Just my speculation: Obama's message to Sanders will be "Don't squander this opportunity."

[onenote]

My guess, and its only a guess, is that when Obama and Sanders sit down, Obama will tell Sanders that he has done a great thing bringing in new blood to the Democratic party. And that with Sanders' active help and support, the Democrats have the chance to recapture the Senate and, possibly, the House. And that if he provides that active support, he will have a much louder voice in Congress than if he withholds it or doesn't work as hard as he could. That means supporting, and urging his supporters to support, candidates who may have supported Clinton during the primaries, candidates with whom he doesn't see eye to eye on all things.

If he gets involved and helps achieve a landslide victory, he will increase his stature in Congress and with Democratic majorities, have a much better platform for pursuing his legislative ideas. Will he get them all? Of course not, but he's a veteran legislator who understands compromise and incremental gain are not sins.

He'll urge him to be a mensch. To stand up for his newly adopted party and assume the role of leader, not just outsider. He'll tell him to work behind the scenes for some platform victories, but to not sow dissension. The platform is for show, what he can do as someone who helps build Democratic majorities in the House and Senate with a Democratic president is what really matters.

[tonyt53]

1. if Bernie cared about taking the Senate, he would have helped more than one Senate candidate

That alone tells me that Bernie either has no idea how legislation works or he just wants to be heard. I think it is the latter.

[onenote]

4. I'm not saying whether Sanders will or won't take the advice I think the President will give

Although I discount Sanders lack of effort during the primaries. He was running as an outsider. What he needs to do is shift into leader mode, and away from outsider mode, for the good of himself, the party, and the country,

[metroins]

2. Only

If he can talk sense into him.

Bernie still thinks he lost because of conspiracy theories.

He ran the campaign for himself and doesn't care about actually passing legislation.

[HumanityExperiment]

3. DEM convention

Party over principle... this is the bit, HRC and her supporters embrace and what they fail to understand about Bernie's campaign

Simply put, DEM establishment is in uncharted waters, they have NO bearing to guide them... their flailing until convention will be a thing to behold...

'Sore winner' will be the tamest of the adjectives to define them...

Principle matters so much more than party.. and this lesson will hurt... and hurt badly rolling into and through convention but one DEM establishment will learn

[NCTraveler]

5. Something I think people forget.

Obama has had to govern. The Kucinich conundrum. A progressive actually willing to work toward prosperity and a more just society.

Obama is a solid progressive and is really pretty solidly left. I believe the further left we go the happier he will be. He will be sincere in helping Sanders find a way to move forward in a positive way. Sanders will benefit from his wisdom.

[ALBliberal]

7. Bingo. Very well said.

[MineralMan]

6. That's probably pretty much what he will do.

Bernie will come around, I'm sure.

[Beowulf]

8. I think one note is making sense.

Most of the down thread posters are clueless. Bernie is about issues. If Obama and the party (and most importantly, Hillary) can offer something substantive on Bernie's issues, I'm certain he'll go along enthusiastically.

However, there is a strong strain among Clinton supporters, reflective of the candidate herself I fear, to want Bernie crushed. There's no point to the insults on his character (mostly projection of their own candidate) or experience (he's been remarkably productive as an outsider and what administrative experience did Obama have before becoming president?). This is a moment of truth for the party. Is it open to genuine change? Is it willing to go against the neoliberal/New Democrat ideas that have dominated the party for at least 30 years? How much is Clinton and the party ready to admit they need Bernie and his followers and are willing to take them seriously and not for granted? This won't be easy because there's little Bernie personally wants. He won't be bought off with a vp slot or cabinet position. I doubt senate chairmanships would do it. A pledge to cease sabotaging progressive candidates for House, Senate, Statehouse would be helpful. Whatever it is, it has to advance his causes' not just himself.

