The 2020 question makes things more complicated. Four years of a Clinton presidency is likely to be better than this year's of having Trump in the Whitehouse, though given the entirely unpredictable nature of Trump it's hard to be sure what would transpire. Trump's campaign has as little substance as Obama's"hope and change": marketing words to sell us on the man rather his policies.

The 2020 election is a different conundrum. A Trump reelection seems unlikely (what are the odds of him facing a challenge as weak as Clinton?); hell also have a record to run away from. There is a possibility that Trump will go full fascist and use the power of the state to propel him to a second or third term.

A Clinton nomination in 2020 is a pretty sure thing. Parties rarely dump their incumbent. That means that electing Clinton this year guarantees that no reformer will top the ticket in 2020. Given the death grip Clinton already has on the DNC imagine what it'll be like for a president Clinton.

I've come to the conclusion that we have to wrench the real power from the media, and the marketing masterminds that have near total control of the mindset of the masses....lots of "m's" there!!

Look at what advertising monstrosities the conventions were. They were nothing more than media productions, scripted, setup, biased, blatantly censored manipulation of the voting public.

One could almost agree ..."we got what we deserve", but when two entrenched parties, funded, and dominated completely by the wealthiest, and most powerful corporations, and individuals in the world determine the dialogue heard by the voters, ...we don't deserve that. Consider the media power over the Debates, who is in the debates, and the questions presented to candidates participating. All of it negotiated by media specialists, whether they work directly for the networks, or are hired by the candidates. Elections are no longer elections, they are big business affairs, where billions are spent at nothing more than outright graft.

Not only does the two party system need to be purged from our electoral system, the media needs to be held accountable, and take on a role of thoughtful, and insightful participation. I certainly don't expect that to happen, so another alternative to rip the control from the establishment, is to limit the length of the election season , as is done in other developed , industrialized, technologically advanced societies around the globe.

If the primary elections can be so blatantly corrupted, so obviously rigged by the establishment parties, eliminate partisan primaries altogether, have runoff elections, and present the final four, or so candidates in a national election. This manipulation by the media, the marketing experts needs to go. Election to the office of the POTUS, and other official offices, HAS to become a more thoughtful, and educated experience for the American voter. When all we get is constant bullshit for two years straight, is it any wonder so many don't bother to vote?

I see Bernie Sanders' accomplishments as three:

1. He defined an agenda for the new progressive movement, as you point out.
2. He persuaded millions of Americans to work together outside the Democratic Party veal pen, and to crowdfund a major political campaign.
3. He showed millions of us the deeply corrupt nature of the Democratic Party, and exactly how the game is rigged against us.

My own thinking parallels yours, of course. None of us should be under the illusion that our vote will determine the results of the election: this is the fallacy on which "strategic voting" is built. Instead I look at how my vote -- buttressed by others -- could best represent a message that could be heard in the political world. Voting for Hillary only endorses the corrupt Democrats who have already stomped on my face. I do not buy the argument that Trump is less dangerous than Hillary -- his unpredictability prevents this argument being taken seriously. Only by adding my vote to others and choosing Stein can I see a meaningful statement that can further the movement Bernie fought for, and that I still believe in.

Against the 2 most unpopular candidates in the history of US polling.

when I talk to people who are voting for Clinton simply because Donal Trump terrifies them. They assume that I am voting for Clinton and are shocked when I tell them that I plan on voting my conscience and that means Jill Stein. Even though the two major parties together have less than 60% of registered voters, most people I talk to still believe that the duopoly is the only real choice.

You'd think that the average voter would be driven by fear of the corporate-party candidates into voting for anyone else... assuming they know that there is anyone else...

... Which is what I did for myself in realizing that Clinton might be okay domestically...

Problem is that in Bush's TPP, which Obama and Hillary have been pushing, all domestic law in all involved countries is then over-ruled by offshored corporate law, all aimed specifically in maximizing the anticipated future profits of all involved corporations and billionaires at the expense of the involved publics, animals and environment.

It cuts into maximized anticipated future profits if:

industrial pollution is limited or any environmental protection laws, including such as air/water quality requirements, are not dismantled;

food or other product safety or labelling is enforced;

work-place safety is enforced;

minimum wage laws are enforced;

if public programs of any kind - from any social assistance or pensions, to public schools and public works, such as public water/sewers supplies, road repair, fire departments, etc., continue to exist. Anything potentially profitable will be privatized and continue to exist for those who can afford it.

And FSM only knows what else.

But those maximized, anticipated-by-the-corporations/billionaires, profits must be paid by the people who will otherwise be sued for them in the offshored corporate-billionaire court where the public interest has no standing.

That effectively means a miserable slavery for all people under corporate management, which Hillary is determined to be CEO of in implementing and administering this while using the The People's public money (while any remains) and military to violently take over/nuke the countries which are not economically sold out.

Those which are, are to be told that - unconstitutionally or not - they are 'legally bound' by such privately made agreements of traitorous betrayal passed off as 'trade deals' and that the publics have no recourse.

The rigged Supreme Court (for which Obama promotes a 'corporate-friendly' Republican as the deciding vote, following the sudden and swiftly and secretively dealt with death of a Supreme Court Justice just as the TPP was made ready to facilitate the hostile corporate take-over of around a dozen countries for starters,) will quash anyone suing, while pointing to the fact that nobody can dispose of democracy, the people and country as they please, by the majority-corrupt Supremes simply claiming that it's just as Constitutional as declaring corporations to be people and therefore able to purchase elections, select their own public officials to 'represent the people' and own/control entire political parties.

The havoc will be global, including America, and if Hillary or Trump or anyone other than Jill (or Bernie) does get the Presidency, the kindest thing might be the Mutual Agreed Destruction between America, the aggressor, and the to-be-nuked defenders, Russia and China. The life on Earth forming the life-support system wouldn't last long under either destructive force, whether polished off by unlimited global industrial/military pollution and destruction or thousands of nuclear missiles being exchanged between at least 3 countries, with massive radiation and nuclear winter polishing off whatever survived the hail of missiles, which will occur under any Dem or Republican corporate candidate.

People need to vote against evil, not for it. Their lives - all of our lives - depend upon it.