Toward a Deep Presidency: Coming to Terms with Our Constitutional Catastrophe-in-Chief

Abstract

If Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) were elected president in 2016, “what do you think that would do?” Set aside for a second the implausibility of a democratic socialist from the small state of Vermont—the longest-serving independent in the history of the Congress—raising anything like the hundreds of millions of dollars needed to contend for the office. Turn your back on the obvious point that a Democratic Party insider like former First Lady and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton has nearly universal name recognition. As an Independent, Sanders would run the risk of being labeled a “spoiler,” and held in contempt by many liberals, as was Ralph Nader in the 2000 presidential election—do not even consider that possibility. And if he contested the primary as a Democrat, well, the party faithful might not exactly flock to such an “outsider.” Suspend all of your disbelief. The proposition still remains: what would happen if the United States—however far-fetched the possibility might seem—elected a progressive, socialist-leaning, working-class advocate from an electorally insignificant state to serve as president in 2016? Assume he rode a wave of popularity as a progressive voice for working Americans, somehow managing to win the nomination of the Democratic Party and then the general election. What would happen the morning after, when the election night parties had died down?

There have been five considerable crises in American history…So far, it is clear, the hour has brought forth the man

—Harold Laski, 1940

If you had a President who said: “Nobody in America is going to make less than $12 or $14 an hour,” what do you think that would do? If you had a President who said: “You know what, everybody in this country is going to get free primary health care within a year,” what do you think that would do?…If you had a president who said, “Global warming is the great planetary crisis of our time, I’m going to create millions jobs as we transform our energy system. I know the oil companies don’t like it. I know the coal companies don’t like it. But that is what this planet needs: we’re going to lead the world in that direction. We’re going to transform the energy system across this planet—and create millions of jobs while we do that.” If you had a President say that, what kind of excitement would you generate from young people all over this world?

—Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), 2013, asked about the prospect that he might run for president in 2016