roughly speaking of course.

What the fuck?!

winning independents by double digits. Where is the insult?

As a Bernie supporter I find that offensive. I would NEVER vote for trump.

I can see supporters of Trump possibly moving to Bernie in the GE but find it unlikely the other way around. I don't like this racist crap from Trump. Sure he might not do it but people thought Hitler wasn't going to go after the Jews. I'm not saying Trump will put Muslims in camps but I could see him blocking them from accessing the U.S. I mean I could see him following through on something that stupid.

The OP's point is that independents who vote in a Democratic primary might end up supporting the Republican in the GE.

I've been a dem since I was old enough to vote. But I've learned via DU that Bernie supporters are not real dems and the great purge will make it all right with the world.

If exit polls mattered, John Kerry would have been our 2004 president.

Why not?

Tonight may be the turning point

You know, like the Sanders supporters on this board. But thanks for being so dismissive.

The polls consistently show Bernie beating Trump by a much wider margin than Hillary. So I think your concerns are unfounded.

We can ask pointless hypotheticals all day. It won't accomplish shit.

Independents who want to vote for Trump would be voting for him in the Republican primary instead of voting for Bernie in the Democratic primary. I am registered as an Independent because both the DNC and RNC are corporatist organizations that disgust me.

Maybe they'll stick with him after he's attacked, maybe they won't. Either way, many independents are low information voters who are easily influenced by media spin.

That's the last post of yours I'll see.

I think that is a good thing if Bernie is getting more people to sign up as Democrats.

Nate Silver says 7% of Dems voted in the Repub primary, 3% of Repubs voted in the Democratic primary.

The idea that Bernie supporters are likely to decide to vote for a billionaire instead is absurd.

Hillary doesn't appeal across the political spectrum

and campaigned for them, sent money to them. ONLY them. I would have been one of the Independents voting for Bernie if I still lived in Michigan. In the blue collar areas of SE MI, those INs are left-leaning.

Bernie splits em. Indies are wanting an 'outsider' this year. So Bernie's better on that.

bullshit.

Independents exist on the left of the spectrum and the right. Those that are turning out in high numbers for Sanders are on the left. We will not vote for Trump in the GE. That makes zero sense. We are Greens, socialists, unaffiliateds, etc. but we are not conservatives on the right side of the political spectrum.

join with these independents and the Greens and other smaller progressive parties to form a new progressive party that will be powerful enough to defeat the Third Way/New Democrat party.

get used to saying President Bernie

I know first-hand of 2 Republicans who have stated publicly that they respect Bernie. I take that to mean that, in the general, if Drumpf is the nominee, they could vote Sanders. His choice of runningmate likely would be a factor.

Trump is only teflon because he has the support of the largest minority-faction of the GOP.

Most Republicans oppose his candidacy.
Most independents oppose his candidacy.
He's pretty much the most-crossover-proof candidate for Democrats in my lifetime. (I'm 36 if that matters.)

Trump is fucked in a General Election and everybody knows it but his supporters...he's the GOP's Mondale. (I really like Walter Mondale but he was a "no-chance" candidate in 1984 and he performed to expectations.)

Short of something insane happening like Hillary pulling a Lieberman against the rightful Democratic nominee, Sen. Sanders...there is no threat to our chances in the GE from a Sanders nomination, especially against Trump. I'm more concerned that all the not-Trump candidates throw their support behind a unity candidate that isn't Cruz. Kasich, in particular, vexes me...he can convincingly sell himself as a moderate to low-information voters by avoiding the small number of issues where he's as bat-shit as the rest of them.

Would you rather have a nominee who has overwhelming support from non-Democrats or a nominee that has overwhelming non-support except from Democrats? That's what a Sanders/Clinton race appears to be shaping up to be...Sanders is popular with non-Democrats and with youth regardless of affiliation; Hillary doesn't seem to be popular with anybody but conservative minorities, Southerners and women over the age of 45.

Independents leave, it certainly won't be worse than if Hillary were the nominee. And could be better.