One gets the sense that the circus doesn’t stop in Boise much — at least not the political kind.
On Monday night, an estimated 12,500 people — mostly retired Boomers, with a smattering of Gen X and Gen Z — packed in an arena in Nampa, Idaho, a 30-minute drive from the Gem State capital. They were there for the latest stop on Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s “Fighting Oligarchy” tour.
Sanders did speak here in 2016. But “Fighting Oligarchy” is a new beast — progressive Democrats zagging into what is mostly Republican territory. On Sunday, the two were in Salt Lake City, and Missoula, Montana, is on tap for Wednesday.
Geri Lynn Green, who owns a salon in downtown Boise, said “a chance to be with Bernie and AOC is a once in a lifetime thing. Especially for Idaho.” She choked up talking about the Vermont senator.
College student Charlotte Konkol, who came with her grandparents, was giddy to see her oft-ignored hometown embraced by her favorite politicians. “Boise is such a little blue dot and we get overlooked because we are one of the most red states,” she told me.
Some, like nurse practitioner Ginger Jensen, traveled four hours to attend. Retired educator Carolyn Walpole, who is recovering from a knee replacement and ankle fusion, drove more than 100 miles because she is so worried about Social Security — a bogeyman fear stoked by MSNBC and Joe Biden himself.
“Being here, being counted is going to make my heart feel a little better. Like I’ve done something,” said Walpole.
The crowd went wild when Sanders said, “We don’t accept this blue state-red state nonsense. We are one people.”
If arena rock is a thing, so now is arena politics. With his 2016 campaign, Donald Trump turned campaigning into a touring entertainment experience. He drew supporters to large venues to cheer and jeer. He obsessed over crowd size. The failed Kamala Harris campaign took up the same model — as well as the fixation on crowd size.
As a leadership vacuum plagues the Dems, others, like Minnesota governor Tim Walz and California Rep. Ro Khanna, are now “touring,” albeit to little fanfare.
But, for better or worse, Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez’s left-wing populist evangelism sure is filling the pews. And I wanted to know why.
Boise local Eric Knutson, who is unemployed, told me: “She is a rockstar, AOC. It’s like, Madonna and AOC.” Green hopes she runs for president. (Me too. I think the Republicans will run away with the next election.)
During fiery speeches, the duo raged against the one percent with blistering rhetoric, drawing thunderous cheers — part religious revival, part free entertainment. And, as many folks told me, it was their chance to be in communion with like-minded people.
Howard and Julie Wiley, both retired counselors from Boise, left feeling energized.
“It’s encouraging to know there are other sane folks who live in this area and call this home,” said Howard. “It was encouraging to me, to see a unified voice.”
It also felt like, dare I say, a Trump rally — only with different heroes and villains.
Different merch, too. One vendor said their most popular item was a “Gulf of Mexico” T-shirt — showing how the new Trump agenda is agitating the left, but also sparking a business opportunity for resourceful merchants.
Here, the “oligarchs” — mostly DOGE master Elon Musk, along with Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg —were on the stake. There was no mention of the left’s robust meddling billionaire class (Soros, Pritzker, Reid Hoffman) or the fact that Bezos and Zuckerberg aren’t, despite attending Trump’s inauguration, known conservatives.
There were boos for Space X and big cheers for free healthcare, migrants, kindness and any mention of the working class. Ocasio-Cortez lionized Columbia University pro-Palestinian protester Mahmoud Khalil.
One common refrain from both Trump and Bernie supporters is that they feel their guy is fighting for them, personally. “He’s for the people,” said Knutson of Sanders.
And a very big distinction: In 2016, much of the media willfully ignored the momentum of Trump rallies; attendees were dismissed as deplorables. The right would be remiss to completely disregard our current moment’s traveling progressive-palooza — and its attendees — even this early.
I sat next to a retired teacher and former Republican who previously believed Sanders was too far left, but now she’s rethinking things. She kindly served as my interpreter on local issues: keeping public land public and the now-viral story of a nearby middle school teacher ordered to remove her “Everyone is Welcome” classroom sign.
You could see that as a warning shot to the right, to not overplay their hand in the culture war they’re currently winning.
At one point during Sanders’ speech, a girl in a keffiyeh unfurled a “Free Palestine” banner over the American flag hanging high behind the stage, leading to a tug-of-war with cops. She was kicked out soon enough, but the place erupted into a “Free Palestine” chant so loud, Bernie struggled to regain the crowd.
Having already hit out at both Biden and Trump for financing “Netanayhu’s war machine,” he tried to gracefully pivot out of the disruption by comparing the plight of Gazans to that of the American working class. Hey, if we’re talking about freeing Palestinians from Hamas, I’m on board.
Maybe it’s not a big deal in Boise, but as a New Yorker trying to clarify the future of the Democrat party, it was clear that this anti-Israel bent will be a major — and well-deserved — roadblock to gain moderate voters.
And this crowd wasn’t just anti-Trump. After years of having their candidates chosen by party leaders instead of voters, they’re not feeling a lot of love toward the old establishment figures.
We’re witnessing a party molting its skin — and looking for its next form.
