# How do you think Sanders supporters will react if he doesn't get the Democratic nomination? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [March 2, 2020, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-think-sanders-supporters-will-react-if-he-doesnt-get-the-democratic-nomination/848788 "2020-03-02T14:58:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pjacks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e19adc/32.png) [@pjacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjacks)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-think-sanders-supporters-will-react-if-he-doesnt-get-the-democratic-nomination/848788/21 "2020-03-02T17:08:46Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > If by “shenanigans” you mean following the rules as they were set up far ahead of time, then Sanders supporters would be the ones blasting a hole through democracy and party integrity. > > I.e., they’d be acting like Republicans. Why should anybody want that or approve of it? Superdelegates and the 2nd ballot exist to give the elites a veto on the candidate. That isn’t democratic or fair by any stretch. They are part of the rules in the same way that the ToS agreements of all the tech we use every day is part of the “rules.” The candidates just click “yes” and agree to it because what other option do they have if they want to run. But good luck explaining to enraged voters of how the Party’s ToS is actually a good thing and not at all solely meant to screw over candidates who make the moneyed class recoil in horror. ---
**Author:** ![tullsterx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tullsterx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tullsterx)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-think-sanders-supporters-will-react-if-he-doesnt-get-the-democratic-nomination/848788/22 "2020-03-02T17:40:54Z")
> [@DinoR](#): > > Do you mean plurality? > > Superdelegates are not involved in the first round of voting at the convention. If Sanders wins the majority of pledged delegates he almost certainly wins the nomination before the superdelegates get involved. Now Sanders’ pledged delegates could legally vote against him in that first round. That is the only way your hypothetical makes any sense. Since Sanders has a pretty important role in selecting the people who are his pledged delegates a revolt of that type is partly on him. > > To contemplate the outcome of that really depends on why Sanders chosen delegates revolted against him. If they all suddenly have new cars bought by a Bloomberg controlled company…chaos and mayhem. If he is discovered to have been keeping kids in cages in his basement, I am betting a lot of his primary voters will be happy that delegates are pledged not bound. I mean if he has the most primary delegates. My mistake. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-think-sanders-supporters-will-react-if-he-doesnt-get-the-democratic-nomination/848788/23 "2020-03-02T18:00:57Z")
> [@pjacks](#): > > Superdelegates and the 2nd ballot exist to give the elites a veto on the candidate. That isn’t democratic or fair by any stretch. They are part of the rules in the same way that the ToS agreements of all the tech we use every day is part of the “rules.” The candidates just click “yes” and agree to it because what other option do they have if they want to run. > But good luck explaining to enraged voters of how the Party’s ToS is actually a good thing and not at all solely meant to screw over candidates who make the moneyed class recoil in horror. Of course, the person who got those rules was Bernie Sanders ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-think-sanders-supporters-will-react-if-he-doesnt-get-the-democratic-nomination/848788/24 "2020-03-02T18:43:22Z")
His supporters will whine and pout, and may make noises about forming a third party. In the end, they’ll either vote for the Dem nominee or know that they are responsible for Trump’s second term. This needs to be the final stake through the heart of Bernie, the Bernie Bros, and the extreme liberal wing of the Democratic party. Bernie, AOC, and their ilk are a cancer on the party, and should be excised promptly and firmly. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-think-sanders-supporters-will-react-if-he-doesnt-get-the-democratic-nomination/848788/25 "2020-03-02T18:50:55Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Your link has been shortened and thus is broken. I believe [this is the article you meant](https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/voters-wholl-support-biden-but-not-sanders-probably-really-do-mean-it/). It has only-Biden at 8% and only Bernie at 3% (and both being more conservative than the average Democratic voter). > > However, I also note that they specifically say they are limited by not having anyone under 30 in their group. That’s the one. Thanks for fixing the link. ---
