Sanders is not Nader, is he?
I have not been able to relate much to Nader, especially since he lost all those elections. However, just from reading his wikipedia, I would bet everything that I own that he did more for people by the time he was 40 than most of his critics will even try to do in their entire lives. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Nader
Despite that, the hatred and disinformation permeates any DU thread in which his name comes up is enough to make me reel.
Until recently, I read that his unforgiveable sin was running as a "spoiler," thereby resulting in the election of Dimson, which destroyed this country. That sentence is a lot to unpack. Maybe I or someone else will try to get help in unpacking it in the Populist Group someday. For purposes of this post today, however, let's take every bit of that sentence as unassailably true.
Senator Sanders has long been an ally of, and asset to, the Democratic Party. On his arrival in the House, he formed the House Progressive Caucus, now called the Congressional Progressive Caucus, even though Sanders is the only Senator who is a member. For the first eight years of its existence, he chaired it, too. It is the largest Caucus in Congress, other than the two main party caucuses.
When Dean was head of the DNC, he called Sanders an asset to the Party. Schumer, as head of the DSCC, did the same and decided not to run any Democratd against Sanders. Twice, Sanders was the nominee of the Vermont Democratic Party for the U.S. Senate, even though he did not run for the Democratic nomination. When a Democrat did challenge Sanders in a primary, the Democratic Party, including Bubba, supported Sanders against the Democrat!
When Sanders began contemplating a run for the Presidency, he said he would not run as a spoiler, as Nader had. True to his word, when Sander did decide to run, it was in the Democratic Presidential primary. From the very day of his formal announcement, however, the DNC has done whatever it could to undermine him. It attempted to raise money on the excitement of his announcement with an email that made it seem as though donations to the DNC would enure to Sanders' benefit. I have little doubt that diverted much needed seed money from Sanders' campaign. From that day to this, it's been one thing after another. Now, we hear that the DNC will weight debate audiences toward supporters of HRC.
WHY is the Party treating Sanders worse than it treated Nader?
Doesn't this encourage future challengers to the Party's anointed one (and, yes, there will be more anointed ones in the future) to run as spoilers?
= new reply since forum marked as read
They can't have that! 
6 months later, and it DEFINITELY ain't over, Boo-Boo!
There is a LOT of important information in your post, which I really appreciate you pulling together and sharing.
It's giving me a whole new level of appreciation for what Bernie is doing and for how we can best support
his powerful bid for the WH, a bid that grows more compelling every day, as people learn about him.
The more we call attention to some of the underhanded dirty tricks being employed agains Bernie, the better.
I like to think of Bernie's campaign as a big "turning the lights on" phenomenon, revealing some of the rot
and less-than-democratic means Estalishment Dems seem willing to stoop to, to get their way.
In short, well done.
I don't know if that has anything to do with your suspicion.
If Sanders is not the nominee, I very much doubt Sander will run against Biden the nominee. 
I do think many will go Green, stay home or write in Sanders, even if he himself says not to, though.
You can't keep doing your best to disempower rank and file Democrats and forever get no reaction other than dutifully marching to the polls to vote Democratic because "the left has nowhere else to go."
Yes, I know all the arguments against all those things. I am not advocating any of them. However, if the usual routes to change, like a true choice of primary candidates is not ever going to effect change, repercussions less acceptable than allowing democracy within the Party are highly likely to occur sooner or later. They have already been occurring. Screwing someone who has generated as much enthusiasm and hope as has Sanders is a very bad move, IMO. Winning ala Charlie Sheen and his wife bad, only the DNC has no ex-wife nice enough to take care of your kids with another woman while you and your current wife "win."