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David Conroy's avatar

"The Sanders dead-enders — at this point, that’s what they are — want everyone to believe that the Democratic establishment is at once fantastically unpopular yet powerful enough to squash a populist uprising."

Yes. That is exactly what I believe. The Democrats are fantastically unpopular *with the general public* (they just lost an election to an orange baboon, again) but they are powerful enough *in an intra-left fight* to squash a populist uprising.

And I want to highlight the role of establishment-left media (NYT, WaPo, etc.) in that intra-left fight. It was critical to persuading people sympathetic to Sanders on policy but terrified of Trump that "only a moderate can win", despite polling not showing that at all. That was the real "rigging" of the primary. The loyalty of the mainstream liberal media bubble to the Democratic establishment gives them tremendous intramural power that doesn't apply to general elections.

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Piers's avatar

I think you're right, and one thing that gives me hope is that unlike after 2016, a lot of normie Dems hate their party now and blame them for this loss.

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Chuck Connor's avatar

💯

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Jericho's avatar

Bernie probably would’ve won in 2016, just because he didn’t have all the baggage of Hillary Clinton (IIRC some polls had ppl say he was more moderate than Clinton)

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Erek Tinker's avatar

That rally in Denver tells a different story.

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Meagan Braganca's avatar

Actually it’s the Sanders movement that’ll save us from fascism.

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Dylan Clark's avatar

Fuck off

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William Sanchez's avatar

Worst take I've read on the lessons the Democratic Party should take from 2024.

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A Declining Democracy's avatar

This did not age well.

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Daniel B's avatar

Imagine writing this article after 30k person rally in Denver

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Vincent Pagliaccio's avatar

There were countless polls in both primary elections that put Sanders ahead of Trump. Bending the knee to spineless corporate centrists is what got us here in the first place.

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Daniel B's avatar

The working class vs the millionaires (and now billionaires) has always been the argument to make. It was just Bernie that reminded us and championed young progressives to get in the fight and take risks, rather than let the Bidens and Clinton's of the world sit on the fences. Couldn't disagree more with this article.

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Jack's avatar

I can agree with this all I want but it is utterly infuriating how commentators of your persuasion continue to fail to articulate an alternative. Do you have an inkling of a plan to persuade these voters you blame? Where do your policy priorities lie? Will you continue to whine and moan about the failures of the left that you are at least in principle sympathetic to or will you try to do anything important at building a political project ?

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Suzie, The Citizen's avatar

LMAO, the Bernie Sanders movement will never die. NEVER.

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Jim Burgess's avatar

The solution to all problems: more centrism. That's what'll finally help the Dems turn the corner. This time it HAS to be the solution. I know this because Bernie Sanders did not win the Democratic primary. It has to be the left's fault.

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Jericho's avatar

My takeaway from the last 8 years is that people like vague anti-establishmentism

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Ricco's avatar

Yes. The fastest-growing political divide in the US is low-trust/high-trust, not left/right. So much bad political analysis from the late 2010s mistook the former for the latter.

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Salty Rhodes's avatar

As a lefty Sanders supporter this one cuts deep. Ooooph, my only retort is what the hell are the Dems going to do? I think some of the lefty dreams like Medicare for All, paid family leave, stronger unions resonate well with the Americans. While some of the culturally progressive stuff doesn’t (not saying that stuff isn’t important). I don’t know what the answer is, but damn we gotta do better at presenting a vision for America.

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Bud's avatar

This is not a problem of presentation but of substance. Progressive politics has failed because it’s bad policy.

Most Americans have real problems. They don’t have the luxury of caring if you label a policy fascist or if Republicans call it communism.

Coming up with some intricate scheme to trick people into supporting some broader ideological agenda rubs people the wrong way.

What Democrats and Progressives need to do is dial down the self righteousness and realize they have been mistaken. Does not mean that the GOP is right, but they are less-wrong and that’s why they won.

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Matt's avatar

I couldn't be more supportive of massive reform of our Healthcare system with an end to the fantasy that Healthcare makes sense as an econ 101 market. But almost literally nobody wants Medicare for All. Even Medicaid recipients mostly voted for Trump.

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Joel Jones's avatar

In 2021 MFA was polling at 67% and even after a lot of negative pr from folks like you it still polls around 57%. Depending on how asked. That is a majority not “almost literally nobody”

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Jericho's avatar

Well trump didn’t run on healthcare this election, he ran on immigration, inflation, and a bunch of social wedge issues.

Most voters see themselves as fiscally conservative when polled but don’t actually support specific fiscally conservative candidates policies like cuts to Medicare/Medicaid/social security.

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Mar 1
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Jake Gless's avatar

what a disgusting reply.

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Chuck Connor's avatar

I’m sorry you’re disgusted by the truth, but your disgust won’t change anything. Life is a harsh, violent struggle for resources between groups of people, and nothing about human history indicates otherwise, and no honest assessment of humanity indicates that this is changeable.

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Jake Gless's avatar

Deep Thoughts by Chuck Connor

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Chuck Connor's avatar

Not that deep and not at all hard to understand, you just lack the constitution to face and handle ugly truths. Keep losing 🤷

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Jake Gless's avatar

bro I taught middleschool long enough to know your type from across the room

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Danny Hellrose's avatar

The right is obsessed with ostracizing queer people. Your boy Donald rambled for 10 minutes a day before the election, in his final address, about ridding our country of trans people and brown folks, an easy target that resonates with you simple thinking folks.

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Chuck Connor's avatar

No, the right just doesn’t allow the most extreme lgbt activists to run roughshod over American values. And Donald Trump did none of those things, you interpreted this on your own.

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Danny Hellrose's avatar

Again, you are in a box Chuck, a simpleton.

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Chuck Connor's avatar

I don’t need to be that smart to see what’s going on. And if your party can’t appeal to simpletons you’re fucked, most people aren’t advanced degree holding arrogant snobs.

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Danny Hellrose's avatar

First off, it’s not “my party”. Respect admitting you are just too simp to understand folks living alternate lifestyles. I grew up in MO with a lot of simp dudes like you, just stop acting like your party doesn’t keep demonizing gay people because that’s all you unread, un experienced bastards can comprehend.

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Danny Hellrose's avatar

Being queer doesn’t undermine any values, there is nothing wrong with it. How did I interpret what came out of Trumps mouth wrong? The guy has a two micro hard on for bashing trans people.

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Gypsy Traveler's avatar

Oh, the irony 🤣😂🤣😂

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