Our Best Bet is Bernie

[tomhagen]

[Amimnoch]

1. Nope. Nt

[jezebel321]

2. Please God NO!!! nt

[Cha]

3. NO.

[Hoyt]

4. He will be our best bet if he wins nomination, quite a lot of voting, vetting, etc., before that.

Last edited Thu Apr 18, 2019, 07:38 AM - Edit history (1)

[ploppy]

5. Not.

[Thekaspervote]

6. NO. Bernie equals 4 more years of the orange stain

[Gothmog]

26. If sanders is the nominee, trump will win 45+ states in the real world

[SFnomad]

45. I doubt tRump will do quite that well ... but his win will be shocking nonetheless n/t

[efhmc]

108. So true.

[cwydro]

7. No.

No way.

[madaboutharry]

8. No.

I can't stand him. I will vote no matter who is the nominee, but there will be plenty of democrats who won't show up on elections day if he is the nominee. That is a sure bet.

[LakeArenal]

9. Nope

[sheshe2]

10. Nope. nt

[lunamagica]

11. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[crazytown]

12. No

Not as I see it.

[NanceGreggs]

13. NO!!!

[lapucelle]

14. David Pakman?

[SidDithers]

69. I know, right?...

Sid

[njhoneybadger]

15. HELL NO!!!!!

[BannonsLiver]

16. No, it's not actually.

[dalton99a]

17. Wrong.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

18. .

[Kahuna7]

19. LOL! nt

[nolabear]

20. No.

[left-of-center2012]

21. I liked Bernie in 2016 before I voted for Hillary

It's time to move on.

[Celerity]

22. I want a time machine too!

[WeekiWater]

23. I watched to see the analysis delivered.

A kiddie pool has more depth than this Packman character.

If Sanders wins the nomination we will beat Trump. People like me will invest all of our time and money on down-ticket races and we will push Sanders across the finish line. We have to.

[Codeine]

24. Oh god, I certainly hope not. nt

[Gothmog]

25. Messina Says Sanders Can't Beat Trump

I agree with Jim Messina on this https://politicalwire.com/2019/04/17/messina-says-sanders-cant-beat-trump/

Jim Messina, who managed Barack Obama’s re-election campaign in 2012, told ABC News that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) cannot beat President Trump in 2020.

Said Messina: “I think if you look at swing voters in this country they are incredibly focused on the economy. I think today you look at it and say that Bernie Sanders is unlikely going to be able to stand up to the constant barrage that is Donald Trump on economic issues.”

[Butterflylady]

59. Disagree

I disappear agree with Mr. Messina completely. I feel that anyone of our candidates cam and will beat the orange moron. The economy is already showing signs of tanking and a lot of swing voters are regretting their vote.

[democratisphere]

27. FREE-dumb is not our solution to this country's problems.

[USALiberal]

28. No!!!! nt

[solara]

29. Nope. I do not agree that Bernie is our best bet

A lot could happen between now and the Primaries. If Sanders wins the Primary I will vote for him.. but only then.

IMHO, Sanders has way too much baggage & the corrupt GOP & perhaps even the russians want Sanders to be our nominee so trump will win.

Sorry that's how I feel.

But I will vote for him if he is the Democratic Nominee.

I'm Voting Blue no Matter Who

[Historic NY]

30. Yawn.....its time for some young blood

he'll be 78 in 4 months....

[obnoxiousdrunk]

31. You did

get people to click.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

32. Yes, it's time to rally around Bernie.

[Jakes Progress]

42. He certainly has trump's support for the nomination.

[Funtatlaguy]

54. In his true heartless chest, I'm not sure who scares him most.

Does he want to face an opponent that will be fighting all of his garbage hit for hit or someone who mostly ignores all of his tweeting and raging?

[Gothmog]

66. Trump really wants to run against a very weak candidate like sanders

[Gothmog]

99. trump wants to run against sanders

trump wants to run against sanders and is afraid of Joe Biden

Link to tweet

The Republican Party would love to run against Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) because they could make the election all about Sanders and socialism instead of Trump. They want to run against Buttigieg because they think they can use his sexual orientation and youth against him.

The person that Trump can’t figure out is Joe Biden. Trump has tried the “Sleepy Joe” attack but has flopped. Trump has now moved on to trying to attack Biden’s populism by coining him “1% Joe.” This also won’t work, especially coming from Donald Trump. Trump fears Biden’s populism and former vice president’s appeal in Rust Belt states.

