I’ve heard Defenders of the Bern claim that while, sure, some of his ideas would be disastrous if implemented, “he’d never get them past Congress”. This frees them, in their opinion, to vote for the Man Who Shouts at Clouds because he’s (a) a lot of fun and (b) he’s not Trump. But Bernie’s seen that difficulty coming, and has prepared a way around it.
Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) team is reportedly preparing “dozens” of Executive Orders for “President Sanders” to sign in his first several days in the White House, effectively reversing Trump Administration policies and enacting a comprehensive, socialist agenda without the advice and consent of Congress.
The Washington Post reportedly obtained a memo discussing the “early work” of a Sanders presidency, prepared by members of Sanders’ team. The document discusses signing executive orders that “would reverse President Trump’s policies on immigration, including an immediate halt of border wall construction, removing a limit on accepting refugees for asylum, and reinstating the Obama-era DACA program,” according to National Review.
“Many of the proposals Sanders has floated on the campaign trail do not have support from congressional Republicans and are opposed by some Democrats,” the Post reports, “so a willingness to move forward without congressional approval could determine whether many of his policies are enacted.”
“The list of potential executive orders includes unilaterally allowing the United States to import prescription drugs from Canada; directing the Justice Department to legalize marijuana; and declaring climate change a national emergency while banning the exportation of crude oil,” according to the Post. “Other options cited in the document include canceling federal contracts for firms paying less than $15 an hour and reversing federal rules blocking U.S. funding to organizations that provide abortion counseling.”
Sanders’ team also proposes closing all private prisons, directing the Department of Homeland Security to end Immigrations and Customs Enforcement raids,
“We cannot accept delays from Congress on some of the most pressing issues,” the document says, “especially those like immigration where Trump has governed with racism and for his own corrupt benefit.”
The document appears to have been compiled without much thought as to orders’ impact. Ending the exportation of crude oil, for example, could cripple the American economy, and set off a foreign policy disaster in the Middle East as countries scramble to move into the vacuum created by an American exit from the global oil trade.
I don’t really think we’ll see Bernie in the White House (though I might store up on gold just in case) but whatever Democrat lands there, we can expect a newfound appreciation for executive orders and a sudden horror of a single judge issuing nationwide injunctions.
