Bernie Sanders has hinted at being open to join the Hillary Clinton ticket as her Vice President, but first, he’s focused on the nomination.
“Right now, we are focused on the next five weeks of winning the Democratic nomination,” Sanders told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer Friday [May 6, 2015]. “If that does not happen, we are going to fight as hard as we can on the floor of the Democratic convention to make sure that we have a progressive platform that the American people will support. …Then, after that, certainly Secretary Clinton and I can sit down and talk and see where we go from there.”
He was later asked if he would step down if offered the VP slot, he responded that was a “hypothetical that will not happen.”
For Sanders, gaining the number of delegates he’ll need to win the nomination is impossible, however, the possibility of Clinton not getting to the total 2,383 delegates needed leaves the door open for a convention battle in Philadelphia.
Sanders’ logical reasoning behind staying in the race is to win as many more primaries as he can to keep Clinton from capping off her lead.
Once the campaigning is over and either Clinton or Sanders is declared the nominee, voters fear the same divisive energy that has taken over the Republican Party may very well hinder the Democratic Party.
According to Evelyn Wolfson, in a letter to the New York Times Sanders’ supporters and Clinton’s “haters” could stay away from the polls if Sanders is not Clinton’s VP pick.
“Bernie supporters and Hillary haters may very well stay away from the polls this November while Trump supporters will continue to show up in record numbers. Has Bernie’s candidacy taught the powers that be in the Democratic Party anything? I fear not. Democrats have little chance of remaining in the White House unless Bernie is on the ticket — something Hillary must be made to understand…”
…a rational response to a delicate situation.
Clinton faces a great deal of difficulty this November if her plan is to simply woo Sanders supporters. The lack of trust amongst liberal voters could very well lead to a Trump presidency if Clinton’s ticket doesn’t provide an encouraging balance worthy of the White House.
