First of all, the fact that Bernie is a Democratic Socialist and has the backing of DSA is just icing on the cake for me. It is what Bernie articulates publicly every day that makes him my choice.
We have had socialist candidates before: List of United States presidential candidates
1900 Eugene V. Debs (Ind.) – Job Harriman (Socialist)
Joseph F. Maloney – Valentine Remmel (Socialist Labor)
1904 Joseph F. Maloney – Valentine Remmel (Socialist Labor)
Charles H. Corregan – William Wesley Cox (Socialist Labor)
1908 Eugene V. Debs (Ind.) – Benjamin Hanford (Socialist)
August Gillhaus – Donald L. Munro (Socialist Labor)
1912 Eugene V. Debs (Ind.) – Emil Seidel (Socialist)
Arthur E. Reimer – August Gillhaus (Socialist Labor)
1916 Allan L. Benson – George R. Kirkpatrick (Socialist)
Arthur E. Reimer – Caleb Harrison (Socialist Labor)
1920 Eugene V. Debs (Ind.) – Seymour Stedman (Socialist)
1924 Frank T. Johns – Verne L. Reynolds (Socialist Labor)
1928 Norman Thomas – James H. Maurer (Socialist)
Verne L. Reynolds – Jeremiah D. Crowley (Socialist Labor)
1932 Norman Thomas – James H. Maurer (Socialist)
Verne L. Reynolds – John W. Aiken (Socialist Labor)
1936 Norman Thomas – George A. Nelson (Socialist)
1940 Norman Thomas – Maynard C. Krueger (Socialist)
1944 Norman Thomas – Darlington Hoopes (Socialist)
1948 Norman Thomas – Tucker P. Smith (Socialist)
Edward A. Teichert – Stephen Emery (Socialist Labor)
1952 Eric Hass – Georgia Cozzini (Socialist Labor)
1976 Peter Camejo – Willie Mae Reid (Socialist Workers)
My knowledge of political history is lacking so I do not know how many of these, if any, ran in a Democratic Party primary. More below the break.
There is a strong myth here in the democratic party that candidates who run on the same ticket against democrats are "spoilers". You will be sick of hearing about it before this is over even though Bernie has no intention of doing that as far as I know. We in DSA certainly are urging him to run as a democrat.
I am in my 80th year and I have not always supported the democratic candidate. I have been out there fighting for the ones that came close to representing my views. I don't waste my vote by misrepresenting myself. A candidate has to earn my vote and support.
My first presidential election was in 1960. I voted for Nixon. My political views were not those I developed after Kennedy and Johnson proved that the democratic party was as imperialist as any. My reasons for voting for Nixon was more because I was a Catholic until just before the election and I had come to distrust the way the Church controlled it members.
After Kennedy was elected I felt that I had made a big mistake. He won me over completely and Michael harrington's book became my reason for supporting socialism. Then came Vietnam and I realized that I had been had. I came close to voting for Goldwater instead of Johnson because I feared that Johnson meant wider war.
I also became convinced that the only way to prevent what has happened to this country was to put a brake on the capitalist oligarchy. The way Kennedy fit into the oligarchy made me distrust our political system.
Most of what we predicted from a socialist slant has come to pass and it is even worse than I had anticipated.
I worked very hard for Obama in 2008 and almost as hard in 2012. I let my convictions go dormant and even tried to forget that the system makes the president and not the other way around.
In that understanding is the key to why Bernie is my candidate. He can not repeat the Obama scenario. He can not be elected to keep the system intact. He will be running against the system just as socialists have in the past.
I can no longer support anyone who is not willing to put a stop to this system's injustice and inequality. Bernie may have faults but being susceptible to being co-opted by the system is not one.
We are living in "interesting times" ala the old Chinese curse. I hope I live long enough to see how this turns out.