**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:** [March 2, 2020, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-think-sanders-supporters-will-react-if-he-doesnt-get-the-democratic-nomination/848788/26 "2020-03-02T18:53:33Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > What will happen likely is Bernie and his voters will say ‘the democratic party is corrupt and beholden to the interests of anyone who pays them, but it beats another 4 years of Trump’. Bernie might say that - after all, that’s pretty much what he said at the 2016 convention when, IIRC, he personally called for the convention to nominate Clinton by acclamation. His voters, on the other hand, might think, “The only way we can get Sanders elected before 2028 is if Trump wins in 2020 - and this also gives us the chance of having not only Bernie, but both a House and a Senate that can pass his bills.” ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-think-sanders-supporters-will-react-if-he-doesnt-get-the-democratic-nomination/848788/27 "2020-03-02T18:55:14Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > This needs to be the final stake through the heart of Bernie, the Bernie Bros, and the extreme liberal wing of the Democratic party. Bernie, AOC, and their ilk are a cancer on the party, and should be excised promptly and firmly. I don’t think this is a reasonable view of them. They are far from extreme. They are left of where the majority of the party is but they have been a good influence and a reflection of where progressive society is heading. Where they have fallen short is not in their positions but in the work it takes to vet and explain the details of their plan. Too often it seems as if, “…_and a bit of magic happens here_…”, is their plan to get from A to B. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-think-sanders-supporters-will-react-if-he-doesnt-get-the-democratic-nomination/848788/28 "2020-03-02T18:55:18Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > His supporters will whine and pout, and may make noises about forming a third party. In the end, they’ll either vote for the Dem nominee or know that they are responsible for Trump’s second term. This needs to be the final stake through the heart of Bernie, the Bernie Bros, and the extreme liberal wing of the Democratic party. Bernie, AOC, and their ilk are a cancer on the party, and should be excised promptly and firmly. Some will whine, absolutely no doubt. But most of them? I don’t think so. In any case, I do not see him, nor AOC, nor others with similar positions on the issues going anywhere. They are the future of the Democratic Party. Thank the lord. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-think-sanders-supporters-will-react-if-he-doesnt-get-the-democratic-nomination/848788/29 "2020-03-02T18:56:20Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > Bernie might say that - after all, that’s pretty much what he said at the 2016 convention when, IIRC, he personally called for the convention to nominate Clinton by acclamation. His voters, on the other hand, might think, “The only way we can get Sanders elected before 2028 is if Trump wins in 2020 - and this also gives us the chance of having not only Bernie, but both a House and a Senate that can pass his bills.” Bernie should be way too dead to run in 2028. ---
**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:** [March 2, 2020, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-think-sanders-supporters-will-react-if-he-doesnt-get-the-democratic-nomination/848788/30 "2020-03-02T18:57:10Z")
> [@pjacks](#): > > Superdelegates and the 2nd ballot exist to give the elites a veto on the candidate. That isn’t democratic or fair by any stretch. They are part of the rules in the same way that the ToS agreements of all the tech we use every day is part of the “rules.” The candidates just click “yes” and agree to it because what other option do they have if they want to run. > But good luck explaining to enraged voters of how the Party’s ToS is actually a good thing and not at all solely meant to screw over candidates who make the moneyed class recoil in horror. Looking at the current [538 snapshot](https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2020-primary-forecast/?ex_cid=rrpromo) of today, they would predict 40.2% going to Sanders 36.5% going to Biden 15% going to Bloomburg 6.1% going to Warren 1.6% going to Klobuchar and presumably the other 0.6% going to other candidates. So Bernie has the most delegates, but not a majority. Assuming that Blomburg’s delegates would prefer Biden to Sanders (I think this is a pretty safe assumption) then in round 2 Biden wins a majority over Sanders even without any Superdelegates. This to me doesn’t feel like a failure of democracy, or a From the beginning the Democratic primary has basically been a contest between the moderate and progressive halves of the electorate. It would seem to me to be more of a failure if the majority prefers the moderates but the progressive side wins due to having multiple viable candidates. Effectively, the Democratic convention rules mimic rank choiced voting, something which the progressive wing of the party seemed to strongly support in theory until it looks like it won’t give them the answer they wanted. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-think-sanders-supporters-will-react-if-he-doesnt-get-the-democratic-nomination/848788/31 "2020-03-02T18:59:06Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > His supporters will whine and pout, and may make noises about forming a third party. In the end, they’ll either vote for the Dem nominee or know that they are responsible for Trump’s second term. This needs to be the final stake through the heart of Bernie, the Bernie Bros, and the extreme liberal wing of the Democratic party. Bernie, AOC, and their ilk are a cancer on the party, and should be excised promptly and firmly. I won’t go as far as the last sentence. Bernie and AOC bring a viewpoint to the party and represent a segment of the population whose voices need to be heard. The Democratic tent is big enough to include them, though Bernie will quickly call himself an Independent once he is denied the nomination. Neither Bernie nor AOC have any business running for president, though AOC has more credibility since she is actually a Democrat more than a few months every four years. ---
