Why Bernie Enthusiasm is important: down-ticket coat-tails.

It will definitely make most of her donors happy.

Aren't liberal enough, is going to spark people to vote for those same Democratic candidates? How does that work exactly?

Candidates in swing states would be putting as much distance between themselves and Bernie.

Not to mention to throw-off the shackles & blinders of 3rd Way Corporatism for good.

It seems that his supporters have nothing but contempt for elected Democratic politicians. They are the establisment after all. I don't think Bernie has any coat tails.

If yes, then I can't imagine many Democrats voting for someone who doesn't, or third party. In 2016 winning will be more about motivated voters, and not as much about motivated big donors. Woe unto the candidate who doesn't see that reality affecting their chances.

Expanding Social Security and Medicare aren't actually unpopular ideas among all Republican voters. Pound away on those issues and if some R's think it will keep them in office, they'll claim to be open to it. It's only a start to developing a wedge, but it is one way to get that going.

IIRC even the usually indefensible Huckabee said nice things about Social Security. OK, I just googled, and he did. National Review link, but that's what I get for googling Huckabee and Social Security.

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee is setting out on a populist course in hopes of securing the Republican nomination for president in 2016. Among other things, he has come out against the next round of free-trade agreements. He also wants to be seen as the GOP defender of middle-class entitlement programs. In announcing his candidacy, he said, “If Congress wants to take away someone’s retirement, let them end their own congressional pensions — not your Social Security.”

Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/418842/what-huckabee-plan-social-security-james-c-capretta

Right, so arguably there's some kind of wedge, on a few issues, that can be driven. Many Republican voters don't like our free trade agreements and Sanders has credibility on that issue. This can help us if our candidates for the House and Senate stick with Sanders on that.

Many of these Republicans, and most are older, take more than a passing interest in Social Security. Sanders has credibility in preserving it, and our down-ticket candidates can benefit by being on Sanders side on this. We need to force these issues, and with credibility. Just giving them a nod in our platform is not nearly enough.

Thanks for the thread, Odin.