As for Bernie's relevance in the Democratic Party, I have serious doubts as to the importance of temporary frontrunner status, one caucus into the electoral process.

As for your #2, the Democratic Party simply isn't made up of even similar component parts as is the Republican Party. They are not a cult just waiting to happen, like the GOP, with the legion of Religious Righters and conspiracy nuts. With that in mind, I think you'll agree that the Republican Party is no longer what we, only scant years ago knew it to be. It is one with Trumpism and is little more than a cult of personality.

Democrats nominate and elect policy wonks, not ignoramuses with an emperor complex. We know that Trump self identified most of his life with being a Democrat. Have you every asked yourself why he made the switch to run as a Republican? He knew he wouldn't even get a sniff from the Democratic electorate. Why? While Democrats have plenty of drawbacks, they aren't conspiracy theorists and they are generally aware of and show respect for our system of checks and balances. They actually believe in government, rather than dismantling it.

Bernie is a socialist, not a megalomaniac, so let's be clear about that. Having said that, I don't believe that Democrats see him as the solution to defeating Trump and reducing Trumpism to the dustbin of history.