At a time when Republicans control Congress and the White House and Democrats are still grasping for a response, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders visited Pennsylvania to give hope to those opposed to President Donald Trump's administration. The working class, he said, can still decide the future of the country and prevent the rise of authoritarianism.
"We're seeing it all over America — that people are sick and tired of a handful of billionaires running the United States government," Sanders told a crowd of supporters gathered Friday in a warehouse space tucked away inside the Harrisburg Farm Show Complex.
The appearance was part of Sanders' "Fighting Oligarchy Tour," which included a three-day swing in Pennsylvania: Sanders also appeared at a May Day rally in Philadelphia and made a stop in the Lehigh Valley.
Accompanying Sanders for the speech in Harrisburg was western Pennsylvania Congressman Chris Deluzio, who echoed the message that fighting the takeover of government by a wealthy elite could bring working-class Americans together – even as the Trump Administration took divisive actions against diversity, equity and inclusion.
"Your prescription drugs aren't costing you an arm and a leg because of woke culture. That's not what hollowed out factory towns. Owning a home or childcare hasn't gotten expensive because of a trans person seeking dignity in their life," Deluzio said during his speech..
Both men urged voters to lean into activism, vote out politicians they don't like, or run for local office themselves.
Sanders said the tour specifically came to Harrisburg and Bethlehem because of close-margin Congressional wins by Republicans Scott Perry and Ryan Mackenzie. In an interview with WESA, Sanders said simply opposing Trump's presidency is not enough: Pennsylvanians must tell Republicans in Congress that they'll vote them out if they follow Trump's agenda of "cutting Medicaid and nutrition programs" while giving "tax breaks for billionaires."
"The way you defeat Trumpism, for a start, is getting rid of Republican control over the House of Representatives," Sanders said. "Right now, they've got a four-seat majority — four seats. This [Central Pa. district] is one of those seats that can be beaten." Perry beat his Democratic opponent by just 5,000 votes, or a 1.2% margin.
Democrats have been struggling to regain their footing since Trump won in November, with an outright majority of the popular vote, as Republicans took both houses of Congress. And while some suggest doubling down on economic populist messages, others are wary. Elissa Slotkin, a Senator from Michigan, has urged progressives to use simpler language than "oligarch" and take a more "masculine" tone to win over voters swayed by the Republican Party.
Deluzio and Sanders demurred.
"If you tell people what is going on in our society, which is that we are, in fact, living in an oligarchy where billionaires are running our economy, they're running our government … people understand that," Sanders told WESA. "I don't think you have to be doing all kinds of focus groups to tell people the truth and be straightforward with them."
Deluzio put the matter a bit more succinctly.
"Doesn't matter if you call them 'oligarchs,' 'robber barons,' or 'corporate jagoffs,'" he said. "We know which side they're on."
Speaking with reporters after the event, Deluzio said his push for a new coalition within the Democratic Party — what he calls the "New Economic Patriots" — looks similar to the rallies led by Sanders around the country.
"That vision of 'economic patriotism' I've talked about, it is absolutely about … making sure that hardworking people get a bigger share of the pie, and that we're growing the pie. It can't just be one of those things," Deluzio said.
Sanders, meanwhile, said Trump's attack on media companies is a troubling sign. The Harrisburg tour stop was one day after Trump signed an executive order to claw back money from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
"They're going after NPR. They're going after PBS ... I mean, this is outrageous and part of his movement toward authoritarianism," he told WESA. (The station receives about 5 percent of its own funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting: When combined with the value of shared resources that the station uses, CPB's support for the station amounts to roughly $750,000 a year.)
Sanders said he and Democrats will try to restore that funding, though the party does not hold a majority in either the House or Senate. He also said a Trump lawsuit against the CBS program 60 Minutes, which may end with the company's leadership settling with the president despite criticism that the suit is groundless, shows weakness at a time when institutions should stand up to Trump.
Labor leaders who also spoke at the rally also urged supporters to organize and demand that their elected officials refuse to surrender to Trump's efforts to dismantle the government.
"We must all become activists," said Angela Ferrito, president of the Pa. AFL-CIO.
"Working people are not the problem. Social Security is not a Ponzi scheme. Feeding the hungry and caring for the sick is not a strain on our system," she added. "Money-hungry oligarchs who believe that taking away all things that make our nation great so that they can line their pockets are the problem."