Hillary Clinton says she welcomes the “rare” opportunity for a “real contest of ideas” with Senator Bernie Sanders. Though Sanders remains a longshot for securing the nomination, the battle of ideas between the two candidates is very real. But the debate between Clinton and Sanders does not just pit pragmatism against idealism, it also reflects a deeper divide within progressive politics over fundamental theories of governance.
Clinton takes a managerialist view of how government works, embracing the idea that, with sufficient expertise, government can fine-tune the economy to prevent crises. Sanders, by contrast, is skeptical of expert oversight, and instead seeks to radically restructure the economy itself.