Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) was photographed flying first class on Tuesday with fellow Vermont Senator Peter Welch. Many people online are calling the self-described socialist Sanders a hypocrite for flying in a premium class of service, while the working classes suffer coach.
Look who I found. pic.twitter.com/OwPzj6NZRP
— Senator Peter Welch (@SenPeterWelch) March 18, 2025
There are (5) reasons why this isn’t actually problematic at all.
- He needs to work. Socialism in our time doesn’t just happen on its own, it’s hard work, and he needs to maximize his labor value to the extent possible.
- Flying first class is consistent with his principles. Even North Korea’s Air Koryo has business class. A Democratic People’s Republic doesn’t, in fact, mean abolishing class. In socialist paradise “all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”
- He wants first class for all, and for the rich to pay for it. People think he’s being hypocritical because first class is what he’s against but that’s not true, he just wants corporations to give first class away to everyone free.
- Central Committee members travel in luxury, and Sanders wasn’t taxing the poor to do it He was either upgraded, or his first class ticket was paid for by donor dollars (e.g. DSCS or a campaign). It’s either the same upgrades available to all based on elite status, or a matter for donors to decide whether they’re getting value for their investment or not, rather than being an issue of well-spent public funds.
- He was flying domestic first class, not luxury. The product can hardly be considered luxury.
Bernie Sanders has been spotted in American Airlines first class and flew private and insists that his suites have bath tubs. So, no, this isn’t going to undermine his popularity among his base one bit – nor should it.
There’s also nothing wrong, by the way, when AOC flies first class either.
“Many people online are calling the self-described socialist Sanders a hypocrite…”
Because that’s what he is, regardless of his decision to fly first class.
Give me a break. The man is in his 80s. He’s earned it. Somehow people equate supporting socialist programs with taking a vow of poverty. It’s not.
Franklin D. Roosevelt was a socialist, folks.
He’s a complete nutsac politically, but if I saw a Senator sitting in Economy, I’d think it was weirder than not being in First– or some kind of stunt.
Plus yes, he probably got upgraded or someone else bought the ticket. Definitely who cares.
Now if he chartered a a private jet to go bang Hookers in Colombia on the government dime, I’d have an issue.
The unanswered question is how did he pay for it or did he pay for it at all?
Bill’s right (as is Gary), I’m in my 50’s and avoid flying in the back whenever possible. If you have the means, or you know someone that does, then absolutely, fly in some comfort (‘some’ being the operably word, AA domestic first is nothing remotely special, just enough space for a laptop.
This is so dumb. Senators get special fares and fly first regardless of politics.
You still have time to delete this.
@Bill Dwyer – That’s odd, because the Socialists of the day criticized him as a State Capitalist. Stop trying to claim people from the past for your failure of an ideology. What are you, Mormon? At least Mormonism seems to work for Mormons.
Evidently some people can’t spot sarcasm
FWIW, the only airline that flies nonstop from DCA to BTV (Burlington) is AA, so given how often Congresspeople fly back to their home districts, I imagine he has AA status.
Petty non sense , like always . Bad metaphor folks .
I don’t think he’s hypocritical just for flying domestic F, I think he’s hypocritical for becoming a multimillionaire by profiting off of public office, while pretending to be a man of the people.
Most of you online socialists are also hypocritical because during last Trump you soiled your adult diapers when a cabinet member was flying in domestic first, yet never any outrage for comrade Bernie or any other Dem politician. I guess it’s just (D)ifferent.
Bernie never was and never will be a socialist.
By global standards, he’s a social democrat.
From Gladiator: “He’ll bring them death, and they will love him for it” (talking about the Emperor)
I was on a flight to El Paso once and Beto O’Rourke was onboard. I found it odd that he was in coach. I assume he asked AA not to upgrade him because it was during a campaign and surely he wanted to seem as approachable as possible. Personally I like Beto a lot, but even if I didn’t, I wouldn’t have cared if he was seated up front on the RJ for the 49 minute flight.
Here are a few quotes from the “never was a socialist”.
From a letter in 1973. “It is extremely clear that these companies, owned by a handful of billionaires, have far too much power over the lives of Americans to be left in private hands. The oil industry, and the entire energy industry, should be owned by the public and used for the public good – not for additional profits for billionaires.”
And during an interview in 1977. “I favor the public ownership of utilities, banks and major industries. In Vermont we have some $2 billion of deposits in our banks,” Sanders told the paper. “In Vermont, as well as nationally, it is not tolerable to me that the control of capital would remain in the hands of the richest two or three percent of the population to do with it as they like.”
Yep, there’s nothing socialistic about those views.
How many houses is he up to now, four?
Personally I don’t care if a politician sits up front. That being said if this had been a CEO we would have heard from Sanders all about the greedy corporate types that fly first class while their serfs toil for pennies on the dollar. The are greedy corporate types, they are out there. But it’s not all people in business. Typical communist rules for thee but not for me.
