You can forget about Bernie running for President in 2020

[Jim Lane]

173. Sorry, I still don't understand your answer

Believe me, I understand that plenty of people on DU don't want Bernie to run for the 2020 nomination. Not all of them would agree with your prescription that he should run as an independent, given that such a run would virtually guarantee a Republican victory, but that's a separate issue.

Whether you want Bernie to run or not, my question is about this statement: "State Dem officials will surely note that if he tries to rejoin again."

First, contrary to a common DU urban legend, Bernie did not change his registration from Independent to Democratic, run for the nomination, then change it back. Vermont doesn't have partisan registration. From his first election to the Senate (and, in fact, before then), he has always been a registered voter in the same status as Democrats like Howard Dean and Pat Leahy. He has been listed on the Senate rolls as an Independent and has been a member of the Democratic caucus. None of that has changed at any time.

Second, even if some deluded state party officials believe a lie that he has decided "to rejoin again," what would they then do? As a general rule, Democratic Party officials do not have the power to bar disfavored candidates from the primary ballot. I haven't researched the law of every jurisdiction that holds a primary. If someone wants to fund my trip to American Samoa I'll be glad to look into it there. What I do know is that a primary is the means by which grassroots voters, rather than party oligarchs, choose party nominees up and down the ticket.