# If elected, will Bernie stay a Democrat? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 24, 2020, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-elected-will-bernie-stay-a-democrat/848443 "2020-02-24T17:13:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-elected-will-bernie-stay-a-democrat/848443/21 "2020-02-26T21:30:51Z")
I don’t think it matters what label Bernie wears on his button. If his proposals are palatable to the Democratic Congress, they will pass. Democrats (unlike members of certain other parties) are not going to oppose a bill simply because it was proposed by another party. What I’m more curious about is whether Bernie will walk as progressive as he talks now. Sure he’s been consistent over the years, but as president he will have real power. I think he’ll push for his ideals, but when the time comes, he’ll sign whatever reforms that the Democratic Congress passes, even when they don’t meet some progressive purity tests. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-elected-will-bernie-stay-a-democrat/848443/22 "2020-02-26T23:32:20Z")
It does matter, because traditionally Democratic presidents are the leaders of the party; and ex-presidents are grandees within the party. It’s clear that he has been resistant to join the party and has, as others have noted, done so on a de minimis basis out of pure political opportunism. He will leave the party as soon as he can get away with it politically, count on it. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-elected-will-bernie-stay-a-democrat/848443/23 "2020-02-27T00:50:24Z")
> [@Dahnlor](#): > > I’m sure that if he is elected as a Democrat, he will serve as a Democrat. I think any speculation that he will do otherwise is just silly. What does that even mean? I know it was in the pledge he signed, but I don’t know what it means. Does it mean he won’t officially change his affiliation while in office? OK, but that’s kind of meaningless. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-elected-will-bernie-stay-a-democrat/848443/24 "2020-02-27T01:43:16Z")
I see this question as equivalent to asking if Trump will leave office if he loses. Yes, he will. Yes, Sanders will stay a Democrat if elected as one. Everything else is internet crap that we need to stamp out. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-elected-will-bernie-stay-a-democrat/848443/25 "2020-02-27T02:59:56Z")
No. It’s not just some absurd conspiracy theory to smear Bernie. Less than a year ago, he filed with the FEC as an independent for 2024! What kind of real Democrat does that? > **[201903049145600416.pdf](https://docquery.fec.gov/pdf/416/201903049145600416/201903049145600416.pdf)** > > 7.57 KB ETA: This is intentionally part of his appeal to his supporters. Wink wink nudge nudge I’m not _really_ one of _them_. You could make an argument for it pulling more people into his campaign who don’t like the Democratic Party, but it’s silly to dismiss it as not a thing. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-elected-will-bernie-stay-a-democrat/848443/26 "2020-02-27T03:17:48Z")
No _true_ Democrat would[…](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_true_Scotsman) ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-elected-will-bernie-stay-a-democrat/848443/27 "2020-02-28T00:13:09Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > No. It’s not just some absurd conspiracy theory to smear Bernie. Less than a year ago, he filed with the FEC as an independent for 2024! What kind of real Democrat does that? A) That was a filing for the office of Senator of the State of Vermont, for which he is the elected, currently serving Independent. What else would anyone expect him to declare? B) We’re talking about him being the elected Democratic President of the United States. Utterly different situation. As the elected Democratic President of the United States he would be insane to declare himself something else. It will not happen. It is an absurd conspiracy theory. Whether it’s designed to smear Sanders or just that the internet itself is insane I can’t say. But my general low opinion of humanity tends toward the latter. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-elected-will-bernie-stay-a-democrat/848443/28 "2020-02-28T05:32:27Z")
Do you not realize that Michael Bloomberg switched his affiliation to independent while in office, after winning election on the Republican line? This is not at all insane, it’s exactly what you would expect someone to do when they only use a party out of expediency like both of those New York rich guys did. I expect Bernie’s most hardcore supporters will be delighted for him to do that. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-elected-will-bernie-stay-a-democrat/848443/29 "2020-02-28T17:19:23Z")
He will no longer be a democratic socialist, he will be a socialist Democrat. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-elected-will-bernie-stay-a-democrat/848443/30 "2020-02-28T17:20:45Z")
