DV Journal

Vermont socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders is bringing his anti-capitalist “Fight Oligarchy” tour to Philadelphia, and he’s picked the perfect date.

May Day.

May 1, also known as International Workers’ Day, is a major holiday for the international labor movement, symbolizing solidarity among workers worldwide and the fight against capitalist exploitation. At the Philadelphia rally, Sanders will be joined by the AFL-CIO for a “Workers over Billionaires” event. It’s set for 4 p.m. outside Philadelphia City Hall.

Unlike many of his previous rallies, Sanders will not be joined by progressive celebrity (and possible presidential candidate) U.S. Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). The rally website says he will head to Harrisburg on Friday and Bethlehem on Saturday with U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-Beaver).

Sanders has drawn big crowds to his tour, with about 35,000 cheer him and Ocasio-Cortez on in Los Angeles earlier this month.

“When the top one percent owns more wealth than the bottom 90 percent, when big-money interests can control both political parties, [Americans] are living in an oligarchy,” Sanders told NBC News.

But Sanders’ rhetoric often sounds like it addresses as much to his party’s current leadership as it does to President Donald Trump and Republicans.

“To our establishment friends in the Democratic Party: the status quo is not working and cannot be defended,” Sanders posted on social media Tuesday. “We will not shrink from big ideas.”

Others in the Democratic Party, however, say that while the enthusiasm among Sanders’ crowds is undeniable, the far-left progressive message isn’t a winner in general elections. Some observers say calling for the impeachment of Trump, support for illegal immigrants, and advocacy for transgender issues handed Republicans their wins last November.

Polls show that, while Trump’s approval is falling, support for the Democratic Party is even lower. A new poll of potential battleground districts released by the National Republican Congressional Committee on Tuesday found the Democratic brand is battered. “The Democrat Party’s image is in free-fall, falling underwater by nearly 50 points (25 percent favorable/72 percent unfavorable), as voters overwhelmingly reject their extreme and out-of-touch agenda,” according to the NRCC polling data.

Will Sanders’ message resonate with Pennsylvanians?

Democratic consultant TJ Rooney said, “While they have been drawing amazing crowds and represent an important part of the party, I don’t believe they represent the majority view.

“They have good intentions and very loud voices,” Rooney added. “As we see every day in America, on every level of government, the loudest voices don’t usually represent the majority view. I believe the majority of my party, like the majority of Americans, believe solutions are found in the middle.”

Jeff Jubelirer, vice president with Bellevue Communications,  said, “While I don’t have any recent data to back up my take, I believe Pennsylvania Democrats are likely split.”

Jubelirer pointed to Democrats Pennsylvanians have actually elected as evidence voters are more moderate than the pro-Sanders base.

“Voters in Pennsylvania have leaned moderate – note Gov. Josh Shapiro, former U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (for several terms) among others who have successfully proven that their brand of moderation wins,” he said.

“Pennsylvania is also home – demographically speaking – to some of the oldest citizens in the U.S. Historically, older Democrats have leaned moderate while younger voters in the party lean more progressive,” he said.

“Turnout at the rallies signals intensity: intensity of enthusiasm combined with despising Trump. Since the Sanders/AOC wing has gone after Trump more than the centrists, they’ve drawn large crowds of individuals eager to express their disgust.”

And Democratic strategist Mark Nevins told DVJournal, “Pennsylvania Democrats span a pretty wide slice of the political spectrum, but they’re all in agreement that the first 100 days of Trump 2.0 have been a train wreck.  So whether they’re AOC fans or Team Shapiro, it doesn’t really matter.  They’re pissed and they just want someone who will stay focused on making life just a little easier for regular, middle class families.”

A recent poll shows that Helen Gym is ahead of the field — slightly.  What would a Philadelphia mayor who is an unapologetic progressive mean to the businesses and families in the suburbs?

The Emerson College/PHL17 Poll has “Gym at 21 percent, followed by Cherelle Parker with 18 percent, Rebecca Rhynhart with 18 percent, and Allan Domb with 14 percent. Jeff Brown trails with 10 percent.” The poll showed that 15 percent were undecided less than a week from Election Day (May 16).

“When these voters are asked which candidate they lean towards, and that is added to their total support, Gym’s support increases to 23 percent, Parker to 21 percent, Rhynhart to 20 percent, and Domb to 17 percent,” the poll stated.