First: Socialism has never worked and never will. Look at the Union Of Soviet Socialist Republics, Cuba, Venezuela… and the list goes on. I’ve been to the USSR. It was an eye opener. Sanders has been a hypocrite since I can remember listening or watching him. There is no such thing as “one size fits all”. What the hell does this article have to do with a “View From The Wing” anyway? More clickbait and I fell for it.
No worse hypocrites than the enablers of MAGA Lord Trump and MAGA.
Every accusation coming from Republican/Trumpublican apologist is a suspected confession or case of projection.
Nicely said. I especially enjoyed your 5th point! ;-
Ricardo got it correct.
And there is a huge chasm between so-called socialists in some countries and Communist Party types in Communist Party-controlled countries.
He’s been a leach on the taxpayers for his entire life and a total hypocrite. Or a two-bit freeloader! He checks both boxes.
Hilarious! Doubleplusgood
Senator Sanders is one of the greatest servant leaders that the United States of America has. I admire him for his defense of democracy, his activism for progressive causes, and his overall moral clarity, for decades and decades. When Bernie speaks, I believe him–he wants to actually make our country and the world it all better for all of us, not just a few at the top.
If Bernie wants to fly in First, and if he can, then good for him. Same for any of us, for now, at least. This is not inconsistent with his political beliefs or the causes that he supports. He has never advocated for ending ‘capitalism’ as our economic system–rather, he and those like him have warned against its excesses and abuses.
So, no, Gary and others, this is not hypocrisy. Not in the least. And also no, Mike P, government oversight or management of a company or industry for a period does not make us communists (recall that the US took a majority stake in automakers following the Great Recession–we didn’t become the USSR or CCP.)
Yet, some ‘folks’ like Mike P seem to genuinely fear and dislike Bernie (and others like him, such as US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez), likely because Mike knows, deep-down, that a left-wing economic populism is actually what a majority of Americans want and need in order to survive and thrive in this era and in the future (that includes greater consumer protections, worker rights, a robust social safety net, including universal healthcare, etc.). Regardless of what Mike P thinks, I and many others are eager for a new Progressive Era after this horrifyingly inequitable 2nd Gilded Age that we’ve been living through, which has become increasingly worse decade by decade since the 1980s (supply side economics, trickle down, deregulation, the rise of oligarchs, regulatory capture, monopolization, etc.)
And to Win Whitmire, the countries you listed are and were totalitarian authoritarian dictatorships, for all intents and purposes. It has nothing to do with their economic or political ideologies, other than to have a strong man or committee at the top, largely unaccountable to the people. Bernie has never advocated to become that at all–he has defended democracy and representative government. Whereas, the current administration is operating more authoritarian, ignoring and overtly attacking the rule of law, so please, dear sir, do take a step back from your personal preferences (your ‘team’) and consider objective reality. Then, come back when you’re ready.
I like Bernie and don’t have a problem with him flying first class.
Yes, he’s crazy and his politics of demanding rich people pay for EVERYTHING is childlike nonsense.
Bernie was always lambasting against millionaires until he became one himself.
Now he lambastes against billionaires.
Yeah Gary, you are a republican. Let’s luck at Trump flying to golf aboard Air Force One at a taxpayer cost of $200,000 per hour. Better than first class.
@Mantis totally agree 100%
I don’t begrudge someone buying F or getting upgrades with status they earned. But my understanding is that a number of airlines “gift” top-level status (like GS with UA) to important Representatives and Senators of both parties. Apparently, it is not considered a violation of congressional ethics because they assert it has no value. I do have a problem with that. I don’t know if Sanders got an upgrade that way, but I do think that kind of thing is little more than a bribe.
@Mantis @Travelgirl — If you folks want to actually get dark money out of politics, I’m all for it, but I don’t think that’s what you meant at all.
Like, for instance, most people want to stop the insider trading that goes in with our elected officials. Former Speaker Pelosi is a prime example of someone that both the left and right correctly despise for what she has done to profit off her access to information in her positions of power. He trades are objectively disgusting because she clearly has used what she learned to her excessive personal profit, even if technically it is her husband literally making the trades. Like, come on, Nancy… sheesh.
However, while he doesn’t own individual stocks, a financial disclosure showed Sanders and his wife own stakes in several mutual funds as part of retirement accounts. That is perfectly reasonable under our current system and relatively tame by comparison, not the blatant corruption that we should all be upset with like insider trading. So, Bernie is indeed different and morally sound here. Y’all need to attack the actual problem here, and it ain’t Bernie. He has indeed been true to the people and his causes.
@Gary – I expected better from you.
