Chapotraphouse

I highly, HIGHLY, doubt Bernie would be able to do anything. The levers of power in the western world are 100% in the hands of capital, with no real leftist movement to pose a threat to the ruling powers to influence anything.

Which is why they said Bernie could be the next FDR. A capitalist president. The guy who was in charge when american capitalism was saved by a combination of minimal planning, war and the new deal tackling a few of the worst contradictions found in the economic model. Sanders would have never been Lenin. He would, at best, been a guy who enacted capitalist policies that do not entail removing the copper wiring from the walls.

You can make an argument that american capitalism has developed into a financialized phase that makes it all impossible. That american industrial policy is too invested in financial bubbles and pretending that the government doesn't do industrial policy (it does, but just for Raytheon, Big Tech and Tesla). But that's a different argument from saying that Bernie was not revolutionary. Rather, you're claiming that the USA's leeway within the framework of capitalism is too limited even for an FDR.

He had a real base of popular support. That matters a lot. Then again barfsack ocrumbo couldn't even get us a public option so

It doesn't matter anyway we are worldbuilding