**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:** [March 2, 2020, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-think-sanders-supporters-will-react-if-he-doesnt-get-the-democratic-nomination/848788/32 "2020-03-02T19:43:51Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Bernie should be way too dead to run in 2028. All the more reason to vote for someone who would allow Bernie to run in 2024. Meanwhile, here’s another of my crazy ideas, although I’m not sure if this would work under the current rules: if the vote does go to a second ballot, then, after each state votes, there is a call for a Roll Call of the state’s delegates (which, if I am reading the rules correctly, happens if at least 25% of the delegates demand it), which would put each of the superdelegates on the spot as to whether they support Sanders or not. However, a roll call of delegates within a state may no longer be “public,” where they read out the name of each delegate and they audibly reply, but just done by sending an official to the delegation and taking each delegate’s vote in writing. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-think-sanders-supporters-will-react-if-he-doesnt-get-the-democratic-nomination/848788/33 "2020-03-02T19:48:18Z")
Sanders supporter here. I’ll vote for whoever the nominee is, because Trump. However, at this point, I’ve become disillusioned with the party… and I live in the damned SDMB “liberal bubble”, but still feel like I and others like me are expected to shut up and vote for the Dem, regardless, while watching our party march ever rightward. Despite over a decade of evidence to the contrary, a large contingent STILL believes that somehow the Republicans will SUDDENLY want to work to enact legislation put forth by the Democrats if its Joe Fucking Biden in the White House rather than Bernie Sanders, when the reality is they wouldn’t vote for the “ **Republicans Get Supreme Power Bill of 2021** ” if it was offered up by a Democrat. I’m tired of watching the nation’s money get funneled to the top 1%. I’m tired of living in a plutocracy that calls itself a democracy. I’m tired of watching people in BOTH parties being convinced to vote against their own self-interest. It’s time for a fucking change. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-think-sanders-supporters-will-react-if-he-doesnt-get-the-democratic-nomination/848788/34 "2020-03-02T20:34:38Z")
> [@Kron](#): > > somehow the Republicans will SUDDENLY want to work to enact legislation put forth by the Democrats if its Joe Fucking Biden in the White House rather than Bernie Sanders, when the reality is they wouldn’t vote for the “ **Republicans Get Supreme Power Bill of 2021** ” if it was offered up by a Democrat. > > I’m tired of watching the nation’s money get funneled to the top 1%. I’m tired of living in a plutocracy that calls itself a democracy. I’m tired of watching people in BOTH parties being convinced to vote against their own self-interest. > > It’s time for a fucking change. If the Senate changes, they’ll hold the balance of power vis a vis a progressive versus moderate agenda no matter who reclaims the White House. If it doesn’t flip, then there won’t be any “fucking change” except if it’s by endless executive orders. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-think-sanders-supporters-will-react-if-he-doesnt-get-the-democratic-nomination/848788/35 "2020-03-02T20:56:47Z")
> [@Kron](#): > > Sanders supporter here. > > I’ll vote for whoever the nominee is, because Trump. > > However, at this point, I’ve become disillusioned with the party… and I live in the damned SDMB “liberal bubble”, but still feel like I and others like me are expected to shut up and vote for the Dem, regardless, while watching our party march ever rightward. Despite over a decade of evidence to the contrary, a large contingent STILL believes that somehow the Republicans will SUDDENLY want to work to enact legislation put forth by the Democrats if its Joe Fucking Biden in the White House rather than Bernie Sanders, when the reality is they wouldn’t vote for the “ **Republicans Get Supreme Power Bill of 2021** ” if it was offered up by a Democrat. > > I’m tired of watching the nation’s money get funneled to the top 1%. I’m tired of living in a plutocracy that calls itself a democracy. I’m tired of watching people in BOTH parties being convinced to vote against their own self-interest. > > It’s time for a fucking change. Pretty much. Also its ironic that all that ‘vote blue no matter who’ talk only seems to apply when the liberals are upset. When moderates are upset were all supposed to placate them. Also the moderate candidate has lost every presidential election for the last 20 years. Gore was to the right of Bradley, and Gore lost the general election. Kerry was to the right of Dean and he lost the general. Obama was to the left of Clinton and he won the general. Clinton was to the right of Sanders and she lost the general. But if Sanders loses in 2020, the liberal wing is supposed to pack it up and shut up because at that point, the liberal wing will have gotten 1 out of 6 elections wrong while the conservative wing of the democratic party will ‘only’ have gotten 5 out of the last 6 presidential elections wrong. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-think-sanders-supporters-will-react-if-he-doesnt-get-the-democratic-nomination/848788/36 "2020-03-02T21:09:44Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > …Obama was to the left of Clinton and he won the general. … In what way was Obama to the left of Clinton? His healthcare plan during the primary run didn’t require everyone to sign up, for example. Clinton’s plan did (and the eventual law did as well), and that’s a more left-leaning stance. Do you have any examples? Vote Blue No Matter Who seems to apply to everyone from what I can tell. We have non-Sanders supporters all over this board saying they’ll vote for Sanders in the general, so I don’t know where you got that from. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-think-sanders-supporters-will-react-if-he-doesnt-get-the-democratic-nomination/848788/37 "2020-03-02T21:13:35Z")
