Hope Springs Eternal: The Bernie Sanders and AOC Anti-Oligarchy Nationwide Tour
By David Franklin (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
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US Senator Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez launched their whirlwind “Fighting Oligarchy: Where We Go from Here” tour. It’s a nation-wide campaign aimed at confronting corporate power and greed with the growing influence of wealth in American politics. Their message resonates with a broad coalition of progressives, labor activists, and disillusioned voters of all stripes and from all walks of life. This tour has drawn record breaking crowds and has renewed the conversation about America’s dying Democracy and fighting for economic justice for the citizens of the United States. Even disillusioned MAGA voters have shown up to these rallies in droves.
The tour began on February 21, 2025, in Omaha, Nebraska, following the re-election of Donald Trump in November 2024. Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez cited the election results as indicative of the increasing dominance of billionaires and large corporations in U.S. governance. Project 2025, and the sponsoring corporations attached to it, has stopped at nothing to destroy the government by any means necessary. The main goal of this tour is to challenge the power and wealth of billionaires and corporations who undermine basic democratic principles and promote economic inequality. They say they want a smaller government. But, based on who has been appointed to head various government departments and agencies, it is clear that they want to uproot and destroy the system from within as we know it. The heads of every department have a long history of working against the good of the collective and making America move in a positive direction that benefits all citizens. The word incompetent is generous describing these people who bow down and worship Donald Trump, giving him everything he asks for and desires. They are basically people from the Oligarchy who head these departments. And, with DOGe wrecking havoc daily since this new Administration came to power, they have nobody trying to keep them in check. The Republican controlled Congress has done nothing in curbing the stupidity of the Trump Administration. The Supreme Court of the United States is even worse. The system of checks and balances seems to have ceased to exist. What are people supposed to do? Democrats, even though the minority party in Congress, has done little to nothing in fighting back against this kakistocracy. What is the Democratic Party’s plan of action? With the exception of a handful of Senators and Congresspeople, the Democratic leadership has been useless. Leading this is Senator Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries. So, it is great that Bernie Sanders and AOC are doing what they are doing. They have ignited passion and great enthusiasm with the electorate. Based on the latest polls, Trump and Republicans are not fearing too well. Where is the leadership of the Democrats against this right wing garbage?
Central in critiquing the Oligarchy, a small but wealthy elite holds too much influence over political and economic decisions that affect the lives of millions. Why? Because they contributed to Trump and Republicans mostly in the last election cycle. Chief among them is Elon Musk who bought and paid for Trump and Republicans nationwide. He owns them now and, even if they may disagree with the current wealthiest man in the world, anyone who dares to go against him will pay the ultimate price for defying their sugar daddy. Is standing up for sacred American values and having morals such a bad thing? It is, once you are an elected Republican who cares only about winning their next election more than moving America in a positive direction and compromising with Democrats. Because of this lack of spine, we have paid the ultimate price around the world with our friends in NATO, the European Union, and our NAFTA trade partners Canada and Mexico. The world does not hate us as citizens, per say, but Trump and his demented MAGA brain dead followers are to blame for this irreparable rift. What should be the price of betraying one’s country and doing the bidding of a corrupt dictator like Vladimir Putin? When will people, who continue to support the incompetent orange cancerous cyst that is Donald Trump, finally wake up? It hurts them most with his policies as he wants to privatize Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. He has cut veteran’s benefits to the bone, trying to abolish the education department, and fired non-political professionals in other major important government departments while increasing the defense budget by trillions. He has started an unwinnable trade war around the world, with the exception of Russia and Hungary, who are ruled by dictators. He has uprooted the system leaving it open to unbridled corruption. Who will stop this lunatic and when? What will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back for people to uprise against such naked tyranny? Is it too late or will justice be done with Trump and his unqualified cronies getting their due karma?
