Do you believe Bernie would have won? I do.

[flexy]

Some say he wouldn't. Thinking about it, I think he would have.
He possibly would have trounced Trump.

Hillary didn't appeal to many, not the blue-collar workers and not the (many!) die-hard progressives who did not vote for H or simply stayed home. I think the overall appeal, that is that Bernie did provide these people hope and change, would have offset the disadvantage that he is a socialist, and actually also believe there would've been a lot of people who'd chosen the "socialist" over Trump. (MANY voted for Trump even not trusting and disliking him, but they voted him in the hope that Trump will bring change, willing to take this risk).

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

I don't think he'd do worse, but unsure if he'd win. He'd have talked about issues and detailed plans, that's for damn sure. He had my vote and support in the primary, very bummed he didn't get a shot.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Any choice is better than a losing choice. I'll say maybe but I'm not sure he'd get past the Socialist thing. Him as VP I'm sure would have worked Kaine was an unknown boring choice.

 

[Kazukian]

As VP, I would have been happy, but that sure didn't happen

 

[DrunkenSano]

Not sure if he would have won or not since I believe Bernie is a bit too socialist for most people in the US to consider, however I believe the race would have been much better. At least important matters and platforms would be debated and talked about rather than endless scandals being thrown back and forth.

 

[nakedfrog]

Seems like a lot of exit polls showed people primarily voting because they wanted a change, so it certainly seems like a possibility.

 

[First]

Yeah he would have, but a good outside chance there may have been dirt on him we don't know and that it would have been revealed in the general. The margin was so close that not only would he have improved on HRC's turnout (most likely) but he would have taken some Trump voters with him (10% of Trump voters approved of Obama, for example, though exit polls are tricky). That might have given them the Senate too, as Toomey's election was super close and Ross might have won in NC too.

 

[vi edit]

Looking at the map the way it is...He almost certainly would have flipped Wis and likely Michigan. PA I have no idea on. I don't think he would have flipped Ohio, FL or NC. I also question if he would have been able to carry Nevada. The rest of the states would have gone exactly as they did with HRC. I think he would have done better, but I don't know if would have been enough to win it.

 

[Balt]

I think he might have, but it's hard to say.

A lot of people were looking for anyone other than Trump to vote for. Hillary apparently just didn't fit the bill because of the media focus on the fucking e-mails and Comey's last minute bullshit.

I don't think Bernie's ideas were particularly tenable, but he seems like a pretty principled individual without a lot of skeletons in his closet. However, his appeal to the middle of the country would probably not have been as strong as people think it would have been. He basically promised he would raise taxes on everyone from the middle-class up, but somehow they would get even more back through government programs. Yeah.. no.

All that being said, fuck the people who didn't show up at the polls just because they thought Bernie didn't get a fair shake in the primaries.

 

[vi edit]

One thing I will say, I think the popular vote vs. electoral vote would be even more of a topic today if he ran. I still think he would have lost the electoral while having a significantly larger popular vote than Hillary. He had 17k+ write in's in Vermont alone. Hell Harambe the freaking dead ape had 15k write ins. He'd completely run up the vote in the NE and West coast while not gaining a single more electoral vote where he needed it.

 

[Balt]

One thing I will say, I think the popular vote vs. electoral vote would be even more of a topic today if he ran. I still think he would have lost the electoral while having a significantly larger popular vote than Hillary. He had 17k+ write in's in Vermont alone. Hell Harambe the freaking dead ape had 15k write ins. He'd completely run up the vote in the NE and West coast while not gaining a single more electoral vote where he needed it.

I think EC vs. popular vote is a dead issue unless there's a complete overhaul of the Constitution. Mostly because it only becomes an issue in close elections, and that means close to half of the electorate doesn't want change because their candidate won. How are you going to pass a Constitutional amendment in those circumstances?

 

[BoomerD]

No. He's too far left even for most Democrats. (although I'm not sure he would have pushed Dems to vote for Trump...which Clinton seems to have done...so maybe) I think Gary Johnson or Jill Stein might have done better if Bernie was the Democratic candidate.

 

[Grooveriding]

I don't think enough of the US is ready to handle a President the likes of Sanders yet. Too left, too non militaristic and he's Jewish which would have had the single issue religious automaton voting segment running away from him. I think a President that was not amped up about military action and did not feel to need to project that they're ready to bomb 3rd world countries over perceived threats would have been a great thing for the US though.

 

[glenn1]

I don't know if he would have won but he might have gotten my vote. In reality my ranked voting was Johnson, Stein, Clinton, Trump. Since Bernie would have ticked off my highest priority boxes (civil liberties) I probably would have switched to him in this counterfactual alternative reality since he was a viable candidate running as a Democrat even though my preferred "pure" choice would have still been Johnson. In the end however it's moot.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

I think the dems could have won if they ran Sanders, Michael Dukakis or the corpse of Lyndon Johnson. They picked literally the only person in the entire party who could not beat Trump.

 

[Starbuck1975]

Yes he would have won

 

[glenn1]

I think the dems could have won if they ran Sanders, Michael Dukakis or the corpse of Lyndon Johnson. They picked literally the only person in the entire party who could not beat Trump.

Agreed, probably any Democratic nominee since WW2 could have won this time around against Trump. And vice versa for Republicans, however due to the nature of the system one of either Trump or Clinton was effectively guaranteed a win. Most days the winner would probably be Clinton, but this wasn't one of those "most days."

