Sen Bernie Sanders Gets Warm Reception in Folsom

By Ras H. Siddiqui

Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont is no stranger to left-leaning politics in America. At the present time he could even be identified as the “one man gang” of progressives in the US Senate depending on the yardstick that one uses to define the term. And if one extends that definition to the US House of Representatives, there are a handful of elected Congressmembers who could be added to this list. One of them is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez popularly known as AOC, representing New York's 14th Congressional District.

When this writer heard that both of them would be present in Folsom, California on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, as a part of a “Fighting Oligarchy Tour” that they have been promoting across the country, it was an opportunity not to be missed.

The event held at Folsom Lake College Athletic Track appeared to have all the trappings of a rock concert that my generation attended in the 1970s and 80s in this country. The logistics of getting inside the venue were like that era and so were some of the attendees, fellow old-timers who brought their memories as well as their children and grandchildren along. Dreams of an America powered by its people for the good of all were the rave when I arrived in this country. But times have changed.

The first encounter that we had here was with the supporters of President Donald Trump just outside the venue. They were small but loud and very visible carrying the American flag, banners in support of DOGE and other signs, some leftover from last year’s Republican election campaign (Trump 2024). America’s ideological pendulum appears to have swung to the right and the Make America Great Again (MAGA) slogan has caught on. The Republican party is certainly in the driver’s seat today.

Getting inside the venue appeared to be next to impossible. Preparing to go back home, I luckily stumbled upon the entrance for the ADA, Press, and Invited Guest entrance, and was welcomed and courteously escorted to the media stage. Some of us had worked on covering Senator Sander’s presidential runs in 2016 and 2020 and are no strangers to his local team and their politics, so an invitation from them to come to this event was not out of the ordinary. The sea of people (crowd estimated to be around 26,000), at the venue was an inspiring beginning. Several generations of families were in attendance and the vibes were quite the opposite of the MAGA groups outside. Some T Shirts reminded us that the next midterm elections were not too far away!

The first three speakers were Asian American Leader Jane Kim whose slogan “Not me. Us!” resonated loudly through the crowd. California Federation of Labor Unions President, an immigrant’s daughter, Lorena Gonzalez, next delivered a “gloves off” anti-administration speech. National President of the American Federation of  Government Employees, Everett Kelley, was next. He said that the message from the administration is clear. Get in line or else! We are fighting for all of you, he added.

It is no surprise that unions were heavily represented at this event. Especially since  several thousand federal government employees have recently lost their jobs. Once considered the most secure job in America, joining the federal workforce was the ticket to joining the American middle class for life. Today, federal government employees, who are not known to be too political, appear quite concerned about their future.

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) delivered quite a remarkable speech during which she touched on many issues of current concern to us. “I don’t think that this is Trump country. I think that this is our country,” she said. Those in power today are not fighting for ordinary everyday working Americans like us. An extreme concentration of power is taking over our country like never before. Oligarchy. AOC also spoke about the current pressure on people speaking up for Palestinians and those who want the war in Gaza to end. She went on to describe the current scenario as anti-American. AOC demanded the return of Kilmar Ábrego García (recently deported) from El Salvador. Everyday Americans also hold power. It will never be just institutions, politicians, or officials that uphold our democracy, she added. It will always be the people. A better world is possible because “we the people” are willing to do something about it. The Congresswoman said a whole lot more and one must say that the crowd supported her sentiments on pluralism, equality, and justice.

Senator Bernie Sanders closed the event with his usual support for working-class America and its current challenges. He said that AOC and he were recently in Los Angeles, a city of around four million people, where they addressed about 36,000 people, a great turnout. Folsom city on the other hand has only about 85,000 people and we have the same number of people as LA! He thanked AOC for being an inspiration for millions of young people around this country. “We as Americans will not accept oligarchy,” he said. “We will not accept authoritarianism. And we will not accept a rigged economy where working people struggle while billionaires become richer.” He said that one man owns more wealth than the bottom 50 percent of households in America. We have to build an economy for working people and not just the billionaire class, he added.

Bernie also informed that the Republicans in Congress are working on a reconciliation bill. This is legislation that would give 1.1 trillion dollars in tax breaks to the top one percent of Americans, and they pay for that by cutting Medicaid by 880 billion dollars, cutting nutrition programs for hungry kids, and by cutting affordable housing. Senator Sanders also called for ending the Citizens United Supreme Court decision which gives rich people a path to influence elections. Corporate interests now dominate both the major parties. He also called for the return of constitutional supremacy in the country. Economic rights are human rights, he claimed. In this country every man, woman and child should have a decent standard of living.

Speakers at this event had something negative to say about US Congressman Kevin Kiley, a young Republican who was elected to office from California’s 3rd District which includes Folsom in 2022. It does not help the Democrats that the Congressman is a local who graduated from nearby Granite Bay High School. This writer has lived in the district for about 27 years and no Democrat has ever won from this area during all this time. He will not be easy to defeat. The Congressman ran a gutsy campaign in 2024, even showed up at one of our community events, and won handily. His next run will be impacted by demographic changes, but his reelection may really depend on how well President Trump does between now and November 2026.