What Does This Berning Feeling Mean?
My phone buzzes…
It’s late in the evening, I dig it out of my pocket just in time to see who it is…
It’s Lander calling from college. What’s up?…
I pick up, and he’s breathless, he begins to speak: “Dad, Bernie is coming to Missoula, and guess who just got asked to speak at his rally!?” I could envision Lander standing there, a confident smile on his face, with his thumb jabbing affirmatively right back at his chest.
“Yup…This guy.”
Without even thinking, I knew the event organizers had the right guy. “Oh man, that’s awesome. You’re gonna kill it.” I told him. Of this, I was certain. I’ve seen my son on stage a hundred times, and he never fails to rise to the occasion. Add to this that Bernie's message of economic fairness is precisely what Lander and so many others in his cohort have been screaming for, and it’s precisely what he wrote about in this recent Substack column. I knew Lander well enough to know that he probably had his speech half done in his head before he even called me.
Like many Americans, since the election, I’ve felt increasing distress at the lack of organized pushback against the widespread MAGA Billionaire attacks on people, law firms, colleges, programs, regulations, agencies, and norms of decency that are essential for Montanans and our nation. And of course, Musk and Trump have only increased the wealth disparity, inflation, cost of living, and housing expenses. The existential fear for many working people who depend on federal programs to exist is justifiably off the charts. These are the things that are square in the Sanders wheelhouse.
And so, like many Americans, I’ve watched with growing curiosity as 83-year-old Bernie Sanders steps into a void by captivating over-capacity crowds across the country in venue after venue with his Fight Oligarchy tour. Just days before he came to Missoula, Sanders, with his signature unruly white hair and dark blazer, had been rapturously welcomed at Coachella and had been rockin’ in the free world with Neil Young in California. However, the longtime Vermonter was also blowing the doors off huge venues in very conservative states—more than 20,000 in Salt Lake and nearly 13,000 in Boise.
There were plenty of people who thought a Sanders tour stop in Trump+20 Montana was foolish, but I instantly knew it would be a big deal. Anyone who has been around politics for a long time can read the wind, and I knew the changing wind was blowing straight towards the Adams Center in Missoula, and the fact that it was too small to accommodate all the people who would show up.
Since Lander was speaking, Sara and I had to go. “Doors open at 10:30, and I’m the opener at about 12:15,” Lander told us. It’s more than a two-hour drive to Missoula, so we left early. Before we even pulled into town, we were getting texts about the long lines to get in. Sara and I parked nearly a mile away. As we got close, we saw people from as far away as Billings. There were lots of hugs and high-fives from friends, but just like at the Hands Off rallies a few weeks earlier, more than half of the people in line appeared new to political protest, and a large percentage of them were young. It was clear there was no way all of these people would fit inside. This prediction turned out to be true, as nearly 2,000 people were left standing on the sidewalk where Bernie and AOC spoke to them briefly.
When Lander spoke inside, he brought the fire, lambasting Zinke, Daines, Gianforte, and Sheehy, our own Montana Oligarchs. The crowd rose and stomped for him over a dozen times. As he stood there with his friend Olivia, a co-plaintiff in their groundbreaking climate case, Lander issued an essential and prescient warning: “Either stand with us, or get out of our way.”
There were other speakers, including Tracy Stone Manning, a longtime friend and former head of the Bureau of Land Management, who has firsthand experience with the evils being wrought on our federal agencies. Tracy and the others, including AOC, issued a mix of dire warnings and inspirational echoes of Lander’s pleas to stand up and fight.
And then Bernie spoke. I don’t need to spend a lot of time on what he said because it was mostly a poignant rehashing of the exact words that Bernie has been speaking for decades. But there can be no doubt about his increasing resonance, especially his attacks on Elon Musk’s rocket-fueled bullshittery. The crowd responded to him with multiple standing ovations on many topics. The atmosphere was electric.
But let's be honest. Bernie is not a particularly skilled speaker. His content has remained essentially unchanged for decades. He’s an independent, can be a bit irascible at times, often lobbing criticism at Democrats. He’s not an international rock star or an athlete of any import. And yet, here he is filling stadiums across the country with only a few days’ notice.
Given these realities, what exactly does this Berning sensation tell us about our country?
Here’s what I think it all means:
Working people are scared to death. Bernie’s content may be recycled, but that’s the point. Money in politics is incredibly corrosive. His warnings about economic inequality are coming true. The thought of missing a Social Security check or facing medicaid cuts is life and death for a lot of people. DOGE and Musk have made irresponsible cuts that will spell disaster, and every Republican has cheered them.
As if we needed more verification, the old rules of politics are gone. Being genuine, authentic, honest, and sincere is what people genuinely want. That’s all Bernie has.
Democrats need to recognize this is a game of addition. All the people at these rallies should be firmly aligned within the Democratic coalition, but there is still work to be done on that front.
It’s a long time until the midterms, and winning them is the goal of these rallies, but if we want to have pieces to pick up after 2026, we better start putting the heat on Repubs in winnable districts now so they can start growing a spine and maybe slow down the destruction until then. Zinke and Daines are going to support cuts to Social Security, Medicaid, and public lands because that is what Musk and Trump will demand of them. The only way it will slow down is if they know they are vulnerable in 2026.
Bernie’s demands for economic fairness are increasingly critical and popular. This will become even more important if we enter a recession. The right likes to treat him as a mad professor, but there is a reason why many Trump voters also support Bernie. A system that worsens such indefensible wealth, while also cutting opportunity and critical services for people, is inhuman, immoral, and unsustainable.
There is undeniable energy, fear, and anger in the electorate right now, and it's only going to grow as the functional impacts of MAGA/DOGE/Musk hit people.
The fact that an old guy from Vermont is packing stadiums across the country means Lander is right. People are concerned about their futures, and they recognize that our country is in a precarious position. Anyone who cares about saving, and then improving it, had better stand together and fight, or get the hell out of the way of the people who will.
In the past several weeks I've received mailings from Steve Daines. He says he and Trump "will protect Medicare and ensure Seniors receive all the care they need..." What universe does he live in? He says, "End the Biden Pill Penalty before it's too late.."...."Restore Access to Innovative Treatments and New Cures." Does he know the Republicans' budget wants to cut funding to the N.I.H. and Universities where research is done? The regime that runs things in Montana Is full MAGA in my opinion. Ever since our Attorney General joined the law suit in 2020, claiming Biden stole the election. The suit the U.S Supreme Court dismissed without even looking at.
Montana needs to wake up.
I was so impressed with Lander!! He is giving voice to the folks of his generation! For those in my generation, late gen of Xers, this is inspiring, refreshing and hopeful! I drove across the state from Red Lodge to participate and hearing the speakers who were asked to participate gives me great hope! Power to the People y'all!! Yes!