Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has an op-ed in the Guardian that just came out on Thursday afternoon. It's called "We Can Reverse America's Decline." He starts by bashing Trump *yawn* and saying the United States "is now a nation in profound decline."
He goes on to talk about how our education sucks, our healthcare sucks, things are expensive, people are living paycheck to paycheck, our food sucks, our judicial system sucks, our media is threatened, Trump is like a Middle Eastern dictator, etc.
His fix? "For the sake of our children and future generations, we must reverse that decline and change, in very fundamental ways, the direction of our country."
That's a dog whistle for "we must implement socialism."
But then he goes beyond coded language and says the quiet part out loud (emphasis mine).
The answer is not complicated. We do it by building a national grassroots movement that fights for the needs of the American working class. We do it by bringing people together – Black, white, Latino, Asian, gay and straight – around an agenda that takes on the greed of the oligarchs and is based on the foundation of economic, social, racial and environmental justice.
Is this an impossible dream? Can it be done? You bet it can.
Zohran Mamdani’s successful grassroots campaign in New York City has given us the roadmap...
Yes. What Mamdani accomplished in New York City can and should be replicated in all 50 states.
Sanders may be out there pretending he's fighting "the greed of the oligarchs," but, like his buddy, Mamdani, he's doing so in style.
Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings show that Sanders spent over $550,000 on private flights in 2025 as part of his "Fighting Oligarchy" tour with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). I guess climate change is no longer an "existential threat" because that seems like a lot of carbon emissions.
About $354,000 in campaign funds were paid to Ventura Jets, a company that prides itself on customers arriving "in style with your luxury, comfort and safety always top of mind." Other funds went to N-Jet and Cirrus Aviation Services.
If you'll recall, last May, Bret Baier asked Sanders about his use of private planes, citing that he'd spend millions of them over the years, but doing so while "fighting oligarchy" seemed a bit hypocritical.
"When's the last time you saw Donald Trump during a campaign mode at a national airport?" Sanders asked.
"No, no...he's also not fighting the oligarchy," Baier responded.
"No. You run a campaign and you do three or four or five rallies in a week. The only way you can get around to talk to 30,000 people. Think I'm gonna be sitting on a waiting line at United waiting, you know, while 30,000 people are waiting?" Bernie said, incredulous that someone would even suggest he sit around at an airport like us regular folks.
NEW: Socialist Bernie Sanders says he has to spend $221,000 on private jets to "fight the oligarchy," scoffs at the thought of flying on a commercial plane.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 8, 2025
Baier: You spent 221,000 on private jets fighting the oligarchy tour, paid for by friends of Bernie Sanders
Sanders:… pic.twitter.com/ABjFvANAQT
For what it's worth, going back to the op-ed, Bernie never used the "S" word, but his goals pretty much look like some sort of socialist layout.
The lesson of Mamdani’s campaign is clear: it is not good enough just to be critical of Trump and his destructive policies. We must bring forth a positive vision that will improve the lives of ordinary Americans.
Here are just a few of the issues that must be addressed:
We must create a vibrant democracy by ending Citizens United and preventing billionaires from buying elections.
Whether the Democratic establishment likes it or not, we must guarantee healthcare as a human right through Medicare for All.
We must build millions of affordable homes and apartments and give our younger generation the opportunity to own a home of their own.
We must make public colleges, universities, trade schools and medical schools tuition-free and have the best childcare and public school system in the entire world.
We must expand social security and bring back traditional pension plans so that every senior in this country can retire with dignity.
We must raise the minimum wage to a living wage and guarantee every worker the right to join a union.
We must demand that the wealthiest people and most profitable corporations in America pay their fair share in taxes.
You know who else used to sit up in his ivory tower and fly on private planes and wear expensive things while promising all the free things to the citizens? Nicolás Maduro. I'd love for some folks I know in Venezuela to tell Sanders how changing that country in "fundamental ways" turned out, but he's not as obvious as he pretends. He already knows.
I'm going to be honest with you. If these people take power in 2026 and especially 2028, I truly feel like this country is doomed. They will seek revenge upon Trump and his supporters, and I have no doubt that we'll start to look like the U.K. and other parts of Europe. Heck, if Bernie gets in, we'll start looking like Cuba.
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