2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumClinton-Sanders Facebook Group ?
Whether you like Clinton or Bernie, you must look at the most likely reality and prepare for it.
The current reality is that it will likely be Trump vs Clinton in the general election.
If that happens, the best way to keep the most fervent supporters of both candidates engaged, young people and minorities, is to ensure that there is some sort of negotiated power sharing. That is what democracy is all about.
As Clinton's VP, Bernie would serve as our irrepressible and highly vocal progressive inside watchdog objecting proudly, loudly and publicly when the Clintons stray from our progressive agenda. Outside of the presidency itself, what more visible platform could we have than an insider keeping the American public informed of what is really going on behind closed doors in Washington?
Trump is far stronger among the general public than polls now indicate. The election may be very close and we cannot afford to lose three or more Supreme Court seats to anti-progressive Republicans should some of you decide to sit out the election in spite.
Clinton may not want Bernie as VP to serve as a thorn in her side but electoral reality and a grassroots movement to draft Bernie as her VP choice would go a long way toward forcing her hand.
I really wish that someone who is Facebook social media savvy would start a Clinton-Sanders movement GROUP to share our thoughts about this. There are already two very small Facebook Clinton-Sanders PAGES but that format is not conducive to member interaction. At the start, to gain membership, a PUBLIC FACEBOOK GROUP would be best. Later, after the inevitable trolls and spammers join in, it should be changed to a PRIVATE FACEBOOK GROUP.
Cleita
(75,480 posts)nc4bo
(17,651 posts)Armstead
(47,803 posts)If Clinton wins it will be some nice bland centrist candidate from an ethnic minority
Tierra_y_Libertad
(50,414 posts)kstewart33
(6,551 posts)It will happen, but it's going to take awhile.
LVZ
(937 posts)Given the disastrous 49 state losses of 1972 and 1984 where (1) progressive anti-war candidate McGovern was labelled as a SOCIALIST and communist sympathizer by the GOP and (2) progressive candidate Mondale made the fatal mistake proclaiming "I will raise your taxes" (regardless of merit), one could reasonably expect that even if Bernie won the nomination, the predictably vicious Republican hate machine might simply overwhelm him in a general election among typically low-information, easily manipulated voters.
kstewart33
(6,551 posts)The Republicans will develop a 'Commie, Castro lover, tax hiker, Marxist, atheist!' Bernie brand that will politically demolish him and cost us many down-ballot Democratic races. Nonsense, true, but the Republicans will do it. That's one reason why Hillary is beginning to pull away a bit with voters.
Politicalboi
(15,189 posts)But there is too much there there for her to pull it off. And if Dump is cheated with a brokered convention, at least Bernie would pick up a lot of those disenfranchised voters. She won't. We're tired of defending Clinton's. I can't stomach to relive the 90's again.
I choose "Not"
olddots
(10,237 posts)Cali_Democrat
(30,439 posts)NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)They'd never work well together. Fire and ice. Oil and water.