2016 Postmortem

tom-servo

(185 posts) Fri Jun 10, 2016, 08:11 AM Jun 2016

An alternate history... [View all]

- What if the Democratic party leadership had recognized early on that Bernie Sanders had tapped into something significant and instead of trying to smear it on their candidate of choice, backed his campaign instead?

- What if the mainstream media had covered the Sanders campaign as the unprecedented phenomena it is?

- What if Hillary Clinton realized the historic prize of becoming the first woman president wasn't really worth bashing a genuine campaign of the people?

Impossible as this may seem, I think the party would be in much better shape than it is right now. This would have convinced a whole group of doubters that the democratic party is more than a puppet organization of the financial sector and actually has the guts to be a party of the people.

136 replies

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An alternate history... [View all] tom-servo Jun 2016 OP

You actually typed this out bravenak Jun 2016 #1

I didn't see another way to post it other than typing. tom-servo Jun 2016 #8

*snort* Recursion Jun 2016 #22

Heehee - you made me laugh out loud!!!! 840high Jun 2016 #129

So, Bernie was cheated out of the nomination? And all his supporters were too.. boston bean Jun 2016 #2

I think more damage has been done to the party than it seems... tom-servo Jun 2016 #7

Someone is missing something, alright. boston bean Jun 2016 #30

I agree Ferd Berfel Jun 2016 #99

Do you honestly think that about Clinton supporters? Generic Brad Jun 2016 #121

this Ferd Berfel Jun 2016 #124

Sigh Generic Brad Jun 2016 #125

Ok Ferd Berfel Jun 2016 #134

This primary season was so outrageous, I no longer believe we have fair elections. reformist2 Jun 2016 #107

Filling stadiums doesn't mean anything if voting booths aren't filled. brush Jun 2016 #108

This is satire, right? Lord Magus Jun 2016 #109

To me, your post looks like satire. If your candidate cannot fill gymnasiums, it should be obvious reformist2 Jun 2016 #113

No, the "extraordinary contortions of logic" are required to believe rally sizes equate to votes. Lord Magus Jun 2016 #114

I wouldn't say he was cheated out of it democrattotheend Jun 2016 #50

... LexVegas Jun 2016 #3

Oh, you are right. djean111 Jun 2016 #4

the. democratic leadership knew... artyteacher Jun 2016 #5

They are missing a bigger picture. tom-servo Jun 2016 #9

and yet indigoth Jun 2016 #16

He has been elected to public office for decades in Vermont oberliner Jun 2016 #19

As Kingfish Long said way back in the day Recursion Jun 2016 #23

Do you have a citation for that quote? oberliner Jun 2016 #34

Good question: I'll PM you if I find it Recursion Jun 2016 #62

Cool - thanks! oberliner Jun 2016 #65

I agree with that treestar Jun 2016 #60

But the white workers in West Virginia voting for a socialist were dismissed as racist JonLeibowitz Jun 2016 #66

Unpack that Recursion Jun 2016 #71

I'm just saying that white Dems/Indies voted for a more left-wing candidate than others JonLeibowitz Jun 2016 #72

I disagree. That presumes Sanders is to the "left" of Clinton Recursion Jun 2016 #76

Okay, then that's the real nexus of our difference. That's cool. JonLeibowitz Jun 2016 #79

He praised the higher taxation of upper incomes n the fifties. raging moderate Jun 2016 #126

Which ignores the fact that racism was not incidental to that system Recursion Jun 2016 #132

Don't gloss over the posters point brush Jun 2016 #110

I thought that's what I was saying Recursion Jun 2016 #115

Sorry, responded to the wrong post. brush Jun 2016 #120

Polls today about the GE do not mean what you think they do. There's historical context for early BobbyDrake Jun 2016 #24

And that is the same thing that Clinton supporters would do in the general. tom-servo Jun 2016 #39

communist connections? Did you say 'communist connections' ? pangaia Jun 2016 #38

what does my job/hobby... artyteacher Jun 2016 #43

You realize that Moscow is a sister city to Burlington, Vt. right? panader0 Jun 2016 #64

No, it's not. NanceGreggs Jun 2016 #105

It's always so easy to tell when someone is not a woman. athena Jun 2016 #6

Very disappointing to see misogynist amongst Sanders voters. nt Demsrule86 Jun 2016 #13

I believe Hillary Clinton has done... tom-servo Jun 2016 #14

And every moment we go without a first female president sarae Jun 2016 #118

And I'm a little tired of being labeled a misogynist... tom-servo Jun 2016 #136

Oh, bullshit. Lizzie Poppet Jun 2016 #63

No one said being a woman makes one a feminist. athena Jun 2016 #73

Obviously. But in my case, that's precisely what I am. Lizzie Poppet Jun 2016 #74

No feminist would post what you posted. athena Jun 2016 #75

"no true Scotsman" Lizzie Poppet Jun 2016 #77

Are you also a meat-eating "vegan" athena Jun 2016 #78

"straw man" Lizzie Poppet Jun 2016 #80

I just saw your Transparency page. athena Jun 2016 #84

"argumentum ad hominem" Lizzie Poppet Jun 2016 #87

+1000 sarae Jun 2016 #117

Thank you. sarae Jun 2016 #116

What if Sanders formed friendships and partnerships with Democrats during his career? FSogol Jun 2016 #10

Might be things he wished he'd done... tom-servo Jun 2016 #18

He ran a populist campaign. However, more people voted for HRC and she won. FSogol Jun 2016 #33

