Bernie Sanders isn’t the left’s Trump

Look, I know the primaries aren't over, and it's still possible that Democratic centrists will get their act together. But Bernie Sanders is now the clear favourite for the Democratic nomination. There are many things to say about that, but the most important is that he is NOT a left-leaning version of President Donald Trump. Even if you disagree with his ideas, he's not a wannabe authoritarian ruler.

America under a Sanders presidency would still be America, both because Sanders is an infinitely better human being than Trump and because the Democratic Party wouldn't enable abuse of power the way Republicans have.

And if you're worried about his economic agenda, what's your concern, exactly? That he'll raise taxes on the rich part way back to what they were under Dwight Eisenhower? That he'll run budget deficits? Trump is doing that already — and the economic effects have been positive.

I'm more concerned about (a) the electability of someone who says he's a socialist even though he isn't and (b) if he does win, whether he'll squander political capital on unwinnable fights like abolishing private health insurance. But if he's the nominee, it's the job of Dems to make him electable if at all possible.

To be honest, a Sanders administration would probably leave centre-left policy wonks like me out in the cold, at least initially. And if a President Sanders or his advisers say things I think are foolish, I won't pretend otherwise in an attempt to ingratiate myself. (Sorry, I'm still not a convert to Modern Monetary Theory.) But this is no time for self-indulgence and ego trips. Freedom is on the line.

©2020 The New York Times Company