You could probably guess Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) favorite word; he’s been saying it for a generation now. The self-described Vermont democratic socialist is addicted to this word, but why stop? He keeps getting re-elected using this schtick.
The Twitter account Maze did the heavy-lifting here, finding clips from 1993 onwards of Mr. Sanders warning about oligarchy and how we’re trending toward an oligarchic society. It hasn’t happened. It’s overblown and overused, to the point where it’s largely ineffective, but to Sanders’ base, they eat it up.
BREAKING: Bernie Sanders has some terrible news.
— MAZE (@mazemoore) April 11, 2025
Donald Trump is rapidly turning America into an oligarchy. pic.twitter.com/VCfd5sxgx4
He railed about this when he was a member of the House and is currently in the Senate. Yet, you know this is the ultimate strawman argument. There are more big-money people on the Left. They control the cultural bastions and the media, though the latter is rapidly losing power and influence. Hollywood has deep pockets, and so does Wall Street, which, for some reason, gives a boatload to the party that is veering toward communism.
Whether you like it or not, it’s a political raison d'être for Sanders, who is stuck with being the canary in the coalmine on the phantom oligarchy upon us. Last week, he did take a swipe at the fat cats in the Democratic Party, but please, we know where most of his fire is usually directed.
“So many continue to feel The Bern.” Robert @CostaReports champions @SenSanders on @CBSSunday: “At 83, Bernie Sanders is back, holding big rallies to take on President Trump and the wealthy.” Sanders: “When we talk about America is a democracy, I think we should rephrase it, call… pic.twitter.com/CBjY1gyGvJ
— Brent Baker 🇺🇲🇺🇦 🇮🇱 (@BrentHBaker) April 6, 2025
Also, the pseudo-democracy line was interesting. Funny how all these scary political phrases sprout up when Democrats lose elections.
