It’s a stretch to think that the Democrats would put Bernie up in 2020, though I certainly expect him to run as a Democrat because it’s easier to go with an established party than try to do it as an independent. For starters, he was widely rejected by Democrat voters in the 2016 primaries (we know the numbers - it really wasn’t close by any metric chosen - popular vote, delegates, delegates without supers, by states won, open/closed primaries, etc.)

And yet, Bernie’s still a world better than Trump, particularly on the domestic front where Bernie wouldn’t try gutting the safety net, and instead sees the need for a functioning government.

With Bernie, the key would be who his choice of VP would be, and who he surrounds himself with as advisers.

If he were to elevate Gabbard, I’d send up serious red flags given that Gabbard’s got an entire swarm of them.