Biden scares Trump, and that fear is never more obvious than when Trump starts talking about his potential opponents in 2020.

[Beartracks]

113. I think there's likely some truth there. n/t

[Gothmog]

121. If sanders is the nominee, trump will win 45+ states

[booksandpencils]

61. Sanders's supporters accused the DNC of doing this in 2016.

They called it rigging.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

109. Yup, cuz Bernie's the Democrat with the best chance of puttin out the tRumpster fire.

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[Thekaspervote]

114. Nope!! He isn't he will give us 4 more yrs of dotard

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

120. Nope... Bernie will get the orange stain out... 8 years of progressive bliss.

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[pnwmom]

33. The guy who lost the primaries by 4 million votes and whose picks for 2018 mostly failed?

No, thanks.

[Tipperary]

34. Bingo.

[ehrnst]

55. +1000. His endorsement couldn't get people elected. (nt)

[CaptainTruth]

35. I'm sorry, but no, it's not.

[machI]

36. Kick and Recommend

Are the corporate elites going to overrule the rank and file voters and decide for us who the nominee is going to be?

[SFnomad]

46. The rank and file voters spoke last time ... and BS didn't listen back then either n/t

[LongtimeAZDem]

48. Exactly right

[booksandpencils]

62. The only one trying to overrule the rank and file are Sanders and his supporters

Who thought he should have been made the nominee in 2016 despite losing the popular vote by 4 million votes. I want a candidate who has a stronger commitment to democracy.

[namahage]

103. They didn't, despite Bernie's campaign's efforts to do so. n/t

[Me.]

37. For What?

[MrsCoffee]

38. I'll take your money, lol.

He will not be the nominee. There is not a chance in hell.

[highplainsdem]

39. No. Definitely not.

[oasis]

40. 'fraid not.

[Jakes Progress]

41. If you're betting on a second trump term, then yeah.

[BlueStater]

43. No.

Your best bet is an 80-year-old-man? There's absolutely no one alive right now between the ages of 50 and 70 who would be acceptable to you as a presidential nominee?

[MyNameGoesHere]

44. March 17th 2020

Will mark the second failed attempt of the Independent Senator from Vermont's to get the nomination.

[SFnomad]

47. You're being generous ... March 3rd ... it will be clear BS won't be the nominee, again n/t

[MyNameGoesHere]

50. The Independent Senator from Vermont

Doesn't know when the party has ended so I had to add the post super Tuesday trouncing that will happen. Still I am skeptical since math isn't necessarily a strong point with the Independent Senator from Vermont.

[ReformedGOPer]

49. Uh, that's a negative...

[samplegirl]

51. I hate when the

people of D.U. try to make up others minds. I say wait till we see debates at least!!

[ehrnst]

52. Nope. (nt)

[workinclasszero]

53. Go Bernie!!!!

The only candidate with the guts to face a Fox news audience and came out a WINNER!

[TexasTowelie]

60. Don't you mean an audience at a Fox News event?

The audience was mostly Sanders supporters from what I've read.

[booksandpencils]

63. Other candidates have gone on Fox News

What on earth are you talking about?

[Kurt V.]

56. too soon

[TexasTowelie]

57. No thanks.

Bernie came in sixth in Texas for fund raising during the first quarter of 2019. The down ballot effect will erase all of the gains we made in 2018 if Bernie is the nominee.

[samnsara]

58. if thats true then we are all doomed.

[booksandpencils]

64. The world according to Sanders's supporters:

When Joe Biden is leading the polls: "It's too early! No one actually likes him! They only poll old people with lifelines! It's just name recognition!"

When Bernie Sanders is leading in the polls: "Well, everyone, it's over. He's our guy, time to go ahead and cancel that primary."

I seriously can't wait when the primary itself becomes evidence of "rigging" against our rightful king.

[LongtimeAZDem]

70. Yep

[Blue_Tires]

65. No...

No it isn't.

[BooScout]

67. ...

[SidDithers]

68. No...nt

Sid

[LongtimeAZDem]

71. I can't believe all you people are refusing to anoint Bernie! It's his turn!

[BannonsLiver]

72. One of his more fervent supporters here told me recently

That all the Bernie bashers would be bowing down to Bernie soon.

