I will bet that within 48 hours Bernie suspends his campaign and issues a call to unity

[La Lioness Priyanka]

I suspect it could be sooner, but no later than 48 hrs after DC is called.

I don't hate Bernie, never have, and I believe he will do the responsible thing.

We can take bets on this but i would bet actual money that
1. he won't take it to the convention
2. he won't run as an independent

He is not his most rabid supporters, just like HRC is not her most rabid supporters. They are long term politicians who care about their policies, their image, and their reputations. They are not random anonymous internet posters, and they would not let the party burn for their own ambition. I don't see it.

[VulgarPoet]

1. While you make good points,

It's not her most rabid supporters that have me honestly thinking negatively about the concept of uniting. It's the fact that TPP is still going to go through. It's the fact that she's called for "a Manhattan project against encryption" to make it that much harder for John Q. Public to evade the NSA's domestic spying. It's the fact that Comcast-- the hands down worst internet provider in terms of trying to violate the market-- is hosting the goddamn Democratic National Convention. They might not let the party burn for their own ambition, but I have some major issues with the policy here.

There be no shelter here.

EDIT for clarity.

[RobertEarl]

58. It will be amazing

The convention hall and thousands of Bernie supporters raising the roof and rattling the windows with their Bernie! Bernie! Bernie! voices that can be heard around the world!

This will be our convention!

[LenaBaby61]

2. We'll see....

But clearly "something" is going on within the Sanders camp because he's laying off staff at a very fast rate.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

3. he's laying off staff, he's meeting with her, plus he is going to face a huge loss in DC

the president has endorsed her, warren's on board, there is no wiggle room here.

[ismnotwasm]

4. I hope so

i see us on the cusp of being able to get a Dem president and perhaps, just perhaps, a dem congress of significant, practical majority--

I can dream..

[workinclasszero]

17. Its within the realm of possiblity

I hope Hillary wins big and brings many dems with her

[MineralMan]

5. That also seems likely to me.

[Eric J in MN]

6. I expect Sanders to suspend either this week or next week. NT

NT

[La Lioness Priyanka]

15. Yeah. Soon

[Silver_Witch]

7. Bernie said he would not run as independent

And he won't. He is an honorable man of his word.

I suspect e might take it to the convention as is his right. I am not him however and so will wait for his conference call on Thursday with those of us who are his supporters.

He has started a movement and that won't end tomorrow or Thursday or next year.

Those of us Democrats that believe the party is for everyone will continue to believe that and hope for change!

[floriduck]

34. Bernie said he was taking it to the convention. He is a man of his word. Book it.

[bvf]

48. +1. n/t

[Beowulf]

8. Once again, Hillary supporters completely miss the point

Bernie's campaign was always about more than the nomination. He will do what he needs to do to maintain leverage on the platform, party restructuring, Senate assignments and so forth.

[HumanityExperiment]

10. ^^^ THIS ^^^

spot on

[La Lioness Priyanka]

13. I didn't miss a point, I'm just making a different point

[Tarc]

20. "Bernie's campaign was always about more than the nomination" is absurd excuse-making

by his reality-rejecting fans, not the candidate himself.

If you don't get the nomination, you generally have little say in the party's direction, as the voters have rejected your ideas.

[Beowulf]

27. I'm sure it seems absurd in Hillaryland

That's my point. You don't understand Bernie and you don't understand his followers. All you can do is belittle what you don't understand.

It's Hilary's call. You want unity, then you have to allow Bernie a say. But Hillary supporters like you seem to want surrender and that ain't going to happen.

[Tarc]

30. You were never taught how to lose gracefully, it seems.

Not everyone gets a trophy just for participating. Sanders finished 2nd, and will be accorded whatever status s usually given to the 2nd-place finisher...which is not a whole lot.

The longer he holds out, the less input he'll have at all.

[Beowulf]

33. So many stories you need to tell yourself

to make sense of what's going on. And none of them have a clue.