Primary voters... tom-servo Jun 2016 #47

More "people" voted for HRC. FSogol Jun 2016 #57

Yes, and her supporters seem to think that this is... tom-servo Jun 2016 #96

There's no way around your opinion? randome Jun 2016 #55

Many pundits think he ran the best primary campaign of either the GOP or Democratic party. JonLeibowitz Jun 2016 #67

And pundits are so often right... right? (wink) (n/t) PJMcK Jun 2016 #81

What people? theboss Jun 2016 #93

Cute... tom-servo Jun 2016 #97

All of this Blue_Adept Jun 2016 #51

The fundamental problem with his campaign is he is NOT a Democrat theboss Jun 2016 #95

Wish I could rec your post. auntpurl Jun 2016 #53

Wish I could rec your sig line PJMcK Jun 2016 #82

Absolutely agreed. auntpurl Jun 2016 #83

Sanders is still living an alternate history liberal N proud Jun 2016 #11

No we lost the General Demsrule86 Jun 2016 #12

Sanders has baggage? tom-servo Jun 2016 #20

Absolutely Demsrule86 Jun 2016 #59

On another board a Sanders supporter mused that voting is a "relic of the old world." DemocratSinceBirth Jun 2016 #15

On this board a Hillary supporter mused the Constitution is ''old and outmoded'' Octafish Jun 2016 #69

Those two cretins need to get a room. DemocratSinceBirth Jun 2016 #70

It IS the party of the people, but those people voted for Clinton. Instead of disparaging them maybe BobbyDrake Jun 2016 #17

To me it really isn't about a "candidate loss"... tom-servo Jun 2016 #25

Except that you write ridiculous sentences like this and then want to be taken seriously: BobbyDrake Jun 2016 #35

A solely crowd funded campaign that does this well in an election... tom-servo Jun 2016 #40

What if a tiny handful of Bernie holdouts accepted the fact that not everyone loves the man Tarc Jun 2016 #21

It has nothing to do with Bernie Sanders... tom-servo Jun 2016 #29

It has everything to do with you bitterness and stubbornness in the face of electoral defeat Tarc Jun 2016 #42

I wish I could be certain that was the case. tom-servo Jun 2016 #44

Time to update your sig line. auntpurl Jun 2016 #54

Six 6 days in on the generous side. :) Tarc Jun 2016 #61

Actually you're right Tarc Jun 2016 #88

This message was self-deleted by its author Tarc Jun 2016 #58

Well said, Tarc PJMcK Jun 2016 #86

I think they really believed he wouldn't win more than Vermont... TCJ70 Jun 2016 #26

A 55.6%-42.7% win .. a nearly 13 point win, is a "walloping" win in politics. n/t SFnomad Jun 2016 #52

It kind of is. Lord Magus Jun 2016 #111

Stuff like that doesn't happen. aikoaiko Jun 2016 #27

It's fun to imagine better of people sometimes. tom-servo Jun 2016 #31

Maybe, I'm just tired of all the pretend bullshit in this primary. aikoaiko Jun 2016 #45

Sanders smeared a lot of Dems a lot of the time. Democrats coddled Sanders. Another false accusation seabeyond Jun 2016 #28

Democrats coddled Sanders? tom-servo Jun 2016 #32

Yes. They never went after him. seabeyond Jun 2016 #48

If all that had been a possibility, Bernie would not have had to run. pangaia Jun 2016 #36

Good point. tom-servo Jun 2016 #41

Is counter factual imagining a stage of grief? alcibiades_mystery Jun 2016 #37

'Her turn' takes on a whole new meaning to me now a days madokie Jun 2016 #46

If only Israelites and Palestinians could live together. randome Jun 2016 #49

I know it's a little foreign to the cynically minded... tom-servo Jun 2016 #122

I agree. Juicy_Bellows Jun 2016 #127

Yeah, how did we lose that? tom-servo Jun 2016 #135

tick tock.. stonecutter357 Jun 2016 #56

What if a premise was actually supported with objective evidence rather than rhetoric and allegation LanternWaste Jun 2016 #68

Now imagine what I think rock Jun 2016 #85

Ok... tom-servo Jun 2016 #98

Truer Words... kadaholo Jun 2016 #89

Democrats judged Hillary and Bernie workinclasszero Jun 2016 #90

What if LoverOfLiberty Jun 2016 #91

And he still would have lost the black vote theboss Jun 2016 #92

Why is it that Democrats... tallahasseedem Jun 2016 #94

Plenty of party front-runners entering election season have fallen during the primaries. pampango Jun 2016 #100

THEY CAN STILL RECOGNIZE THAT AND DO IT IN SOME FASHION. highprincipleswork Jun 2016 #101

It's possible... tom-servo Jun 2016 #123

Thank you tom kayakjohnny Jun 2016 #102

It would have been perfectly acceptable to at least treat him fairly. lumberjack_jeff Jun 2016 #103

Exactly. Juicy_Bellows Jun 2016 #128

.that^ 840high Jun 2016 #130

Your outline for an alternate history SciFi novel Agnosticsherbet Jun 2016 #104

How about this alternate history? Buzz cook Jun 2016 #106

What if? What if? What if? What if? VOX Jun 2016 #112

I grew up to be a Porn Star Night Watchman Jun 2016 #119

meanwhile, in reality, the party may be ripped apart by the arrogance of its leaders. eom Betty Karlson Jun 2016 #131

I think this is possible... tom-servo Jun 2016 #133