"However, to me, whether Bernie runs for president in 2020 is irrelevant to whether he should act like a leader now by channeling money (gathered from his network of supports) into the DNC ... "
Bernie doesn't have any money any more, the crowdfunding apparatus that got him into the primaries is done, gone, dead. Do you suggest he resurrect it ? And fund the very DNC that screwed him ? I submit that he has better things to, and that an appeal by him to his supporters to rescue an corrupt organization that fought them and reviled them is not likely to meet with much enthusiasm. Derision more likely. He isn't a member of the Democratic party either.
So you got a hard sell there.
I do think the DNC should be entirely crowdfunded, to get the big money out. They need to build their own crowdfund, and have completely transparent accounting/audit. Do i think they will do so ? I doubt it, they have too many thieves addicted to those sweet, sweet lobbyist dollars. I think they have many years of rehabilitation to go thru ere they reform, if at all. I do not think it will happen before 2018, and may not happen before 2020. So 2018 and 2020 will be local fights.
sidd