All of the odds appear to be against Bernie in the Democratic nomination race. Hillary had an established support base and the Democratic super-delegates support her. What Sanders has accomplished has been to spread his message that, as an Independent, he would have been unable to do. Based upon an article in the Washington Post that contemplates a possible Independent run for president by Sanders after he loses the Democratic nomination to Clinton I started to consider possible outcomes. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...cratic-party-to-be-elected-as-an-independent/ In addressing Sanders' possibility of being elected I first took into account that the Electoral College elects the president as well as the fact that all of the Electoral College votes are assigned to a single candidate based upon a purality and not a majority of the popular vote. For example if there was a three-way split with two candidates receiving 33% of the vote each and one receiving 34% then all of the Electoral College votes go to the candidate with 34% even though they don't have a majority in the state. Next I looked at the probable race between Clinton and Trump and then added Bernie Sanders into the mix as a third-party (Independent) candidate. In addressing possible state outcomes I addressed the "approval" and "disapproval" ratings assuming those that have a favorable approval opinion of the candidate will probably vote for the candidate while those with an disapproval opinion of the candidate will vote for someone else. Based upon the most current polling information I could find. Donald Trump has a 33% approval rating and a 60% disapproval rating. Hillary Clinton has a 42% approval rating and a 52% disapproval rating. Bernie Sanders has a 55% approval rating and a 31% disapproval rating. Comparatively speaking Trump has a -27% approval rating, Clinton has a -10% approval rating, and Sanders has a +23% approval rating and is the only candidate with a positive approval rating. Because of Bernie Sanders is the only candidate with a positive approval rating it's very possible that if he eventually runs as an Independent that in a 3-way presidential race, while still only receiving a purality and not a majority of the vote, Bernie Sanders could win the state, all of the Electoral College votes from the state, and enough Electoral College votes to become president. This is, of course, highly speculative but it certainly points out the fact that Bernie Sanders, even though he'll lose the Democratic nomination, still has a very viable chance to become President.
Lol Jesus. Santa Claus has higher approval rating than Sanders yet Santa Claus is even less electable than him. Sanders has high approval because no one has taken him seriously and no one has taken him to task.... Well BLM did and made Sanders look real bad. He won't last 3 days and 1 debate in general election. Duh
Nah, Bernie is a stand up guy - he promised way back in July he would not run as an independent if he couldn't win the Democratic nomination. I take him at his word.......interesting scenario though... http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bernie-sanders-independent_us_55ba86e7e4b06363d5a1742b
At this point it does not matter what your national approval rating is what matters is will you get the monition. Trumpf will, Bernie won't. There is no more that needs to said.
He wouldn't run out of spite, no. That said, if there was a massive push by his base to run, I think he would run. Partly because that's what the people wanted, partly because staying out to keep the Dems united is a moot point if 1/2 the party says Bernie or bust.
Only the intelligent women. http://www.npr.org/sections/itsallp...e-bernie-sanders-rape-fantasy-essay-explained
An elderly socialist coward president who wants to tax everybody. Yeah, that'll fly. Please please please please please nominate him. I want to see Trump chew up a hunchbacked commie and spit him out.
If you're saying Sanders could win running as an independent, I strongly disagree. He will only split the Democratic/Progressive vote and make it easier for Trump to win with 40 percent of the popular vote. Just hypothetically speaking...because it would never happen...the only person I truly believe would have a shot at winning as an independent is Kasich. He would not only get all of the establishment Republican votes...as well as the savvier righties who understand that Trump is little more than a mentally unstable conman...but he would offer conservative Democrats, and Dems who just don't like Hillary, a very suitable alternative. .
Berrnie is likely to go independent, You don't go that far and get that close (lol @ Hillary as an effective candidate), and just say bye bye. If Bernie hasn't died of old age by June, I could very easily see an independent run. And, I and the 33% percent of his supporters that currently won't vote for Hillary encourage it.
You're talking about the white supremacist/dumb thug vote? Yeah, they (and you) would never vote for Bernie, regardless. Nice try, though.
Bernie's only hope is the college students who hear "free college" and immediately give the man their' vote. Little do they know, the world does not revolve around them.
Hello: Most didn't wake up this morning...some just still that way today. NOTE: Beat-Nick Bernie can't run as Independent, as he already listed on all States voter records as a Democrat. No person can run on both party platforms in a year. Once defected, he cannot turn around and run on another party ticket. Goodbye.
However I support a Sanders independent run. I just don't think he'll do it. I don't think he was interested in being President, just on pushing the Democrats to the left. And on that he's succeeded.
You're calling Bolshevik Bernie's supporters white supremacists and dumb thugs? Dumb thugs are more Hillary's target group, but I think you meant communists. Regardless, 33% of the old commie's supporters have said they won't be voting for Hillary. - - - Updated - - - It just means Sanders goes third party. Otherwise, then Trump can't go third party either. Not that he has any intention to. . .
Bernie Sanders is a pragmatic politican and back in July of 2015 there was the possibility that the Republicans would nominate a candidate that would represent significant opposition to Hillary Clinton. No one really imagined that Republicans would nominate a racist nutcase that millions of Republicans will support in the general election. Last July Sanders didn't want to split the Democratic vote because Clinton would need every vote possible to defeat a viable Republican candidate but Republicans appear close to nominating Trump who's not a viable candidate because he has a 60% disapproval rating among likely voters. Republican leadership today is concerned that if Trump becomes the nominee that he will lose worse than Barry Goldwater did when Goldwater lost 44 of the states in the presidential election. There's more than reasonable grounds to believe that Trump would lose all 50 states because of his 60% disapproval rating among likely voters. As noted though Sanders is pragmatic. He knows that 60% of likely voters don't want to vote for Trump and would rather vote for someone else. He also knows that Clinton has a 52% disapproval rating and those people are also looking for someone that they don't disapprove of to be president. Basically Sanders knows that he can probably capture many the votes of those that disapprove of Clinton and Trump making a three-way race doable without actually harming Hillary Clinton if he loses. Basically the game has changed considerably from last July to today and Sanders is not an intransient politican that refuses to address that change in the game. I believe he's willing to change his statement, not promise, from last July on whether he might run as an Independent if he loses to Hillary Clinton in the primaries. He would do that because it's best for the country and Sanders is the only candidate actually concerned with what's best for the country. Trump is about Trump, Clinton is about Clinton, and Sanders is about America.
Trump's approval rating, which would indicate who might vote for him in Novermber, is only 33% and that's not enough to get him elected. We need to remember that the 60% disapproval rating of Trump doesn't just represent the "Democratic/Progressive vote" because that's only about 30%of the electorate. That 60% also represents a high percentage of Independents and Republicans as well. All of those 60% are going to be looking for "someone other than Trump" to vote for. Given a choice between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders those that disapprove of Donald Trump, especially the independents (representing 40% of all American voters), and even among Republicans that disapprove of Trump the choice would clearly be Sanders over Clinton based upon their respective approval ratings. Democrats would spilt but the elections are really decided by the Independents that represent 40% of the electorate while the Democrats only represent 30% and Republicans less than 25%. The opinions of the voters really does matter and no candidate from a major political party with a disapproval rating above 50% has ever won a presidential election. It hasn't happened in the past and won't happen in the future so long there's a viable candidate that has a positive overall approval rating and Bernie Sanders is the only candidate that brings a positive approval rating to the general election in a contest between Trump, Clinton, and Sanders. People may disagree with Sanders' positions on some of the issues but he's the only candidate that brings knowledge, experience, and political integrity and voters appreciate all of those positive attributes in a politican even when they disagree with specifics of some parts of the candidate's political agenda.
