2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: Bernie Sanders needs to embrace being a Democrat.. [View all]cascadiance
(19,537 posts)And that the revolution still has a lot of work to do to represent the traditional values it once did when it was stronger earlier and represented people more than it did "corporate people".
I think the symbolism that could be had if he became president, and if we could get newer majorities of more progressive Democrats in congress would be a perfect day for him to become a Democrat THEN and then illustrate that the big change that is needed now will have finally happened (hopefully then!). That won't then get lost on the people if they feel they've finally won the revolution then that they've fought so hard to win!
I think him staying independent now also attracts more disaffected liberals and other non-Democratic voters for the general election that perhaps feel that both Democrats and Republicans are "lost causes" because of the corporate masters they serve. If he stays independent, even if running as a Democrat, I think they will feel more drawn to him as someone that wants to change this equation than if he joined the Democrats and from the outsider's point of view might be viewed as a "surrender" to the corporate elements of the Democratic Party.