As we mentioned yesterday, Jeff Stein and Sean Sullivan of the Washington Post revealed a document from Bernie headquarters that shows the new frontrunner-- in both the Democratic primary and the general election-- "is considering dozens of executive orders he could unilaterally enact on a wide range of domestic policy issues if elected president, including immigration, the environment and prescription drugs."
Aides have presented Sanders with a list of possible executive actions, including more than a dozen options for reversing President Trump’s immigration policy, such as lifting the cap on the number of refugees accepted into the United States and immediately halting border wall construction. Another option is the reinstatement of an Obama-era program that granted legal status to undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children.The document reviewed by the Washington Post shows how the Sanders campaign has already begun extensive planning for how the senator would lead the country in his first days as president if he won the Democratic nomination and defeated Trump in November. Many of the proposals Sanders has floated on the campaign trail do not have support from congressional Republicans and are opposed by some Democrats, 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. Other options cited in the document include canceling federal contracts for firms paying workers less than $15 an hour and reversing federal rules blocking U.S. funding to organizations that provide abortion counseling.The campaign’s potential executive orders come amid increased scrutiny about how Sanders, one of the most left-leaning members in Congress, would attempt to advance his agenda. One of Sanders’s top rivals on the campaign trail, former vice president Joe Biden, has talked about working with Republicans in some cases to enact his agenda. Sanders’s approach appears to be different.The unilateral actions considered by Sanders’s campaign are likely to be fiercely opposed by conservatives and even moderate liberals. Sanders could face criticism for moving to take more power away from the legislative branch amid ever-expanding executive authority, although he has been a vocal proponent of giving Congress more power over the country’s wars and military interventions. Many Democrats and some Republicans have criticized Trump for the numerous executive orders he signed in the early part of his presidency.“Every time a president leaves office, they leave office with more power the next president in line can take and expand,” said Jason Pye, vice president of legislative affairs for FreedomWorks, a conservative group. “You’re getting to the point where the legislative branch has lost so much of its power... it almost does not matter. And that should concern every person in this country.”Sanders has already released a slew of legislative proposals that would have to be approved by Congress, including a “Medicare-for-all” single-payer health-care system and a Green New Deal to remake the nation’s energy system.He has faced questions from voters in recent weeks on the campaign trail about how he would deal with Republican resistance in Congress should he be elected and made to work with a GOP-dominated Senate.“I love your ideas, Bernie,” a woman told him at a town hall in Anamosa, Iowa, in January. “But what are you going to do about the partisanship that prevents any good Democrat from getting anywhere in Congress right now?”Sanders replied, “We’re going to run a different type of presidency.”Sanders also said he was prepared to make his case to voters, even in red states, in a bid to pressure Republican lawmakers to support his agenda.“It’s not just sitting down and arguing with Mitch McConnell,” he said, referring to the Republican Senate majority leader. “It is getting people to stand up and fight back.”On the campaign trail, Sanders talks frequently about implementing sweeping changes in the way the government deals with health care, climate change and the economy, but he often discusses enacting those changes through legislation rather than through executive orders.Other possible executive orders being considered include the immediate release of disaster aid to Puerto Rico and a review of federal policies toward Native American tribal groups.“Bernie will try to do all he can do with executive orders as quickly as he can, while fully cognizant of the fact much more will have to be done by legislative means,” said Robert C. Hockett, a professor at Cornell University who has advised Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) on economic policy matters. “The idea is to get as much done as you can, as quickly as you can.”
A prominent Blue America advisor suggested that Bernie go beyond the leak to The Post and officially announce and hugely publicize a list of planned executive orders. Why? It will show Bernie’s strength and transparency while contrasting him with Biden's dishonest and unrealistic nonsense about working with Moscow Mitch-- tantamount to getting nothing of consequence done-- the entire premise of a Status Quo Joe presidency. Campaigning on the proposed executive actions will also highlight Congress’ inability to block numerous urgent Bernie policies while emphasizing the fact that Bernie will only pass other laws upon Congress being persuaded over the following two and four years-- by more mobilization of more voters-- and by replacing reactionary congress members of both parties with progressives like these. This also knocks out of the park 3 widely shared memes:
• Lefties are wimps-- in between filling up Gulags;• Bernie will get nothing done;• Bernie will end voters’ future "choices."
