Now that Bernie claims.... [edited for space].
First lets see how the 'coronation' compares. At this point in 2016 there were only two candidates not 6. Can you think of a single candidate in the history of either the Dem or republican primaries that did not want to be 'coronated' as soon as possible? The problem is not with the candidate, its with a party that ensures a coronation before the first New Hampshire ballot is cast. This has been thus far a very healthy process with lots of debate and now we are seeing some of the beginning of a natural culling as voters decide who they are NOT interested in. The only real danger I can see to this process, is Bloomburg literally buying out the process.
Vetting means uncomfortable questions being asked based on a partial fact pattern, not whispering campaigns and innuendo based on nothing more than an agenda to be served and a willing gossip to fluff it all. Every time we mistake one for the other, everyone loses. That certainly happened to Clinton, I don't want that same mistake to happen to any of these candidates.
Sanders is a different sort of candidate than most. He is an ideologue and he is a populist. He sees the world through an ideological prism. Even Clinton and Biden recognize that this prism sheds a truthful light where Sanders direct it. That is why they both talked about economic justice issues, income inequality, and yes even the insidious power of corporate money to impact elections. But they put that prism down occasionally and look at things from a cultural, political and historical context beyond that ideology while Sanders does not. How much they are 'corrupted' by corporate institutional power, and how much they themselves along with every other politician, are victims of that same system along with their voters is up for debate. I submit its probably a bit of both, and Sanders is also beholden to mega unions, and far left constituencies that provide money, volunteers, donor lists, etc that aid his quest for power and influence.
Populism itself is not bad in a candidate, but when it bleeds into demagoguery, that's when you have trouble. The chief difference between what you call' populist con artist promises' of Trump and what Sanders proposes, is that I think he is a true believer in his ideological answers and his reforms. In that Bernie is like most politicians ( including Clinton and Biden, and Buttigieg and Warren and most republicans for that matter) in that he thinks and wants this plan of his to work and make this country better.
I don't think Trump believes in anything beyond his own bizarre narcissism. In fact he does not have a plan at all. How realistic or 'pie in the sky' Bernie's medicare for all plan is, really isn't so relevant. All these plans of these candidates are unrealistic. They will be all be drafted in Congress, not in the West Wing by politicians with their own agenda and priorities.
Sanders does have
some very rabid followers and they are a definite problem because their impact can be intimidating. A lot of them are intolerant of dissent against Sanders, and those that are, display instant pit bull aggression against perceived threats that would be scary in larger numbers. The difference is that Sanders has made some efforts to condemn these bullying tactics while minimizing their numbers compared to the rest. I am not real sure what all he can do in an anonymous social media setting in cyberspace, but Trump does not even try.
he inflames their passions with rhetoric designed to demean, belittle and marginalize opposition to a degree I never hear for Sanders personally.
What you call 'taking over' the Democratic party, Bernie calls an effort to 'reform' it. Well frankly I rather like some of the changes he pushed for in this very process, especially the compromise on unpledged delegates, and a more open process at the convention.
He's not all bad, sir, anymore than any other of our nominees. He's just winning and it scares a lot of people because he is a populist with that more dogmatic approach to policy. He scares me mostly because I worry he can't beat Trump.