He's always been a crank who's given off the impression he's more radical than he actually is. He has a good oratory style and calls people bother and sister, and he has a very good sense of American racism and how it works. He was also in the DSA in that inbetween period where it basically didn't exist, like after Michael Harrington was gone, but before the 2016 surge. All of that gave off a sense he was a radical socialist, whereas he's always been more of a personality driven liberal.

Unfortunately he's also a professor at an Ivy league school and has been for decades. That's what he's been this entire time, a professor looking for book deals who is all too eager to say things just to get notoriety. There have only been two ivy league professors I know who stayed cool their entire careers, and that's our friends Richard Wolff and Michael Parenti. Those two are absolute kings. (honorary mentions to Jodi Dean and Perry Anderson, who are also some rare good professors) If there are any other actually good ivy league profs I've never heard of them.