There are dozens of candidates who are running on Bernie's platform and who have endorsed Bernie's candidacy. It's important to help as many of them as possible, especially the best and most prepared of them. I spoke with Liam O'Mara of Orange County, California yesterday about how his own plans will sync up with President Sanders'. He told me that "Senator Sanders and I share a desire to aid the working and middle classes in this country, and to reverse the damage of a 40+ year class war waged by the right on the American people. A trillion dollars in wealth has been lost by the bottom 50% while the top 1% broke all records for profit. This massive redistribution is killing the American Dream, and both the Senator and myself have long been sounding the alarm over it. And yes, there is only so much that can be done with even our overly-powerful presidency. We need to replace the reactionaries and toadies for the oligarchy that currently fill the halls of Congress with solid progressives who want to tackle the real issues and revitalize the promise of the New Deal for the 21st century. To get Sanders's agenda through, I and folks like me all across this country need your help."Milwaukie, Oregon Mayor Mark Gamba is taking on a reactionary Blue Dog, Kurt Schrader this year (OR-05). He told us, "I'm not surprised by Bernie's list of executive orders. He watched as Congress, under Republican sway, stymied many of Obama's relatively uncontroversial attempts to cause positive change. We don't have time to waste arguing with sold out politicians. We literally have 10 years to save our children's futures. We have people dying right now because they can't afford the drugs their doctors have prescribed, and that is with an insurance policy that includes prescriptions. We have people becoming homeless right now because the cost of housing has far outstripped the minimum wage. Yes, we should fix all those things with laws passed by congress and that will be my job, to move as much of it as possible, as fast as possible. Mine and a few dozen others in the Brand New Congress that the people will elect to replace the corporate shills that have sold them out. However, President Sanders will be right to treat many of these issues as emergencies and behave accordingly." "Our plans," said Rochester, NY progressive Robin Wilt, a dedicated Berniecrat, "are simply what the vast majority of the American people, and those in NY-25, support, but that the corporate-controlled establishment has resisted. A majority of Americans (58 percent) support the idea of replacing the Affordable Care Act with a federally-funded health care system. In repeated Kaiser polls, 2/3 of Americans had a positive reaction to Medicare-for-all. Similarly, Public Policy Polling (PPP) has found that overwhelmingly (88 percent), voters oppose cutting Social Security benefits, while according to Gallup polling, 67 percent of Americans support removing the cap and requiring high-income earners to pay the payroll tax for all of their income. The common ground among Americans goes on and on: a majority of Americans-- 61 percent-- believe that upper-income earners pay too little in taxes and 64 percent believe that corporations don’t pay their fair share in taxes. Significant majorities believe that wealth distribution is unfair in America and support raising the minimum wage, and say they are worried about the climate crisis. Over and over, a consistent majority of Americans support the policies that Bernie Sanders wants to implement, and now we simply need a Congress on board that actually reflects the interests and desires of the American people.""I am fully in support of Bernie Sanders' platform and endorse him for president, because he understands that the working class in this country is suffering because of the greed of corporations and the 1%," said Rebecca Parson without hesitation." She's the progressive Democrat running for a seat in Washington held by chief New Dem Derek Kilmer. "Our corporate politicians and the entire professional apparatus that surrounds them," she continued "have utterly failed to propose and pass policies that will help us. I'm fighting for single-payer Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, and Housing for All, because they will benefit WA-06 and the entire country. I was one of the first candidates in the country to call for national rent control, and as someone whose rent has gone up 16% in the past few years, this will help me, too. The inside-outside strategy, which is what Bernie is proposing, is a proven strategy for winning legislation for the people, as the Civil Rights movement showed."California's Central Valley has one terrible conservative after another in Congress-- from Devin Nunes (R) to Jim Costa (Blue Dog). Kim Williams, a former Obama-era diplomat and college professor, is taking on Costa this year. Yesterday, she told me that "Bernie has gained traction in every forgotten corner of America because he has the backbone to stand up for real change. We need him, but we also need progressives at every level of government who will push his policies over the finish line and ensure federal money and resources funnel down to those who need it most. This means we need a Congress who will send Medicare for All and a Green New Deal to President Sanders’ desk for signature. It means we need progressive governors, mayors, county supervisors, and city council members who won’t block progress and ensure more voters can access the polls on Election Day. And it means supporting progressive candidates for central committees who will reshape the Democratic Party from the inside out and support candidates who will truly fight for the people. This is why each weekend our canvassing team promotes an entire progressive slate. As we’ve knocked on thousands of doors, we’ve handed out literature for not just our campaign, but for progressives running for the Democratic Central Committee, our progressive champion for mayor, and Bernie Sanders. We do this because we understand it will take all of us to write America’s next chapter and we’ll need every progressive ally to band together for change."Indiana progressive candidate, Jennifer Christie asks voters to "Imagine having a progressive Congress working with President Bernie Sanders. I am running because we need real action to solve tough issues. What I love about Bernie is that he has political courage and is willing to fight for the planet and working families without hesitation, even if it means taking on powerful corporate interests to do it. I am ready to help him fight! I am running in a competitive primary for an open seat where I am the progressive candidate. I am the only scientist running in this race, and also the only mom with young children. I have four young children, and each day I work this campaign with their future in mind. Recently, the DCCC threw their support behind one of our opponents. The DCCC has never prioritized candidates who have embraced and fought for progressive issues and values. Our opponent does not have a single issue listed on her website. In contrast, Climate Change, Medicare for All, Education for All, fair taxes and wages, and common-sense gun reform are all centerpieces of our campaign. Furthermore, we have comprehensive policies, including a Climate Agenda to solve the climate crisis with a Green New Deal. Like Bernie, I am not afraid to take on these issues. Furthermore, I am proud that our campaign does not take any corporate PAC money, nor any fossil fuel money, nor any other dark money whatsoever. We have known for decades about climate change, yet we have seen almost no legislative movement to solve this existential threat. We have a healthcare system that leaves tens of millions of people behind. Our tax structure favors the very wealthy. And gun reform is held ransom by the NRA. We are going to change this...All of it! We will take real action. When in Congress, I will be a voice for our the future of our planet, working families, and children. Like Bernie, I cannot be bought. That’s probably scary to special interests, but for the rest of us, it’s long overdue. I look forward to passing a Bernie budget, solving the climate crisis, and guaranteeing healthcare and college for all Americans. We will transform our economy, our nation, and the world."
