A Bernie Sanders presidency would be remarkably familiar

The democratic socialist's administration would resemble the current one in more ways than one

Bernie Sanders.
(Image credit: Illustrated | Wikimedia Commons)

Now that Bernie Sanders has been universally declared the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination following his victory in New Hampshire, it is worth asking: What would a Sanders presidency actually look like?

Here it is important to distinguish between Sanders' rhetoric on the campaign trail, in which he presents himself as a grand coalition-building progressive in the tradition of Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson, a president who will pass grand sweeping legislation that transforms American society and institutions forever, and his actual prospects for success. He talks about the Green New Deal as if it were going to be an actual series of bills passed by the House and Senate and signed by him into law.

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Matthew Walther

Matthew Walther is a national correspondent at The Week. His work has also appeared in First Things, The Spectator of London, The Catholic Herald, National Review, and other publications. He is currently writing a biography of the Rev. Montague Summers. He is also a Robert Novak Journalism Fellow.