“This is an exciting race where there is no clear frontrunner,” said  Spencer Kimball, Executive Director of Emerson College Polling. “The top four candidates are within the poll’s margin of error and could receive the most votes depending on demographic turnout.”

Gym could win the Democratic nomination with fewer than a third of the electorate because so many candidates are running and dividing up the vote totals. And with a 7-1 Democratic voter registration, the Democratic nominee will likely be the next mayor, barring a major upset. Republican David Oh, a former city councilman, is unopposed in the GOP primary.

“Like many Chester County voters, I am concerned about the rising crime in Philadelphia and its spread to the suburbs. As I write this, Helen Gym is holding a campaign rally with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders, which tells me everything I need to know about whether she will hold criminals accountable. There’s only one candidate in the Philadelphia mayoral race that I trust to make the city and its suburbs safer, and that is City Councilman David Oh,” said Eric Roe, a former Pennsylvania state representative and candidate for Chester County Commissioner.

Guy Ciarrocchi, former president of the Chester County Chamber of Commerce, said, “I think the big unspoken and unwritten story is the number of businesses making plans to close or relocate to the suburbs. Almost no one will talk on the record, nor will the chamber or other business leaders.  How many chose to close matters, and how many relocate to the suburbs matters. And in my opinion, it’s no victory when a major employer leaves center city or Port Richmond and relocates to King of Prussia.

“But the issue is that many are preparing for the worst—higher taxes, increased crime with little or no consequences, and underperforming schools.”

Pat Poprik, chair of the Bucks County Republicans, believes a Gym mayoralty will not be good for the suburbs or the city.

“I think she’s very progressive, further left than Mayor Kenney.” Poprik said, noting that Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez came to rally with Gym on Sunday.

Gym tweeted: “I am honored to stand with two of the most inspiring political leaders and fiercest fighters for working people. The eyes of the nation are on Philadelphia because we are going to make history this Tuesday.”

Sanders tweeted: LIVE from PHILADELPHIA: Join @aoc  and me as we rally to make @HelenGymPHL – a true fighter for the working class – the next mayor of Philadelphia!”

And AOC retweeted Gym: “Everything must change. On Tuesday, vote for courage and transformation. This is our moment to build a Philadelphia where public schools are strong, communities are safe, workers are protected, and young people have a future to believe in. We get the city we fight for.”

Poprik says this is the wrong message for suburbanites who are increasingly concerned about the state of the city.

“That doesn’t bode well for the city. Bucks Countians don’t want to go there. You don’t feel safe there,” Poprik said. And that will only get worse if Gym takes over and drives more left-wing policies. “Philly has so many problems that could bleed into our counties,” she said. More Philadelphia residents will move to the suburbs. “They’re fleeing California (because of progressivism),” she said.

“It’s too much,” she said. “It’s out of control. I don’t think it’s best for the city to have somebody that liberal.”

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Perhaps more famous for inspiring social media memes than for writing legislation, Democratic New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) — aka “AOC” — endorsed Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman Wednesday.

On her Instagram account, where else?

Along with a clip of her star turn on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” where she touted the Green New Deal, ending the filibuster and packing the Supreme Court, AOC wrote this underneath: “We are not powerless, and we are never beyond hope. History shows us the way. We can do more to pursue these items more aggressively. And then once we do, we can secure the W and turn out the vote for @JohnFetterman in PA…this November: Expansion of SCOTUS; End the Senate filibuster; Repeal the Hyde amendment; Codify Roe, same-sex marriage, right to contraception and interracial marriage. Thanks for having me @colbertlateshow”

Fetterman’s campaign did not responded to avrequest for comment concerning AOC’s endorsement.

His Republican opponent, Dr. Mehmet Oz, tweeted: DC Socialist Dream Team playbook: Anti-PA energy, Job killing policies, Radical socialists. Fetterman and AOC might be a match made in heaven, but their policies are wrong for PA.

However, earlier this month the National Republican Senatorial Committee ran commercials linking Fetterman to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an avowed socialist who ran for president as a Democrat.

The contest between Lt. Governor Fetterman and celebrity heart surgeon Dr. Oz has drawn national attention, particularly with the Senate split 50/50. While many believe the 2022 midterms will bring a Red Wave sweeping Congress comparable to the 2010 midterms, it remains to be seen whether notoriously purple Pennsylvania will follow that pattern.

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