Reply #32: exactly [View All]

a third party break could only occur if there were stark ideological difference that would clearly cash out to major policy differences and that would mobilize significant parts of the party to join them.

In 1948 Strom Thurmand walked out of the Democratic Party because they rejected the principle of civil rights over "states rights" to continue segregation and he had a good deal of the deep south with him. And Henry Wallace the former Vice President had already left because he rejected the principle of the cold war with the Soviet Union. This had significant sympathy with the leftwing New Dealers and leftwing social reformers.

In 1968 George Wallace had left the Democratic Party to run as an independent inspired by southern rejection of integration. Most of the deep South followed him.

There is nothing even remotely comparable in differences between Sen Clinton and Sen Obama

There differences on domestic issues are marginal. There are some differences on foreign policy but nothing that would cash out to fundemental policy differences that would inspire significant portions of the party to join them.

It's simply ludidrous to imagine that they are that fundementally different.