# Could Sanders supporters cost Hillary the election if she wins the primary **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 11, 2016, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-sanders-supporters-cost-hillary-the-election-if-she-wins-the-primary/745867 "2016-02-11T23:04:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-sanders-supporters-cost-hillary-the-election-if-she-wins-the-primary/745867/41 "2016-02-12T15:20:22Z")
> [@Sam\_Lowry](#): > > Why wouldn’t they care about the Supreme Court? Because it is about 225 miles away from EVIL WALL STREET. The Bernie Babies are one trick ponies. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-sanders-supporters-cost-hillary-the-election-if-she-wins-the-primary/745867/42 "2016-02-12T15:38:26Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Because it is about 225 miles away from EVIL WALL STREET. The Bernie Babies are one trick ponies. I’m much more leaning towards Clinton than Sanders, but I think that’s an unfair characterization. I think there are some single-minded voters, but a lot of the people I see on Facebook posting positive things about Sanders are the same ones who post about progressive issues in general. I’d think if you’d remind a lot of them about Supreme Court deciding gay marriage, or other issues that the Supreme Court has resolved, and how it could be much different if Cruz is president and chooses some justices, then those voters will go out and vote for Clinton. They might not be as enthusiastic as they would be for Sanders, and they might gripe about how Clinton is not as good as Sanders, but I think most would care and vote. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-sanders-supporters-cost-hillary-the-election-if-she-wins-the-primary/745867/43 "2016-02-12T16:03:32Z")
Assuming Clinton wins the nomination Bernie will come out at the nomination and heartily endorse Clinton over whomever the Republican nominate, and will probably stay out on the campaign trail explaining to his supporters why it is absolutely necessary that they come out to vote for Clinton in November. If after this some of Sanders supporters still don’t want to vote for Clinton, then that is because they are have a visceral hatred of her, which they would have whether or not Sanders ran against her. Right now in the heat of battle its easy to cast your immediate opponent in the worst possible light and view voting for them as a deal with the devil. But once the battle is over and the smoke has cleared, they will realize who the real enemy of the disenfranchised is. They may have to hold their nose to do it but they’ll come around and vote for the lesser of two evils. ---
**Author:** ![TheSeaOtter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ed655f/32.png) [@TheSeaOtter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheSeaOtter)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-sanders-supporters-cost-hillary-the-election-if-she-wins-the-primary/745867/44 "2016-02-12T16:05:43Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Because it is about 225 miles away from EVIL WALL STREET. The Bernie Babies are one trick ponies. I suppose we could present you with a few counterexamples, but then you’d just say that we’re not _real_ Sanders supporters, because we don’t look enough like that strawman you’ve got set up. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-sanders-supporters-cost-hillary-the-election-if-she-wins-the-primary/745867/45 "2016-02-12T16:16:51Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > Assuming Clinton wins the nomination Bernie will come out at the nomination and heartily endorse Clinton over whomever the Republican nominate, and will probably stay out on the campaign trail explaining to his supporters why it is absolutely necessary that they come out to vote for Clinton in November. If after this some of Sanders supporters still don’t want to vote for Clinton, then that is because they are have a visceral hatred of her, which they would have whether or not Sanders ran against her. > > Right now in the heat of battle its easy to cast your immediate opponent in the worst possible light and view voting for them as a deal with the devil. But once the battle is over and the smoke has cleared, they will realize who the real enemy of the disenfranchised is. They may have to hold their nose to do it but they’ll come around and vote for the lesser of two evils. Yes, I really doubt that most Sanders supporters would go so far as allow a Republican to become president. If he wins the nomination, I’ll gladly vote for him. (Not that it matters, since I live in Texas. As far as the Electoral College is concerned, the state is not quite ready to turn Blue. [But I’m in one of those blue spots on the more sophisticated maps](http://www.christianpost.com/news/election-map-shows-mostly-purple-not-red-and-blue-nation-85043/).) ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-sanders-supporters-cost-hillary-the-election-if-she-wins-the-primary/745867/46 "2016-02-12T16:19:32Z")
> [@GloryDays](#): > > When you’re cutting their jobs, you don’t like them. Period. > [@GloryDays](#): > > Yes, defense spending should be cut Y’know, Glory, I don’t want to point any fingers, but I’m having a hard time reading this in any way that’s not hilariously ironic. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-sanders-supporters-cost-hillary-the-election-if-she-wins-the-primary/745867/47 "2016-02-12T16:50:30Z")