[namahage]

76. Where have I heard that before?

Oh, right!

“Every critic, every detractor, will have to bow down to President Trump,” she said. "It’s everyone who’s ever doubted Donald, who ever disagreed, who ever challenged him. It is the ultimate revenge to become the most powerful man in the universe.”

[BannonsLiver]

78. That was my response

Which resulted in a hide.

[MineralMan]

73. That doesn't appear to be true, really.

I know it's what many would like to be true, of course. However, before that could happen, Senator Sanders will have to win enough primaries to become the Democratic nominee.

That, I think, is going to be a very high bar to leap over, even if Bernie has perfected his high-jumping form.

The wealth of candidates currently in the race includes a number of newcomers who will have great appeal to many who might otherwise vote for Sanders. He won't lose primary voters to someone like Biden, so much as to up-and-coming younger candidates.

The result of that could easily mean he not only doesn't win enough primaries to win the nomination but that he wins very few primaries at all.

By March 4, 2020, we will know. That much seems certain.

[Demsrule86]

74. No. He could not win a general. Despite all the noise, primary voting is a year away

and mayor Pete isc taking sandees voters away everyday. And Biden gets in next week. I doubt Sanders will win. the primary. Who ever the general nominee is has my vote...but some outcomes are more likely than others.

[Celerity]

75. Trump would crush Sanders as Bloomberg and Schultz will both run as indies to help stop the Bern

There is no way Bernie can withstand a tripartite attack funded by well over a combined billion dollars.

[jrthin]

77. NO. IT. IS. NOT! nt

[katmondoo]

79. NO it is NOT

[EveHammond13]

80. no

[LonePirate]

81. Sanders cannot turn out female and black voters - our party's base - in large enough numbers to win.

[floppyboo]

84. the party's base isn't enough alone

The turnout for the last national election was abysmal, but the popular vote reflected the % of registered voters for each party, nonetheless. The electoral college sunk Hillary. Bernie is very popular in the mid-west/rust belt. AND he got independents behind his policies. Policies that are neither right or left or populist, or rather ARE all of the above.
'Right' you say? Trade. I'm not too crazy about all the isolationist ramifications, or at least, the popular appeal of this trend - in its raw and potentially xenophobic/tribalist appeal. This is one thing I wish Sanders would be clearer on. I do, however, fully support his stance on the importance of unions, which outside of the leadership of both parties, though def. falling hard on the Repub side, is popular with the working voters irrelevant of party.
I think he is the least divisive - and represents the least divisive tendencies from sea to sea.

[LonePirate]

86. Without the party's base, it doesn't matter what white, blue collar, rust belt voters think.

You don’t build a house by working on the roof first. You must start with the foundation (the base). Sanders and some (most?) of his supporters don’t seem to realize that.

[floppyboo]

88. Perhaps they feel they are the original foundation

and that some questionable renovations need an over-haul

[LonePirate]

89. Then their grasp on reality is as skewed as that of a typical Republican.

Their sense of entitlement and privilege is no different than that of Republicans.

[floppyboo]

90. There were attempted coups on the FDR govn't

Above doesn't see left and right. But they sure feel entitlement and privilege.
'Entitlement' has become a loaded term. A successful campaign from the truly entitled. Looks like they did a real good job.

[artislife]

130. How is this not bashing? nt

[LonePirate]

132. There are no rules against criticizing white, blue collar, rust belt voters.

[artislife]

133. Who is the "their" in the post?

That I do believe is under the rules.

[LonePirate]

135. "Their" refers to "they" in the previous post which refers to white, blue collar, rust belt voters.

I stand by my post. We should not spend much time pandering to white, blue collar, rust belt voters.

[artislife]

136. Can you see how it reads in the context of these reponses here

Then their grasp on reality is as skewed as that of a typical Republican.

Their sense of entitlement and privilege is no different than that of Republicans.

If you did not mean Bernie supporters, I do apologize but to me it reads as if you are comparing the rust belt voters ( who I assumed were the republicans in the response) and Bernie supporters.

[Thekaspervote]

115. The least divisive?? He's the most divisive

[Jack-o-Lantern]

82. No bernie no way.

[lillypaddle]

83. NO FUCKING WAY!

He reminds me of trump! Can't stand him.

