Bernie to keep fighting - promises to drag Hillary into a contested Democrat convention

Two weeks ago, I wrote about the Democrats' "Bernie Sanders Problem." Basically, I argued that Sanders may be something the Dems have never had to face before: a candidate they can't buy off. What if, I wondered, he was really in this for principled reasons? If the party has nothing to offer him, or if he really is running just because he feels it's the right thing to do, would he stick to his guns and refuse to drop out? Is it possible that the Dems are facing their own "contested convention" nightmare? Get ready to pop the popcorn, because Bernie is vowing to fight all the way to Philly.

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As the WaPo reports:

"It is virtually impossible for Secretary Clinton to reach the majority of convention delegates by June 14 with pledged delegates alone," he said. "She will need superdelegates to take her over the top at the convention in Philadelphia. In other words, the convention will be a contested contest." That's true — mostly because, unlike in 2008, Sanders will contest it. Eight years ago, Clinton conceded the race before the convention, recognizing that trying to fight her way to victory on the convention floor was likely to fail, despite her having a slight lead in the popular vote. But Clinton realized the damage that could be done to the party — and perhaps herself — so she didn't. Sanders doesn't share the former sentiment, as he has made clear. He was an independent until he decided to run for president, and his goal during his campaign has been to upend the system, into which a convention floor fight fits neatly.

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This was precisely my argument. Sanders isn't a Democrat. He has no real loyalty to the party. In fact, everyone involved insists there's a huge difference between a socialist and a Democrat - even if they can't seem to figure out what that is. If he's really beholden to his socialist beliefs, why would he care what damage he does to a party that vociferously (if falsely) rejects them? The WaPo goes on to say that Bernie has no realistic chance of winning at the convention and they're right. He'll never pull it off. Hillary will crush him. But they're also assuming that a traditional "win" is what he's after. I'm not so sure. If the only thing he was interested in was a seat in the oval office, he probably would have dropped out weeks ago. Don't assume Bernie will consider himself a failure if he doesn't take the oath of office. There are a lot of things he could still be playing for, be it personal validation, growth of his movement, exposure for Marxism in the U.S., or the illusion of respect for his cockamamie ideals. Regardless, let's hope he adheres to his contested convention plan. The longer he's in, the angrier his supporters will be when he doesn't get the nom.

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