The tour has been instrumental in mobilizing grassroots support. It is reported that over 100,000 attendees across various states have come out blazing as of April 12, 2025. It has galvanized every generation and facilitated volunteer recruitment for progressive candidates. The objective is to transform the Democratic Party, bringing them back to their roots of the FDR New Deal era. This vast coalition is also pressuring Establishment Republicans in key battleground Congressional districts to reject fiscal plans that favor the affluent elites. The engagement of Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z audiences are pivotal as coalitions win elections. MAGA Republicans have no concept of reaching out to these audiences because they feel, and wrongly so, that they don’t align with MAGA philosophy nor mesh with oligarchal thinking. These generations believe in the collective of “all for one and one for all”. MAGA believes in “I got mine and screw everybody else”. The MAGA cult also believes that money is the end all and be all. They might be in for a very rude awakening come the 2026 midterm election cycle…if we don’t have a full blown dictatorship by then? MAGA Republicans told voters what they wanted to hear and got elected. By now, we should know better than to believe proven liars and frauds. Yet, here we are trying to backtrack and make things right. America has a history of falling for politicians who give them “eargasms” without showing the path of how, once elected, they plan to fulfill promises during the campaign cycle. Fox News and right wing media played a huge role in spreading propaganda against Democrats, demonizing and vilifying them. Democrats didn’t hit back because they took the highroad. Democrats, those days are long over. Grow a pair and hit back harder! Start by getting fresh leadership in the ranks and usher out the older generation of politicians. Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, etc. are severely out of touch with reality. Maybe less so than MAGA sociopaths and psychopaths who run our government today. We need people like Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Rep. Eric Swelwell, Rep. Rashid Tlaib, Rep. Iyana Pressley, Rep. Maxwell Frost, Rep. Melanie Stansbury, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, etc. to grab the reins of leadership and show America what they are all about. They are about the business of taking America to the next level of productivity and prosperity. To regain the trust and respect of the world through fair and bold actions. Words are whimsical and mean nothing. Trump and MAGA have proven that repeatedly. We owe America, and the World, solid and decisive leadership. We cannot have that with the current Democratic leadership. They are feeble and slow to the punch regarding a cohesive message and lack of effective tactics to reach voters. They are an embarrassment to be quite honest. Their collective weakness helps Republicans flush any and all credibility down the toilet with their inactions. Every Democrat should be out and about doing town hall meetings in deep red Congressional districts across the country. Every Democrat in the Senate, who is up for election in 2026, needs to be pounding the pavement and solidifying their message on their social media of what they stand for. Be urgent about it too as MAGA bombards all spheres with propaganda in one united voice. Have Democrats not learned anything or are they too afraid of offending independent voters who make up 44% of the electorate? Some may argue that they are trying to reach across the political aisle and court moderate Republicans who lean towards the Establishment. That worked pretty well in the 2024 election cycle didn’t it? (sarcasm) Keep in mind also that moderate Establishment Republicans tend to vote the party line whether or not they agree/disagree with what madness Trump and co-President Elon Musk wants. People like Senator Susan Collins of Maine and Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Senator Rand Paul seem to have come to their senses and are trying to stop this dangerous MAGA agenda to ruin America forever. Where were they when Trump got everything he wanted? They are all complicit in the spiralling of America and its way of life. They are trying to make amends, maybe too late at this point. Are they doing it genuinely out of concern or are they worried about the legacy they are leaving that will cause the ultimate downfall of America. History will not be kind to the likes of them because they watched and helped in the demise of the once great Democracy we were. They must be held accountable for their complacency. America deserves better from elected leaders on both sides. We don’t want people who capitulate and are not willing to fight for justice, economic parity, and true equality. A country where everyone has a fair chance to make a decent life for themselves and their families. This is what America should be all about. Not this crab in a barrel mentality that promotes rapacious, unchecked vulture capitalism with no restraints.
