Two weeks ago, I stood among 34,000 demonstrators at a rally in Denver. Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hosted the protest aimed at “fight[ing] oligarchy” (according to the speakers’ podium), with the pair taking shots at Trump, Elon Musk and their cronies in the executive branch. The crowd was irate with Trump’s most recent actions — tariffs on our neighbors and allies, executive orders against crucial government departments and a litany of other offenses — and had no sympathy for what Sanders described as the “corporate oligarchy” running the show. This protest was one of many in the larger campaign by Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez, a move that represents a step in the right direction for the Democrats and a bright sign for public opinion in otherwise dark times.

One of the Denver rally’s greatest elements was the large array of diverse voices taking part in the messaging, including labor organizers, a public educator, a member of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and several other speakers drawing on their unique perspectives to advocate for local and national progress. From these individuals, a collective sentiment arose: Trump’s policies are bad for everyone, and people across all walks of life are pushing back. At the same time, the speakers each tied the battle against Trump to particular issues at the local level. At the Denver rally, this talking point was articulated by a King Soopers (a Colorado Kroger-owned supermarket chain) union leader who told the crowd that the same corporate greed driving the Department of Government Efficiency and Trump’s cabinet is also depressing workers’ compensation and driving up prices for everyday necessities locally.

This targeted messaging is more effective than the playbook the democratic party has used for the past few elections. To the average voter, these sorts of impacts can be far more animating for political action than news about the stock market or foreign relations and are a crucial element in revitalizing Democratic support among the working class.

The choice to platform an educator was similarly important. The rally in Colorado took place just a day after Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the Department of Education, forcing parents in the crowd to reconcile with the idea of their own child’s education being stripped of federal funding and support. With many Colorado school districts already vastly underfunded, the lack of government support threatens to end free school lunch programs, technology stipends for less up-to-date classrooms and many other crucial elements in public schools.

These glimpses into the pains of teachers, laborers and everyday people reminded all of us in the crowd of the tangible impacts of this legislation and the real people whom it affects. Behind these common struggles lie the binds of community, goodwill and hope. This messaging has the power to galvanize voters in times of need, and now more than ever, the left could use that sort of unity.

Including an FTC member as a speaker served to show the crowd that the federal bureaucracy isn’t just filled with Trump cronies; he represented those fighting back from within, those whom Trump has been fighting tooth and nail over the course of this term to liquidate from federal agencies. His work has been to directly combat Trump’s extralegal pathways to push forward his MAGA agenda, and his example was one of optimism for the integrity of our government despite its seemingly total corruption.

This event is an optimistic sign of the current political attitude. The turnout alone showed that Democrats, though down, are certainly not defeated. Despite the lack of a clear plan forward from party leadership, the crowd was united under a banner that has been common to Democratic voters for the past eight years: hatred for Trump and his policies. Notably, the event runners succeeded at leveraging this point. The rally didn’t center around a particular candidacy or platform but instead a collective disapproval of our current leaders. Although this alone can not drive long-term success, it is certainly a positive departure from the disastrous alternative of waiting around for a more apt rallying point.

If the Democratic party wants to win elections, the attitude of the Fight Oligarchy campaign should define the attitude for a new era of Democratic messaging. Although lacking clear policy prescriptions, the inclusion of so many varied speakers showed the crowd that, at least for Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez, the Democratic Party speaks to the needs of the common American, whether they work in a school or a construction yard. The event presented a party that, although catalyzed by anti-Trump sentiment, is ultimately united by empathy and mutual interest rather than bigotry and greed. At the same time, I’m hard-pressed to call it a feel-good attitude: the major mobilizing force behind the crowd was a staunch disapproval of MAGA and its proponents. Maybe this dualistic policy is flawed, but I see it as a firm way to inspire working Americans against those who are obviously pitted against their interests and to take action against leaders who don’t represent the needs of their constituents.

This messaging is, in any case, clearly enough to mobilize today’s voters, with the rally purportedly being Sanders’ largest ever. If people are willing to turn out against Trump at rallies and protests, I’m hopeful that they will be similarly motivated at the voting booth. It seems, to me at least, that the tide is turning that way; Wisconsin’s recent Supreme Court election, despite massive opposition funding by Elon Musk, resulted in a sweeping Democrat victory. If small occasions like rallies and special elections can bring forth Democratic favor in voters, I have high hopes for 2028.

Standing with 34,000 people in the shadow of Colorado’s Capitol, I felt invigorated. I was imbued with a certainty that the American people are not ones to succumb to the demagogic rhetoric of Trump, but ones who will continue to fight for a better future and a better country.