Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and his wing woman, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), have been crisscrossing the country for months now on what they call a “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, as so-called democratic socialists try to convince the American left that socialism will solve all their problems. In February of this year, Fox Digital reviewed Federal Election Commission filings and found that approximately $550,000 was spent on private jets for their barnstorming in 2025. This month, The Center Square conducted an investigation revealing the socialist tour spent “$608,000 on private jets, chauffeured cars, and upscale hotels since last year through his [Sanders] campaign fund.” This brings the spending to over a million.
Sanders is using his “principal campaign committee, Friends of Bernie Sanders,” to fund his trek around the nation, according to The Center Square. Further, they found his committee forked over:
- $562,117 for private jets
- $16,633 for chauffeured cars or limos
- $29,064 for hotels
Democratic Socialists – Only Four Diamond Hotels, Please
The Vermont independent consistently rages against the rich and preaches the gospel of socialism to left-leaning audiences around the country. But Sanders’ style and travel methods belie a lurking hypocrisy that is hard to ignore.
He is, in fact, proving the accuracy of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s famed quote. “The problem with socialism,” the former PM said, “is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.” Thus far, Sanders’ “friends” have been willing to cough up hundreds of thousands to convince people that the American dream lies in economic socialism, which is really nothing more than the Robin Hood philosophy of taking from the rich and giving to the poor. The legend justifies theft and homicide in the name of “fairness.” The thesis of this fable is antithetical to the American experience, which has always promoted competitive free markets and personal responsibility.
Socialism’s track record is one of failure after failure. Yet the promise of getting something for nothing is so appealing that even reality cannot stop Sanders and Company from singing the socialist tune. As the Young Americans Against Socialism organization remarked: “The truth is, young people are constantly being bombarded with pro-socialist rhetoric—whether it’s in conversation with their peers, seeing content on social media, or hearing it in the classroom.” Further, they state: “Its supporters claim that socialism ensures fairness and equality, but history has shown that it leads to economic decline, loss of personal freedoms, and societal chaos.”
Still, the Democratic Party is either unwilling or unable to stop the socialists from making their case. In Maine, Graham Platner is running an aggressive campaign against incumbent Senator Susan Collins. On his website, Platner explains:
“Maine is becoming unaffordable for thousands and thousands of us. Why? Because we have a government by, of, and for billionaires, building a “billionaire economy” that none of us can afford. I’m not just running against Susan Collins: I’m running against the billionaire class that owns her and owns Washington (emphasis original).”
Although Platner doesn’t label himself a socialist, it’s clear from his statements that he leans heavily on vilifying the wealthy – a basic tenet of a socialist government.
And then, of course, there is the mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, who ran openly as a socialist – and won! There seems to be a romance that some Americans are having with socialism, which the Democratic Party has been unable – or perhaps unwilling – to purge. Individuals like Sanders, AOC, Platner, and Mamdani spout socialist rhetoric to the disaffected among us in the hopes of transforming our society. Maybe it would be wise for a few people who have lived under the boot of socialism to organize their own tour. A good place to start might be with Venezuelans. Guaranteed they will not be staying in four-star hotels.
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