Does Bernie Sanders Expect to Be the Nominee?

[MineralMan]

45. It's my belief that his supporters will shift if he can't get the

nomination. Not all of them, certainly, but almost all of them. I'm not that concerned. The small group that will either not vote or vote for some almost anonymous third party candidate won't really have much of an impact in the general election. Frankly, based on the weak slate of candidates on the Republican side, I think this election is going to be a walk-off win for Democrats. It's Hillary's election and she'd have to work hard to lose.

Some of the millennials won't show up at the polls to vote for Hillary, but they often don't show up anyhow. I don't think that will change anything, and Hillary has very good support among millennials, anyhow, despite claims to the contrary.

Someone asked me what I though Bernie's goals are. I think they are what I said in my opening post - to shift the discussion to the left. I think he has succeeded in that. That's what I think his goal has been. He's not running to lose. He's running to get the conversation going in a better direction. It is going that way.

When I look at Bernie Sanders, I see a hard-nosed idealist who probably doesn't give a damn if he wins or not, as long as he gets to set the tone of the discussion. Irascible and blunt, he makes his points clear and forthright. That's an attractive trait, but not one that wins national elections. It can, however, shift the tone and topics of the campaign, and I think it has done that quite well. He's only a few years older than I am. I think he wants to speak his piece and make himself clear. He's an outlier and a nonconformist. He's a great, strong voice, and we're hearing him and listening. I can see the attraction of that, frankly.

So, no, I don't think he expects to win these primaries. I think he's doing exactly what he wants to do, and more power to him in doing it.