Bernie Sanders: "I Am Prepared to Run for President of the United States"

[TNF]

Not a formal announcement but still notable.

[Vega]

YES.

That is all.

[MasterJedi]

Run and independent general election campaign against Hillary please!

[TNF]

Run and independent general election campaign against Hillary please!

Totally support this suggestion, albeit for different reasons, I'm sure.

[MasterJedi]

Run and independent general election campaign against Hillary please!

Totally support this suggestion, albeit for different reasons, I'm sure.

You would be correct, split the vote and have a new President Bush!

[Zioneer]

I hope he runs as a Democrat and pushes Hillary to the left. That'd be neat. Pulling a Nader? Not so much.

[TNF]

I hope he runs as a Democrat and pushes Hillary to the left. That'd be neat. Pulling a Nader? Not so much.

Not sure if Hillary can be "pushed to the left." I think running as a Democrat would undermine literally everything he stands for, as well.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

[Vega]

He needs to run under the Green Party banner.

[All Along The Watchtower]

Cool!

[Suburbia]

He would be a challenge and a threat to Hillary or any establishment Democrat's candidacy.

[Phony Moderate]

It would be nice to have an actual and visible leftist candidate running for once. But unfortunately no one (D or R) will be able to defeat the Clintons.

[Zioneer]

I hope he runs as a Democrat and pushes Hillary to the left. That'd be neat. Pulling a Nader? Not so much.

Not sure if Hillary can be "pushed to the left." I think running as a Democrat would undermine literally everything he stands for, as well.

So would running as an independent and handing the election to the Republicans. At least if he has a spot at the Democratic primary debates, he could express democratic socialist views without Naderizing everything. In fact, if he's more popular than Nader... Ted Cruz or Rand Paul could become president, potentially. I'm not saying there's no room for a third party, but we need to at least change the electoral rules so that third parties don't hand the election to the worst possible people. Bernie could express support for changing the rules to instant-runoff voting, so that Republicans don't squeak through and properly progressive third parties could get attention.

[Mordecai]

I like Bernie a lot but the idea of Democratic vote-splitting and someone like Scott Walker or Rand Paul becoming President is troubling.

The answer is a True Leftist, Tea Party-style raid of the Democratic Party, not an entirely new entity.

[IceSpear]

He would be a challenge and a threat to Hillary or any establishment Democrat's candidacy.

Hillary would easily beat him in the primaries. The main threat would be if he siphoned votes in the GE allowing a Republican to win.

[Brewer]

I seriously don't think Bernie Sanders is so ignorant as to run a third-party campaign and allow a Republican to win. I can see him running a nice campaign in the primaries (one which I could quite possibly get behind) but that would be it.

[afleitch]

I seriously don't think Bernie Sanders is so ignorant as to run a third-party campaign and allow a Republican to win. I can see him running a nice campaign in the primaries (one which I could quite possibly get behind) but that would be it.

This.

He's not stupid.

[IceSpear]

If anyone is going to push Hillary to the left in the primaries, it's much better for it to be Sanders rather than someone like Schweitzer.

[SWE]

Sanders isn't a moron he knows that as terrible as Hillary may be, whoever the Republicans nominate will be about a thousand times worse. Should he run, it'd be in the democratic primary.

If anyone is going to push Hillary to the left in the primaries, it's much better for it to be Sanders rather than someone like Schweitzer.

Agreed

[Donerail]

I was hoping for Schweitzer, but hey, if this stops the horrifying future that is President Hillary I'll get behind it.

[Comrade Funk]

Does it matter? No.

[Vega]

Sanders could be in play in California, basically all of the north east (except New York) and alot of other places. Although I doubt he will win (he's the Democratic Ron Paul by not crazy), it will send a BIG message.

[LeBron]

If anyone is going to push Hillary to the left in the primaries, it's much better for it to be Sanders rather than someone like Schweitzer.

^^^^^^^^This.

Sanders for his sake has more name recognition than Schweitzer and certainly has the ability to better rally around all liberals and progressives on a number of issues like minimum wage, women's rights, higher tax rates, and better quality domestic reforms. For reasons of electability and ideology though, I'll stick with Hillary should Sanders attempt to primary her from the left. I highly recommend he doesn't make a third party or independent run though because he would just end up embarrassing himself in carrying only VT and would be considered a traitor to the party especially if a Republican managed to beat Hillary because of that.

[Niemeyerite]

I'd pick the first flight to the USA to campaign for him if necessary, no matter if he runs as a democrat or independent/3rd party. But I agree with other posters, that'd hand republicans the election, and Sanders would get all the (undeserved) blame, so not likely.

If he runs against Clinton in the primaries, he'd have an oportunity to explain to Americans what "socialism" actually means, but I find it higly unlikely that he pushes Hillary to the left. Maybe she'd campaign as a more progressive candidate... but, as President, no difference.

[Vega]

Schweitzer was a good Governor, a smart man; and I would like to see him be elected to the US House, or the Senate.

But I don't see him defeating Hillary, or whatever establishment candidate that runs.