Can Bernie Sanders win a general election?

[°Leprechaun]

I know, I will vote for Sanders that same day.  I just think it has become an obsession for you. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czKd8YVafgU

Maybe I'm just suffering from Berniemania.

[Oakvale]

Any major party nominee has a non-zero chance of becoming President, but my inclination is to think he'd get utterly crushed, even by Trump or Lyin' Ted.

[Beefalow and the Consumer]

Any major party nominee has a non-zero chance of becoming President, but my inclination is to think he'd get utterly crushed, even by Trump or Lyin' Ted.

A Sanders vs. Cruz general might lead to a complete overhaul of our electoral system.  Electoral College, parties and ballot access, everything.  People might wake up to the fact that when two parties control the process, when those two parties have rogue insurgencies who produce fringe (from their point of view) candidates, the people are screwed out of any choice that is acceptable to them.

I personally would like Sanders as President, but the outcome would be proof of how fragile our system is.

[Figueira]

Anyone can win against this year's Republican nominee (whoever that is).

[°Leprechaun]

Anyone can win against this year's Republican nominee (whoever that is).

That's basically true, with the possible exception of Kasich and I doubt that he can win, although there may be a tiny chance he could get the nomination. It seems unrealistic to think that he will be the nominee, with respect to those who support him.

Polls show Kasich beating Clinton and Sanders beating Kasich. That isn't a good argument by itself to support Sanders. The real question is not whether Sanders can win, the real question is who would make a better president, Clinton or Sanders. Considering their differences on the Iraq war, Sanders is the better choice.

[Kleine Scheiße]

Whenever someone asks in one of these polls, whether can something happen, I have to answer yes.  Even if the chance is minuscule, like 0.00001%, I'd still answer yes because technically it still could happen.

So yes, Sanders could possibly win in a general election.  So could Sarah Palin, Lincoln Chafee, Ben Carson, Dennis Kucinich, and your mom.

A better question is this: If Sanders were nominated, would he win the General Election?  My answer to that would be no, probably not.

I DEMAND A BEN CARSON v DENNIS KUCINICH MAP NAOW!!!!!

CHAFEE VS GILMORE WHEN

[Figueira]

Anyone can win against this year's Republican nominee (whoever that is).

That's basically true, with the possible exception of Kasich and I doubt that he can win, although there may be a tiny chance he could get the nomination. It seems unrealistic to think that he will be the nominee, with respect to those who support him.

Polls show Kasich beating Clinton and Sanders beating Kasich. That isn't a good argument by itself to support Sanders. The real question is not whether Sanders can win, the real question is who would make a better president, Clinton or Sanders. Considering their differences on the Iraq war, Sanders is the better choice.

Kasich might be a good candidate if he actually won the primaries (although I'm still not convinced of that, since he seems to only be good at campaigning in small northern states and Ohio), but Kasich's problem is that at this point, any scenario that leads to him getting the nomination would cause a huge backlash from large parts of the Republican base, and maybe some swing voters as well.

And I like Sanders better than Clinton, but my opinion is not solely based on the Iraq War.

[Beefalow and the Consumer]

Whenever someone asks in one of these polls, whether can something happen, I have to answer yes.  Even if the chance is minuscule, like 0.00001%, I'd still answer yes because technically it still could happen.

So yes, Sanders could possibly win in a general election.  So could Sarah Palin, Lincoln Chafee, Ben Carson, Dennis Kucinich, and your mom.

A better question is this: If Sanders were nominated, would he win the General Election?  My answer to that would be no, probably not.

I DEMAND A BEN CARSON v DENNIS KUCINICH MAP NAOW!!!!!

CHAFEE VS GILMORE WHEN

[°Leprechaun]

Anyone can win against this year's Republican nominee (whoever that is).

That's basically true, with the possible exception of Kasich and I doubt that he can win, although there may be a tiny chance he could get the nomination. It seems unrealistic to think that he will be the nominee, with respect to those who support him.

Polls show Kasich beating Clinton and Sanders beating Kasich. That isn't a good argument by itself to support Sanders. The real question is not whether Sanders can win, the real question is who would make a better president, Clinton or Sanders. Considering their differences on the Iraq war, Sanders is the better choice.

Kasich might be a good candidate if he actually won the primaries (although I'm still not convinced of that, since he seems to only be good at campaigning in small northern states and Ohio), but Kasich's problem is that at this point, any scenario that leads to him getting the nomination would cause a huge backlash from large parts of the Republican base, and maybe some swing voters as well.

And I like Sanders better than Clinton, but my opinion is not solely based on the Iraq War.

Of course, there are other good reasons to support Sanders; for me this one is the most important. I could have pointed out many other reasons, but decided to focus on the one  where I think Clinton supporters have a weak argument.

Another critical difference is that Clinton represents the old way of doing things, and Sanders represents change and a breathe of fresh air. He has consistently supported many issues for a long time and has a lot of experience. Clinton seems more willing to change according to what is expedient. It is not entirely bad to change one's opinions. It makes sense, but her changes don't always seem to be sincere changes of mind, but what is the politically popular way to go. Sanders is a leader in the sense that he was often on the cutting edge of issues when it was not popular to do so.

[President Johnson]

Depends on the Repiblican nominee. Against Rafael? Probably, but not sure 100%. TRUMP or Kasich? No chance.

[beaver2.0]

Yes.

[Beefalow and the Consumer]

Depends on the Repiblican nominee. Against Rafael? Probably, but not sure 100%. TRUMP or Kasich? No chance.

Uh, Sanders likely would beat Trump decisively. He'd probably lose to Kasich and maybe Cruz, though.

Sanders vs. Trump would be Civil. Freaking. War.

I don't want to even contemplate the violence that will break out between supporters.  But I think the dedication of the Sanders supporters will have a much broader appeal than that of the Trump supporters, and they will win the day.