I don't know how that is "out of context," as you suggested Sanders was bad for staying in to increase his influence, but seem to be arguing it was okay for Clinton for reasons you don't mention. But it's a simple historical fact Clinton stayed in the 2008 race beyond the mathematical possibility of her winning and I note you don't try to contradict that basic truth.

Shifting gears to your complaint about independents, blaming independents is an old canard that's false for reasons previously mentioned. You don't own independent votes on the theory that people could have or should have voted for your candidate. They didn't want to vote for your candidate, and could just as easily stayed home, left it blank, or voted the other way. It's a ridiculous fallacy from the beginning.

Besides that, though, voter turnout was what killed Clinton. She pulled some six million fewer votes than Obama, and did not stimulate black and Latino voters to the same degree.

We're always going to have independents, and you can't do anything to change that by complaining about them. But you can pull MORE VOTES across the country with a candidate that inspires people.