> [@slash2k](#): > > What percentage of them would have stayed home anyway, absent Bernie in the race? > > If these are people who typically vote Democratic, but will sit out this year, then it’s a big problem. If these are people who typically never vote, then their sitting home is pretty much irrelevant. This is it. If its true that most of Sanders’ support is coming from students and young people who typically don’t vote, and won’t vote if he’s not the nominee, then the base of the Democrats will still come out in support of Clinton. Right now, we have GOP vs GOP and Dem vs Dem, so difference within the party are magnified. Its easy to say as a Sanders support that you’ll never vote for Clinton, but once the general starts and Cruz or Trump gets on that stage and talks about how he wants to deport 12 million people, bomb Iran and Syria, privatize all schools, and set fire to condom companies, then the people who were so horrified of Clinton will come back. Possibly not in the numbers we see Sanders pulling in now, but enough will return ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-sanders-supporters-cost-hillary-the-election-if-she-wins-the-primary/745867/48 "2016-02-12T16:57:07Z")
> [@Sam\_Lowry](#): > > Why wouldn’t they care about the Supreme Court? I wouldn’t say they don’t care at all, but perhaps not enough that it would be the reason they go vote for someone other than Bernie. Basically, I think the OP is on to something. They want the radical change that Bernie will bring and to hell with anything else. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-sanders-supporters-cost-hillary-the-election-if-she-wins-the-primary/745867/49 "2016-02-12T17:19:58Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > I wouldn’t say they don’t care at all, but perhaps not enough that it would be the reason they go vote for someone other than Bernie. Basically, I think the OP is on to something. They want the radical change that Bernie will bring and to hell with anything else. As has already been said, the most likely thing to happen if Hillary wins the nomination is that Bernie will take to the campaign trail and back her all the way. He’ll extend his campaign to register new voters and Hillary will win big against any of the competitors, unless she’s screws things up herself. There is no way in hell Sanders is going to do anything that benefits any conceivable Republican nominee. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-sanders-supporters-cost-hillary-the-election-if-she-wins-the-primary/745867/50 "2016-02-12T17:20:55Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > I doubt that would happen for political reasons, but aside from those, it’d be kinda dangerous for a 69 year old woman to pick a 75 year old running mate when the next person down on the Presidential line of succession is likely to be a Republican. That matters only if, somehow, both of them die before they could get a replacement VP through the Senate. True, a Republican-controlled senate _could_ pull a stunt like delaying the election of a VP, but I don’t see that happening. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-sanders-supporters-cost-hillary-the-election-if-she-wins-the-primary/745867/51 "2016-02-12T17:59:53Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > That matters only if, somehow, both of them die before they could get a replacement VP through the Senate. True, a Republican-controlled senate _could_ pull a stunt like delaying the election of a VP, but I don’t see that happening. A replacement VP actually is confirmed by a straight majority vote of both houses of congress, it’s not like judicial nominees and other executives branch officers who are Senate confirmations. The 25th amendment requires both houses to confirm a VP. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-sanders-supporters-cost-hillary-the-election-if-she-wins-the-primary/745867/53 "2016-02-12T21:07:58Z")
> [@GloryDays](#): > > When you’re cutting their jobs, you don’t like them. Period. On the plus side, if she cuts defense spending, then they’ll have to get rid of all those “handouts” that the wrong sort of people are joining the military for, right? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-sanders-supporters-cost-hillary-the-election-if-she-wins-the-primary/745867.md?page=2)