Tens of thousands of Los Angelenos pack Gloria Molina Grand Park on April 12, 2024 for Bernie Sanders' "Fighting Oligarchy" tour rally.
Bernie and Me: A Little History
Let's rewind the clock a ways. I first became aware of Bernie Sanders all the way back in the '90s, when he had just made the transition from being the mayor of Burlington, Vermont, and became a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Here was this unapologetic self-proclaimed socialist who was a fiercely independent politician, refusing to align with either the Republican or Democrat parties. He was elected Vermont's senator in 2006.
I distinctly remember Bernie being a progressive voice during the "Occupy Wall Street" movement in 2011. You may not know this, but even back then, polling conducted that year found that Sanders's approval rating was 67% and his disapproval rating just 28%, making him then the third-most popular U.S. senator.
Talk about a guy who never gives up and always stays true to his values... here's Bernie getting arrested in 1963 at a protest against school segregation.
2016: America Meets Bernie
And then, of course, came the 2016 presidential race, when millions more Americans became aware of Bernie and got to hear his message – always consistent to this very day -– that a small handful of billionaires controlled the vast majority of money in the USA. Initially considered a long shot for POTUS, Sanders won 23 primaries and caucuses and around 46% of pledged delegates to Hillary Clinton's 54%. His campaign was noted for its supporters' enthusiasm, as well as for rejecting large donations from corporations, the financial industry, and any associated Super PAC.
The downside of all this was that the massive enthusiasm for Bernie's campaign put a huge damper on that of his primary opponent. Let's be clear: in no way do I blame Bernie for the eventual victory of Donald Trump in that fall's election. I have, however, harbored some ill will and resentment toward his supporters, many of whom having become so conditioned to think of Hillary Clinton as the enemy that they chose not to vote at all that year – or even voted for Trump, despite Bernie's eventual endorsement of Clinton. Despite considering myself on the progressive side of liberal political ideology, the practicality of ensuring that Trump did not take office was far more important than being a baby about not getting everything I wanted. I lost respect for many of the aptly-named "Bernie Bro" supporters that I never regained.
But that was then. Many things have transpired in the years since. Bernie's message – going back to his time as a young activist in the 1960s – has remained unchanged. It's an outlook that I believe in regarding horrific disparity of wealth in the USA, and the equal treatment that all Americans deserve.
I firmly believe that there is an alternate universe where Bernie won in 2016, and the world was a much different place in 2025 as a result.
What Is Oligarchy?
The ongoing tour of rally events that Bernie – along with Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) – began earlier this year is called “Fighting Oligarchy: Where We Go From Here.” Knowing what the term "oligarchy" means is crucial to understanding their current mission.
Oligarchy is a form of government in which power rests with a small number of people. In that aspect, it's the antithesis of the principle on which the USA was founded, where allegedly all people are created equal, and that each citizen regardless of financial or social status has an equal voice in determining our leadership and our laws. Aristotle pioneered the use of the term as meaning rule by the rich, contrasting it with aristocracy, arguing that oligarchy was a perversion of aristocracy.
While an oligarchy is most often defined by the power provided by wealth, it actually goes beyond that. Their power and influence may also be distinguished by several characteristics, such as nobility, fame, education, or corporate, religious, political, or military control. Oligarchies rely on public obedience or oppression to exist.
I Didn't Go
Let's get that out of the way. After making all manner of detailed plans to attend the rally in person, I woke up feeling physically unwell yesterday morning. And then came the reports of the event drawing so many people that there was zero parking available in a wide radius of Gloria Molina Grand Park in downtown LA, and that streets were being closed to accommodate the massive crowd. I'd have loved to be there, feeling the energy of that conglomeration of like-minded people. I'm still sad that it didn't work out.
But after making the decision to stay home, I made sure to be involved as much as I could, which meant pulling up the livestream video and being a spectator of the entire event, start to finish. That's what I'll be going over here. Side note: you can watch the entire 5+ hour livestream right now, if you want.
This was the promo poster that I saw for the rally. I mean, come on. Who wouldn't want to be there for something as historic as this moment?
I've never seen a single activist event with this kind of attendance in stereotypically apathetic Los Angeles.
All About the Unions
As opposed to the more generalized activism of the anti-Trump world, Bernie's prime topic is how a tiny fraction of people – along with huge private corporations – hold the massive amount of wealth and power in this country, and the disparity of wealth and income in the USA is completely unacceptable for a modern, civilized country. That message resonated with labor unions and their members.
The huge majority of speakers at yesterday's event, therefore, were members and leaders of workers' unions, ranging from production assistants (PAs) in Hollywood and mental health care workers to huge national unions like the AFL-CIO, UAW, and SEIU.
