What the Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez mega-rallies are really about

Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are striking a chord.

The socialist firebrands have been criss-crossing the country, attracting some of the largest crowds of their careers. Their rallies are bigger than any other events currently being held by Democrats, and party figures of all stripes are taking notice.

To progressives, it’s nothing short of a revival. And many Democrats, including those with ties to the party establishment, are just breathing a sigh of relief that they might finally have found a rallying cry in the face of the GOP’s all-out control of the federal government.

“I’m so proud and so excited by every Democrat at every single level who is getting out there,” said Malcolm Kenyatta, a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee who has criticized Sanders in the past. “This is not left versus right. This is about flight versus fight.”