[floppyboo]

85. Trump parades in a 2nd hand Bernie suit Bannon found for him

Except, like an old warn out suit, the seams didn't last long. And the emperor had no clothes. But it was too late.
Or do you see something more that reminds you of Trump?

[Andy823]

87. Only if you want 4 more years of trump.

I don't care how the Bernie crowd spins it, he is not our best bet. We have other candidates that are far better and have a better chance of winning than Bernie.

[BlueFlorida]

91. No way. nt

[treestar]

92. All he talks about is a poll

He does not give a single argument for why "Our Best Bet is Bernie."

The poll breaks down where Biden's supporters would go if Biden does not run. The highest percent of them goes to Bernie. So that are name recognition people. All of the others will be better known after the debates are held.

[OBrien]

93. No!!!

[riverwalker]

94. No

Tad Devine and Kilimnik/Manafort association smells to high heaven. At this point, my Russiaphobia is such, I don’t want anyone even vaguely connected to Russian Intelligence. Enough!

[comradebillyboy]

95. Bernie is our best bet for four more years of Trump.

[JaneQPublic]

96. "The Liberal Case Against Bernie"

I concur with this viewpoint from "The Nation" magazine:

https://www.thenation.com/article/bernie-sanders-electability-eric-alterman/

Sanders, of all the major Democratic contenders, is the one who will make Donald Trump’s reelection most likely.
...

Sanders today insists on calling himself a “socialist,” but he no longer holds most of the positions historically associated with socialism. He should know this because he was a serious socialist between 1972 and 1976, when he ran and lost in four statewide Vermont races on the Liberty Union Party line. His platform called for the nationalization of pretty much every industry in America, together with a 100 percent income tax on America’s top earners. And Sanders was still a socialist in 1980, when he served as an elector for the Trotskyist Socialist Workers Party, which favored the abolition of the US military budget and proclaimed itself in solidarity with both Cuba and Iran at a time when the latter held over 52 Americans hostage.

I held some of the same views myself as a young man, but I am not running for president. And if I ever thought I might, I probably wouldn’t have agreed to attend a rally in 1985 in Managua, Nicaragua, with a crowd chanting, “Here, there, everywhere, the Yankee will die,” while the Nicaraguan president, Daniel Ortega, condemned my country’s “state terrorism” (accurate as the term was).

I mention this appearance because, according to reporting by journalist Kurt Eichenwald, Republicans have it and similar events on tape. They also have binders full of statements made in support of the kind of socialism that Sanders backed before he became what he is today: a typical New Deal–style liberal or European social democrat. Much of Sanders’s agenda is popular, but calling yourself a “socialist” is, according to recent polls, a losing proposition—74 percent of independent voters disapprove of it, with just 9 percent approving.

...

And I’ve not even mentioned his weakness, relative to Clinton, with crucial Democratic constituencies like African Americans and women. We can also count out the many voters who are uncomfortable with criticism of Israel (much as I admire Sanders for that). A Sanders nomination would, I fear, deliver the country to Trump. It would depress turnout among all the groups I mentioned... and keep a significant number of swing voters in Trump’s column. Additionally, some of the moms and grandmas who make up the backbone of the #Resistance told researcher Theda Skocpol that, owing to Sanders’s harsh treatment of Clinton in the 2016 election, they might sit out 2020 if he’s the nominee.

MORE...
https://www.thenation.com/article/bernie-sanders-electability-eric-alterman/

[NurseJackie]

97. LOL!

[Gothmog]

98. sanders is not electable

Link to tweet

“A combined 58 percent of voters are either uncomfortable (37 percent) or have reservations about (21 percent) Bernie Sanders’ 2020 bid. For Elizabeth Warren, it’s a combined 53 percent. And for Kamala Harris and Beto O’Rourke, it’s 41 percent of voters expressing either reservations or discomfort.” Given that the overwhelming number of voters know who Sanders is, there is no excuse — as there is for other candidates — that they have insufficient information to decide whether to vote for him. Sanders is about as well known as former vice president Joe Biden, yet the poll shows that Biden’s comfortable/uncomfortable rating (48/48) clearly outpaces Sanders’s (37/58).....

