What happens to Bernie if he loses the nomination?

[Voyager]

@CarnalK

I’m not. I think helping her plump her resume was part of mending fences within the party, ie pragmatic.

I don’t think she’ll give him a cabinet post. She doesn’t want a revolutionary running a department.

Mending fences was part of it - but remember, as a member of the Cabinet, she wasn’t able to sit on the sidelines criticizing Obama to the press.

If Bernie is a revolutionary a good chunk of Europe is a hotbed of revolution also. Paying for college is a very weird American thing, kind of like our crappy healthcare system. His ideas are revolutionary in the same way that Obamacare was going to lead to massive unemployment and the economy crashing.

[Voyager]

@coremelt

So you let two states that are completely not representative of the US set that momentum for you?

The US urban / rural split is 80 percent urban, 20 percent rural.
Iowa is 60/30. New Hampshire is 55 Urban / 45 Rural.

Look up the results of past Iowa votes some time. Hardly anyone who wins there makes it to the nomination. You are getting fooled by the excessive media coverage of a process, which like Kim Kardashian, is famous for being famous.

Considering how close elections are you are giving far more power to rural voters than they deserve. Also why the hell does California accept being last in the primaries? Considering how much sway they should have and how liberal they are they should demand to be earlier in the primary season. Just California being earlier would give liberal candidates a much better chance of gaining momentum. Why do the Democrats accept the current system?

Back in 1968 with the Democratic nomination in turmoil California was very important. We still could be if things are up in the are in June. So it is kind of a gamble.
And we avoid the damn TV ads.

[CarnalK]

@Voyager

If Bernie is a revolutionary a good chunk of Europe is a hotbed of revolution also. Paying for college is a very weird American thing, kind of like our crappy healthcare system. His ideas are revolutionary in the same way that Obamacare was going to lead to massive unemployment and the economy crashing.

“Revolutionary” is relative to the society you are in. America is a hotbed of revolution for private education and healthcare just as much as the other way around, if you just want to be silly about it.

[BrainGlutton]

@Lord_Feldon

Would you force-abolish the conventions too?

Why not? They’re only rituals.

[Chronos]

Quoth coremelt:

What can Bernie actually achieve on a national scale (as opposed to in Vermont) as a Senator? Again asking from ignorance of your political system.

Everything a senator does is on a national scale, to at least some degree. Senators have a say in the running of the federal government, but they do not have a say in the running of their own states. We have governors, state legislators, and various other offices for that. Oh, some federal policies will have disproportionate influence on some states, and it’s typical for senators to do things like try to get a new military base sited in their state, but that military base will still recruit servicemembers from all states, and train and equip them to defend all of the states, paid for by taxes from the people of all states, and so on.

[Saint_Cad]

Bernie might take Secretary of Veteran Affairs.

[Hari_Seldon]

@coremelt

OK but how much power do the Chairmen of those committees actually have?

A huge amount. They set the agenda and if they don’t like a bill it will never get onto the agenda and is effectively dead. They have much less positive power, though. If they like something they will put it on the agenda but it still has to pass the committee and the full house.