Only two days ago, this column called out Democrats in Washington for not doing enough, though – great caution was made to except those who are, indeed, doing all they can do – specifically Reps. AOC, Crockett, and Raskin, and Sens. Murphy, Kelly, and Schiff – and to this list we need now add Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is taking his show on the road in the only fight to really be had, that in red districts where support for Trump is already sapping, in large part due to public outrage over cozying up to the oligarch class generally, and Elon Musk, in particular. Say what one will about the way Sanders ran for the Democratic nomination, very few can reach the working poor conservative voter the way that Sanders can and is so doing again. He has never been more valuable and Democrats better wake up and follow his lead, or get left behind. Again.
One of Bernie’s true talents, a characteristic that I see in young Ocasio-Cortez, is the ability to read the mood and challenge people right where they actually do want to be challenged. They want to be treated with the sophistication they have, be spoken to plainly, and don’t mind disagreement if it is all had out in the spirit of finding a better way. Bernie is taking that message to the heartland and speaking to red districts with one basic premise; You are being hurt. And this won’t be fought in Washington. From a report in Common Dreams, by Lisa Conley:
After addressing more than 3,400 Nebraska residents in Omaha Friday evening, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Saturday made his second stop on his National Tour to Fight Oligarchy—telling Iowa City, Iowa residents that “Trumpism will not be defeated by politicians inside the D.C. Beltway.”
“For better or worse, that is not going to happen,” said the Vermont Independent senator, whose broadly popular policy proposals have long been dismissed by Democratic leaders as unrealistic and radical while President Donald Trump has increasingly captured the attention of the working class Americans who would benefit most from Sanders’ ideas.
There may never be a point in our lifetimes when the goals of the average conservative voter will be overridden harder and faster than that of the actions by this administration. The working white poor elected Donald Trump and the poor generally, of all stipes, will suffer the most when he cuts Medicaid, the IRS, the FAA, and even the Justice Department (Who do you think polices the banks who rob people blind with hidden fees?). If there was ever going to be a point at which Democrats needed to move in and say, “See! We told you… !” it would be now. Sanders isn’t waiting. Neither should any of them.
“It will only be defeated by millions of Americans in Iowa, in Vermont, in Nebraska, in every state in this country, who come together in a strong grassroots movement and say no to oligarchy, no to authoritarianism, no to kleptocracy, no to massive cuts to programs that low-income and working Americans desperately need, no to huge tax breaks for the wealthiest people in this country,” said Sanders.
And unlike under a President Biden, Obama, or even Trump I – with guardrails, this pain will be felt in near real time. I continue to write over and over that Democrats will get one shot at doing this correctly. Yes, the Trump administration has cut into law enforcement, the military, even the courts, and is definitely consolidating power. And that’s precisely why the only way to stop this in its tracks is to enlist the conservative voter – the ones who voted for Trump (And why I said that Democrats need be open to finding some common ground), because no matter how efficiently the Trump administration may be usurping power from Congress and even the courts, this is still a country in which they can only govern by consent. We have seen red districts explode in town halls already, and Trump is still closer to his first 30 days than his first 60. In a government in which Elon Musk is taking his chainsaw to infrastructure, Democrats need to be willing to move just as fast and ready to enlist everyone, I mean everyone.Â
Bernie is doing it. Sanders knows that the GOP has the barest majority in the House and he need only pick off a few GOP Congressman to stop Trump in his tracks. It may work, it may not work, the failure to even try isn’t an option.
Sanders began his tour in Omaha and Iowa City to pressure the Republican House members there—Reps. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) out of supporting the GOP’s proposed cuts. “Together, we can stop Republicans from cutting Medicaid and giving tax breaks to billionaires,” said Sanders ahead of the Iowa City event.
To be sure, not every Democrat is Bernie Sanders – who has more credibility with poor people than many on the blue side. But that really doesn’t excuse any of them. If Hakeem Jeffries cannot go to Omaha and draw a big crowd, he most certainly can help raise money to put an ad campaign in and put the same pressure on these GOP House members as Bernie lays down. Doing something, even if it doesn’t work as planned, is far better than doing nothing. This is a moment, and they will either rise to it or get buried under.
This is really smart by @sanders.senate.gov Go to republican districts and push voters to pressure their republican reps. www.commondreams.org/news/bernie-…
Something has to be done and Sanders is right. Nothing is coming out of Washington that even hints at some sort of pushback or solution. It will have to come in townhalls, in commercials, calls to congressional offices, and grassroots action. The American people, red and blue, those who don’t want everything cut to simply add pelts to a wall and take victory laps at CPAC, will get one shot at this. Follow Bernie’s lead, and keep an eye on AOC and Crockett – they’re doing it right.
God Bless:Â I can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter-X at @JasonMiciak and please now follow me on Bluesky.
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Exactly. Reach out the helping hand to those who are hurting; show them the other perspective. All politics is local, where the voters are. Being with them there is the route to a better DC. Frankly, while he may seem a lone wolf; Democrats should waken up to the fact that he resonates in a way that they, in many ways seeming to track Republican messaging (older/not MAGA), have swung too far right and away from the middle and working class values and needs.
Well, don’t think that Jeffries or AOC would move the needle even one micron in those red districts. See, Sanders has something eludes both Jeffries and AOC: LACK OF MELANIN.
These districts weren’t about to vote for Kamala Harris (despite the fact that she was talking the same things that Sanders is presumably doing) because, well, she’s got too much melanin. (Well, I did some checking and the Nebraska district did actually vote for Harris and went for Biden in 2020 but VP candidate Tim Walz was sent to the district to do the campaigning. As for Iowa’s Miller-Meeks, she’s actually been considered a moderate Republican who has been on the right side of things during her time in Congress but she also won by an incredibly narrow margin last year–winning by less than 800 votes and there were an additional 967 write-in votes. But she also represents a district that went for Trump in 2016, 2020 and 2024–winning a plurality in 2016 but still 3 percentage points over Clinton, then winning a bare majority in 2020 but still 2 percentage points over Biden and then winning with an 8 percentage point majority in 2024 over Harris.)
You raise good points. But I wouldn’t limit Sanders’ appeal to just being white, nor would I sell AOC short just because she’s a woman of color. Bernie has a unique gift that transcends race to a degree, and AOC is just that good at both empathy and communication. So, I see your point entirely. I do still think there is something worth appreciation in both.
jason
The negative effects of all the layoffs have barely begun. Wait till taxpayers’ refunds are delayed. Wait till hurricanes hit the southern states and FEMA aid isn’t available. Wait till veterans’ benefits are slashed. GOP voters who celebrate the layoffs now will be singing a different tune.
That said, Democrats have to spread their message NOW beyond the usual liberal/progressive outlets. Citizens are not getting the truth from right-wing media.