At Sunday's "Fight Oligarchy" rally in Chicago, Illinois, Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-IL) tore into moneyed interests in politics and the Trump Administration.
00:00I need backup in the House of Representatives, and I think we're going to have that in Robert Peters.
00:16Woo!
00:21Good evening, Chicago.
00:23Buenas noches!
00:25Welcome to Senator Sanders' Fight Oligarchy Tour here in the best city in the country, Chicago!
00:43I'm Delia Catalina Ramirez, your Congressista, proudly representing the mighty 3rd Congressional District.
00:51And the most important thing for you to know about me, it's not my title, is that I'm a proud daughter of Guatemalan immigrants,
01:02Luis and Maria Ramirez.
01:04I am a citizen by birthright, an unapologetic defender of our immigrant communities, an unwavering champion of shared humanity and human rights,
01:18and a fighter for peace in a country obsessed with war.
01:25I am a member of Congress who comes from a working-class family, fighting for my working-class neighbors,
01:34demanding that Trump, his billionaire bosses, and all of the oligarchs profiting off the suffering of our communities,
01:41get their hands off our healthcare, our housing, our land, our climate, our elections, our neighbors, and our futures.
01:52And Chicago, I'm not backing down.
02:02Let me say that again, I am not backing down from this fight and this moment.
02:08Because we, we all must be clear about where we stand when there's a fascist in the White House and when our democracy is on the line.
02:18For me, everything the Trump administration and their billionaire bosses are doing,
02:24cutting services Americans rely on, perpetrating mass deportations, attacking workers and their rights,
02:31persecuting human rights defenders, deploying the National Guard to democratic cities,
02:36undermining our civil rights, and yes, the genocide of the Palestinian people is all connected.
02:42And I know, I know that the billionaire bosses, they want our resources, don't they?
02:59They want our land, they want our freedoms, they want our lives to secure their profit
03:04and advance their imperialistic, authoritarian agendas across the world.
03:09They are willing to rob us blind, leave us starving, displaced, detained, deported, and dead to enrich themselves.
03:19The wealthiest 10% in this nation are consolidating their power.
03:24They're stockpiling their wealth, they're suppressing dissent, and they're trying to destroy our democracy,
03:30all while they try to convince you that your immigrant neighbors are your enemy.
03:36Well, they're wrong, aren't they?
03:39You see, Trump promised a new golden age for America.
03:43Not for working people, I think you're right when you just said BS there,
03:46but one ushered by an oligarch for oligarchs.
03:50And I don't have to tell you how dangerous, painful, scary times these are.
03:54You're living through them.
03:56And if we're being honest with each other and ourselves, we've been living through this for a very long time.
04:02Because we know that the hard times started way before the November 2024 election.
04:08Working families, black and brown communities, we've seen the cracks in the systems,
04:14and we know that they have never worked for us.
04:17We've heard detached politicians and billionaires brag to us about the American dream,
04:23work hard, keep working, and you will achieve it.
04:27But you have worked two jobs, three jobs, and you're still living paycheck to paycheck
04:33with no hope of a dignified retirement.
04:35And that is not right.
04:36You still...
04:44You're still wondering, how the hell will I be able to put that down payment on that small house and buy groceries?
04:51You're counting your pennies daily and trying to make the impossible decision
04:55between paying your ever-rising rent, buying your prescription drugs,
04:59or finally getting that medical test you've been putting off.
05:03You, too, are crushed by the medical debt from that visit to the emergency room years ago,
05:09or by the student loan you took out when you were 17 years old with the hope of a better future.
05:15You spend thousands of dollars in fees, in lawyers, hoping that one day you will be out of the shadows.
05:24And still, you cannot become a United States citizen.
05:28You have worked hard for the American dream, and yet you still feel like you don't achieve it.
05:34Do you think that's right?
05:36No!
05:37Hell no!
05:39Say it with me.
05:40Hell no!
05:41Hell no!
05:42But that is why we are clear that in times such as this, we have to build something better.
05:48And I know you're tired, but it is times such as this that demand so much of us.
05:54They require us to be brave, to resist being overwhelmed, and to do everything in our power to stand up and fight back.
06:02And it's why we're here tonight.
06:04Is that right?
06:05Stand up and fight back.
06:10Whether that's standing up to ICE and their unlawful, unaccountable, unconstitutional terror force.
06:18Stand up and fight back against illegal and unconstitutional executive orders that attempt to defund education, public radio, and FEMA.
06:28Whether that's calling out Noam, and Holman, and Miller, and Trump, and all of those that are profiting off of family separation.
