By U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders
I do not often find myself in the habit of thanking Elon Musk, but he has done an exceptional job of demonstrating a point that we have made for years — and that is the fact we live in an oligarchic society in which billionaires dominate, not only our politics and the information we consume but our government and economic lives as well.
That has never been more clear than it is today. But given the news and attention Mr. Musk has been getting over the last few weeks as he illegally and unconstitutionally dismantles government agencies, I thought it was an appropriate time to ask the question that the media and most politicians don’t seem to be asking: What do he and other multi-billionaires really want? What is their endgame?
In my opinion, what Musk and those around him are aggressively striving for is not novel; it is not complicated, and it is not new. It is what ruling classes throughout history have always wanted and have believed is theirs by right: more power, more control, more wealth. And they don’t want ordinary people and democracy getting in their way.
Elon Musk and his fellow oligarchs believe government and laws are simply an impediment to their interests and what they are entitled to.
In pre-revolutionary America, the ruling class governed through the “divine right of kings,” the belief that the King of England was an agent of God, not to be questioned. In modern times, the oligarchs believe that as the masters of technology and as “high-IQ individuals,” it is their absolute right to rule. In other words, they are our modern-day kings.
And it is not just power. It’s incredible wealth. Today, Musk, Bezos, and Zuckerberg have a combined worth of $903 billion, more than the bottom half of American society — 170 million people. Since Trump was elected, unbelievably, their wealth has soared. Elon Musk has become $138 billion richer, Zuckerberg has become $49 billion richer, and Bezos has become $28 billion richer. Add it all up: the three wealthiest men in America have become $215 billion richer since Election Day.
Meanwhile, while the very rich become much richer, 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, 85 million are uninsured or under-insured, 25% of seniors are trying to survive on $15,000 or less, 800,000 are homeless, and we have the highest rate of childhood poverty of almost any major country on earth.
Do you think the oligarchs give a damn about these people? Trust me, they don’t. Musk’s decision to dismember USAID means that thousands of the poorest people around the world will go hungry or die of preventable diseases.
But it’s not just abroad. Here in the United States, they’ll soon be going after the healthcare, nutrition, housing, and educational programs that protect the most vulnerable people in our country — so that Congress can provide huge tax breaks for them and their fellow billionaires. As modern-day kings, who believe they have the absolute right to rule, they will sacrifice, without hesitation, the well-being of working people to protect their privilege.
Further, they will use the enormous media operations they own to deflect attention away from the impact of their policies while they “entertain us to death.” They will lie, lie, and lie. They will continue to spend huge amounts of money to buy politicians in both major political parties.
They are waging a war on the working class of this country, and it is a war they are intent on winning.
I am not going to kid you — the problems this country faces right now are serious, and they are not easy to solve. The economy is rigged, our campaign finance system is corrupt, and we are struggling to control climate change — among other issues.
But this is what I do know: The worst fear of the ruling class in this country is that Americans — Black, White, Latino, urban and rural, gay and straight — come together to demand a government that represents all of us, not just the wealthy few.
Their nightmare is that we will not allow ourselves to be divided up by race, religion, sexual orientation, or country of origin and will, together, have the courage to take them on.
Will it be easy? Of course not.
The ruling class of this country will constantly remind you that they have all the power. They control the government; they own the media. “You want to take us on? Good luck,” they will say. “There’s nothing you can do about it.”
But our job today is to not forget the great struggles and sacrifices that millions of people have waged over the centuries to create a more democratic, just, and humane society:
Overthrowing the King of England to create a new nation and self-rule. Impossible.
Establishing universal suffrage. Impossible.
Ending slavery and segregation. Impossible.
Granting workers the right to form unions and ending child labor. Impossible.
Giving women control over their own bodies. Impossible.
Passing legislation to establish Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, a minimum wage, clean air and water standards. Impossible.
In these difficult times, despair is not an option. We’ve got to fight back in every way we can. We have to get involved in the political process — run for office, connect with our local, state, and federal legislators, and donate to candidates who will fight for the working class of this country. We have to create new channels for communication and information sharing. We have to volunteer not just politically, but to build community locally.
Whatever we can do is what we must do.
Needless to say, I intend to do my part — both inside the Beltway and traveling throughout the country — to stand up for the working class of this country. I hope you will join me in that struggle in the days, weeks, and months ahead.
