Capitol Hill Blue Forums Political Issues Campaign 2016

How Bernie Sanders exits the race will determine how much impact his campaign will actually have. If he "fights on" and refuses to concede he will expose a hypocrisy that will undermine his credibility. If he gives a "fought the good fight" kind of speech he can have an impact on the platform and bring a great deal of credibility to the process and greatly influenced the future of the party.

It's really come down to whether his race is about Bernie Sanders or his ideas. Sanders will be 78 at the end of his term. He is not going to run again. His chance to make a real impact is now, while he has the momentum and the credibility. If he pulls his supporters into the general election campaign, he can influence an entire generation and move the entire Democratic party to the left. They will become the leaders of the party. The longer he stands off, the less impact he and they will have on the direction of the party. They will be on the outside looking in.

My prediction is, he will continue the fight and his, and their, moment will pass. I will be severely disappointed. I want that impact to be felt. Like Obama's election, this could be a generational sweep, if he plays it right. It could create a sweeping change in the Senate and even the House. He could get those representatives he's been supporting elected. Honestly, though, I'm not convinced Bernie Sanders is up to the task. He really is a politician, after all.

There has never been a woman nominee. That is historic. Ask most women. Yes, other leaders, other countries, have gone before, but not in the United States. Although it really is historic, the significance has been overshadowed and diluted by other things - Obama's election, her previous campaign success, service by many women in the cabinet and the Senate (including her own), so it doesn't feel as momentous. Come November, however, that will change.

Marriage equality now seems like a foregone conclusion, and yet it was only a year ago that a decades-long campaign finally bore fruit. The bathroom fight demonstrates that there is still room to go. Many felt Clinton should not be "the" woman who finally got the nod (many said the same about Obama), but one should not let their personal predilections color the significance of the moment. In some ways it is encouraging that people are not talking about her gender. But I guarantee there are many old white men who are lamenting her success because she is a woman, especially one named Trump.

You mean like Clinton didn't concede in 2008... Bernie's message should not, cannot be shut down.
And whatever the results of the primaries, she will remain the cagey politician she has always been, not unlike Bill.
Even the NY Times, while congratulating her on the win (and endorsing her) has said in editorial that she if she wants to be accepted by the Sanders supporters she must be more open about the questions regarding her relationship with Wall Street, etc.
This is not a personality contest, it is SUPPOSED to be a debate of ideas.

All the press seems concerned with is her gender (as they were with Obama's race), both of which are mistakes in my opinion. Obama won not because he is black but because he had good ideas (many of which, unfortunately, he abandoned along the way). My concern is not with a woman or a man, black, white or green, straight or gay, but with what the candidate stands for.
So historic because she is a woman only means we are behind the rest of the world in that regard (should I put my surprise face on, now?). I truly hope that she has learned from this campaign that rhetoric is not enough. I truly hope that she is willing to enforce a vision for this country that is inclusive economically and socially.
I hope...

What are you talking about?
The question is, will it be carried within the party or outside? Realistically, Bernie Sanders is not the best spokesman for these ideas. He just happened to be the vehicle for them at this moment. He's not been a member of the Democratic party until now, and will probably leave when this is over. His followers, however, will have other leaders they can support within the party (Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand) if they are in the party. They, in turn, can become the party's future leaders. That is how true change will occur.

Had a few drinks with a politically savvy good friend last night who has been a solid Clinton supporter until just a month ago when he switched to being a Bernie guy. Like myself, the appeal of Bernie is that he is a "leader", meaning that he is trying to lead to a fresh place, while Clinton is merely a political operative.

Neither of us is anti-Clinton, however. We both think that Sanders is sophisticated enough to pivot at, or after the convention, but will strategically not cease to "lead" until that point.

Another prediction: Republicans will pressure Trump to pick a woman running mate (Nikki Haley?) to blunt Clinton's historic significance and to counter Trump's misogynistic tendencies. Literally putting lipstick on an elephant.

Do you really think Trump will be pressured by the Republicans?

She didn't concede immediately after Obama was the presumptive nominee. That's what I'm talking about. It took her a while.
As far as Bernie carrying on the message within the Democratic Party - I would say that depends on how receptive the party is to the ideas he has put forth.
Kirsten Gillibrand?? Surely you jest.
Warren, perhaps. I might think that Warren could just as easily leave the Democratic Party if it gets too far to the right (as it very easily could).

I personally like Bernie Sanders (he's like a curmudgeonly uncle), and I love the ideas he's championed. I have been encouraged by his presence in the campaign and feel that it has been good for the party and our future as Americans. The reality is the Clinton will be the nominee, the party standard-bearer, and likely next President. The question is, how can the ideas he has championed best influence the party's future? What course is most likely to get Clinton to take up the banner?