6K Pack Sen. Bernie Sanders’ Fort Worth Rally

More than 6,000 people gathered at Dickies Arena last night for a speech by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has been touring the country and packing houses as part of his incredibly successful Fight Against Oligarchy tour. Along with the cliches that the “future of American politics rests in Texas” and “As goes Texas, so goes our country,” Sanders had a lot to say about a great many pressing issues.

The room erupted when he finally took the stage near the end of the evening, following a long list of performers and speakers which included still-popular former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, The Old 97’s, progressive state Rep. Greg Casar (D-Austin/San Antonio), and the recently elected chair of the Texas Democratic Party, Kendall Scudder, among others. Sanders seemed to absorb the crowd’s energy, which fueled him further. He said that not too long ago he had one mission — to save the working class from the oligarchy, but after the United States bombed Iran without Congressional approval, Sanders said his mission has expanded to encompass the “illegal,” “unconstitutional” war.

While he spent the first portion of his 45 minute-long speech focused on income inequality, a system rigged in favor of the rich and powerful, Citizens United, and all the oligarchs at President Donald Trump’s inauguration, Sanders shifted to a more personal depth for the second half. He explained how in both Vietnam and Iraq, the U.S. government lied to American citizens to be able to start the wars while wasting trillions of dollars that could have been spent at home. Our military actions, Sanders continued, destabilized the world for decades. Change won’t happen, he said, without political participation. His call to action — organize locally, join his tour, and get engaged at every level of government, from local elections to Congress — felt incredibly urgent. And inspirational.

The room was like a melting pot, with all races represented, and Sanders tried to give them all some hope that there are still politicians who understand the reality of today’s political climate and that the working class is not alone in the fight.