If Bernie can win the nomination, he can win the general election.

[rogerashton]

Here is my reasoning. What he has to do to win the general election is to bring out the voters who voted for Obama and gained two majorities. (Majorities have not been that common in presidential elections.)

If Bernie can activate the Democratic base sufficiently to overcome Hillary's lead in name recognition, money and clout, then he can bring out the Obama majority. QED.

[NuclearDem]

1. And he's going to be able to afford a massive campaign like that...how?

[el_bryanto]

5. You are right - we should all donate to Bernies campaign to

help ensure a genuine liberal does well in the race. Thanks for underlining this important point.

Bryant

[NuclearDem]

6. Hate to be a downer, but small donors can't entirely fund a presidential campaign.

There has to be fundamental changes to the electoral process before that's really possible.

[el_bryanto]

7. All the more reason to volunteer for Bernies campaign

You are right it's going to take a lot of work to help Bernie beat Hillary - but he's such a dynamic candidate - such a breath of fresh air, I'm sure it's doable.

Bryant

[NuclearDem]

9. You're talking about the primary.

The general will be even more expensive.

[el_bryanto]

11. Well I do understand some people favor Hillary over Bernie

But surely they will come around to him once he beats her - plus he'll have certain structural advantages, being a clear break from the neo-liberal, pro wall street crowd.

But we'll have to see how things go.

[jwirr]

12. The Koch money has been a problem in some of the races in states where they are trying to run

things. And the country is getting sick of bought and paid for leaders. In the general this idea could make up for a lot of money.

You may be right but I also have my worries about Hillary. All the money in the world will not help if the swift boat her from not until election day in Nov. 2016. I will vote for the nominee regardless but I am afraid of the haters. They lie.

[NYC_SKP]

2. That's Right! This isn't about pulling "someone" to the Left. Forget that shit.

This is about finding a champion.

And a candidate that won't explode on exposure to the GOP money machine!

[CK_John]

3. That would then be a Bernie vs Pataki race. Big NY vs little Vermont. Will depend on the VP picks.

[hrmjustin]

4. Anything is possible.

[rogerashton]

8. Please don't overlook the "if."

Winning the nomination will be the hard part.

[Adrahil]

10. Good Luck!

Ain't gonna happen, but I wish Bernie luck! I sent him $25 already because I wanna see him influence things.

[jwirr]

13. And he can influence things now no matter where he is just like Elizabeth Warren. So either way

we win.

[muriel_volestrangler]

14. He *might* win the GE, but that doesn't mean he'd be likely to

Winning the Democratic nomination depends on convincing the far smaller, and generally more left wing, section of the population who vote in Democratic primaries.

It shouldn't really need pointing out that the general population is harder to convince about progressive policies than Democrats are. Thinking of that word 'socialism', here's a thread with polls that showed that Democrats are just about OK with the idea, but not Americans as a whole: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026594289

I don't think your OP is so much 'reasoning' as 'hope without evidence, so far'. I think winning the general election would be far harder than winning the Democratic primary. Hillary's money and clout will probably be less than the Koch brothers', and their ilk, whoever they appoint as the Republican candidate.

[rogerashton]

15. Well, reasoning has to start somewhere, and where it starts is with "assumptions."

My assumption is that if he can get the Obama vote, then he can win the general. Now, as I observed, the Obama vote is a majority. Was I wrong in assuming that, if he gets a majority, he wins? Do I need evidence that a candidate who gets a majority wins? Well -- with our electoral college, maybe. But, recall, Gore had a plurality, not a majority. I don't believe a candidate who won a majority of the popular vote has ever yet lost the electoral college.

But my point wasn't clearly stated all the same. My point was that if Bernie cannot bring out the Obama majority, he cannot win the nomination either. Which means that those of us who support him (and I do) need not worry that if we are successful, we give away the general election. If we can bring the party around, we can win.

Your point is, if I understand it, that Bernie might win a majority of the plurality (Democrats) and still fall short of a plurality in the general election. And you are quite right -- simple arithmetic. But my thought is that even with the hearts of 55% or 60% of Democrats, he will still lose the nomination to Hillary. I could be wrong about that. But I don't think my pessimism about the Democratic nomination is wishful thinking.

[Agony]

16. When Senator Sanders wins the nomination, he will then win the general election.

there fixed your title.

You are very welcome.

Cheers

[rogerashton]

17. I like it -- but .... eom