April 5 Rallies Send Clear Message: Abolish Billionaires & Save Our Democracy

But there's another deeper message that Americans must recognize if we truly hope to stop billionaires and fascists

Something extraordinary happened on April 5. Days after voters in Wisconsin soundly rebuked a Nazi saluting billionaire’s $20M in their State Supreme Court election, protesters held more than 1,200 rallies nationwide, led by more than 150 civil rights and nonprofit organizations, all to give billionaire oligarchs the middle finger. From coast to coast, Americans of every background marched with one united message: get billionaires out of our elections.

It was a powerful, hopeful, urgent moment. But we are not done yet. To truly save our republic, this work must go further and also recognize what some might consider a hard to swallow pill. Let’s Address This.

Hands Off Protest: NEW YORK CITY [Credit: Seth Harrison/The Journal News]

Citizens United Was the First Domino

The protests targeted the growing influence of Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and the billionaire class that has used their wealth to distort our democracy beyond recognition. Protestors demanded a democracy that works for the people—not for those with private jets and political puppets.

This crisis didn’t begin overnight. Ever since the catastrophic 2010 Citizens United decision, billionaires have been free to pour unlimited money into elections, buying influence, drowning out everyday voices, and essentially handpicking politicians to serve their interests. When Joe Biden was elected, I—and millions of others—urged him to abolish the filibuster, pass federal voting rights, and overturn Citizens United. He refused.

Now, the Republican Party—yes, the same one that once claimed the filibuster was sacred—is openly considering to abolish the filibuster themselves to ram through a massive billionaire tax giveaway that will:

• Gut Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security

• Slash SNAP, public education, and infrastructure

• Funnel even more wealth to the top 0.1%

Economists estimate this disastrous plan would increase the national debt by $37 trillion over the next 30 years. In the meantime, consumer confidence is cratering, the stock market is tumbling, and the likelihood of a global recession has jumped to 60%.

This is not fiscal policy—it’s financial warfare on working people.

Hands Off Protest: PORTLAND [Credit: Joni Auden Land/OPB]

The Hard To Swallow Pill: Corporate Complicity in Both Parties

But here’s the truth that too few are willing to say aloud: this is not just a Republican problem.

Yes, Musk and Trump are openly attacking our democracy. Yes, MAGA extremists want to dismantle every protection working families rely on. But we cannot ignore the corporate Democrats who enable them. The politicians who show up at protests against Elon Musk while quietly taking checks from Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Big Oil, Big Pharma, and Big Health are not allies of the people.

You cannot claim to be fighting fascism while your campaign is funded by the very oligarchs fueling that fascism.

Over 90% of Americans support banning corporate PAC money in politics. The people are clear. The politicians are complicit.

Democratic leaders who claim moral high ground while still pocketing checks from billionaires must understand: these protests are also against you. This is not a “both sides” statement. It is an affirmation of the fact that you cannot claim to be the opposition party to fascism, when you accept funding by the same billionaire oligarchs funding fascism. Does that make sense?

Let me illustrate to show how real this problem actually is.

Hands Off Protest: CHICAGO

I Know This Fight Personally

In my own campaign for Congress, I ran a 100% people-powered campaign, refusing all corporate PAC money. My opponent, Rep. Bill Foster, a corporate Democrat in Illinois’ 11th District, ran a campaign funded by the very same corporations bankrolling MAGA Republicans.

And his votes reflected it:

• He voted with Trump to deregulate banks—enabling the SVB collapse.

• He voted with Republicans to expand offshore drilling, gut climate protections, and promote fracking—giving MAGAs cover to advance climate destruction.

• He co-sponsored a Republican bill to weaken the Americans with Disabilities Act—giving MAGAs cover to justify stripping civil rights from the largest minority in America (disabilities impact 1 in 6 Americans).

• He voted with Republicans three separate times to weaken the Affordable Care Act—including gutting protections for people with pre-existing conditions.

And he did all this after accepting money from big banks before voting to gut bank regulation, money from Exxon before voting to destroy our climate, money from business lobbies (including Bezos) before voting to gut ADA protections, and money from big health before voting to gut the ACA. If I didn’t tell you Bill Foster is a Democrat, you’d absolutely believe he’s a MAGA fascist. And that’s the point. Democrats will not defeat fascism when their own electeds are voting like fascists.

Hands Off Protest: HOUSTON

A Path Forward—Only If We’re Honest

The April 5 protests are a positive step. They mark a critical inflection point. Hundreds of thousands of Americans took to the streets to demand that billionaires stop buying our elections. But if we are serious about saving democracy, we must have the courage to look inward as well.

That means:

• Rejecting all billionaire money, no matter the party affiliation.

• Ending corporate PAC funding, full stop.

• Running people-powered campaigns built on justice, not wealth.

• Electing leaders with the courage to fight, not just perform.

Because we will not stop MAGA with a Democratic Party that continues to be complicit. We must be honest about that. And we must demand better.

Hands Off Protest: WASHINGTON D.C. [Credit: WTOP Jimmy Alexander]

Let’s Build This Together

True reform will come when we dismantle the billionaire grip on politics from both sides of the aisle. This fight will be long and difficult, but we are not helpless. The April 5 protests are a powerful step forward. It shows what we are capable of if we rise up for justice in a united front. Now, we must build on that momentum.

Here’s what you can do:

✅ Call your Members of Congress and demand they refuse all billionaire and corporate PAC money. Tell them you will not vote for them if they choose billionaires over democracy.
✅ Support people-powered candidates in your community who run on justice, not wealth. When they ask you for support, ask if they are 100% people funded. If they’re not, they don’t deserve your support because they are telling you they won’t listen to you anyway.
✅ Share this message with your networks—and don’t let corporate media bury the truth. Especially if you attended a rally (even if you didn’t) make sure everyone you know has these next steps in mind.

Let me be explicitly clear—I am not suggesting you don’t vote. On the contrary, I am proudly and loudly calling on you to vote in every single election without exception, but do not give away your vote to politicians funded by the very billionaires and billion dollar corporations destroying our democracy. Vote for the people funded candidates working hard to protect our democracy. That’s how we save our republic.

Finally, subscribe to independent voices like mine who speak truth to power and refuse to be bought. As billionaires continue to buy out major media, voices like this platform can continue to speak truth to power—but only with your support. My platform, Let’s Address This, is proudly people-funded. I don’t take corporate money. I write daily on human rights issues that corporate media refuses to cover. You can subscribe for free or support with $6/month—whatever works for you.

But more than anything, I’m grateful for your trust, compassion, and commitment to justice. Let’s keep building this movement, together.