[Tarc]

36. These are realities

The kicker is, Bernie is becoming less needed, as Liz Warren is on-board now. Perhaps he should have conceded a few weeks ago.

1 day.

[Lazy Daisy]

37. And once again

The "you're not welcome here, we don't want you" speech.

SMH

[Tarc]

40. Either you're on-board or you're not

The goal here is to elect our Democratic nominee to the White House. If that is an end result you'd like to see, the by all means stick around.

[Lazy Daisy]

42. How is telling a large amount of the members here

they are unwanted helping to elect a Democrat?

I'd say all the Hillary supporters that keep posting the divisive crap are going against TOS. It's in the best interest of the party to put the ego aside and stop being sore winners and start acting like adults and asking those supporters of Bernie "what is it you are looking for in OUR candidate"?

But by all means, push people away. That always works so well.

[VulgarPoet]

41. Which is why at this point, I'm here like "catch me with the Greens."

They don't want or need my input, I'll go somewhere where I can use it, and all these wanting unity with one face and pissing on Sanders supporters with the other "democrats" can officially go stick it. I tried the unity thing back in March, they didn't want it then. And since then, I've only watched 'em get nastier and nastier-- well, congrats. Con-fucking-gratulations. They better hope the RNC doesn't manage to unseat Trump, because then the race is gonna get really interesting.

[Lazy Daisy]

44. Interesting isn't the word I'd use

scary would be it. Having Hillary as our nominee scares the hell out of me. This is going to blow up in our faces.
Trump doesn't really want to be President, I don't think he really wants to keep running at this point. If they pull a bait and switch on us I'm afraid they pull out a "moderate" and too many will fall for it.

[floriduck]

35. Bingo!

[joshcryer]

45. He loses any leverage if he fights at the convention.

[frazzled]

46. Actually, not suspending and endorsing decreases your leverage

Just sayin'. If there were some way that continuing the campaign had a chance of holding the party in suspense, you might have something to gain. But there is no such chance, so failing to do the right thing and vigorously call for unity behind the candidate can only lead to dissension at the convention, and a LOSS of leverage.

The only thing I can see that Sanders has hanging over the party's head is a threat to create a big scene from his pledged delegates, who I doubt he will release as most losing candidates do (Clinton released hers in 2008). That doesn't win hearts and minds. I think he's tilting at windmills at the moment. But what else is new?

[pangaia]

53. It is so obvious, and yet so many don't see it.

I also am really, really tired hearing nabout how he is in this for himself, for his ego..

It is just mind boggling!!




The guy is doing this for other human beings and has been doing it for decades...

[TwilightZone]

9. Agreed. Most of what's going on now is just political theater. I think everyone involved knows

where we are and where it's going.

I also agree that the staffers are professionals and are going to look out for their own interests, as well. This wasn't their first campaign, and it won't be their last.

[Melissa G]

11. It would not make sense to do it in less than 48 hours

Since that is less than the time to the the next scheduled call.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1280212498

I would not hold my breath for it to happen then either.

[TwilightZone]

18. From the OP: "48 hrs after DC is called"

DC will likely be called by 9PM tonight. His call is scheduled for 8:30pm ET Thursday, roughly 48 hours after polls close in DC.

If he concedes in the next two days, the call could be intended to explain to supporters why he's conceding and where it goes from here.

[Melissa G]

19. Thanks. Okay, I read too fast. Still would not hold my breath

but we will see on Thursday night.

[KingFlorez]

12. If he was going to do that he would have done it last week

As I have said, the closest he will get to dropping out is issuing a written statement that only vaguely mentions losing the primary. And I am not particularly convinced that he will take running as an independent off the table.

[TwilightZone]

14. I can understand waiting until DC is over. He can tell his supporters that he was in it until all

the votes were cast, etc.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

16. I can understand waiting till all voting is over

[Demsrule86]

26. He is waiting for DC to finish

He said he would be in it until the voting is over. It will be Thursday.

