Sanders’ Defeat in Presidential Run Could Lead to Emergence of Green Party

Winning the Democratic presidential nomination may be a hard goal to achieve for Bernie Sanders, who recently lost the key New York primary to Hillary Clinton. An end to his campaign, however, wouldn’t mean an immediate victory for the ex-Secretary of State, and could play into the hands of third party actors, journalist Sam Sacks told Sputnik.

Despite “New York was a pretty big blow for the Sanders campaign,” it isn’t a “turning point” that indicates the Vermont Senator’s complete loss, Sacks told Brian Becker’s Loud&Clear. Still, it has made his prospects more obscure in the ongoing presidential run, amid the Clinton’s recent successes.

“If he would have won New York, he could have gained some momentum and picked up some of these states in the east, but these states have closed primaries just like New York has,” Sacks said. “Clinton has a big lead in Maryland. She’ll probably extend her delegate lead, making the math more and more difficult for Sanders for moving forward.”

Sanders will “need something big to happen” to win back lost positions, Sacks asserted, suggesting he would need a 30-point win in California or a lead in national polling, pledged delegates or vote numbers.

However, the expectation that Sanders’ leftist supporters would “flock” to Clinton in case of his loss, says Sacks, is a mistake. The base of Sanders’ movement is grassroots and radical, seeking a “political revolution” that doesn’t resonate with Clinton’s image.

“Forty percent of voters in New York who are Sanders’ voters said they would not vote for Clinton. That’s a major problem for the Democratic Party,” Sacks assumed. “They can’t get the young voters of the Sanders’ supporters. Of course they can get many, but they can’t get a lot of them.”

There’s plenty of controversy surrounding Clinton, amid her secretive speeches to Wall Street bankers and ill-fated decisions during her tenure as Secretary of State. The fact that she has accepted support from the Koch brothers also casts a shadow her reputation, Sacks added.

“These guys [Koch brothers] are not idiots. They know how to spend money; how to throw their money when they can maximize their returns. And they all seem to be lining up with Clinton. It says a lot about the way she plans to govern.”

Americans, tired of endless wars since 2001, are starving for a “peace candidate” for president. Clinton, who appears to be a hawk in Sacks’ view, is losing to Republican Donald Trump, who distanced himself from a row of notorious US military interventions.

"An anti-war message can definitely resonate very well with the warrior nation, which is another sign that Democrats underestimated Trump’s appeal in the general election.”

If Sanders lost the Democratic nomination, millions of his voters could opt out from supporting Clinton, possibly seeking another candidate, Sacks opined. It could result in the emergence of a third party that could approach a 15 percent threshold to present a candidate at an election.

“I think Jill Stein is still in the race among libertarians. I see Bernie supporters more flocking to the Green Party and Jill Stein,” Sacks said.