The problem with your point is that Sanders, though nominally an independent, votes with the Dems 98% of the time:
Dean: "The bottom line is that Bernie Sanders votes with the Democrats 98 percent of the time."
Such strong correlation between an avowed socialist and the Democrats is telling.
its like saying that a Libertarian and a Republican are the same because they often vote the same way.
Well, like Ronald Reagan said, libertarianism is the heart of conservatism. The link between the two is obvious to anyone who studies them. A similar linkage exists between liberalism and socialism. That's really the heart of the matter.
If you knew anything about the guy you'd know he regularly rips the Dems as a "do nothing spineless party".
Yeah, but conservatives rip the Republican party in the same way yet we still know they're on the same team. It's the same deal with Sanders and the Democrats. He's just frustrated with their impurity.
I agree that you'll discredit yourself if you try to make the claim that Democrats are Socialists. However, if the claim is that Democrats (or more precisely, liberals) have strong ideological ties to socialism, then I think there's a case to be made.
Sanders may be a Dem-voting indy, but he's also a self-described socialist.