Sanders’s age, the “socialist” moniker he embraces and his 2016 campaign problem with women are not going to change during the race. It’s unlikely his personality or his familiarity with foreign policy will improve, either. (The guy is 77, and if we have learned anything from Trump, it is that septuagenarians don’t change their personalities nor attend to habitual deficits in knowledge.) Oh, and on Sunday he again promised to release his tax returns, which he promised over a month ago would be “soon.”

[ehrnst]

141. Not outside a small, 97% white state, he's not. (nt)

[Demsrule86]

100. Absolutely not

[California_Republic]

101. If he wins the nomination, then Go Bernie!

[doc03]

102. Not!

[redstateblues]

104. Dear God NO. Bernie is a loser in the GE

[33taw]

105. I would have considered Berne in the primaries until he failed to vote for Russian sanctions.

I would like his Russian connections explored a little bit further. The Tad Davine connection worries me.

[defacto7]

107. I think not.

[efhmc]

110. No way, no how, no earthly happening.

nt

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

111. Meh.

I'm still undecided, and I'm not about to claim anybody is our best bet. It's much too soon. That said, I think it will be someone else.

[artislife]

112. Just reading the title of the posted responses

is enough to make me laugh.

[Thekaspervote]

116. But reading all the nays about bernie... as a sanders supporter, does that not make you wonder?

Instead of laugh? Curious!

[artislife]

117. No, I know this board

has gone through purges of posters since Edwards was a candidate. It is pretty milquetoast by the winnowing of voices through the years.


Out there, in the real world, he is rating pretty high and bringing in money.

I could easily vote for Warren and/or Inslee in the primary. I caucused for him last time, but feel he is pretty old for 2 terms, like Biden. I think we should have a candidate that can go 8 years. Warren is a woman, she can go much longer statistically. I choose him as a preference on this site so that others who hate him know he has support. He does, his platform isn't scorned like it was by others last time. I see that Harris, Mayor Pete, Beto and some of the others have some of his policies. It is a good thing. I believe in progressive policies.

[Gothmog]

144. Bernie is hoping for a brokered convention.

Link to tweet

[NBachers]

118. Long loud fart noise.

My first contribution to the 2016 race was to Bernie Sanders. I got the promised T-Shirt for my $25.00 donation. I proudly posted a picture of it here on Democratic Underground, Facebook, and emailed the shot to friends.

His cult followers soon disillusioned me; their disgraceful behavior at the 2016 Democratic Convention pushed me beyond any possibility of ever considering him again.

Again: Long loud fart noise

A memento of days when I supported Bernie - I'll never consider supporting him again. Go, Bernie - Just go.

[artislife]

134. I'll take it! nt

[Tiggeroshii]

119. Sure is!!

[Gothmog]

122. Really?

Link to tweet

[Hassin Bin Sober]

123. Why do you post conservative opinions of Bernie?

Do you follow any liberals or Democrats?

Why post conservative opinions here on DU?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Foster_Johnson

Johnson is a co-founder of Pajamas Media, selling his stake in 2007.[4][5]

Killian memos
Edit


Charles Johnson's animated GIF comparison of purported 1970s era typewritten Killian memos with 2004-era MS Word document using default settings
Johnson, and other bloggers, gained attention during the 2004 U.S. presidential election for their role in questioning the authenticity of several memos purporting to document irregularities in George W. Bush's National Guard service record. (See Killian documents and Killian documents authenticity issues.) CBS news anchor Dan Rather presented the memos as authentic in a September 8, 2004 report on 60 Minutes Wednesday, two months before the vote. Days after the broadcast, Johnson alleged the documents, supposedly typewritten in 1973, could have been created easily on a modern computer using Microsoft Word.[6]

[Gothmog]

124. Are you denying that Russia spent a great deal of time and effort to promote sanders?

sanders was Russia's preferred candidate in the Democratic primary because it was clear to everyone that sanders was not electable in the real world. There are good reasons why Russia preferred sanders and spent a great deal of money promoting sanders

Link to tweet

[Hassin Bin Sober]

128. Are you denying Charles Johnson, founder of Pajamas Media, is a conservative?

Then why post his tweets here?

Why post tweets from Jennifer Rubin, author of The Right Turn column, here?

