From Staff Reports

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, will speak at a political rally on Aug. 10 in Asheville’s Thomas Wolfe Auditorium during a stop on the latest leg of his national “Fighting Oligarchy: Where We Go From Here” tour.

Doors will open at 3:30 p.m., followed at 5 p.m. by a performance by Durham electropop duo Sylvan Esso, after which, at 6 p.m., the speakers, including Sanders, will begin.

This is billed as Sanders’ first tour since the passage of the “Big Beautiful Bill,” which Sanders says will “cause 15 million Americans to lose their health insurance.”

From Aug. 8 through 10, the senator plans to make two stops in North Carolina and visit several red districts in rural West Virginia.

“Red state, blue state – the people of this country are opposed to an economy that works for the 1 percent and not for working-class Americans,” Sanders said in a press release. 

“I’ll be heading to West Virginia and North Carolina to discuss the need for decent-paying jobs, health care for all, and the end of a corrupt campaign finance system in which billionaires buy politicians. Together, we can defeat the oligarchs who have taken hold of our country.”

Asheville television station WLOS’ News 13 “Comment Bubble” that followed its July 31 story on Sanders’ impending visit included the following assertions: 

• tiger.59 — “I don’t  know how our state got this title because in my county, Rutherford, the working class DON’T HAVE ENOUGH JOBS!!!!!!!! 

‘This county has had multiple opportunities for good jobs to come into this county. Thanks to our lousy county commissioners all we have are low-paying retail and fast-food jobs. Tell it to the working class here and see what they say. Tourism is all this county cares about. People here can’t live on that. The one hundred jobs coming to this county doesn’t even make a dent in in the amount of jobs needed. 

“I’d like someone from the governor’s office to find out just why our county commissioners seem to have an aversion to bringing good-paying jobs to the southern part of the county! I guess we don’t count.”

• Ihatemorons — “News flash! Trump doesn’t care either.”

• standonyourowntwofeet — “Does this mean our illustrious mayor will be there to welcome him and present him with a key to our little city? She couldn’t be bothered to meet with Trump or Vance when they came to visit the victims of Helene. I guess she was too busy researching consulting firms to contract for the next year or so to provide her with assistance in running our city. It’s just so hard for her to make all of these tough decisions on her own, you know.....”

• tiger.59 — “It seems like oligarchs include Sanders. He’s been in Washington for years, making money hand over foot from lobbyist — just like the rest of the old fools in the House and Senate.”