"The energy around what Bernie is doing is insane" ...

[Pototan]

74. Bernie's tactical decisions

made it difficult to get nominated or elected President.

Please understand that I love Bernie and his being a Socialist doesn't discourage me from supporting him. However, looking at the electorate objectively, a candidate has to assess the political ramifications of his actions.

First off, if Bernie really wanted to be the Democratic nominee, he should have never changed to be an Independent. One can be a progressive Democrat and move the party in your direction without giving up the Democratic label. Look what Trump did. The Republican party is unrecognizable from its 2012 election cycle. Trump abandoned the Republican Party's principals without ever abandoning the Republican label. By doing so, Trump retained just enough voters who still called themselves Republicans to win a general election It's hard to vote for a Democrat who is ashamed of the name.

Second, it would be quite a political uphill climb to win a general election while describing yourself as a Socialist. That's a loaded word and had Berine won the 2016 nomination, that moniker would have been hung around our necks. I know the difference between Socialism in Norway, as opposed to Socialism in Venezuela, but how many average American voters know that difference?