[Gothmog]

131. Russia heavily promoted sanders and is responsible for a great deal of his success in 2016

Russia got a great return on its investment in heavily promoting sanders

Link to tweet

There are a large number of real democrats who have long memories and who will not forgive or forget

[lapucelle]

140. "Inside the Russian effort to target Sanders supporters -- and help elect Trump"

I feel sorry for all those who got played by the Russians in 2016. So many are still in denial, however, and that increases the danger of it happening again.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/inside-the-russian-effort-to-target-sanders-supporters--and-help-elect-trump/2019/04/11/741d7308-5576-11e9-8ef3-fbd41a2ce4d5_story.html?utm_term=.7b9fa37d5d88

[George II]

138. Charles Johnson is quoting the report by Robert Mueller III. Are you denying what he says?

[BlueFlorida]

125. ok ok ... this was funny the first 14 times it was an OP

Now everyone knows the punch line.

[Pachamama]

126. When you realize this is definitely not happening.....

....I hope you will please consider taking a look at Kamala Harris.....

[doompatrol39]

127. I'm not sure that I believe that...

...but I believe it a helluva lot more than I do the "Our best bet is Biden!!!" posts/posters.

After 2016 I've given up trying to predict who is going to do what, and when because nothing makes sense any more to me.

[emulatorloo]

129. Reccing for more exposure. This is a great clip for starting a discussion. Thanks for posting!

[Gothmog]

137. Why did Russia worked so hard to support sanders?

Link to tweet

?s=20

[ehrnst]

142. That's just one of many questions that needs to be answered, and not swept under the rug

or dismissed as "irrelevant."

Especially in terms of voting history on Russia Sanctions.

[Sparkly]

139. That would be a NO.

[Gothmog]

143. Nate Silver- Sanders Can Win, But He Isn't Polling Like A Favorite

Nate thinks that it is possible for sander to win the nomination but this is not likely. sanders is not going to be the nominee of the party. sanders thinks that getting 30% of the primary vote is sufficient which means taking the fight to the contested convention. https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/bernie-sanders-can-win-but-he-isnt-polling-like-a-favorite/

Historically, though, candidates who are polling at only about 20 percent nationally despite the near-universal name recognition that Sanders enjoys don’t have a great track record. From our research on the history of past primary polls, I found 15 candidates from past nomination processes who, like Sanders, (i) polled at an average of between 15 percent and 25 percent4 in national polls in the first six months of the year before the Iowa caucuses5 and (ii) who had high or very high name recognition.6.....

Achieving a delegate majority could be hard for Sanders
You could also argue that the three winning candidates from the list — Barack Obama and John McCain in 2008 and Mitt Romney in 2012 — aren’t good comparisons for Sanders, especially from a “The Party Decides” standpoint where preferences among party insiders and activists are leading indicators of voter preferences. Romney, for instance, had the backing of the GOP party establishment as a potential consensus choice, whereas Sanders largely lacks it from Democrats. Obama was a rising star, rather than someone left over from a previous cycle, and gained a lot of momentum among party elites as the 2008 cycle wore on, even if they also liked Clinton. McCain, who ran against the party establishment in 2000 but was someone the party could live with in 2008, is in some ways the most favorable comparison for Sanders.

In many respects, however, Sanders is more similar to Jesse Jackson in 1984 and 1988, George Wallace in 1972 and 1976 or Ron Paul in 2012, candidates who represented important constituencies within their respective parties but who didn’t have an obvious way to unite the rest of the party behind them or to win a delegate majority.

At times, Sanders’s strategists actually seem to be leaning into the strategy of being a factional candidate. The Sanders campaign may have all kinds of reasons to feel aggrieved by how the party establishment has treated it, especially when it reads articles like the one in The New York Times that suggest the establishment is out to get it again! Nonetheless, the campaign hasn’t sought to mend fences when conflicts have arisen this year. Instead, Sanders aides told The Atlantic’s Edward-Isaac Dovere that they think they can win the nomination with as little as a 30 percent plurality of delegates. That’s a risky strategy since it would necessarily entail a contested convention, where party insiders would play an outsized role. Nor would Sanders, a 77-year-old white man, reflect the various constituencies of the Democratic Party (and the demographics of the delegates themselves) as well as someone like Harris might.

sanders will not be the nominee if sanders only gets 30% of the primary vote. There are too many real democrats who have long memories and who will not forgive or forget. If this gets to a floor fight, the delegates for the other candidates will not support sanders and the super delegates will get to break any deadlocks after the first ballot.