5 Things Bernie Sanders Can Learn from Thomas Paine
Lessons from Paine to power Sanders’ ‘Fight Oligarchy’ movement
Bernie Sanders launched his “Fight Oligarchy” tour this week with a familiar warning: billionaires are tightening their grip on American democracy.
Credit: New Yorker (2020)
The influence of the wealthy is shameless — and ubiquitous. Elon Musk controls the platforms we speak on. Jeff Bezos shapes the economy. And billionaires fund both sides of the political aisle. The 2024 election cost $14 billion, with nearly 70% coming from Super PACs.
Sanders wants voters to see this as a crisis. Thomas Paine, 250 years ago, faced a similar challenge—convincing people that what they’d accepted as normal was, in fact, intolerable. Paine’s Common Sense didn’t just expose injustice; it gave people the language and urgency to fight back. Sanders could use the same.
1. Appeal to People’s Sense of Dignity
Paine’s writing wasn’t just political—it was personal. He asked colonists why they accepted being ruled by people who thought them inferior. Historian Seth Cotlar captures this perfectly: “Paine might say, when rich people are lying to you with a political agenda, have some self-respect.” Sanders talks about fairness and corruption, but what resonates is indignation. No one wants to be treated like they don’t matter. Framing oligarchy as an insult to basic human dignity could turn apathy into anger.
2. Call Out Wealth Everywhere—Not Just Across the Aisle
Sanders often targets Republican donors, but Paine knew corruption wasn’t confined to one camp. In 2024, Kamala Harris outraised Trump three to one. Billionaires hedge their bets by funding both parties. Pretending this is just a right-wing issue lets half the problem off the hook. People are disillusioned with politics because they feel both sides are bought. Sanders should say so directly: if the system works for billionaires, it’s not working for you.
Credit: U.S. News (2019)
Speak Clearly—And Make It Stick
Common Sense sold half a million copies because Paine’s words were impossible to ignore. He didn’t explain; he declared. Sanders has a gift for that—“The system is rigged” is memorable because it’s blunt and true. But he sometimes slips into policy-speak that loses people. The message should be unmistakable: the rich are buying power, and working people are paying the price.
4. Expose How Wealth Controls the Narrative
Paine fought royal propaganda; Sanders faces billionaires who own the platforms shaping public discourse. Musk’s X spread Trump’s misinformation to 1.5 billion views—numbers that dwarf any campaign speech. This isn’t just about free speech or tech—it’s about democracy itself. If a few billionaires control what we see and hear, then the truth becomes just another commodity. Sanders should make this a central theme.
5. Make Unity a Tool, Not a Slogan
“It is not in numbers, but in unity, that our great strength lies,” Paine wrote. Division isn’t just unfortunate—it’s useful to those in power. Sanders calls for solidarity, but the message needs urgency. This isn’t about partisanship—it’s about survival. Billionaires thrive when people fight each other instead of the system that enriches the few at everyone else’s expense.
Paine’s genius wasn’t just in identifying injustice—it was making people believe they could end it. Sanders is trying to do the same. Whether it works depends on how many of us decide enough is enough.