From Vice: We Asked Two Experts What Would Actually Happen If Bernie Sanders Became President

[MelissaB]

Last month, we consulted an expert to find out whether or not a Donald Trump presidency would be as entertaining as it sounds (Answer: Maybe). This week, we tried that same exercise, exploring a different hypothetical: What would happen if Bernie Sanders, a curmudgeonly Independent Senator from Vermont, actually became the leader of the free world?

So imagine: It's Inauguration Day, 2017. Sanders is putting his 75-year-old hand on the on the Bible—for the first time, it's just the Old Testament. His grey flyaways are flying away in the wind off the National Mall. Everyone around him is smiling, but Bernie is the face of grouchy stoicism. He's about to become the first avowedly socialist president in United States history and he has work to do.

Who knows how this happened? Maybe someone finally found something in Hillary Clinton's emails that not only sank her campaign but also pushed the entire American electorate dramatically leftward on the political continuum. Maybe Rush Limbaugh reveals he's a robot created by Bill and Hillary to manufacture a vast conservative conspiracy, and Republican voters realize their entire political existence has been a lie.

Whatever. It doesn't matter. The important thing is that Bernie's finger is about to be on the proverbial red button. Billionaires are quaking in their boots; college students are taking celebratory bong rips; and the White House social office is contemplating a coup d'etat. Now, what happens next?

To find out, we called up the political science department of Middlebury College, a private liberal arts school in Sanders' home state of Vermont. Department Chair Bert Johnson, and professor Matthew Dickinson, who writes the blog Presidential Power, have been following Sanders' career as closely as anyone, and they were kind enough to bring us up to speed.

snip...

Early on in a new administration, presidents tend to talk about bipartisanship. Would Sanders do that?
Johnson: I think, in terms of whether he would talk about bipartisanship, I'm sure he would say, 'Let's hope to get some bipartisan agreements on stripping the privileges of the billionaires,' but I don't know that that bipartisanship would be forthcoming.

Dickinson: If Bernie Sanders wins, it will hugely be shocking, in the sense that he is not a mainstream candidate. Basically he's going to say, 'Listen. The message here is it's a new message—that things have really got to change, whether it's on campaign finance or income taxes. The people have said, you know, the status quo never works' So I suspect there will be a little more edge. He'll have the olive branch, which is, 'We've got to work together,' but it's going to be tinged with a, 'Hey! Don't tell me that the same old political status quo is going to remain. The people clearly said we want to change that, and you better recognize that.'

More: http://www.vice.com/read/we-asked-experts-what-would-actually-happen-if-bernie-sanders-were-president-384

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Interesting article. Let's hope we'll find out what he'd do...n/t

[MelissaB]

2. Absoutely!

[yeoman6987]

3. Out of all his legislative promises, up to 3 might pass

That is pretty typical of any president. The voters won't get everything.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

4. Better than nothing, especially if it's three that really break from the status quo.

But unless there's a seismic shift in the House and Senate, I suspect most of what he'll do will happen through executive actions, orders, and appointments.

[zazen]

5. and momentum from just one--the massive jobs program--would support passing others

Sure there will be some "negative externalities," but shifting billions of dollars to creating new living wage jobs for unemployed workers will stimulate the economy all over the place. It will reduce some crime, it will reduce some drug use, billions of dollars will be spent by these people on services they need. . . . the benefits from just that huge shift will make arguments for the rest easier.

And all those infrastructure contracts . . . they're bargaining chips. Get the states fighting over them so they buy in.

One negative externality may be more fossil fuel use, but if the jobs are in building high speed rail and more walkable cities that might be mitigated as well.

[hootinholler]

12. Until the mid terms

And people who don't cooperate start losing their seats in congress.

[yeoman6987]

13. That is if voters show up

[hootinholler]

14. Do you know the main reason they did't in 2010?

Obama didn't keep his movement engaged.

Bernie will call for us to come out.

[sabrina 1]

16. So long as he fights, and doesn't talk about how much he wants to be 'bi-partisan'. I think he'll

get a whole lot done because we won't just be electing Bernie, we'll be working on the down ticket also, kicking out all those 'bought-and-paid-for obstructionists for Billionaires so he has a majority in Congress who were ALSO put there by the PEOPLE, not by those in power.

See the last two midterms eg. Progressives pretty much held their seats, but the people said 'no way' to Third Wayers.

AND on local and state levels voters worked to get the candidates they wanted elected, and to get Progressive issues, which are massively popular, though we've been consistently lied to about that too, on the local Ballots and pretty much won when they did.

So Bernie is arriving at the right time. He KNOWS how angry the people are. I bet if he wins the nomination, all those obscenely wealthy donors will learn, 'no, you can't buy this government anymore' and will see their candidates lose even more seats.

We need a fighter, you can't negotiate with people who have an agenda and owe their votes to those who paid for them. Nor should he, and I don't think he will.

He'll be more like Johnson, won't take no for an answer, he'll work to twist arms in his own party, and better, his cabinet won't be filled with Corporate CEOs and Republicans.

Not to mention the people who will not be going away after he is elected. We will be there in the millions holding their feet to the fire so Bernie can get the work done that needs to be done.

[JEB]

18. Thank you Sabrina 1.

Bernie is the sanest candidate by far and he keeps fighting for what is right.

[L0oniX]

6. "you better recognize that" Indeed! Ignore that at your peril. n/t

[Augiedog]

7. I was wondering where I could get some Bernie hair for Halloween, then I looked in the mirror

[Spitfire of ATJ]

8. I remember the panic over the idea of a peanut farmer winning,...then an actor.

[BeanMusical]

11. In retrospect the panic about the actor was justified.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

15. With Republicans, it's not the guy,...it's the machine within the party....

When Dubya got in people figured he would ride around in a limo all day pretending to be his daddy.

You just KNOW he played with the windows.

[BeanMusical]

17. +1

"You just KNOW he played with the windows." Lol, that made me chuckle.

[dvduval]

9. People on the street

I'd like to think he would get some people out on the street and in the Washington telling their congressmen know they need to get to work on what Bernie was elected on. He may be faced with a Congress that is fully Republican and the only way he may have to move things forward is get people involved. We may be dealing with the first truly social media president as well. Overall I was not very impressed by the article but what do I know? I do likewise a whole lot though. Just not this article.

[untrue]

10. President Trump would be 72 and President Hillary would be 70

no young ones running around here.

President Biden would be 74