WI: Bernie Sanders Runs in 2008?

This may have been asked before, but honestly, i'm too lazy to search for it. So, just as it says in the title; What if Bernie Sanders ran his first Presidential campaign in 2008? Assuming he ran as a Democrat, as he did in 2016, what impact would his presence have on the race? Would he have much of any chance at the nomination? Personally, while I'm unsure as to whether or not he could've won, I often hear people talk about Barack Obama having only been able to win on the heels of a terrible situation inherited from George W. Bush. Obama's themes of hope and change could (in some respects) be easily transplanted to Sanders' campaign, although not necessarily in the same sense. But would Sanders have been too radical in 2008, seeing as that was a strong point of criticism even in 2016? Could he have been chosen as a running mate for Obama, Hillary Clinton, or any of the other candidates (in a situation where, perhaps, Sanders siphons away enough votes from those two to deny either the nomination)? And, just for the sake of it, what if he did win the nomination? How would the GOP react, and would John McCain still be their nominee? And, even further, what if he won the General Election, and became President of the United States in 2009?
 
I doubt he’d make much of an impact. Part of the reason he did so well IOTL 2016 was, in addition to the elements of hope and change in his campaign that you mentioned, because he was the only interesting non-Hillary candidate, and in 2008 Obama would definitely beat him in those regards.

Best case scenario, as I see it, is he routinely polls third nationally, manages to win the odd primary here and there, and ends up being able to play kingmaker between Clinton and Obama. If he plays his cards right from here, he could maybe get himself added to ticket (Obama/Sanders?) and be set up as the 2016 frontrunner.

In any event I find it hard to imagine the Democrats losing 2008, though if Sanders somehow wins the nomination it’ll probably be a closer contest.
 
Obama won in large part because the Party assumed that Iraq would be the central issue of 2008, and wanted a clear referendum on the matter. They couldn't have that with Hillary, who I'm pretty sure still supported the war until after the election. Now, Sanders would share that advantage with Obama, at least, since he voted against the war.

The problem would be basically everything else. Honestly, I don't think you could expect that same youthful adoration that Sanders got in 2016 without Obama's Administration and the disappointment it caused. Obviously, Obama was the first one who really energized the youth vote in the way he did, but he did it by appearing to be slick and above partisan politics, which resonated with Millennials voting for the first time. It was only after that vision became disillusioned, and after Millennials also rejected the equally slick-but-empty Mitt Romney in 2012 that they were open to the gruff, anti-slickness of someone like Bernie Sanders. In many ways, his appeal was a rejection of Obamamania. That being the case, I think it would be too early for him to catch on.

That said, if he were nominated, I think he might actually wind up doing better than Obama in November, simply because the stock market crash would make his socialism seem prophetic and eerily timely, compared to McCain's flailing about.
 
Update: I stopped being lazy and did a search for "Bernie Sanders 2008" and found only one other thread for it, both with a typo in the title, and two two-sentence replies. So i'm really glad this one seems to be getting some more thoughtful replies, especially since I was about 10 years old at the time of the 2008 primary, and not exactly politically aware. The perspectives @TRH and @True Grit offer are ones I didn't even necessarily consider, so thanks, guys!
 
I can’t imagine Obama putting a self proclaimed Socialist on the ticket, never mind an atheist. He faces too many of those accusations as it was.

Sanders probably makes no impact to speak of. The country was very different socially and Obama absorbs most of his support, with Kucinich and Paul taking most of what is left.
 
I can’t imagine Obama putting a self proclaimed Socialist on the ticket, never mind an atheist. He faces too many of those accusations as it was.

Sanders probably makes no impact to speak of. The country was very different socially and Obama absorbs most of his support, with Kucinich and Paul taking most of what is left.

Sanders doesn't call himself an atheist. He's a little cagey about his faith, but pretty sure he'll identify as Jewish when it comes down to it.
 
I can’t imagine Obama putting a self proclaimed Socialist on the ticket, never mind an atheist. He faces too many of those accusations as it was.

Sanders probably makes no impact to speak of. The country was very different socially and Obama absorbs most of his support, with Kucinich and Paul taking most of what is left.

That's unfortunately what I was thinking too. While 2008 might have been difficult for a Democrat to lose, I don't think that means it was impossible by any stretch. Obama got, in a sense, rather lucky. His timing was good for 08, but he was certainly not inevitable either. As much as I love Barack Obama, I also remember all the FOX News stuff about him being a Socialist, and it might have actually sunk him if he put a self-proclaimed one on the ticket. Not to mention the huge luck (and, of course, due diligence of the Secret Service) in Obama never facing a serious assassination attempt. An Obama/Sanders ticket in 2008 seems likely to push some right wing nut-job just too far.

Although, as @TRH noted, i'm part of the "disappointed, Obama-loving Millennial" demographic, so that might be my cynicism speaking. Is it possible that Bernie being on the ticket would just help move things further left, and 2008 was destined to go to whoever the Democratic nominee was? I wonder what impact this would have on 2012, too.
 
Although, as @TRH noted, i'm part of the "disappointed, Obama-loving Millennial" demographic, so that might be my cynicism speaking. Is it possible that Bernie being on the ticket would just help move things further left, and 2008 was destined to go to whoever the Democratic nominee was? I wonder what impact this would have on 2012, too.
It sounds like we are of the same age (I might be a year or so older), but I think a leftward tilt on the ticket would’ve done two things. First, it would have helped further polarization (Palin v. Sanders). Sarah Palin represents hardcore red meat, while Bernie Sanders is the Old Left meet New Left on steroids. Occupy Wall Street would have a champion in Bernie Sanders because he was popular even back then (I think that’s when I learned about Bernie, back when RT America was kinda good and Al Gore’s CurrentTV was still around). The second thing is that John McCain would’ve won. Obama was already falsesly perceived to be radical. He needed a Joe Biden-esque figure to “moderate” the ticket. John McCain had enough moderation for himself and Palin, and he had the position of elder statesman. America wanted hope and change, but they didn’t want radical change. A McCain presidency would’ve ushered in an earlier rise of Bernie Sanders, because I think by 2012 radical change would be the order of the day.
 
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