Sanders: ‘One person, one vote, not billionaires buying it’

(Missoula Current) Over the roar of more than 7,000 supporters, Sen. Bernie Sanders, (I) Vermont, railed against the political establishment, saying Americans are tired of being oppressed.

“Nobody on top is ever going to give you something unless you demand it,” Sanders said. “We believe in democracy, not authoritarianism.”

Missoula was the most recent stop on his “Fight Oligarchy” tour, crisscrossing the nation to garner support for progressive policies. The tour has filled stadiums in deep-red states like Utah and Idaho, attempting to bring hope and rally for local political action.

Sanders’ speech directly targeted President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk’s policies, cutting funding to healthcare, education, and federal jobs.

“Is it not too much to ask that all of our people have a right to a decent life and decent life expectancy?” Sanders asked. “Our job right now is to take on Trump every single day.”

A personal jab at Trump came from Sanders when he pointed out that Trump threatened CBS after they aired content that he thought was critical of the administration. Sanders said if Trump can’t take criticism, he needs to leave office.“How terrible for the president to be criticized,” Sanders said. “Mr. President, you’re living in a democracy whether you like it or not. A component of living in a democracy is to accept criticism. If you can’t take criticism, get out of the political process.”

Focusing on Citizens United, Sanders said billionaires like Elon Musk were buying access to Trump, and that wealthy donors in both major political parties own Congress.

“I believe I speak for conservatives, moderates, and progressives, the overwhelming majority of the American people that understand that there is something fundamentally wrong in our campaign finance system,” Sanders said. “I may be a radical from Vermont, and maybe I’m old-fashioned, but I believe democracy is one person, one vote, not billionaires buying it.”

Sanders was joined by Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, who focused her speech on exposing ‘dark money’ lobbying efforts pervasive in Washington, D.C..

“We are here together because of an extreme concentration of power, greed, and corruption is taking over this country like never before,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “We must acknowledge the terrifying moment we are in right now.”

Ocasio-Cortez also weighed in on Montana politics, praising state representative Zooey Zephyr and accusing Republicans of buying House seats.

“Just last election, right in Montana, the crypto-lobby and dark money, funneling tons and tons of money, trying to buy elections right here,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “Time after time, we’ve seen how our governments and laws are more responsive to corporations and lobbyists than to the will of the everyday people and voters.”

This call to action and encouragement was exactly what University of Montana student Cyrus Gertz said she needed.

“I want my fire to be reignited,” Gertz said. “I hope that happens for a lot of people, because right now there’s blow after blow coming our way. I really need to believe there is hope, and more than that, that there’s other people who care.”

The need for Democratic communities to come together is also why Missoulian Cora Parsons came to the rally. Standing outside the venue hours before the doors opened, Parsons said Montanans need to come together to fight back against the Trump administration.

“We need to come together to fight against fascism,” Parsons said. “Even if we’re not all on the exact same page, the real battle is against one big evil. We are all on the same side here.”

Joined on stage with Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez were Montana Environmental Information Center director Anne Hedges, wildland firefighter Sam Forstag, former director of the Bureau of Land Management Tracy Stone-Manning, and union leader Sarah Nelson. Missoula band Cosmic Sans provided entertainment.