In front of a crowd of approximately 5,000 Lehigh Valley residents, including Moravian students, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders brought his Fighting Oligarchy tour to Stabler Arena, in Bethlehem, PA, delivering a call-to-action against corporate greed, political corruption, and oligarchy.
The crowd cheered and stomped their feet as Sanders spoke about economic justice, healthcare, and workers’ rights, and rallied to fight against “Trumpism” and oligarchy.
Sanders was joined by Susan Wild, former representative of Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District, Enid Santiago, co-founder of SELF! Lehigh Valley, Brian Taylor, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 773, Tim Hertzog, shop chairman for Local 677, Mack Trucks Plant, and Thomas Sedor, a retired Navy veteran.
Sanders greeted the crowd by saying: “You’re not only a great crowd, but you are loud. I think Trump can hear you all the way down in Mar-a-Lago.”
Sanders directed a message to Ryan Mackenzie, Congressman for Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District, and spoke against Citizens United, the Supreme Court decision that reversed finance restrictions for political campaigns.
“We have a corrupt political system where billionaires can spend unlimited amounts of money to buy elections—that is not democracy, that is oligarchy,” Sanders said.
The senator continued to speak against large corporations and billionaires like Elon Musk and Donald Trump, accusing them of manipulating democracy to continue hoarding more wealth. He continually promoted a citizen’s agenda to tax the rich and overturn Citizens United throughout the rally.
Additionally, Sanders spoke about the current housing and education crises within the country, with the Lehigh Valley being a prime subject to both issues. All the speakers called for affordable education, student debt relief, and investments in affordable housing, rather than overt military spending.
Sanders gave the “CliffsNotes” explanation of how Trump got elected as president, pointing to the decline of the Democratic party that left everyday Americans questioning why they were working more but earning less and could not afford basic necessities and medical expenses.
He spoke about Trump’s efforts to defund Medicaid, weaken Social Security, and decrease government staffing, particularly in the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Sanders urged the Democratic Party to stand with working-class Americans, claiming this was the only way to regain voters’ trust.
He urged that defeating “Trumpism” is not enough; we need a political revolution, he said. Sanders and other speakers called on people to organize, run for local office, maintain community, and fight for justice and equality.
“Let this rally be the beginning, not the end. We need to show our grandchildren that we stood up and had the courage,” Sanders concluded.
