At the Denver stop of the “Fight Oligarchy” tour, queues formed around 5 hours before Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were scheduled to speak. People of all ages came dressed in political attire, with t-shirts from Bernie’s election campaigns in 2016 and 2020 as well as AOC’s fight for reproductive rights and affordable housing. The pins being distributed captured the mood: “Fight fascism, resist Trump!”, “Eat the rich”, and “No one voted for Elon”. There was an excitement in the air, an anticipation of something significant about to unfold.
The excitement was laced however with something more threatening, a palpable sense of disquiet and unease. Signs of a government crackdown on civil rights and the political system are too obvious to ignore: repressive measures against undocumented migrants, new policies against LGBTQI+ communities, prohibitions of inclusive language, the improper influence of unelected officials, the dismantling of government agencies, the silencing of protest and opposition, or (probably) the disregarding of judicial orders. All of these moves have fueled the perception of rising authoritarianism under the Trump administration. Attendees talked about these measures and more. They discussed mutual support for family and community members in need of protection and which countries could potentially offer safe haven from US authorities.
What drew these crowds to the rally was equally clear.
There has been a noticeable void in terms of opposition to the Trump administration in national politics. For months now, the Democratic Party has been plagued by infighting over why the election was lost and over how to shape their response to Trump. It reached a boiling point last week when Chuck Schumer, leader of the Senate Democratic Caucus, broke with his colleagues and decided not to block a Republican plan for funding the government. This added fuel to the fire of an already raging debate that was kicked off by an opinion piece published in the New York Times by the renowned political consultant James Carville. Carville had suggested that Democrats should take a back seat and wait for the inevitable Republican implosion. This caused outrage among other parts of the Democratic Party and their base in particular. Frustration is widespread at the lack of resistance to Trump’s agenda and the failure to fiercely oppose the onslaught against civil liberties, the rights of minorities, and the rule of law. Many have wondered when an alternative vision to the unfolding nightmare will emerge.
It is in this context that the “Fight Oligarchy” tour was conceived. Over the course of three days last week, arenas, high schools, amphitheaters, and overflow rooms were filled in Nebraska, Iowa, Arizona, and Colorado. By last Friday afternoon in Denver, it felt like a long awaited moment had finally arrived for concerned citizens to channel an intense feeling of dissatisfaction and outrage into something meaningful.
Official proceedings began with musical performances by the Freedom Singers and Xiuhtezcatl. There followed speeches by various union representatives, detailing the erosion of public services in Colorado and the impact this has had on people and communities. Their speeches were fiery, the response even more so.
Rambunctious cheers erupted when Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez finally took the stage. She spoke about her background, growing up in a working-class family in the Bronx and working as a waitress as a young adult. She spoke about the damage extensive greed has wrought on US society and railed against Elon Musk and other corrupt billionaires, as she termed them. She spoke of how the Democratic Party needed to get its act together, how its response had to include class solidarity, and that its complacency was not acceptable, especially not now. The rapturous reception she received in Denver and in other cities also has helped build expectations that she may lead the progressive wing of the Democratic Party going forward.
Bernie Sanders then took the stage. Sanders’s consistency in messaging on economic populism over the years is what gives him so much credibility and authenticity. Mocked for warning of oligarchic tendencies in the US for decades, he argued in Denver that in light of current developments, what was once a tendency is now a full-blown reality. In his speech, he advocated for equitable access to healthcare and supported workers’ rights, sweeping campaign finance reform, resisting corporate power, and taxing the rich. The latter point precipitated widespread chanting amongst the crowd. Specifically, he called for an increase of the minimum wage, the creation of jobs by investing in renewable energy, a guarantee that colleges and universities would be tuition free, and an end to arms deliveries to the Israeli government. He appealed to the audience to organize within their neighborhoods, within their communities, and within their workplaces. And he also implored the Democratic Party to fight harder, to reject corporate influence, and to earn back the trust of the working class.
Sanders himself said this was the biggest attendance at any of his rallies. Many people could not be admitted as the venue reached capacity, resulting in people climbing trees and lampposts to get a better view of the speakers from far away. People jostled for space along the fence which formed the border of the venue, vying for a spot. Media outlets estimated that attendance was somewhere between 30,000 and 34,000 people. That was enough for Elon Musk to make unsubstantiated claims that attendees were paid to be there.
Some may choose to interpret the fact that Bernie Sanders is spearheading the resistance against Trump as a sign of a lack of imagination on the part of a rising generation within the Democratic Party. What is for certain, however, is that Bernie Sanders’s messaging has proven enduring over time. However, he made it clear to the audience that this is not about him, but about the gravity of situation the US finds itself in today. “Denver, your presence here today is not just significant for Colorado. You are sending a profound message all over the world. The whole world is watching, and they wanna know, if the people of America are gonna stand up to Trumpism, oligarchy, and authoritarianism”. In this moment, Sanders captured the question that many people are currently grappling with. Whether this can be the beginning of an answer, and whether this initial momentum can spread, remains to be seen.
David Williams directs the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation’s Climate Justice Program in New York.
