Bernie Sanders’ “Fighting Oligarchy” tour came to Bethlehem earlier this month and so did a lot of other people, all to see Bernie Sanders in person.

Sanders brought his message to about 5,000 people a t Lehigh University’s Ulrich Sports Complex May 3.

He took the lectern decorated with a “Fight Oligarchy” sign to loud applause from the enthusiastic audience.

Sanders spoke passionately to the crowd of supporters.

One protestor interrupted his speech to express support for Palestinians but was quickly escorted out of the venue by security officers.

Sanders made numerous arguments for his progressive agenda, criticizing both the Republican and the Democrat parties.

He called for respect for the constitutional separation of powers.

He expressed support to Ukraine while condemning Russian aggression.

He opposed Israel’s war in Gaza and supported the people of Gaza. He criticized President Biden’s military support of Israel and called Trump’s idea of displacing millions of Gaza residents and replacing them with a resort, “crazy.”

Sanders opposed cuts to Medicare and supported universal health care for all using the single payer system.

He supported the idea of cutting money from the Pentagon and using the money to build five million affordable, low-cost housing units across the country.

He suggested supporting Social Security by raising the cap on taxable income.

He wants to raise the federal minimum wage to $17 per hour.

He said he’s concerned about the cost of education.

“We need the best educated workforce in the world,” and said young people should not have to go into a lifetime of debt to get an education that the country needs them to get.

He said Democrats need to stand on the side of working-class people.

He said the country should end the Supreme Court decision in favor of Citizens United, that allows private entities to influence elections through large donations.

He called for public funding of elections.

He rejected what he called “the politics of division” and condemned the power held by oligarchs and what he described as the country’s move toward authoritarianism.

He condemned what he called Trump’s attacks on Congress, the judiciary and the media.

He called for more Democrat candidates, from school board elections to Congress.

He advocated growing the trade union movement.

He called for dealing with climate change.

Susan Wild, former Congresswoman from PA District 7, was the lead-off speaker and quickly warmed up the crowd. She called for affordable education, good opportunities and for seniors to retire with dignity.

Wild called for better health care and for health care to be a human right.

“Universal health care needs to be the law of the land,” she said.

She spoke in support of the right to public education and the right for workers to organize. Wild said Americans have a “right to have a roof over your head without being gouged and the right to feed your family quality, affordable food.”

She said the country needs “affordable education and good opportunity.”

She expressed her concerns about the current administration.

“We are being governed by an oligarchy that doesn’t care about the vast majority of Americans like us,” she said. “Every single one of us deserves quality health care. Every one of us should have health care as a basic human right. Universal health care needs to be the law of the land.

“These are not new or radical concepts,” she said, “but here is what is kind of new. We are seeing people all over this country, regardless of political affiliation, clamoring for the very policies that Bernie Sanders has been fighting for for years. It’s time for us to take back our country and it’s time for this country to have an agenda that helps all of us.”

Allentown city Councilwoman Enid Santiago introduced herself as having been awarded custody of four nieces with medical issues and her subsequent struggles.

“That day changed everything,” she said. “I never expected to find out how broken the system really was. “

She said medication for three of the kids cost over $1,000 per month per child.

“Right now, that is covered by Medicaid,” she said. “Without Medicaid, I can’t afford their medicine, special visits and therapy. Their lives will literally be at stake.

“I did not choose this life,” she continued. “I chose compassion and empathy. I gave up a career to care for four babies. I now work two part-time jobs with flexible hours and minimum pay. Not by choice, but because of policies that apply to caregivers, especially caregivers of color.

“Every day I wake up afraid. Turning on the news and finding out that we are losing Medicaid, childcare, the ability to meet my girls’ special needs. But I will not be silent. We must demand a government that puts people over profit. Families like mine deserve support, not just survival.

Santiago urged her audience to run for public office and raise their voices.

“We’ve got to stick together,” she said, “or we’re never going to get through the next three and half years.”

Brian Taylor, secretary and treasurer for Teamsters Local 773, spoke in support of organized labor.

“Once again, we are coming to a time in our history where there will be a vast separation of the classes and you will have the rich and poor,” he said. “The haves and the have nots. There will be no middle class. Make no mistake about it. The right-wing elite want that.”

Taylor described a recent success in unionizing Nestle-Purina Pet Care plant. He was referring to the dog and cat food factory in Lower Macungie Township which employs about 450 people.

“That mega giant did everything they could to prevent paying those employees a fair wage and benefits. We were able to secure them the best contract they [have] ever had, including good wage increases, increases to their pension and over 50 improvements to their contract.

“I applaud Sen. Sanders for having the courage and morals to standup for the working class; the men and women that make this country great when no other national politician is willing to do the way he does it. I hope every politician in this country is listening and following his example. If you are in a union or [are] a member of the working class, you have no better friend.”

Tim Hertzog, chairman of the United Auto Workers Local 677, UAW, Region 9 also spoke in support of union labor.

“Workers at Mack Trucks have generated billions in profits for the company over the past decades,” he said, “but for the greedy corporation, it wasn’t enough. Last year Mack was looking to expand. They had a choice. They could have put their money in the people right here with people who built this company from the ground up. Instead, they chose to exploit workers in Mexico working for $4 an hour. That’s what they think our labor’s worth. That’s what they think we are worth.

“When workers stand together, we have power,” Hertzog said. “When we look out for each other we build strength.”

Tom Seegers, a retired Bethlehem Steel worker and Navy veteran, spoke in support of Sanders’ new Social Security Expansion Act, which would require all income brackets to contribute to the Social Security system by doing away with the current cap on taxable income.

“Trump and Musk, who will never have to worry about retirement, aren’t going to cut Social Security,” Seegers said. “They know that’s the third rail. What they’re going to do is ruin it so they can get their golfing buddies and their billionaire buddies to take it over and take big bucks off the top. They are already doing it to Medicare with these advantage plans. Don’t let is happen to Social Security.

Congressman Chris DeLuzio PA District 17 took the lectern.

“The Republicans have been calling me ‘some radical lefty.’ They call me Congressman now.

“Whether you’re on a ship, whether you were serving in Iraq, whether you are serving on a committee, you know the power of solidarity.

“The oligarchs, they want to divide us. We stand together; we fight for the common good. They want to divide us so they can plunder our government, funnel tax give aways to the billionaires and huge corporations. It is reckless.

“I’ll tell you what is patriotic. Standing up as you are doing right now and fighting back.”

DiLuzio led the crowd in a fist-pumping chant. “We fight!”

“I think we [need] to seize this moment,” he said, “to beat back the corporate power and the corruption to build a more free, more just, more prosperous America, not for just some, but for all of us.”