> [@Kron](#): > > Sanders supporter here. > > I’ll vote for whoever the nominee is, because Trump. > > However, at this point, I’ve become disillusioned with the party… and I live in the damned SDMB “liberal bubble”, but still feel like I and others like me are expected to shut up and vote for the Dem, regardless, while watching our party march ever rightward. Despite over a decade of evidence to the contrary, a large contingent STILL believes that somehow the Republicans will SUDDENLY want to work to enact legislation put forth by the Democrats if its Joe Fucking Biden in the White House rather than Bernie Sanders, when the reality is they wouldn’t vote for the “ **Republicans Get Supreme Power Bill of 2021** ” if it was offered up by a Democrat. > > I’m tired of watching the nation’s money get funneled to the top 1%. I’m tired of living in a plutocracy that calls itself a democracy. I’m tired of watching people in BOTH parties being convinced to vote against their own self-interest. > > It’s time for a fucking change. And with all due respect, what are you going to do when you finally realize we don’t want your fucking revolution? Be even nastier? ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-think-sanders-supporters-will-react-if-he-doesnt-get-the-democratic-nomination/848788/38 "2020-03-02T21:17:10Z")
In 2016 it was obvious to just about all Democrats that Clinton was going to beat Trump anyway so nothing would be lost by sitting out the election for moral principles (that Clinton was a tool of big business, that Clinton was too Hawkish…)–so a fair number of Sander’s supporters did this [and of course just about all Democrats turned out to be wrong about the election result]. This time Sander’s supporters realize that if they sit out Trump will win–so they will vote for the lesser evil–Biden or even Bloomberg. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-think-sanders-supporters-will-react-if-he-doesnt-get-the-democratic-nomination/848788/39 "2020-03-02T21:38:53Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > And with all due respect, what are you going to do when you finally realize we don’t want your fucking revolution? Be even nastier? Figured you’d chime in. **wipes the venom off his face** I was nasty? ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-think-sanders-supporters-will-react-if-he-doesnt-get-the-democratic-nomination/848788/40 "2020-03-02T21:48:35Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > In what way was Obama to the left of Clinton? His healthcare plan during the primary run didn’t require everyone to sign up, for example. Clinton’s plan did (and the eventual law did as well), and that’s a more left-leaning stance. Do you have any examples? The Dean being to the left of Kerry is also pretty interesting to me. On the Iraq War, Dean definitely was to Kerry’s left, but Dean was a very centrist Governor of Vermont, had endorsements from Al Gore and had more superdelegates than anyone before Iowa. Kucinich called Dean a “Rockefeller Republican”. Dean was leading in all the polls as well. He just finished a very disappointing 3rd in Iowa and that hurt him massively. For example: > **[Dean, Kerry fight over Iowa turf](https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna3973192)** > > John Kerry and Howard Dean, running neck and neck in Iowa, covered some of the same ground in the state on Thursday, bringing to light their differences and their many similarities. > [@](#): > > But on three key issues Dean and Kerry part company: > > Kerry voted for the No Child Left Behind Act and has complained that President Bush has refused to request sufficient funds from Congress to make it work. Dean opposes the act as a federal intrusion on local authority, mocking it as “The No School Board Left Standing Act.” Kerry would preserve the portions of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts that benefit middle-class workers; Dean seeks to repeal the entire 2001 and 2003 tax cuts, even though that would mean many middle-class families would pay a few thousand dollars more a year in income taxes. Kerry voted for the Iraq war resolution in October 2002, a vote Dean has fiercely criticized, although Dean himself supported a war resolution, the Biden-Lugar measure that would have authorized Bush to wage war unilaterally on Iraq as long as he made an effort to seek a U.N. resolution approving use of force I think Kerry was more left on ‘federal intrusion into local authority’ in education, Dean more left on the Iraq War, and then you can make a case for either position on the 2001/03 tax cuts. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-think-sanders-supporters-will-react-if-he-doesnt-get-the-democratic-nomination/848788.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-think-sanders-supporters-will-react-if-he-doesnt-get-the-democratic-nomination/848788.md?page=3)