The Biggest Difference Between Clintons' and Sanders' Policies Isn't Their Substance

[Dem2]

The Biggest Difference Between Clintons' and Sanders' Policies Isn't Their Substance

It's how they'd try to enact them.

—By Patrick Caldwell

The contrasts between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are largely differences of degree. He's a self-proclaimed socialist; she fashions herself a "progressive that likes to get things done." He hopes to bust up the biggest banks and offer free tuition at public colleges and universities; she wants to tamp down on risky Wall Street behavior and require students to work part-time in order to attend college without building up debt.

But these discrepancies would likely disappear if either Democratic candidate wins the presidency and attempts to push these bills through a Republican Congress that considers all of the proposals too far left for its liking.

The real difference between Sanders and Clinton might come down less to the what of their policies than to the how of implementing them. When Sanders unveils a new policy as part of his presidential campaign, he tends to pair it with legislation he introduces in the Senate. Judging from his campaign, a President Sanders would spend much of his time trying to convince Congress to pass massive legislative overhauls.

Clinton, on the other hand, often pair ideas for legislation with promises of executive action in her policy fact sheets. When she rolls out a new policy proposal, the most details are usually in descriptions of the unilateral actions she would take through the power of the executive branch.

.......

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/11/hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-executive-orders-bills

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Certainly this is going to be an issue for either candidate: how to work with a Republican House determined to thwart any and all legislation introduced by a Democratic President. Is doing what they can through executive action going to be the only way to accomplish anything while we still have a completely dysfunctional Congress?

[randys1]

1. Great point, work with cons? Not as long as teaparty are there, they exist solely to NOT work with

anybody.

Gerrymandering has to be changed, and it would help if liberals could be as excited about voting as the teaparty is

[azmom]

2. The biggest difference is that Bernie

Is trustworthy in terms of pushing his progressive agenda. Hillary not so much.

[Dem2]

4. This article suggests that that may not be enough

Let's give him the argument that his progressive heart is more pure than Hillarys' (which I agree with BTW.) Would he be any better at pushing through his agenda given the current environment in Congress? Would he be more quickly called a failure since without the ability to get anything done, he would thus just be an outsider without as much Democratic support? I don't know the answers, but I do consider these to be good questions.

[azmom]

5. I can't even get there. Hillary

is not trustworthy. She will turn her back on us as soon as she has political cover to do so.

[cantbeserious]

3. Six Questions

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251812060

[onecaliberal]

6. ^^^That^^^ I can't get past those questions either.

[Thinkingabout]

7. Clinton has worked across the aisle while she was senator to accomplish the needs of the US.

She has been endorsed by many of Congressional members who have worked both with Clinton and Sanders. She has friends in Congress, she will not have to establish a working relationship with those members. Just judging by the number of endorsements of Congressional members, it leans to the side of Clinton getting more accomplishments through Congress.

[cantbeserious]

8. Six Questions

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251812060

[Thinkingabout]

9. On your questions

1. Defense spending could have been cut by not continuing to vote for the F35 program which still has not proven to be an effective plane by those who fly these planes, they say it would lose in a dog fight. Senator Sanders continues to vote for the continuation of this corporate defense welfare. Also, the helmets cost $400,000 a piece, more corporate defense welfare. He voted to continue to manufacture drones. Maybe you should ask Senator Sanders why does this continue.

2. Secretary is not for reinstating Glass Stegall, she would like to enhance Dodd Frank which has been enacted, to regulate issues with banks and Wall Street. The Commodities Futures Modernizations Act had a lot to do with the financial crisis, Representative Sanders voted for this bill. Secretary Clinton wants to change rules for Wall Street.

3. The Dodd Frank bill will break up the banks if they do not follow the rules, this is why Secretary Clinton wants to enhance this bill to cover some possible problems. Glass Stegall would not have prevented the financial crisis, helped but not prevented.

4. She has said Citizens United needs to have a Constitutional Amendment in order not to have a future SC change and rule again in the future to have this happen again.

5. She has made her statement on TPP.

6. She made a health care presentation to Congress in the 90's, ACA is not perfect, needs some improvements but I would not question her stand on health care, she is quiet aware of the needs of health care.

I hope this helps you.