Perhaps my favorite speech from a union leader at the event was that of April Verrett, the president of SEIU, the Service Employees International Union that represents almost 1.9 million workers in over 100 occupations. Her mantra of, "Change the damn rules!" resonated over the huge crowd.
April Verrett.
Another moment I wanted to call out. While Sandy Reding – president of the California Nurses Federation – was speaking, she noted someone in the crowd having a medical emergency. What did they do? Every single nurse ran off the stage and to the assistance of the person who needed them. That's what nurses do. Bless them all.
Plenty of Progressive Politicians
Bernie and AOC weren't the only political leaders at the event. Among others, Reps. Maxwell Frost (D-FL), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) gave impassioned speeches. Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-CA), whose district includes the downtown LA area where the rally was held, had a great phrase. “It doesn't matter if you're young, old, Gen X, or Gen Z. I don’t give a shit. We’re now a new generation. We're the 'fuck around and find out' generation.”
I also want to call out the terrific speech of Los Angeles city council member Eunisses Hernandez who represents District 1 which is downtown. She stated, "This didn't happen overnight. If you think Trump and Elon just snapped their fingers and started destroying our Democracy, I need you to wake up. They didn't break the system: They're operating it exactly as it was designed. This administration and the chaos they've unleashed are the product of decades of policies that protect corporate profits over people."
Eunisses Hernandez.
And The Music
It's not every day that an event like this is held in the heart of the entertainment industry, and Bernie took advantage of this fact by having a wide range of excellent musical guests throughout the day.
They started with smaller acts like the Raise Gospel Choir, local indie rock band The Red Pears, singer-songwriter Jeff Rosenstock, and others. Some artists and bands who are well known in the indie music community also performed, including two that I like a lot, Dirty Projectors and Indigo de Souza.
The next set was by the iconic folk music legend Joan Baez, who, accompanied only by acclaimed guitarist Greg Leisz, did a lovely set that included a great cover of John Lennon's "Imagine." Then Maggie Rogers – who was nominated for Best New Artist at the 2020 Grammies – did her set, which was absolutely outstanding. The crowd giggled as she called the moment "Berniechella," and her performance evoked a Joni Mitchell vibe. In fact, between the crowd and the music, the whole thing had a somewhat Woodstock-like vibe.
Maggie Rogers.
How lucky are we to still have Joan Baez and Neil Young around to inspire us?
The final performance was that my one of my personal all-time music heroes, Neil Young. Playing his Old Black Les Paul guitar, Neil burned in the midday sun, doing some "Take America Back!" call-and-respond motifs before launching into "Keep On Rocking In the Free World", with Baez and Rogers joining him onstage.
AOC & Bernie
After the music concluded, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez did her keynote speech. As always, she was impressively articulate and focused. Something to consider; while Bernie is 83 years old (and still displaying a remarkable amount of coherent energy for his age, or any age), AOC is just 35 and still has a long career ahead of her in the world of politics. I could envision her being a viable presidential candidate someday, if she wants that.
Ocasio-Cortez cited some recent local news about two recent attempts by federal immigration officials to enter Los Angeles Unified elementary schools for nefarious reasons. She praised school staff and employees "who spoke up when they felt something was off. And it was the teachers and principals as they stood strong and said 'No' to protect their kids when it could have been easier to say yes out of fear. You defended them L.A., because it will never be just institutions and officials alone that uphold our democracy. It will always be the people, the masses who refuse to comply with authoritarian regimes."
Maggie and Joan with Bernie and AOC.
Bernie Sanders himself ended the rally with the headlining spot. You forget, after not seeing or hearing him for awhile, what a compelling speaker he is, and how consistent he is with his message. He told the huge crowd, "We're going to make our revolution with joy! We're going to sing and dance our way to victory against hatred and divisiveness. Your presence here today is making Donald Trump and Elon Musk very nervous."
And, speaking to the point of the situation at hand, Bernie stated, "We're living in a moment where a handful of billionaires control the economic and political life of our country – with a president who has no understanding for the Constitution of the United States."
Making a Difference
No single event, no single moment, turns the tides on its own. rather, much like waves that end up carving the shape of a coastline, it's the cumulative effect of many events such as yesterday's rally that end up refocusing enough people so that good things can't help but happen.
And I'll echo something Bernie said, which is that being immersed in grief and despair helps nothing. By uniting people and making them cognizant that all of our lives could be better if we want them to, Bernie instills positivity and optimism. I know I'm nowhere near ready to give up, and I hope you feel the same. Let's go!
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