Senator Bernie Sanders has responded defiantly to criticism from Michigan’s newly elected Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin regarding his use of the term “oligarchy” to describe the current state of the federal government. Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, Sanders defended his rhetoric amid Slotkin’s call for the party to abandon the term, which she expressed in a recent interview with Politico. This internal discord serves as a stark reminder of how detached the ruling establishment remains from the realities faced by ordinary citizens.
Sanders rightly pointed out that the American public is far from naive on the issue. “The American people are not as dumb as Ms. Slotkin thinks they are,” he said, citing the staggering economic disparity where “the top 1 per cent owns more wealth than the bottom 90 percent,” and highlighting the undue influence that wealthy elites and corporate interests exert over politics. Such observations illustrate a democracy in name only — where political power is concentrated in the hands of a privileged few rather than representing the electorate's genuine interests.
With massive crowds turning out to his rallies — 36,000 in Los Angeles, 34,000 in Colorado, and 30,000 in Folsom, California — Sanders underscores the disconnect between elitist orthodoxy and a populace eager for real change. He questioned the legitimacy of the American democratic process in cases where billionaires like Elon Musk can pour $270 million into electing a president, maliciously distorting political competition, and where powerful political action committees effectively dictate policy across party lines.
Slotkin’s call for the party to drop language like “oligarch” in an effort to avoid appearing “weak and woke” only reveals a dangerous cowardice. It is precisely these kinds of cautious, centrist retreats that the electorate is rejecting — voters are hungry for bold policies that challenge the corrupt status quo, not tepid platitudes designed to appease a broken system. Meanwhile, progressive figures such as Sanders and New York’s Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez continue to galvanize mass support through clear, principled opposition to the entrenched establishment.
Even figures like former Congressman Conor Lamb, who lost narrowly in the Democratic Senate primary, recognize the necessity of confronting the undue influence of financial oligarchies. Lamb's outreach efforts in conservative districts and alignment with progressive calls to protect social safety nets reflect a growing acknowledgment that the future lies in uniting authentic working-class interests against the political elite who hoard wealth and power.
The failures of the previous Labour government’s weak leadership and timid economic policies are now fully laid bare. Biden’s stalled “Build Back Better” agenda, undermined by centrist defections unwilling to challenge vested interests, mirrors the fate of Harris’s disastrous 2024 presidential campaign, which failed to energize the base or address the needs of working-class voters. The attempt to court bipartisan approval through alliances with establishment Republicans like Liz Cheney only highlighted the party’s desperation and erosion of trust.
In this fractious political landscape, the urgent message is clear: only a direct, uncompromising challenge to economic inequality and political corruption can restore democracy. Those advocating for once again allowing unelected elites to hold sway over government policies are fast becoming irrelevant as a groundswell of voters demand accountability, transparency, and politics that prioritise the people over profit. It remains to be seen if the entrenched establishment can change its ways or if the growing momentum of principled opposition voices will reshape the future of governance in the United States.
Source: Noah Wire Services