The “Fighting Oligarchy” rally on Sunday night in Salt Lake City resembled a revivalist gathering more than a political affair. Cheers erupted for 83-year-old Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and his tour companion, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, seen by their fans as leaders poised to guide America away from the authoritarian trajectory that Sanders argues it is heading towards under a Republican-led president, Congress, and U.S. Supreme Court.
Through music, dancing and chanting, a unified feeling of kumbaya was shared among the rallygoers. But after the first speaker started criticizing Utah political leaders, one audience member screamed, “Eat the rich,” followed by the whole crowd joining in. The mood shifted almost immediately — still unified, only less friendly.
The central message from the progressive politicians was that billionaires and other elites, the top 1% of the population, are governing the United States with President Donald Trump, and the working and middle-class need to rise up against them.
Quoting President Abraham Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg Address, “that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth,” Sanders told his audience that Lincoln’s message is what he’s standing up for 162 years later.
“That’s why we’re here. We do not want a government of the billionaire class by the billionaire class for the billionaire class; we want a government that represents all of us, not just the 1%,” he said.
Are progressive politicians the future of the Democratic Party? Many are wondering, especially since Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez have been traveling from rally to rally across the U.S., drawing large crowds wherever they go. Sanders even made a guest appearance at the Coachella Music Festival, where he told the music lovers that the future of America is dependent on them, the younger generation.
Sanders is an independent, though he caucuses with the Democratic Party and ran for president as a Democrat.
The estimated 20,000 attendees on Sunday night showed that many Utahns align with Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez’s progressive policies. Several attendees told the Deseret News they found comfort in knowing they weren’t alone in their political beliefs, living in a Republican-dominated state.
Both politicians posted on social media following the 20,000-person rally at the University of Utah’s Jon M. Huntsman Center, with AOC calling the turnout in a red state “unbelievable.”
Voices from the rally: Q&As with some of the attendees
Jared Harmer
Q: Why are you here today?
A: I’m a big fan of socialism. Been involved in socialist and left-wing organizing for a few years now.
Q: Who are your heroes?
A: That’s a hard question. Currently, I’d say Bernie is my favorite person that has any power in the American political system. AOC is up there, too. Not a huge fan of the Democratic Party in general, so anyone who’s to the left of standard Democrats. ... I consider the top dogs in the Democratic Party to be part of the oligarchy.
Q: If you had a say of what really needs to be done or to change so American people can trust our government again, what would you say needs to be done?
A: A lot of things need to be done. A good start is taking money out of politics. The main issue is capital controls so much about our politics and life in general. ... I mean, I’m an econ guy, I work in finance, and my biggest thing is advocating for a wealth tax. I don’t think we should be taxing labor through income taxes. ... I think that’s a good place to start to attack at the real problem, which is wealth accumulation.
Q: The Trump administration has been in office for a couple of months. What policy/executive order do you feel like has affected you most as an American?
A: I’m a white, cis, het, male, so not a whole lot directly, I do have friends that are in minority groups. You know, trans people specifically directly impacted by his requirement that you need to align with your gender at birth, federally. So if you have a passport that previously had your correct, affirmed gender, you had to change it back. And I have friends who are here undocumented that I’m worried about.
Christine Helfrich
Q: Why did you choose to volunteer today?
A: I love Bernie. I’m 75 years old, and I first saw Bernie at This Is The Place monument nine years ago, and I walked with a broken foot for a mile and a half to see him. And I was crazy about him. I tried to run for delegate for him, but there were too many other people that had done much more work than I had that got it. I became friends with those people. They are my closest friends today. ... It’s just been wonderful to be part of the Bernie movement.
Q: What are your thoughts on them labeling the U.S. today as an oligarchy?
A: I have to think it’s true. I mean, we’re losing Sundance Film Festival. Part of that is because Park City has changed. The property in Park City has been bought up by millionaires and billionaires that they come to visit for a couple of weeks a year, but the rest of the time, their 20,000-square-foot homes are sitting empty, still using water to keep the landscaping alive. Meanwhile, people who live and work in Park City can’t find affordable housing. ... Anyway, I think we do need to take a deep breath and recognize that if we say we love families and we want to see children grow up in a healthy environment, we have to focus on, OK, do we have the tools to make that happen?
Q: How have you personally been affected by the Trump administration?
A: I’m a retired health care worker. I used to work on Huntsman Cancer, and it terrifies me that it’s shutting down research. So much of the Phase One research done on Huntsman affects new treatments around the world, and now those doctors, Ph.D.s, are fearful that they can’t fund their studies. So, it affects us locally, and 40% of the patients from Huntsman are out of state. So, it also affects the Intermountain West.
Raini Pachak
Q: Can you kind of just give a little bit of an explanation of why you’re here and about your sign?
A: I think Bernie Sanders and AOC are really just paying lip service. They kind of act as a controlled opposition against the idea that the two-party system can work in our favor, but it really can’t. It’s just designed to kind of ratchet us towards fascism, and they’re complicit to genocide, which is probably the worst thing they could be at this point.
Q: So you believe that most people in power are guilty of this? Are there people that you admire that hold political positions?
A: I think, in general, you don’t get very high in the political system to be able to. … if you have positions like this, you’re not allowed in politics.
Q: So what is your solution?
A: We need to become educated on what’s happening. Mostly, it’s just education. I think once people become educated, we’ll change.
Q: Most Americans don’t trust mainstream media. So where is your source for knowledge to get educated?
A: Really, the history books, you can use ChatGPT, if you really just want to ask the truth about everything then in the fastest way possible but history, and there’s a lot of misinformation out there, so it is difficult these days.
Stacie Houser, Makena Houser and Seth Wagner
Q: What do you appreciate and admire about Bernie and AOC?
A: Stacie Houser — I just love that they’re willing to speak up and build community with all of us that feel alone.
Seth Wagner — He’s consistent. He’s been passionate his entire career. He is one of the few I feel like people out there that sticks to their word and has fought for what he believes in. It’s kind of nice to see.
Q: Do you feel like AOC is kind of the person to follow in his footsteps?
A: Seth Wagner — As of now, I don’t think anybody else in the Democratic Party is stepping up and trying to fill that void.
Q: They’re campaigning on the U.S. is an oligarchy. Tell me a little bit about that, do you feel the same way?
A: It feels like that right now. It’s just financially scary right now for our future medical help, you know, insurance, just kind of scary.
Q: With the Trump administration in office for a few months now, what has affected you guys the most about his administration?
A: Makena Houser — He’s just aggressive, like he just wants to change things that don’t have much backup to it. I think the aggressive change is scary.
Stephanie Stone
Q: Tell us a little bit why you’re here today.
A: I am not a resident of Utah. I’m a resident of New Mexico. I have family here. I spend a lot of time here. I care what’s happening in this world, and I am here for the resistance. … I’m here to spread love. I’m here for justice, for everything that we should stand for as humanity, as humans.
Q: They’re talking about how this is an oligarchy administration. What does that mean to you? And what are the best ways do you think for Bernie Sanders, AOC, for all the people that support them, to combat this?
A: We need to listen to those that are here, inspiring us right now. We need to band together. We need to create community. ... We need to do whatever we can to get rid of this administration. It’s deadly. It’s not going to be a safe place for any of us, not for my kids, not for my grandkids, not for you, if we don’t do something about this.