If Bernie doesn't run, what should he do?

[Frozen Sky Ever Why]

What should Bernie, as the moral authority, do in the Democratic primary?

[uti2]

Considering his 'political movement' has a history of making endorsements, he'll likely endorse a progressive.

If either Sanders or Biden had won this time around, they likely would've stepped down in 2020 due to age issues anyway.

[NeverAgain]

If he doesn't run, it will be because he's dead, but I am not sure if that will stop him.

[uti2]

If he doesn't run, it will be because he's dead, but I am not sure if that will stop him.

[Strudelcutie4427]

Do what every other self discribed socialist does and retire to one of his 3 vacation homes while posting podcasts about why he hates rich people

[Sir Mohamed]

Endorse Kamala Harris.

[GoTfan]

Endorse Kamala Harris.

Something tells me not prosecuting Steve Mnuchin when he was foreclosing on elderly people will stop Bernie from supporting her.

[Shadows]

Kamala Harris has literally not much legislative experience & will be 2 years into the Senate. Not only was she the only Democrat Mnuchin donated to, but she is a not a progressive champion & warrior - The kind of Bernie will endorse.

I think Bernie will endorse Elizabeth Warren - He respects her immensely !

[This account no longer in use.]

Do people actually think Bernie will run again

[Shadows]

Bernie Sanders in July, 2010 makes the case for Elizabeth Warren to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pw5kIu0xtDM

It is clear to me that Prof. Elizabeth Warren is that person -

1. She understand what this Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is all about because it was her idea

2. As a professor of Harvard & the author of several books on the decline of the middle class, she has real world experience as to Corporate abuse in financial services has done to ordinary Americans.

3. Putting aside her knowledge & legal background for a moment, what I like most about Elizabeth Warren is that she can take very complicated financial issues & speak in a language that ordinary Americans actually understand & that is a very important & rare quality.

She came to Vermont on several occasions, we had town-meetings about economics & she handled complicated issues in a way that I think everyone could understand & that is a very important quality for someone in this position to have.

So, it seems to me that if we are serious about this agency truly representing working families, if we want someone who is knowledgeable about consumer protection & the needs of the middle class, if we want someone who has the guts to stand up to powerful corporate interests & if we want somebody who is a great communicator, then I think the logical choice for this position if Elizabeth Warren.

[WalterMitty]

Retire and get over himself

[MAINEiac4434]

Stay neutral and endorse the eventual primary winner, but he'll probably throw some left-wing barbs at candidates along the way.

[DrScholl]

He'll be pushing 80 by the time the next primary starts. The obvious choice is to retire, but his God complex won't let him do that.

[RaphaelDLG]

Try to push Warren into the race, maybe endorse a progressive early, give at least a tepid endorsement of the eventual nominee

ETA: Also pretend he's running as long as possible to get media coverage for his agenda - which is what he did last time until he realized Warren wasn't running

[Citizen (The) Doctor]

Whoever he puts his machine and recognition behind probably becomes the next Democratic nominee. If Warren doesn't run, then he'll wait till he's successfully wooed by the leftovers.

[Mr. Morden]

I'm not sure it makes sense to do an *early* endorsement in the primaries.  As long as he's officially undecided, all of the other candidates will kowtow to him, in an effort to gain his favor.  Once he commits himself to backing one candidate, he loses leverage over the others, and risks losing influence if his favored candidate doesn't win.

[henster]

Warren never endorsed him in the primary why would he endorse her?

[NOVA Green]

All real major progressive social change in the United States over the past 100 years, has happened as a direct results of social movements outside the electoral system (Labor Movement, Civil Rights Movement, Environmental Movement, Gay Liberation Movement, etc...

Through a variety of tactics and periods of mobilization, these movements were able to create comprehensive narratives and large areas of support, that in turn caused the political elites to splinter, and eventually policy changes occurred.

My thought is that if Bernie doesn't run in 2020, he should focus on supporting grassroots mobilization activities, instead of the "top down" strategy that the Democratic and Republican Parties alike traditionally use to mobilize their supports.

Progressive Politics is about so much more than just an immediate electoral outcome, but frequently more about building coalitions for a more permanent longer term gain.

That being said, I think that Bernie Sanders has a unique role to play in the Democratic Party at this historical juncture.

It's pretty clear that he would not only have retained most of the Obama '08 and/or '12 voters, but additionally significantly expanded the numbers with newer voters of all backgrounds, many of whom voted 3rd Party last November.

Trump's win (EC wise although losing the PV) certainly underscores that there are many Americans who for decades have felt abandoned by both major Political Parties, and have reluctantly supported the "lesser of two evils".

Ultimately it is the voters of the Democratic Party that will decide who they want as their Presidential Candidate in '20, but if not Bernie representing the "voices of the voiceless", there's nothing wrong with him giving a "nudge nudge, wink wink, say no more" type of informal weight towards one of the contenders, while focusing the heavy rhetorical guns on how the various policies of the current administration and Congress are screwing us over, but ultimately shifting more towards the building of a national grassroots structure and support including funding and publicity for those organizations.

[Figueira]

Stay neutral, as should Clinton. The last thing we need is to relitigate the 2016 primaries.

[Shameless Lefty Hack]

Warren never endorsed him in the primary why would he endorse her?

Because her not endorsement of him was a strong, pragmatic choice, and his endorsement of her would be a strong, pragmatic choice as well?

[Shadows]

But if he doesn't endorse or tacitly support a strong progressive as a Booker or Cuomo wins the nomination, is he really staying true to his values?

It would be incredibly disappointing & would be against everything that Bernie Sanders stood for & would totally nullify his movement & send the Democrats back to the dark ages of corporate trash control like the Clinton heydays !

[Rookie Yinzer]

Do what every other self discribed socialist does and retire to one of his 3 vacation homes while posting podcasts about why he hates rich people

[GoldenMainer]

He'll be pushing 80 by the time the next primary starts. The obvious choice is to retire, but his God complex won't let him do that.

Yay, I'm glad you'll vote against Feinstein when she decides to run for reelection in 2018.

Regarding Bernie, he'll do what his Senate colleagues do and endorse a candidate in the primary.

[TheSaint250]

He SHOULD shut up and go away, but he won't, so endorse a progressive