The 8000 lb elephant in the room: Hillary's 53% unfavorability rating makes her unelectable.

[Martin Eden]

36. I agree that GOTV will be a key factor ...

... not only to elect the POTUS, but to take back the House & Senate.

I've argued in many threads we need a candidate who will generate enthusiasm and motivate folks (especially young people) to go to the polls, and Hillary Clinton is not that candidate. Bernie Sanders is the one who is generating genuine enthusiasm.

I think either of them would beat the Republican nominee, so the bigger payback will be gains in the House & Senate that will come along with a higher turnout for Bernie.

In my first post I was just pointing out that polls can be misleading. I think most (but not all) Bernie supports in DU who have a negative opinion of Hillary will go to the polls for other races in the general election and also vote for Hillary if they live in a swing state (they certainly won't check the R box). Although the DU demographic isn't representative of all eligible voters, there are millions who are left of center and will vote for the Dem nominee even if they have to hold their nose. The Rethugs are too destructive, and people not brainwashed by Faux News can see that.

Bernie has some negatives to overcome himself. He needs to do a better job of explaining what a Democratic Socialist is, rather than just going into his oft repeated talking point about how wrong it is that the top .1% own as much wealth as the bottom 90%. I agree 100% with him on that, but he also has to state clearly he believes in free enterprise for businesses both small & large. He should point out how single payer health insurance would lift that burden from employers, for example.

Bernie Sanders is not the ideal candidate, IMO. He's old, he's Jewish, and he's a self proclaimed Democratic SOCIALIST. Those factors do not bother me personally but they are obstacles to overcome for millions of voters, especially the last one. He is also, however, a potentially transformational candidate who is inspiring a lot of people to get involved in politics and this concept of government of, by, and FOR The People.

Bernie Sanders has my vote. The status quo just won't do.