Hmmm, how likely is it that “soft” Republicans would abandon Trump for Comrade Sanders?

Nothing shores up the soft R base more than nominating Sanders.

And Warren in some ways would be even worse. Whereas Sanders gets from Republicans, conservatives and so forth a modicum of grudging respect, they actively detest her.

I am not so sure about this. Although it is easy to detest her for all that “Native American” nonsense, the lady actually understands economics. For all the similarities (at the high level) between her proposals and Sanders’, if and when hers are actually put to paper, they are unlikely to break the economy.

Sanders would break the economy and enjoy doing it.

Anyhow, soft support works both ways. Let’s say that Bloomberg snags the Dem nomination. I’d be willing to bet serious money that his support would be soft as a smoothie among members of the party’s progressive base.

Yep. The progressive left often seems to take the (hyperbolic) position that a Bloomberg, to them, is no different than Trump. So why vote?