Hillary's increasing lead in the polls makes it more likely that Sanders won't concede

[TwilightZone]

until the convention.

I (and many others) have assumed for a while now that Sanders would concede within a week or so of DC and endorse Hillary. I'm wavering significantly in that belief. Part of it has to do with his campaign's rhetoric, part of it has to do with the polls, and part of it has to do with Donald Trump.

If the polls are solid for Hillary vs. Trump, there's less pressure on Sanders to concede for the sake of party unity and the GE. Her building poll lead gives him more leeway to continue on, because the perception that he's hurting her GE chances is lower than it would have been if the polls were tight or showed Trump ahead. Trump's horrible public performances of the past week give Sanders more breathing room to stay in it until the convention.

The problem for Sanders, of course, is that by doing so, he risks losing whatever clout he built up during the primaries, because the same factor that gives him the leeway to continue on - the building poll lead - reduces the perception of his and his supporters' importance in the GE. It's an interesting tightrope he's walking.

[SharonClark]

1. Sanders doesn't care about party unity - he has no party history to preserve

[CrowCityDem]

2. It doesn't matter what he does anymore. He's inconsequential.

The only thing that comes of this is my belief that the loge he goes without an endorsement, the less he will get of his demands. There's no reason anymore to bother placating him.

[liberal N proud]

3. Sanders is an egomaniac

[BobbyDrake]

4. I agree, if Clinton is polling this strong or stronger towards the convention, Bernie is dead weight

Appeasing him will be the lowest of low priorities for Democrats.

[BlueMTexpat]

5. Sanders is going to become

like an asterisk (*) if he keeps this up.

Hillary, her surrogates and anyone who is sane will be working as hard as we can to get her elected. Bernie will be off in left field doing his own thing and we won't even be paying attention.

[Agnosticsherbet]

6. Trumps extremism and massive incompetence as a candidate is driving the General Election

The Republican Party is scared shitless of him. Their only alternative to change the rules and declare he did not win after all would rip their party to pieces, likely accompanied by riots.

Their donors are widely reported to be donating to down ticket races in hopes that they can salvage some semblance of power. But a part that is self-destructing live on TV will not inspire their voter's to get out and vote.

Sanders has a narrow window where his movement is relevant, and that window might already be closed.

[eastwestdem]

7. I've never thought he would conceed before the convention. Every move he has made indicates

that he was enjoying the ride. While his motives may have been pure at the beginning, that time has long since passed. I remember the day when he first got Secret Service protection. He got out of that SUV with a new swagger we hadn't seen before. He was addicted at that moment.

[Blue Idaho]

11. I never thought he would concede - period.

I still don't think he will. He will simply retreat to Vermont and brood on his missed chance to be the first king of America.

[Cha]

12. Yeah, BS will Never Concede that he was beaten by Hillary Clinton in spite of all

his adoring fans ... just not possible.

[Thinkingabout]

8. I'm moving on, we have work to do, we have a candidate to elect, she will be great.

[Treant]

9. And his clout is gone

Not just a risk of losing it, gone.

If Clinton is leading without the BoB people and without party unity, then it's unnecessary. Thank you for playing, Sanders, here's the nice home version.

The only shift would be if the Republicans manage to oust Trump. Then the game might--might--change.

[Walk away]

10. I hope his frevent followers really enjoy him because he's all their's until the convention!

They are going to have to figure out some way to keep millions of people interested in him for absolutely no apparent reason.

[okasha]

13. Sanders is self-destructing.

So are Trump and the Republican Party.

We can't take anything for granted, but every now and then we can mix up a favorite cold drink, sit back and enjoy the show for a bit.

[stopbush]

14. At this point, I hope he doesn't concede, because that would deny him

a speaking slot at the convention.

If he is an active candidate, no speech. The delegates vote on Weds and Hillary will be the nominee.

Also, by holding out, he will not get any of his bullshit into the platform. He doesn't have enough people on the committees to win any vote taken.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

15. I was very afraid that Sanders would hurt HRC but since she beat him badly in the final primaries,

he'll be treated as an afterthought. I mean, who is really talking about Sanders anymore? Even Bill Maher seems to have called him out loudly, admonished his supporters, and has soured on him. I think what'll happen is that Sanders and his supporters will become more of an annoyance. But there isn't enough of them to make an impact. He also botched an opportunity to stay relevant by skipping the gun control filibuster. The guy has little credibility and is a one-trick pony, just as HRC has stated many times.

[jimw81]

16. He's Ralph nader

if he doubles down on his speech tonight he officially becomes Ralph Nader. Ppl will resent the guy and get primaried. Plain and simple.

Interestly on June 14 sanders filed alot of F99 forms to FEC and they marked private.

https://mobile.twitter.com/derekwillis/status/742853808489893893

[Stuckinthebush]

17. The train has left the station

And Bernie missed it.

He kept pushing his luck and then current events made him irrelevant. He could have parlayed his success into something useful for his cause but he kept wanting more. Then, Orlando happened. The focus is off of his quixotic campaign and the press is more interested in what a President Trump and President Clinton would do. Bernie is an afterthought. People now see the grave importance of not allowing Trump to win the White House. The time for silly counting games is over. The time for silly demands from Bernie are over. He lost his advantage.

But, he keeps pushing. Soon you will see him given an ultimatum. Take what we give you or shove it. You have become irrelevant.