Has a pushback against Trump’s authoritarian juggernaut finally kicked in? That’s probably the hope of millions as the news spread of the ageless Bernie Sanders, the senator from Vermont, and NY Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, completing the fourth stop on their “Fight Oligarchy” tour whose seeds began last month in Nebraska. Reportedly some 30,000 people turned out to hear them speak in Denver last week. Sanders, as ebullient as ever at an earlier rally in Tempe, Arizona, roared, “We have a message for Mr. Trump. And that is, we will not allow you to move this country into an oligarchy. We’re not gonna allow you and your friend Mr. Musk and other billionaires to wreak havoc on the working families of this country.”
Echoing Sanders’ warning, Ocasio-Cortez said, “They specialize in getting us to turn on one another. Along the lines of left or right, of race and gender, of status, creed, of culture, of who you love — they will roll out every label and judgment and cultural debate in the book in order to keep us distracted.”
For this dauntless duo on the left, this is a remarkable beginning. But the question is, will it last, gain momentum, and get the kind of traction that can lead to a critical mass of folks taking to the streets and marching? Will it lead to taking their anger to the voting booth?
One good sign thus far is the amount of money Sanders has raised since February — more than $7 million from some 200,000 donors, exceeding the money and turnouts during his presidential runs. But will the donations increase? Will working class America step up and provide the needed push to challenge the Trump team and their determination to turn back the clock and calendar to a darker period of American history?
Let us hope that the emerging energy doesn’t peter out like the Occupy Wall Street Movement and instead gathers the additional power and the urgency to get the media’s attention. Maybe this thundering herd of outraged citizens, ready to “Fight Oligarchy” and every manifestation of Trumpism, can shore up the increasingly fragility of freedom.