William Jennings Bryan today

[Kingpoleon]

Probably an evangelical progressive, like Mark Hatfield.

I think he would probably be a Webb/O'Malley supporter, and if he keeps his home state, then I expect he would not endorse in the GE or endorse Johnson. He would definitely be pro-life and probably support auditing the Fed. Besides that, I can't think of an issue like prohibition or silver that might motivate him, but his great oratorical skills ensure he could do whatever he wanted. He might have to serve as Speaker, Secretary of State, or Vice President to become accepted enough by the Democrats to win their nomination.

[Kingpoleon]

He'd have difficulty advancing in either party.

Bryan was heavily involved in the fundamentalist-modernist controversy and was loudly anti-evolution and pro-prohibition. Even updating his social views to their modern equivalents, he'd still be hopelessly out of line with today's Democratic Party. Obviously his economics wouldn't fly with the Republicans either.

If he got into politics at all, he'd be some eccentric state representative that we'd only hear about in a hysterical U.S. General Discussion thread.

I think if he managed to make it in the House, he could keep winning election like Walter Jones and Jim Traficant. Perhaps he could manage a deal with whichever party he belongs to to become Speaker.

His oratorical skills alone would be reason enough not to mess with him.