The Supreme Court 6 is fully responsible for this disparity where money hungry oligarchs and mega corporate whores make the rules that govern money in US politics. Take dark money, and all PAC money out of federal, statewide and local politics and give power back to the people who elect politicians. This is where real accountability begins. This is what Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is trying to do. Lead us to the light and show us that dark money has contaminated the body politic. Draining the swamp starts with complete openness and having an overhaul of rules of political fundraising across the board. Is it me alone who gets bombarded by annoying text messages by politicians begging for money at unGodly hours of the morning? I won’t even mention the e-mails and campaign literature via snail mail during election season. It does get overwhelming and quite annoying. Every politician, regardless of party affiliation, does this. On behalf of an already pissed off nation…please stop?! We are at a serious crossroads in American political history, friends. Do we continue down the path of destruction by listening to and appeasing a lying, doo-doo diaper wearing, war mongering, illiterate, two fries short of a full happy meal, fake bone spurs coward, and narcissistic dictator wanna-be like Donald Trump? Or do we reorganize like what Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are doing by building coalitions and travelling to deep red places who are suffering the most. Democrats need to genuinely reach out and have a real plan of action. Just like how Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris did. Only in America can a homeless veteran sleep on a cardboard box on the streets, while a convicted felon, draft dodger and adjudicated rapist sleep in the White House comfortably with no accountability nor sense of shame. We must right this wrong as it is foul and extremely vomitous. Is this the America you want where a scumbag orange trash pond scum of a man happily sends Americans to death camps in El Salvador and countries where they have no family-blood ties to? This is a war on due process and there is no limit to Trump’s moral depravity. America has an existential crisis and only us, We the People, can fix it.
Continue protesting in the streets peacefully, continue writing letters to editors of newspapers across the country, continue listening to and supporting progressive podcasts like: Randi Rhodes, Mike Malloy, Thom Hartmann, I’ve Had It with Jennifer Welch and Angie “Pumps” Sullivan (hello ladies!), David Packman, Steve Schmidt, Meidas Touch Network, Reese Waters, Adam Mockler, The Lincoln Project, Brian Shapiro (in Las Vegas), Hysteria with Erin Ryan and Alyssa Mastromonaco, Democracy Now, Brian Tyler Cohen, Roland S. Martin, David Feldman, Kyle Kulinski, and so many more that are too numerous to mention here. My apologies if I didn’t mention other great progressive podcasts that exist out there. There are so many and they are all awesome.
We need to take America back from dangerous right wing zealots who sell their souls, caring only about making money. How much money can one accumulate in a lifetime? My hope is that it does not reach a point in America where we have another civil war. Because everybody loses in that scenario and Russia wins. They, and other circle jerk dictators around the world, salivate at that thought. Perish that thought at once…AT ONCE! We don’t have to recognise America anymore and what it has become. We only have to unite to try and save it. And as long as we draw breath on this website and soon to start progressive podcast on youtube, we will continue to call out injustices.
We love you. We thank you for supporting our efforts. We appreciate the feedback through the tons of emails on our humble website. We love the comments on our Facebook pages. Most importantly, we love the sharing across all social media outlets of what we are attempting to do at Kitchen Politics 123. Without any of the aforementioned, we wouldn’t still be here fighting. If we refuse to give up, we are sure as hell not going to allow you, the reader and soon to be viewers of our content, to give up. It is not in our nature nor vocabulary to do so. I implore you to attend the Bernie Sanders and AOC Anti-Oligarchy USA Tour if and when it comes to your state. Whether you are in a Blue State or a Red State, it doesn’t matter. Just go and meet people who share your ideas on how we can make America that much better for our children, grandchildren and future generations to come. The work begins now as we march towards 2026 and 2028 respectively. It’s up to us to stop this narcissistic megalomaniac in the White House and his kool-aid drinking brainless MAGA sycophants. America, and the world, is depending on you to keep fighting. As my friend and father figure growing up Bob Marley once rightly said:
“Get Up! Stand Up! Stand Up for Your Rights. Get Up! Stand Up! Don’t Give Up the Fight!”
My fellow progressive: WE WILL NOT FAIL…WE SHALL OVERCOME!
Until we meet again: Be safe, stay healthy and always try to be a good person. It doesn’t take much effort to be a good person. America, and the world, needs that more than anything else right now.
UNTIL NEXT TIME AMERICA!!!