What if Bernie wins?

[Hermit For Peace]

Since Trump and Clinton are so widely disliked and each have such high negative polling numbers regarding their character, and since Bernie is the only candidate who still has positive polling numbers to his credit, WHY is the country leaning toward the candidates we pretty much despise?

If people like Bernie so much, why aren't more people voting for him? People think he has integrity, that he walks his talk, that he is the honest president we need. What gives with voting for the opposite of what we want?

Just throwing this out there for discussion.

[Hermit For Peace]

Why didn't Ben Carson win the Republican Nomination despite crushing all R and D candidates in favorability and polling the strongest of everyone in general election hypotheticals?

Ben Carson was an embarrassment. He couldn't speak English very well and he had that soft pansy voice and he didn't come off as a leader, even though he appeared to be honest. Bernie is not like that at all. I think Bernie has a commanding presence.

[Hermit For Peace]

Bernie, not Trump, would Make America Great Again.

Maybe so. Maybe he would shake up things in a real way like Obama shook up the health care industry. There's still a lot of work to be done, but Obama got his foot in the door. Maybe it will take Bernie to get a foot in the door of breaking up the big money interests in our country before anything will change.

[Hermit For Peace]

Why didn't Ben Carson win the Republican Nomination despite crushing all R and D candidates in favorability and polling the strongest of everyone in general election hypotheticals?

Ben Carson was an embarrassment. He couldn't speak English very well and he had that soft pansy voice and he didn't come off as a leader, even though he appeared to be honest. Bernie is not like that at all. I think Bernie has a commanding presence.

... Are you an open racist Democrat or closeted about it? Many African-Americans I know, at least as an Arkansan, have "that soft pansy voice". What, are they Uncle Toms, too, for ever considering voting Republicwn?

You can call me anything you want, doesn't make me that thing. George W Bush was also an embarrassment because his English was horrible. I cringed every time he spoke. I'm just calling it as I see it and it has nothing to do with color, and everything to do with the appearance or perception of leadership.

[Hermit For Peace]

Bernie has a snowball's chance to win this thing, but when all is said and done, he sure has had a great influence on the people of America and also on the political process. It's an influence that cannot be undone. Can anyone argue that Bernie hasn't helped steer the political conversation in a positive direction?

[Hermit For Peace]

Maybe it doesn't matter that Bernie was never viciously attacked. He still ran a campaign that had one theme: big money doesn't get to have their way anymore. And the up and coming generations love him for it. And I don't think anyone can deny that the message got out there.

I'm just saying, maybe Bernie's role in all this has been to emphasize that big money's days are limited. He "won" if there are changes made regarding the influence big money has over every aspect of our lives.

Trump is Mr. Big Money, he's the personification of it. Hillary is also big money but at least she is talking about reigning Wall Street and too big to fail businesses. She is aware there is a problem.

[Hermit For Peace]

Bernie has a snowball's chance to win this thing, but when all is said and done, he sure has had a great influence on the people of America and also on the political process. It's an influence that cannot be undone. Can anyone argue that Bernie hasn't helped steer the political conversation in a positive direction?

Almost everyone on the right, even Trump voters, would vehemently disagree with you.

Even on the left, I believe his voice is no longer addressing relevant issues and instead becoming toxic.

It's the heat of the battle and I guess everyone -- even Bernie -- is getting carried away.

[Hermit For Peace]

The title is "What if Bernie wins?" but the OP is asking "Why isn't Bernie winning?" Those are two different questions.

Well, it hasn't stopped people from answering. I guess I should be more careful in how I word my titles. Thanks.

[Hermit For Peace]

It's not a coincidence that the two people who received the least scrutiny and attacks (Kasich and Sanders) polled the best. And the reason they received so little scrutiny/attacks is because everyone knew they had no chance at winning.

For a month or two Ben Carson had the highest favorability rating and GE numbers due to the fact that he was mostly ignored and was just seen as the nice friendly likable black doctor. Then he completely collapsed under the slightest bit of scrutiny. Sanders' image and poll numbers would take a hit if he was the nominee or looked like the presumptive nominee. The only question (which none of us will ever know) is how big the hit would've been.

I tend to agree with this.  Sanders is kind of a one-pitch guy; he's the guy with a 100-plus MPH heater that doesn't really have a good breaking pitch, and he doesn't change speeds well.  He can, however, control his fastball, so he gets key strikeouts.  But he's not a starting pitcher in the minds of folks.  Hillary Clinton is a third starter, not really a top-flight #1 starting pitcher, but she's a starter, and her ability to go 8-9 innings in a game is not in doubt.

I think Bernie hurt his campaign greatly by describing himself as a "democratic socialist".  If he were the nominee, this aspect of his campaign would be the focal point of the GOP's campaign, and lots of folks would get squeamish.  He should have kept his mouth shut on this issue, IMO.

Then Bernie wouldn't be Bernie. He doesn't seem to want to hide who or what he is, and that is his appeal.

[Hermit For Peace]

Go through all of the tabs you have open on your computer right now. Every time you see reddit, x out of that tab. When you're done, close your computer. Get dressed. Leave the basement. Go outside. Wait for your pupils to dilate. If you don't live in a major city, ask your parents if you can borrow the car. If they say yes, get in your car and drive to the nearest major city. Yes, right now. Straight out. Only stop if you need gas.

Once you get there, and I do mean "there" (i.e., not suburbs, exurbs, or anywhere where a majority of people dress like hipsters) locate the nearest subway. Strike up a conversation with the first, eh, fifteen people you're able to on the platform. Schizophrenics, beggars, homeless people, anyone who will talk to you. Don't bring up politics. If they do, fine, just don't introduce the topic yourself.

I guarantee you that by the end of this experience your perspective on life will be wide enough that you'll no longer ask stupid questions like why more people didn't vote for Bernie Sanders.

I really do hope that you actually read hermit's signature and are simply joking, and that this isn't just a knee-jerk reaction to Sanders' name being mentioned.

Why is who hermit supports relevant? The only way you could possibly unironically ask a question like "but why didn't everyone vote for x??" (what x is being irrelevant) is if you have a criminal lack of life experience and can only view things through one incredibly narrow prism. What candidate he supports has no bearing on that.

Did you ever hear of throwing things out for discussion? I'm a 65 year old female and do not have a criminal lack of life experience. What I have a great curiosity about many things, including this subject matter and what others think about it.