The media has begun to acknowledge that Bernie's primary run is real, so most of this talk has died down. But some continue to believe Bernie's candidacy's right and true purpose is to help pull Hillary to the left.
I've got a really simple analysis of that possibility and highlight why it may not be the best thing necessarily. There are real differences in policy and presentation between Hillary and Bernie. If Hillary adopts Bernie's positions in the primary and wins, one of two things happens. Either:
1. She pivots back to the center in the general:
If she does this, she's in the same quandry most Republican candidates find themselves in after pandering to the evangelicals and far right during their primary. They end up tacking to the left. This leaves Hillary looking opportunistic, and feeds a negative image of her.
2. She sticks with Bernie's positions in the general:
Here's the problem though. No one can sell Bernie's ideas like Bernie can. He does it with conviction and verve. I don't think HRC is going to be able to do the same as effectively. Unless she makes them her own, and I'll tangentially discuss this below the fold.
Anyway, here's my take. If we like Bernie's ideas, we should be for Bernie. We won't be doing HRC any favors by asking her to take on Bernie's positions.
Personally, I think Hillary should be plugging her early work with Marian Edelman and the Children's Defense Fund a lot more. That would highlight how long she's been working on issues of economic justice and connect her arc with that of engaged activists in the party.
To many grassroots volunteers, Hillary embodies the establishment whereas Bernie is the iconoclast they identify with. Highlighting this early work may help her there. Hillary always mentions her early activism in stump speeches, but I'm not sure it really sticks with people, whereas Bernie's presentation arguing he's worked on these issues for decades does.
If domestic economic issues are the focus, Hillary also gets an unintentional foul since her gig as SoS has kept her out of domestic issues for the last eight years. As SoS, she pretty much had a standing gag order on non-foreign policy issues, unlike the more free-ranging efforts of Biden (as an example).
Most of the electorate think they know Hillary's story. What they know is a hodge-podge of tidbits from past campaigns and Bill's presidency. It's not a level playing field since unlike Bernie (and many of the GOP candidates) she does not have a blank slate on which to define herself in this campaign (and the general). That is another of the many obstacles she faces, most of them not of her own making.
PS. This is not intended to be a Hillary v. Bernie diary. I have contributed to Bernie's campaign and am leaning pretty firmly in his direction. But I would vote for Hillary, with enormous enthusiasm. If only to show my daughters there are no limits.