Pithy. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-elected-will-bernie-stay-a-democrat/848443/31 "2020-02-28T17:33:48Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > Do you not realize that Michael Bloomberg switched his affiliation to independent while in office, after winning election on the Republican line? This is not at all insane, it’s exactly what you would expect someone to do when they only use a party out of expediency like both of those New York rich guys did. I expect Bernie’s most hardcore supporters will be delighted for him to do that. Again irrelevant. Bloomberg ran on the lines he thought would be winners. His actual party identification was secondary. In fact, he ran on both the Republican and Independence lines in the 2009 election, after becoming an independent, which gave him the edge he needed. But there is no third party in Presidential politics. Sanders cannot hope to build one. He cannot expect that there would be any advantage whatsoever in changing affiliation. As a Democratic President he is the leader of the Democratic Party, not an individual battling it. He’s smart enough to know that. The internet, well, I have my doubts about, but the internet says a lot of things. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-elected-will-bernie-stay-a-democrat/848443/32 "2020-02-28T19:30:41Z")
The Internet said you were a lizardman, but _I_ don’t believe it. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-elected-will-bernie-stay-a-democrat/848443/33 "2020-02-28T19:49:57Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > The Internet said you were a lizardman, but _I_ don’t believe it. And properly so. I’m one of those hermaphroditic lizards. Need proof? I spelled hermaphroditic right the first time. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-elected-will-bernie-stay-a-democrat/848443/34 "2020-02-29T05:13:55Z")
The Internet also said you just copied and pasted it, and _that_ I believe. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-elected-will-bernie-stay-a-democrat/848443/35 "2020-02-29T05:54:22Z")
I fear he will join the Federalist Party. ---
**Author:** ![Unreconstructed\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/76d3ee/32.png) [@Unreconstructed\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unreconstructed_Man)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-elected-will-bernie-stay-a-democrat/848443/36 "2020-02-29T05:57:59Z")
Who cares if he stays a Democrat or not? Can anyone explain why this matters? ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-elected-will-bernie-stay-a-democrat/848443/37 "2020-02-29T06:19:42Z")
> [@Unreconstructed\_Man](#): > > Who cares if he stays a Democrat or not? Can anyone explain why this matters? It \*doesn’t \*matter to the kind of people who disdain political parties and don’t believe, as I do, that partybuilding is important. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-elected-will-bernie-stay-a-democrat/848443/38 "2020-02-29T13:49:50Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > A) That was a filing for the office of Senator of the State of Vermont, for which he is the elected, currently serving Independent. What else would anyone expect him to declare? > > B) We’re talking about him being the elected Democratic President of the United States. Utterly different situation. As the elected Democratic President of the United States he would be insane to declare himself something else. It will not happen. It is an absurd conspiracy theory. Whether it’s designed to smear Sanders or just that the internet itself is insane I can’t say. But my general low opinion of humanity tends toward the latter. But he is still the same person. He either is a Democrat or not. He cannot hold one hand up and be “Bernie the Senator–Independent” and then hold the other hand up and say he is “Bernie the Presidential Candidate-Democrat.” Bernie Sanders the individual has to choose his political affiliation across the board. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-elected-will-bernie-stay-a-democrat/848443/39 "2020-02-29T15:50:00Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > But he is still the same person. He either is a Democrat or not. Nonsense. One can become a democrat (as Sanders has done). One can also cease to be a Democrat. It’s a political party, not an ethnicity. When did changing parties become anathema? Maybe he’s just donning the party mantle for convenience. Would that make his party membership illegitimate? He’s still enmeshed in the party machinery. He’s still having to publicly proclaim himself a Democrat. He isn’t trying to hide or disguise his years as an Independent. In other words, other than failing a purity test, I don’t see the problem. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-elected-will-bernie-stay-a-democrat/848443/40 "2020-02-29T15:55:05Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > Nonsense. One can become a democrat (as Sanders has done). One can also cease to be a Democrat. It’s a political party, not an ethnicity. When did changing parties become anathema? > > Maybe he’s just donning the party mantle for convenience. Would that make his party membership illegitimate? He’s still enmeshed in the party machinery. He’s still having to publicly proclaim himself a Democrat. He isn’t trying to hide or disguise his years as an Independent. > > In other words, other than failing a purity test, I don’t see the problem. I agree that he can switch parties. What I am saying is that he cannot be both things at once. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-elected-will-bernie-stay-a-democrat/848443.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-elected-will-bernie-stay-a-democrat/848443.md?page=3)