Will Bernie run and will he go Indy?

[Likely Voter]

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is close to making his decision so what do you think it will be?

[Sumner 1868]

Probably the Democratic primary only if he runs at all.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Probably Definitely the Democratic primary only if he runs at all.

Pretty much.

[Ebsy]

He doesn't want his legacy to be spoiling the election in favor of another Bush.

[SWE]

It's pretty much set in stone that if he runs it'd be as a Democrat

[/]

Democratic Primaries only... Sanders has already said he won't be a spoiler.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Democratic Primaries only... Sanders has already said he won't be a spoiler.

Actually, he never said he wouldn't be a spoiler or wouldn't run as an Indy. That being said, I don't think he wants to ruin his reputation among the dem. party leaders.

Probably the Democratic primary only if he runs at all.

[© tweed]

as I've pointed out before, if he ran as an Indy spoiler he would face retribution from the Dem Senate caucus re: committee assignments.  they could turn him into a backbench ghost, and it's not like he can caucus with the GOP, so he'd have zero leverage.

so even if he genuinely doesn't give a sh**t in a Clinton v Bush race he will not run as an Ind.

[Samantha]

as I've pointed out before, if he ran as an Indy spoiler he would face retribution from the Dem Senate caucus re: committee assignments.  they could turn him into a backbench ghost, and it's not like he can caucus with the GOP, so he'd have zero leverage.

so even if he genuinely doesn't give a sh**t in a Clinton v Bush race he will not run as an Ind.

he's 73. how many more senate terms does he have left anyhow? if he ever wanted to go all in, now would be the time.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

as I've pointed out before, if he ran as an Indy spoiler he would face retribution from the Dem Senate caucus re: committee assignments.  they could turn him into a backbench ghost, and it's not like he can caucus with the GOP, so he'd have zero leverage.

so even if he genuinely doesn't give a sh**t in a Clinton v Bush race he will not run as an Ind.

he's 73. how many more senate terms does he have left anyhow? if he ever wanted to go all in, now would be the time.

He has definitely one more full term left in him, maybe even two. People who think old age means you leave the senate should remind themselves that Grassley is running for reelection despite the fact that he will be 83 on election day, and that McCain is running for reelection despite the fact that he will be 80 on election day.

[Mr. Illini]

He will run in the primary, but as a politically coherent individual, he knows that nothing good will come of running as an independent in the general.

[© tweed]

as I've pointed out before, if he ran as an Indy spoiler he would face retribution from the Dem Senate caucus re: committee assignments.  they could turn him into a backbench ghost, and it's not like he can caucus with the GOP, so he'd have zero leverage.

so even if he genuinely doesn't give a sh**t in a Clinton v Bush race he will not run as an Ind.

he's 73. how many more senate terms does he have left anyhow? if he ever wanted to go all in, now would be the time.

as Wulfric below me pointed out, 73 is hardly all that old for a Senator.  he's a lock to be re-elected in 2018, and thus serve until early 2025.

he's also not one of these Senators who can walk out into some six-figure private sector job, and now that Feingold's out he's probably near the bottom in personal net worth among all of the Senators.  those six more paychecks of ~$175k have meaning to him.

[CountryClassSF]

He has already said he does not intend to be a spoiler. He'll change his registration to Democrat.

[Brewer]

His end goal is to drag the national debate to the left. Running as an independent, however insignificant as he would probably be, would only serve to help the Republicans. The best way to reach his end goal would be to push Hillary Clinton to be more vocal on several of the issues on the top of his list, so I see no reason why he would not run solely as a Democrat.

[VPH]

He'll run as a Democrat in the primaries, squeak into the debates, leave his mark on the message, and then possibly run as an independent. That last part is iffy though, depending on ballot access and/or a run for the Green Party.

[morgieb]

as I've pointed out before, if he ran as an Indy spoiler he would face retribution from the Dem Senate caucus re: committee assignments.  they could turn him into a backbench ghost, and it's not like he can caucus with the GOP, so he'd have zero leverage.

so even if he genuinely doesn't give a sh**t in a Clinton v Bush race he will not run as an Ind.

he's 73. how many more senate terms does he have left anyhow? if he ever wanted to go all in, now would be the time.

as Wulfric below me pointed out, 73 is hardly all that old for a Senator.  he's a lock to be re-elected in 2018, and thus serve until early 2025.

he's also not one of these Senators who can walk out into some six-figure private sector job, and now that Feingold's out he's probably near the bottom in personal net worth among all of the Senators.  those six more paychecks of ~$175k have meaning to him.

Well, he'll be 77 by 2018. But still if he wants to run for re-election, he won't run as an Independent.

[/]

Democratic Primaries only... Sanders has already said he won't be a spoiler.

Actually, he never said he wouldn't be a spoiler or wouldn't run as an Indy. That being said, I don't think he wants to ruin his reputation among the dem. party leaders.

Probably the Democratic primary only if he runs at all.

He did say he won't be a spoiler:

http://inthesetimes.com/article/17572/bernie_sanders_president

[AelroseB]

Depending on how negative his relations are with Clinton by the end of the primaries, I honestly believe that he could pull a Eugene McCarthy and run as an independent in the general election.

[Ebsy]

Depending on how negative his relations are with Clinton by the end of the primaries, I honestly believe that he could pull a Eugene McCarthy and run as an independent in the general election.

He isn't going to do that.

[© tweed]

Depending on how negative his relations are with Clinton by the end of the primaries, I honestly believe that he could pull a Eugene McCarthy and run as an independent in the general election.

McCarthy didn't run as an independent in '68, he ran in '76.  despite hating Humphrey more than he hated Carter (I'd suspect).

I doubt McCarthy left Chicago in '68 physically capable of running a campaign any further.  something had died there, and even Gene McCarthy, hardly a radical of any sort, could sense it.

[AelroseB]

I had 1976 in mind, friend.