Honestly, I don't think the Party will want to do this. It's clear the Party doesn't get him and feels very threatened by him. They've had their chances to enact pieces of Bernie's agenda in the past and have rejected that in favor of policies that are corporate friendly. I just don't think the Party has the make up to offer anything beyond the cosmetic.

[randome]

9. No, Obama will show him a dead finch and say, "See? This is what happens to those who cross her."

I mean, duh! Amirite?
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]

[Schema Thing]

10. He'll say "what can we do to make the changes you and your movement need, yet...

....stay together as a party, my friend?".

[MohRokTah]

11. Based upon all prior actions, Sanders will reject all notions of reconciliation.

He's hell bent on Berning it down.

[GulfCoast66]

12. If after being offered reasonable concessions

He refuses any compromie, then our President will make clear the alternative. The president bringing down the wrath of God

- no speech at the convention

- no committee assignments at all

- no cosponsor for any bill he wants

- a funded opponent for his next election. Harder to be a gladfly when you have to raise money. Bernie would still win, but would have to work for it.

- worst of all the full force of the Bully Pulpit ridiculing him as a sore loser, which America hates.

Sure, the hardcore supporters would stick with him to the end including many on DU, but by the convention he would be a parity of himself and most Americans would see him as a loser. That is what happens when you spurn a reasonable offer from a popular president in you own party.

And it would help Hillary having him look like a loon because it would make her look reasonable by comparison.

I would hate to see this happen because I think up to now Bernie has been good for the party. And I do not it will ever come to this.

[onenote]

15. Obama is not in the position to determine some of those and thus shouldn't bring them up

He isn't in Congress and won't be President. He doesn't decide Committee assignments. The message at most will be that Bernie is likely to do better with his colleagues in the Senate if he is helpful in getting the Senate flipped back to a Democratic majority. Nor can Obama credibly make threats about a funded opponent. It's not Obama's role and it wouldn't be helpful.

What would be helpful is to suggest to Sanders that he needs to focus on the bigger picture and not get caught up in personal disputes -- let go of the fight with Barney Frank. Work on getting some changes to the platform and, after the election, in working to be build relationships with the Senators who will have been aided by his campaigning for them and/or other Senators that will allow him to assume the mantle of a legislative leader, not just an outsider.

[GulfCoast66]

17. Do not disagree with your post

And I think he will use the carrot approach. Hell, most of we Clinton supporters would not mind a good bit of his policy in the platform.

I guess I also think the President will have a stick ready if the carrot does not work. Granted the ideas I posted are mostly a reach, but defying a popular president of your own part can carry a big price.

Have a nice afternoon.

[Armstead]

13. You're probably correct

One thing I've always admired about Obama is his 3D view of things.

[Orsino]

14. Meaning that Sanders should push for big concessions to a progressive agenda?

Sanders knew this.

He has gotten a lot of new voters interested in the Democratic Party, but is there a new platform there to welcome them?

[onenote]

16. People pay attention to a party's platform for a week or two.

The real meat and potatoes is the process of hammering out legislative proposals and working them through two houses of Congress. Bernie has an opportunity to be more than an amendment machine and a real leader within the Democratic caucus if he goes out and helps win a Democratic majority. In the long run, that will produce more benefits than words in the platform. (That being said, he should seek some changes in the platform and if he's willing to be on record that he will be working for the election of Clinton and for the Senate and House to flip to the Democrats, Obama should be signaling to Clinton and the DNC that they need to work with Sanders on some changes. But all of this should be done, to the greatest extent possible, quietly, not through a disruptive process at the convention.

[Orsino]

18. On-boarding a lot of new voters won't be done quietly.

Big change is what Sanders supporters want, and those he can endorse and campaign for Clinton, his voters will be hers to lose if she doesn't also talk up some big goals--if not at the convention, then on the campaign trail.

The potential pool of Democratic voters is large, and I think we'll be able to judge how badly she wants them by what she does to win and retain them. The electorate is hungrier for progressive change than usual; I hope she's preparing to meet them halfway.