06:37Whether it's blocking the bombs provided by warmongers like Trump, and used by Netanyahu to carry out his genocidal campaign.
06:45Whether it's demanding the resources that belong to us, or whether it is taking our democracy back from the billionaires and foreign interests trying to buy it.
06:59Because our democracy is not for sale.
07:04And folks, I know what's at stake at this moment.
07:12And I'm gonna keep fighting even on the days when it's hard.
07:15And let me tell you, there's some really hard days.
07:19And some days will feel even harder.
07:21There are days when my safety and that of my family is threatened.
07:25When white nationalists question my commitment to you, my community,
07:30for upholding the multiracial, multicultural identities that make our nation beautiful.
07:39There are days when Trump and his allies demonize, dehumanize, and threaten our communities.
07:46And when unaccountable billionaires and their super PACs threaten to silence us.
07:52Us, the working class people who are unwilling to stay silent in the face of injustice.
07:58There are hard days.
08:00And on those days, it can be really hard to believe that a more just, loving, and compassionate world is possible.
08:07But let me be very clear with you today.
08:10I do believe a different future is possible.
08:13And I believe it because of you.
08:15Shout out to my elder woman. I see her, Jessie Fuentes.
08:25I believe it because of champions like Senator Bernie Sanders who continue to unapologetically hold the line against the interests of billionaires.
08:35Against the oligarchy.
08:37I believe in us because of the brave progressive leaders that you see here.
08:42Elected, not elected, building movement here.
08:45So many of them right here, including Senator Karina Villa.
08:50We are building a community that co-governs in favor of a democracy because of us.
08:56Because there are literally millions of us.
08:59From California, to Iowa, to Nevada, to Chicago, and yes, Texas.
09:05Trying to build a world where we can proudly pass on to future generations.
09:10It is us, together, that sustains my hope.
09:15And I am hopeful because every day I see us standing up to this tyrannical government.
09:30I see you protecting our neighbors, practicing solidarity, rejecting a status quo that isn't working for working people.
09:37Refusing to let the rich and powerful pit us against each other.
09:41Building progressive power in our communities.
09:44And demanding every single damn thing.
09:48Working people deserve to thrive.
09:50So let me close by saying this.
10:01In Spanish, I know some folks don't like when I speak Spanish.
10:05And may not love my bilingualism.
10:08But I don't give a damn.
10:10In Spanish, hope is translated as esperanza.
10:16And esperanza comes from the root word, esperar, or to wait.
10:21We wait anxiously, eagerly, hungrily.
10:25And we hope for a new day to dawn.
10:28For the arc of the universe to bend further towards justice.
10:32For collective liberation.
10:34For freedom.
10:35For an America that works for working people.
10:39And I am here to remind you that we are the ones that we have been waiting for.
10:51Let our hopeful yearning for a different and better future.
10:54And our righteous anger and the injustices we see lead us to action.
10:59May it lead us to organize.
11:01To fight back.
11:02To stand firm.
11:03To resist.
11:04And to make sure that Donald.
11:07Elon.
11:08Jeff.
11:09And all of those billionaires pay their fair share.
11:14And once we get them to pay their fair share.
11:20Let's get their money out of our elections.
11:24Let's get their money out of the White House.
11:30And get their hands out of working people's pockets and off our services.
11:35Yes, Social Security and Medicaid included.
11:40So that we win an increase in the minimum wage and we get to a living wage.
11:45Affordable housing for all.
11:47Medicare for all.
11:48Green New Deal.
11:49Unions for all.
11:50Comprehensive immigration reform.
11:53And that's just the beginning.
11:55Because I believe in a more just, loving and compassionate world.
12:01And I know it's possible.
12:02Because I believe in us.
12:04In our movement.
12:05And what we can do when we stay together.
12:07So if you're not yet part of a progressive project here in Chicago.
12:11I encourage you to join us.
12:13There are tables of organizations outside.
12:15There are folks all over here.
12:17There are folks from my team.
12:19Sign up.
12:20Organize.
12:21Let's stay ready.
12:23So let us be hope where there's despair.
12:25Let us be light in dark places.
12:27Let us be love where there is hate.
12:29Let's fight like heaven and hell for each other.
12:33And for a future we're proud on.
12:35To pass to our children.
12:37Let's take on the oligarchs.
12:39And build with and for the people.
12:42And so what better way to do that than to welcome to Chicago.
12:54And to this stage.
12:56Someone who has taken on the oligarchs his entire life.
13:01Someone who has fought for working people his entire career.
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