[DCBob]

21. Totally agree.

I think his Thursday night live video stream is the resignation.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

23. Yup. and a call to defeat trump

[Raster]

22. I do not believe Bernie will suspend his campaign before the Convention.

I do NOT believe Bernie will run as an Independent. He said he would not and I believe him.

Bernie promised all those persons that invested in his Campaign (time, money, energy) that he would take this Campaign all the way to the Convention. I believe he will do just that, AND HE HAS EVERY RIGHT TO DO SO.

Once Bernie has been allowed to speak his piece and again highlight the reasons for his candidacy, he will then throw his support behind Hillary Clinton, PROVIDED, OF COURSE, that she is still a viable candidate for POTUS.

[Silver_Witch]

28. Agreed!!

[eastwestdem]

24. I hope you're right...it's just that unity has never been Sanders' thing. nt

[Demsrule86]

25. Thursday message going out...Bernie is doing it then. nt

[highprincipleswork]

29. There's nothing wrong with representing your people and your point of view for as long as it is

politically useful to do so.

It would be incredibly easy to argue that that means taking it to the convention.

As a Bernie supporter, I leave that decision to him and his best judgement, but will follow him to the convention easily. Perhaps beyond. I believe in his ability to fight for us and what is right.

And I assure you, just because it makes Clinton supporters anxious or angry, that is definitely NOT the smart reason to drop out, and I hope he pays that little mind.

After all, if he ever was to win, I'm sure you'd all support him because, well, all the reasons you give us to do the same. And I assure you we would welcome you in AT LEAST as graciously as is being done to us.

So chill. Help your candidate. Celebrate her victories. Leave Bernie alone to make the best decision he finds, for himself and his family, for his supporters, for the country, and for his vision of the Democratic Party.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

31. I am incredibly chill. Also just for the record I think going to the convention

Would not be bad for hrc but will be bad for Bernie. No one likes or respects a sore loser.

[highprincipleswork]

59. That's only your label. Doesn't mean he is one or will conduct himself as one.

[cwydro]

32. I'm sitting here in amazement that he's piggy-backing his campaign speech

on top of a statement about Orlando.

Sheesh. Smh.

[pat_k]

38. Possible course

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=2182694

[robbedvoter]

39. Gave you a rec for optimism sake.

I don't believe though. Too many times already.

[geek tragedy]

43. he won't suspend as long as he has demands he's going to make

such as demanding the DNC rewrite the state laws governing primaries

[JoePhilly]

47. I also think he'll coordinate his exit with Clinton.

After NJ and CA, immediately Warren, Obama and others endorsed Clinton. They all knew it was coming, and the timing was intentional.

I think the same will happen here with Bernie, and it will be done in a fashion to ensure that Bernie has the opportunity to bring his "sane followers" along (which is most of them), the others (not so sane) want the Democratic Party to explode anyway, they want to lose ... so that the collapse that follows FINALLY wakes up all of America ... so on and so on. He'll have to leave some of them behind.

Bernie and Hillary will coordinate, I think. That way, Bernie gets some prime speaking at the convention, and he keeps his committee positions, AND he gets to keep developing and organizing the "sane left flank" of the party for the future. Grow it, develop it.

Or not.

[bvf]

49. 50%.

1. Wrong.
2. Correct.

[JudyM]

50. We could just bet your pride.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

51. Do you think my pride is on the line?

Lol

[JudyM]

52. Well, what are you betting, then?

[La Lioness Priyanka]

54. Not much of anything. But exactly at what point the loser of the primary drops out

Is not an issue one Wagers ones pride on

[JudyM]

55. Unless... you have conviction.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

57. lol

[LoverOfLiberty]

56. They also care about their country

which is something that I think often gets forgotten on DU.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

61. Yes, they do

[Lil Missy]

60. I think the meeting tonight is to provide an off ramp and help him save "some" face.

He waited too long. Nobody but his most rabid supporters take him seriously anymore.

[AgadorSparticus]

62. It is unfortunate that he let it go this long. I think the last month has hurt his image quite a bit

[Live and Learn]

63. Bernie has been issuing calls for unity all along. Unity to progressive causes. That won't change.