This is a genuine question about after the nomination-

[Mother Of Four]

I've been asked some what if's that I'm having difficulty responding to from my young but grown kiddos.

What if #1: What if Hillary isn't indicted but the resulting press and coverage make her completely unelectable? What can we do? Can we do anything?

What if #2: What if Hillary IS indicted, what does that mean for the party? (With hubby's background, they are fully aware unlike many I seem to see here in the forums, that an indictment isn't a GUILTY! verdict. It's simply being formally charged with a crime. There isn't enough time for the judicial system to work it through before November no matter what the end ruling is. Either innocent or guilty.)

What if #3: What if Hillary is indicted, then is pushed from the nomination but she is found not guilty? What does THAT mean for the party? (Their concern is their future, and the future of our political system. They are already looking to 2020 and beyond.)

What if #4: What happens if Bernie and supporters really DO upset the convention? What does that mean for us and who should be get behind? (I have NO freakin clue how to answer this one. I'm a Bernie supporter, but I DON'T support chaos. And I'm pretty sure it would be the epitome of chaos if that happened. And pretty please, no "Support so and so" That's not what I'm asking. I've raised my kids to have their own views. I don't tell them who to support. I only want to guide them to figure out what's best for them.)

Just to head a couple things off. This isn't a stir the sh*t post. I'm actually GENUINELY serious about it. This isn't a Hillary vs Bernie post. This is a "How the hell do I answer these primary questions for my kids" post. Thanks in advance.

[Cooley Hurd]

1. I find this a genuine concern of mine as well.

Although, I'm not fond of hypotheticals, these are genuine concerns.

[Mother Of Four]

2. Thank you for the response -

I'm not fond of them either. It's hard to make plans with hypotheticals, even if you really should be prepared "in case"

[Juicy_Bellows]

3. If an indictment comes before the convention she should step down and allow Sanders the nomination.

However, I don't see it playing out like that. The party wants anyone but Sanders so I imagine she will hold on past the nomination. How she can do that with a straight face after an indictment drops is beyond me, but she will try like hell to do so. The aforementioned presumes we hear about an indictment before the convention.

If she gets the indictment after the nomination, I expect her to continue to run. She has hubris for days so I do not think she will bow out gracefully. The party leaders will have to pry her from the nomination with a crowbar. They will likely try a Biden or someone like that - turning their backs on Sanders and in turn, losing the election. The Democratic Party may never recover under such a scenario.

[Mother Of Four]

5. I can see what you're saying -

What do you think that would mean for the party itself? Do you think it can recover? From either scenario?

[Juicy_Bellows]

9. I think we'd win with a Sanders replacement.

If they try and strong arm anyone else there will be a chasm created of which no bridge will be able to cross and the party will be ripe for reinvention or extinction.

These are just musings from a weary liberal in Oregon though.

[Mother Of Four]

11. Musings are good though -

Exercises the big grey muscle in our heads

I'm too tired for reinvention though, I'd like it to just go back to what it's supposed to be. I'm thankful every day I have four little beasties that have ten times the energy I do.

[Juicy_Bellows]

15. We'll need your beasties to move us forward.

I'll keep fighting of course. I am too young to remember anyone before Carter and old enough to know that we have had Coors and Coors Light as our only options for 40 years when all we've been clamoring for is a good beer.

That's where I can get behind free market thinking. The free market should fill in the gap for the demand but politics doesn't work that way. You'll drink piss water or you'll go thirsty.

I will remain thirsty my friend.

[Mike Nelson]

4. Those are interesting questions...

I don't think Hillary is in any legal trouble regarding the email issue. I know Susan Sarandon just said she was going to be indicted. This is to get people to vote for Bernie in California, I think... have not seen a prosecutable crime presented What specific federal crimes were being committed? What's the criminal intent?

When the FBI report comes in, we will likely see it called "devastating" again by the media. They will cease upon whatever words or phrases they can... the email story has been presented as "Devastating" three times and there is no reason to believe the press will declare Hillary "cleared" even if she is cleared.

I've wondered about #4 also. Also, what happens if Bernie and his supporters go in different directions? He might do the expected thing and endorse Hillary in a nominating speech, but be disrupted by his former supporters, now angrier than ever...

At least the Republican convention will be crazier...

