The year is 2015. Rick Santorum is President. The GOP possesses a majority in both the House and Senate. Tax cuts and deregulation are rampant. A Democratic filibuster has saved Social Security and Medicare from privatization. Economic recovery is extremely slow; the Hillary Clinton administration's reforms only went so far.
While Santorum's re-nomination is basically assured, the Democratic nomination is truly up for grabs. The main front runner speculated by the media is former Vice President Evan Bayh; a number of other politicians form exploratory committees, including Lincoln Chafee, Jim Webb, and Martin O'Malley.
However, two seemingly unlikely candidates arise--popular Illinois Senator Barack Obama, and dark horse candidate Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT). The Democrats have to paint their party in a different light from the 20 years of centrist establishment governance (Clinton, Gore, & Clinton).
Obama campaigns to the left of Bayh et al, but even Obama is backed by corporate money. Sanders declares himself a democratic socialist and calls for such reforms as universal health care, universal college, paid leave, campaign finance reform, cuts to military spending, and a myriad of other progressive positions.
Who wins in this scenario? Though I wish I could say Sanders, I have a feeling Obama will pull through due to a number of factors, including big-money donors, seemingly center-left campaign rhetoric, and of course his race. What does the board think?