Schlich wrote:I think if the Republican nominee is Trump or Cruz, we are going to have an electability gap that is so massive that it would be a huge tactical mistake for liberals to not elect a true liberal.
The "socialist" point is overblown-- people who actually care about without any nuance are overwhelmingly voting R. Everyone in the country knows he's a "socialist," even if that's all they know about them, and he still beats Hillary in GE matchups which yes are terrible predictors but can still tell us about current opinion. Everyone knows he is a "socialist." Quotes intentional. Most people don't care.
The matchup stuff means nothing at this point. As always, see Dukakis, Michael and look at the 17 point lead he had in August. He lost by almost 8 it was a landslide in the Electoral College.
Sanders is not electable. Of all the candidates, the one with the experience and manners closest to a President is Hillary. Barring some unforeseen event, she will win.
Having said that, work for Sanders, get to know the other people working for Sanders, organize and start grooming the best possible candidates for local and state offices and then work to get them elected. Do that for a decade or two and then you could be able to elect someone with Bernie's agenda that would actually have a chance of getting that agenda made into law.
Goldwater lost in a landslide but Reagan won 16 years later. Learn from that.