Sanders Voters for Trump?

I am aware that polls show that a majority of Sanders supporters will not commit to supporting whoever ends up the with Democratic nomination.  I’m aware of the intense feelings and anger, then and continuing today, at the way Sanders was treated in 2016 by the Democratic establishment.  I am aware of the stupidity of Hilary Clinton’s recent statements criticizing Sanders on various points.

However, I was shocked to read the following today:

“Only 53 percent of Sanders voters say they will certainly support whomever is the Democratic nominee. This is no idle threat. In 2016, in Pennsylvania, 117,000 Sanders primary voters went for Trump in the general, and Trump won the state by 44,292 ballots. In Michigan, 48,000 Sanders voters went for Trump, and Trump won the state by 10,704. In Wisconsin, 51,300 Sanders voters went for Trump, and Trump won the state by 22,748. In short, Sanders voters helped elect Trump.”

I have never even heard rumors of this nature, let alone seen these numbers.  Although this data were from a column I respect, I checked and found that NPR and various news outlets have reported the same findings, based on the Cooperative Congressional Election Study.  Roughly 12% of Sanders supporters voted for Trump.

Obviously a Sanders supporter would not have voted for Trump because they believed he was the best choice.  He is against everything Sanders stands for, except his objection to NAFTA and similar free trade agreements.  But the data shows that was not a factor.  That only leaves one with one rationale:  These Sanders supporters voted for Trump out of spite to deny Hilary the presidency!

Forget about whatever Hilary or the Democratic establishment did during the 2016 primaries that was ill-advised or downright anti-Sanders.  I could see them sitting out the election; that would be harmful enough.  But that any significant number of Sanders supporters would be so spiteful that they would vote to put our country in the hands of someone like Trump truly boggles the mind.

From what I read, Sanders supporters are just as angry and vicious as ever.  Will a significant number do the same in 2020 if Sanders is not the nominee?  It is a scary thought but one which realistically one has to consider a possibility, especially with Hillary continuing to make ill-advised remarks.  

This does not mean I would vote for Sanders in the primary even if I thought he could beat Trump.  Because I don’t like his anger and I don’t like the absolutism of his ideology.  Anyone who is that sure of himself is dangerous.  

But if he were the nominee, I would certainly vote for him.  That wouldn’t even be a question.  If Sanders does not win the nomination, he needs to speak to his supporters loud and clear, and not only urge them but instruct them to vote for the nominee.  That their being responsible for another 4 years of Trump would be a sin that they could never atone for, a ticket to hell.