socialism isn't going to happen, frankly. The bulk of the voting population simply isn't interested in lengthy and complex explanations of what is and what is not socialism. They won't listen. They won't read.

When a poll shows that xx% of voters will refuse to vote for a candidate who identifies as a socialist, take that to the bank. They have made that decision, right or wrong, and are extremely unlikely to change their opinion.

Most voters vote almost instinctively, based on whatever their preconceptions may be. Getting them to change those basic beliefs is not something that is feasible for a campaign.

Would that it were not so. It is so, however.

persuaded or changed to support a candidate just because they are socialist? Tell that to the Vermont Republicans who vote for Bernie.

Anyone who works directly with voters understands exactly what I'm saying.

at all. Now President Obama has that quality. Bernie, not so much.

I'll let someone else answer this one.

47% enthusiastically come out in the polls much more than the 53% according to the way that elections are done in America. Political candidates in America are not just politicians but salespeople, with their task not just to convince people to vote for them but to convince them to go out of their way to the polls to vote for them as well. It doesn't matter if someone would like to vote for you, but whether someone is willing to take all the time necessary to vote for you.

Not one medial source covered or reported on Sanders speech on Thursday. Sanders lacks the financial resources to engage in such an extensive educational or public relations campaign to change deeply held beliefs while the Kochs and the GOP would have easy to run negative ads that would undermine such efforts and make these terms radioactive

And that a great candidate wouldn't be able to change that. If you believe otherwise, you don't know the power of psychology, including emotions.

"you don't know the power of psychology, including emotions."

A great candidate lives in reality. Selling socialism to the USA will never happen. There has to be a balance of free enterprise, and that is where socialism fails.
It may be more feasable in a country the size of Denmark,

Denmark proper has an area of 43,094 square kilometres (16,639 sq mi), and a population of 5,699,220 (October 2015).


United States population is estimated at 322,583,006 as of July 1 2014. 

Bernie Sanders fails to think outside the small State box.

He can sell it anyway he wants. Its a negative to majority of Americans & a vision of campfire kumbaya to the minority.
Good luck getting 300 mil Americans to agree on anything. Its not going to happen.

They haven't been brainwashed with anti-socialism propaganda like previous generations. Let them decide.

#2: BERNIE IS NOT EVEN A REAL SOCIALIST AND IS NOT ADVOCATING FOR A SOCIALIST ECONOMY.

Just because Bernie describes himself as a Democratic Socialist doesn't mean that he's for completely changing the economy.

Anyway, people's fears about socialism were due to an us vs them, that we were supposed to be the opposite of those radical socialist / communist dictators, stuff that is decades old now.

He's called himself a socialist.
He can add "democraric" all he wants, he's always been a socialist.
Now he's running from the term?
So what is he?
Blurring the lines isn't helping disguise his age old affiliation.

Typical bernie. This is how he answers every single controversial question presented.
Broad brush statements & dodges & dips & weaves around answering a specific question.
Bernir will not be caught answering, he's apparantly delegated that task to his social media small army.

Like a true Independent, he can change his mind whenever it suits him.

He's still not a Dem. He is an Independent trying to sell socialism via the Democratic name.

Bernie Sanders is a Socialist Independent.

If you see socialist websites like WSWS and Socialistworker.org, they denounce Bernie and don't believe that he's a real socialist.

Anyway, does Bernie even advertise himself as a democratic socialist? Does Bernie go around saying that he's a Democratic Socialist? I don't think so. Not even Bernie is very passionate about the term. The Media is the one that has made it a big deal, and understandably so.

I don't visit socialist sites.

Yes, bernie has publicly called himself a socialist.
Can't sidewind outta this one.
Sorry.
Later!

if one is inclined to use polling to choose a candidate.

Then I became a Democrat. I'll still vote socialist in a few local elections though