[Mother Of Four]

7. Good points.

I really hate the media (literal sardonic mental laugh here)

I wish they would report the news and JUST the news instead of this 24 hour commentary soap opera crap.

It would make answering these things clearer. You know?

[Agnosticsherbet]

6. Who ever is nominated. Get out the vote.

[BillZBubb]

8. I'll take a shot.

#1: There are two separate issues here: the FBI recommendation and the Justice Department decision on indictment.

If Hillary is not indicted and the FBI does not recommend indictment, Hillary will suffer no harm sufficient to change her position in the election. If Hillary is not indicted, but the FBI recommends that she should be, Hillary will be damaged, but not beyond having a shot at winning the election. Neither of these scenarios make her not electable, but the FBI recommendation could cause her big problems if it is for indictment.

#2: If Hillary is indicted, the chances of her winning the presidency drop like a rock. Winning would be all but impossible in that situation. Although an indictment doesn't mean you are guilty, it does mean professional investigators and prosecutors felt enough evidence exists to convict beyond a reasonable doubt.

If she somehow did win, impeachment proceedings would begin immediately after she took office. Not a good situation for the country.

#3: It would be unfortunate if she was indicted and later found not guilty. But, that wouldn't happen for years. It would simply be the cost she paid for the mistake of setting up and using a private server. A heavy cost, but not without reason.

#4: If Bernie and/or his supporters disrupt the convention, they'd better have a good reason to do so. I wouldn't consider floor fights over issues or delegates to be disruptive. I wouldn't consider large rallies outside the convention to be disruptive. Any real violence (not the phony "they threw chairs" BS), should be denounced. I don't expect that in any case. What were you concerned about that would "upset" the convention?

[Mother Of Four]

10. Thank you so much for all that -

I'm actually saving responses into a text file for the kiddos. Then we can go over them later

What upset means: Going way beyond what's acceptable in the fight for the nomination. Think Trump rally type crap. Do I think the supporters will do that? Nope. I wouldn't if I were there, and I support him as well. The what if was more "Well crap, peoples heads are exploding saying the supporters are going to go crazy. What if they're right?"

Possible, maybe? Probable, definitely not.

Thoughts?

[BillZBubb]

14. Nothing in Bernie's style would create a situation for a trump type of rally.

He's not going to even hint that violence is acceptable. That said, his followers are self-proclaimed, they haven't been screened nor could they be. There may well be some few who will do something stupid. But, that happens with every candidate, even the ones like Bernie and Hillary who don't advocate or accept violence.

[Mother Of Four]

16. Thanks :)

[LWolf]

12. sigh.

I'm tired. Too tired to soften my responses. No offense intended, but my responses are what they are:

1. We can nominate Sanders before the shit hits the fan, or we can watch the party go down in flames in November.

2. The party loses big, and the neo-liberals, ironically and nonsensically, offer themselves up to be "saviors" and show us how to "save" the party again, just like they did in the 90s.

3. She is a martyr, used successfully or not by the neo-liberals to spur more hatred of the left, and to regain power.

4. It means people win, and corporate greed and party corruption lose. Get behind Sanders, which is our best chance to wrest power away from neo-liberals, and what the revolution is all about. It's not about chaos. It's about removing corrupt powers that be and returning control to citizens rather than corporations. It's a political revolution. It will be messy, whether one aligns with the revolution or the establishment.

[Mother Of Four]

13. I appreciate your response -

There's no need to soften them.

I didn't think of the martyr issue, that wouldn't be good at all.

I wasn't offended at all. I'm saving this with the other answers. Thank you.

[SheilaT]

17. What makes the very most sense is to nominate Sanders.

No matter what the ultimate outcome of the email investigation, there is no way Trump won't pound her on that, along with many other things. She won't be able to silence him on the topic by rolling her eyes or brushing invisible lint off her collar.

A campaign of Hillary and Donald will devolve into sniping. He'll throw the worst possible sexist garbage at her. She'll try to refute it. He'll bring up the emails, she'll say that the FBI investigated and it was nothing. He'll talk about Bill's adventures in the White House, and she will simply bring Chelsea on the stage.

I see almost no hope of anything substantive coming up. Not foreign policy. Not reigning in the excesses of Wall Street. Not any possibility of strengthening Social Security, or moving to a single payer health care system for all.

It's quite depressing just to contemplate.

But with Sanders at the top of the ticket, oh, my! He'll bring up all of these things and more.