1990…another left wing whacko! Union of Soviet SOCIALIST Republic. I went there. I spent 10 days living with a Russian family before the fall of the wall I saw for myself how socialism works. “Socialism is an economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse economic and social systems characterized by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes the economic, political, and social theories and movements associated with the implementation of such systems.” There was no “competitive” in the USSR. There is no “competitive” in Cuba. There is no “competitive” in Venezuela. When I was in the USSR, Gorbachev had just taken over to, hopefully, disband the “union”, which he ultimately achieved. Bernie Sanders would have great glee in turning this country from a freedom loving, entrepreneurial country into one where everyone is equal. Well, except those who have wealth will pay for those who don’t. “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”…George Orwell. I agree with OnePatriot77. Bernie seems like a nice guy but he’s bat shit nuts politically.
@OnePatriot77 — He never said the rich should pay for everything…he repeatedly, clearly, and simply says ‘pay their fair share.’ This isn’t hard, folks. But, sure, vilify him, and folks like myself. Call us names. Crazy. Yet, he’s still right: The loopholes that billionaires, and yes, multi-millionaires (like not those with a couple million, like 10s and 100s of millions), use to offshore via shell companies and to borrow on their stocks to effectively become exempt from paying taxes–it’s disgusting, especially while those at the bottom pay a disproportionate share. Billionaires are people, too, yet all-too-often, they don’t ‘earn’ that wealth so much as they ‘take’ it through exploitation of law, of business, of resources, and of people. Let’s reign them in, peacefully and in an organized way, instead of allowing the people to do to them what the French did back in the day. There is a better way. So, will we learn, or just repeat history?
@Steve – regular readers know I am not a Republican?
@Win Whitmire — Please call me names, if you’d like. I can take it. When folks like yourself get worked up to the point of engaging in ad hominem attacks, I know that I’ve got you good.
On your odd position, sir, the ‘name’ of the country does not mean it is that way in-practice. Take the DEMOCRATIC Peoples’ Republic of North Korea. Nothing ‘democratic’ about the DPRK. It’s a hermit kingdom, and the people have no meaningful say in how their country is run. Kim decides everything. And sadly, it seems #47 wants it to be that way here. Hopefully, our judiciary reminds him that it is not possible. And if not them, then the military, because otherwise, he’ll get his way. This is my greater point: Ideas are nice, but they are human constructs. Enforcement, raw power, definitely matters. Sometimes restraint can be power, too. Clearly, #47 has no restraint.
As to your confusion over the concept of ‘equality’–neither Bernie, nor anyone has advocated for literal equality in everything, but some folks like yourself enjoy making that strawman argument, here and elsewhere. Bernie and the progressives positions on this are consistent with the United States Constitution. In the United States, the pursuit of equality encompasses legal, social, and economic dimensions, with ongoing efforts to ensure equal rights and opportunities for all, regardless of race, sex, religion, or other characteristics. However, there are those who prefer inequity because either they see themselves as a higher status in some manufactured hierarchy that doesn’t even really exist in nature or law here, or ever should exist again. Civil rights still matter, sir, and should be defended and expanded, not restricted or eliminated.
@Gary Leff — Your (or anyones’) political or partisan affiliation shouldn’t matter at all–unless circumstances have changed (eep!). It’s your website, you can publish whatever you want–in fact, you can also moderate our speech as commenters however you wish. I respect that you’ve allowed a relatively open space for healthy debate on here. If you ever feel anything I’ve said is out of line, feel free to remove it, any time, no problem with me. Anyway, thank you for what you do.
He can fly biz/first all he wants, I really don’t care as long as he doesn’t lecture me about paying more in taxes to help the poor or the illegals. If Bernie can fly biz/first, then he isn’t being taxed enough to achieve true equality like socialists like him should want. With true equality should come everyone in basic economy. If he’s flying biz/first that’s his business as long as he doesn’t wag his finger at me telling me that I’m somehow wrong and greedy for flying first, as I am in a couple of weeks on a nice, shiny new United A321NEO. By the way, isn’t Bernie the guy who owns three houses, is a multimillionaire, and has further millions in tax sheltered accounts as per his Congressional disclosures? Some socialist he is.
@Bob Moran — Since you went there, it should be said, that in general, undocumented immigrants (or, as you called them, ‘illegals,’ which is indeed a ‘pejorative’) are not eligible for Medicaid or CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program) coverage, but they may be eligible for Emergency Medicaid and other state-funded programs, because, you know, they are human beings, like you and I, and don’t deserve to die for lack of means, even if they do not have proper visas, or overstayed. So, if the rule of law exists, we, as a society, would ‘heal’ them, then proceed with due process via immigration courts, and perhaps, that may lead to an orderly deportation, in due time. Or, we can destroy the Constitution and our laws, rule by decree, have a king, and everyone STFU because the king said so.