The Weird Obsession With Flying First-Class Among America’s Anti-Capitalists
29th March 2026
Whether it was the head of a left-wing nonprofit reportedly linked to a Marxist propaganda network connected to a China-based billionaire last week, or Democratic socialist Bernie Sanders on Friday afternoon, there was one common denominator among these “champagne” socialists: their obsession with living an affluent, elitist lifestyle, including flying first class.
When they fly commercial at all.
Sanders has been identified with socialist politics for roughly half a century. He was involved with the Liberty Union Party in Vermont in the 1970s, later became mayor of Burlington in 1981, and by the time he entered Congress in 1991, he was already widely described as a democratic socialist.
Recall last year, the boomer socialist and another unhinged Democratic socialist, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, were spotted flying around the country in private jets that cost upwards of $15,000 per hour during their tour to fight billionaires.
Poverty for thee but not for me.