found it miserable.

If Chicago’s elections are any indication, maybe they’re ready to try socialism.

Isn’t it nice to know our socialist friends have our back, in these perilous times?

The Chi-based author of this keen, gloom- and intensity- filled analysis:

• Micah Uetricht is the managing editor of Jacobin magazine. He is the author of Strike for America: Chicago Teachers Against Austerity (Verso, 2014) and a member of the Chicago Democratic Socialists of America

You were looking to the most hope-filled reform effort since Anton Cermak? (Heh) Forget that. Roll up your sleeves, comrades. The revolution has not yet happened.

Their plans for us:

Democratic socialist candidates have at the core of their platforms the dismantling of Chicago machine politics and policies. [And after that, original sin.]

They champion views that would:

• Elevate the working class. [Oh my]

• Expand affordable housing. [Oh?]

• Push for progressive taxation. [Uh-oh]

• Stop gentrification in its tracks. [Oh]

I can hardly wait.