An extreme concentration of power and corruption is taking over our country like never before . . . and our political system is ill equipped to face this abuse of power.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, speaking in front of a crowd in Greeley, Colorado.
In a time when the Trump Administration is kidnapping and attempting to deport lawful permanent residents for political stances; advocating for the takeover of other countries; unconstitutionally closing congressionally created agencies; calling for the disbarment of a judge who blocked deportations; attempting to strip protections for federal workers; cancelling billions in already federally approved health grants; and disregarding a judicial order, the Democratic party needs to be clear about the vision of America that they can offer.
The party's response has been underwhelming. In a town hall in Oregon City, Oregonians from rural and urban areas, were told by Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon and Representative Janelle Bynum next to nothing of notable democratic resistance, instead being only “offered . . . paltry suggestions to call [] representatives and vote blue next election cycle.” Chuck Schumer, after stating he would not vote for the Republican funding bill, voted for the Republican funding bill.
It feels as if the mainline Democrats are operating as if it is business as usual, asking for voters to turn out in 2026 and 2028 in order to regain the House, Senate and White House. The party seem unable to face the facing the truth: that we are facing an ongoing existential threat to American Democracy.
On the party's progressive flank however, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders are fighting back.
On March 21, Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) stood in front of a crowd in Greeley, Colorado (population 108,795, in the conservative county of Weld). As a stop on their “Fighting Oligarchy Tour” the two progressive politicians, both east coasters, stood in front of a crowd of more than 10,000 Coloradans.
The choice of Greeley for a progressive rally is strange. The next day, Bernie and AOC drew in record numbers in Denver, a city far more hospitable to progressives. With the larger city of Boulder nearby that is home to more Bernie/AOC supporters, why stop in Greeley?
AOC and Bernie are making an argument: their leftist economic policies are popular in conservative areas like Weld County. The rally there continued a trend of large crowds showing up for Sanders and AOC in districts that voted Republican in 2024. As one Greeley resident stated “I didn’t think things like this happened in Greeley. People would always go to Fort Collins. So it’s just like a little bit of hope.”
One member of the crowd from the small town of Lyons remarked to Colorado Public Radio, "I'm really concerned about poor people in the United States, [the] working class. I'm really disappointed that the Democrats in some sense seem to have abandoned working-class people. And this is something I really admire about Bernie and AOC."
In a time where political commentators are decrying that Democrats are lost in the wilderness, AOC and Bernie Sanders have chosen a clear path out; leftist economic policy that will help the working class. In addition, they are asking for voters to engage in class solidarity.AOC said at the Greeley rally
Our task here is to build community. That's the deeper, deeper, deeper mission that we have . . . Because community is the most powerful building block we have against fascism, to defeat authoritarianism and to root out corruption.
In arguing for building community and engaging in solidarity, AOC has directly advocated for Trump voters and families of trans kids to organize together, admonishing that “this movement is not about partisan labels or purity tests . . . It’s about class solidarity. The thousands of people who came out here today to stand here together and say, ‘Our lives deserve dignity, and our work deserves respect.’”
Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez to the Greeley crowd pointed out that Representatives Gabe Evans (recently elected Republican, whose district includes Greeley) and Representative Lauren Boebert (representing the adjacent district), voted to cut Medicaid.
In Colorado, Medicaid covers 1.2 million people. It is believed that cutting Medicaid coverage and funding for Colorado will “lead to clinics closing and more expensive care, particularly in rural areas of the state.”
The path of the current Administration will hurt all of us, not just Democrats or Republicans. Plans to privatize USPS will lead to “Approximately 51.3 million rural addresses . . . impacted” by the need to add surcharges to deliveries to rural people in order to be profitable. The closure of the Department of Education will harm rural areas by cutting necessary funding, or hampering the ability for funding to reach those areas.
It might be tempting for urban Democrats to feel that voters deserve this in rural areas, since rural areas are more likely to vote Republican than urban ones. I diagree. Coalition building will take time, and it inherently means that Democrats and liberals and leftists will need to attract conservative voters and those who have supported Trump.
Multiple GOP lawmakers have been booed or jeered at in town halls with their constituents. With this, it seems there is an opening for a new coalition to be made. Rural and urban voters, Trump voters and Harris voters, will all need to come together in order to protect the working class, and save American democracy.
For a recent blog post about Sanders and AOC's "Fighting Oligarchy" tour, look here. For more blog posts about rural politics, rural areas being ignored by democrats, and democrats attempts to appeal in rural areas, look here, here, and here.
5 comments:
As I also wonder what the path forward is for left-leaning people in this country, seeing Bernie and AOC's rallies has been highly encouraging and inspirational. Whether or not everyone in rural areas agrees with their policies, I believe it is extremely important that Democrats make the effort to engage with and be present in rural areas and not be content with the way they have campaigned and done outreach previously. This is especially true, as you mentioned, when Republican policies under this administration will be extremely harmful to people in these communities. The politicians can't wait until they have rural voters' support before they show up - they have to be the ones to move first.
Democrats’ response and am tired of being told to “call my representatives and vote blue next election cycle.” Having just read Hannah’s blog post, Bernie Sanders rallies rural Americans to "Fight Oligarchy," it was interesting to hear your take on this topic. I particularly like your reminder to avoid placing blame on rural areas for current political outcomes—this is something I needed to hear.
At various points this semester, we've remarked that one of the major obstacles to the democratic party and 'leftist policy' more broadly is branding. Holding rallies in a place like Greeley sends a strong message that, in my opinion, the democratic party has needed to send for a long time—rural folks in red-leaning counties should not and will not be left behind. The choice of venue alone is a gesture, and perhaps enough to generate some public support that you otherwise wouldn't get. When "most people just go to Fort Collins", it probably means a lot to be able to hear directly from the 'opposition', on your home turf. Their message can't be distorted by media, other politicians, etc.; you get to hear it for yourself and decide. That's not an opportunity many rural folks have.
James, I think this is a fantastic post, and I think you make some really good points. I especially agree that it is wrong for urban voters to adopt the view that rural voters get what they deserve. I agree that it will take time to build a new coalition and that there may be an opportunity to build one. I think it's very important to seek out rural voters to help make a coalition. Rural areas are typically considered a Republican stronghold, but with current policies, rural voters may be more open to a change. I think this is the perfect opportunity to start building a coalition and start working with rural voters instead of isolating them and their views.
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