2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: I would like to take this time to congratulate the media, republicans and the anti-Clinton crowd... [View all]cascadiance
(19,537 posts)... precisely because they feel it no longer stands for the traditional Democratic values it once stood for before it got taken over by big money corporatists!
The Democratic Party doesn't have the credibility it once had when it was the party of FDR's then. With the Koch brothers funded DLC leadership started many years ago right prior to the Clinton administration, it has abandoned many of the strong stances it used to take on issues that even Eisenhower as a Republican stood strong on (social security, a living wage, stopping the military industrial complex).
Bernie is running as a Democrat, because he doesn't want to be a spoiler to help a Republican candidate win the election like many have crucified Nader over the years for doing when running as an independent in the general election. By doing that he is showing that he wants to be loyal to the concept that the more progressive party wins, whether it is the tainted Democrats or him as a progressive independent, and not the Republicans.
If those here say he needs to join the Democratic Party or run as an independent in the general election for him to be able to run as president, then you SHOULD advocate that the Democratic Party have a platform plank of instituting instant runoff voting. Because if you don't and take these positions, then you are advocating that this country have a TWO PARTY system ONLY and not really in effect allow much, if any third party presence to have a voice in it. If we had instant runoff voting, then yes, I think Bernie would run as an independent then, as then he wouldn't be the spoiler that Nader was in 2000, and he very likely could win if the two parties both nominate corporatist candidates that the general public is starting to hate now!