2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: Poll: Sanders MORE electable than Hillary against top Republicans [View all]SunSeeker
(51,550 posts)The reason the GOP has left Bernie alone is very simple: the GOP wants Bernie to be the Dem nominee. They have repeatedly said so and even encouraged their base to donate to and support Bernie in the primaries. They know he is the way more beatable candidate. If he gets the nomination, which is highly unlikely, THEN the GOP would unleash all of their firepower on Bernie. And they would have a lot to work with.
The fact that they have already unleashed all they have against Hillary and she still leads all of the GOP contenders means that she will lead them in November 2016 as well, and probably by even wider margins once she targets their nominee. She has already proven she can withstand their barrages. Bernie is utterly untested on the national stage, and without the backing and money that Hillary has, would crumble, like McGovern but worse.