 

[Udgnim]

easy to say now, but he would have kept Hillary's voter base, inspired his own, and also attracted some of Trump's voter base that wanted to vote anti-establishment

 

[ivwshane]

Hillary lost with white women. What are the issues that are important to white women that Hillary wasn't addressing that Bernie was?

I think Bernie as VP would have been a smart move in terms of getting out the vote but he's also an important piece to senate Democrats, plus, Hillary was pushing the bipartisan narrative hard and Bernie wouldn't really fit that.

But that's all in the past. How do dems win going forward? How do they get out the vote consistently, even in off elections?

 

[blankslate]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...-donald-trump-pre-election-poll-a7412636.html

Hillary Clinton did not fare quite as well in the poll amongst Independent voters – who could not vote during the primaries, resulting in Mr Sanders' loss to the former Secretary of State. The poll found that Mr Sanders led Ms Clinton among independent voters 55 to 45 per cent. Ms Clinton suffered a major blow Tuesday night from that particular demographic, losing independents to Donald Trump 48 per cent to 42 per cent.

but hey we're just Bernie Bros and woman-haters for having warned the establishment types that this election cycle was about figuratively "throwing a brick through the establishment window" Bernie had a brick and Trump acted like he had one.
Whereas Clinton... well Clinton acted like she was just another limousine liberal who ran a centrist campaign while giving lip service to some of the platform ideas that Bernie had to twist arms to get written in during the convention.

The establishment chose an establishment non populist same as before candidate and gave Trump the presidency so fuck you very much DWS, Donna Brazile and the rest of the DNC, fvck you very much for ruining at least the next four years.... all you Clinton apologists who mentioned the SCOTUS, it's you and your ilk who gave it to the republicans for the next 25-40 years unless the democrats go all obstructionist for a while.


_________________

 

[agent00f]

Sanders would've turned out the younger crowd better but the "socialist" stigma would've also suppressed the elder/moderate vote, so it's a mixed bag at best. The only reason he might've had a shot is if he didn't lose any clinton states and held the whole midwest. Tall order given what blue dog types think of leftists, especially with the white race card in play. The whole clinton centrist democratic strategy consisted of moving to the middle (or right if need be) to capture those areas, and they were never going to have an answer to someone who was willing to crank the white vote up to 10, for now at least.

Hillary lost with white women. What are the issues that are important to white women that Hillary wasn't addressing that Bernie was?

I think Bernie as VP would have been a smart move in terms of getting out the vote but he's also an important piece to senate Democrats, plus, Hillary was pushing the bipartisan narrative hard and Bernie wouldn't really fit that.

But that's all in the past. How do dems win going forward? How do they get out the vote consistently, even in off elections?

Frankly the thing that surprised me the most about this election was the race before gender phenomenon. Guess we got an expensive inside look at the relative state of feminism in this country.

I don't know if he would have won but he might have gotten my vote. In reality my ranked voting was Johnson, Stein, Clinton, Trump. Since Bernie would have ticked off my highest priority boxes (civil liberties) I probably would have switched to him in this counterfactual alternative reality since he was a viable candidate running as a Democrat even though my preferred "pure" choice would have still been Johnson. In the end however it's moot.

Let's not pretend you were ever to going to vote for a leftist before a white nationalist. That agitprop to sow discord in the DNC is too transparent for the target audience.

 

[agent00f]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...-donald-trump-pre-election-poll-a7412636.html



but hey we're just Bernie Bros and woman-haters for having warned the establishment types that this election cycle was about figuratively "throwing a brick through the establishment window" Bernie had a brick and Trump acted like he had one.
Whereas Clinton... well Clinton acted like she was just another limousine liberal who ran a centrist campaign while giving lip service to some of the platform ideas that Bernie had to twist arms to get written in during the convention.

The establishment chose an establishment non populist same as before candidate and gave Trump the presidency so fuck you very much DWS, Donna Brazile and the rest of the DNC, fvck you very much for ruining at least the next four years.... all you Clinton apologists who mentioned the SCOTUS, it's you and your ilk who gave it to the republicans for the next 25-40 years unless the democrats go all obstructionist for a while.


_________________

Clinton did handle that badly, but it's rather her lack of political charisma responsible for it. See, a better politician like Obama would've acted more gracious, promised some of the same things to progressives, even make appearance to invite Sanders onboard. I mean, all you're looking for at that point is a vote, esp since the same political talent can deal with any fallout afterward. This is something Trump is much better at comparison, just look at his people already making excuses for why he won't do shit for them, and he's not even in office yet.

Perception is everything in politics, and Clinton's problem is that she's not a great politician. Is Sanders a great politician? Certainly not as good as Trump either.

 

[KB]

Not sure Bernie could have taken Trump because he doesnt have as good a gift for lies. Trump tells so many lies and does so convincingly that people find some reason to support him and ignore all the rest of the lies.

Heres my favorite doozies that only an utter fool would believe:
i will make mexico pay for the wall
I know more abou ISIS than the generals
I will make American Great Again

 

[kage69]

I think the dems could have won if they ran Sanders, Michael Dukakis or the corpse of Lyndon Johnson. They picked literally the only person in the entire party who could not beat Trump.

...I had people stop talking to me last spring because that was my reaction to her getting the nomination. Bringing an establishment candidate to anti-establishment election is snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Bernie commanded the overwhelming allegiance of the millennials, now a group bigger than the baby boomers, not to mention a favorable or at least neutral perception by many on the right.

Republicans didn't learn anything from Dubya, let's hope the Dems learn something about ego and entitlement from the Hillary defeat.

 

[Blanky]

RCP showed bernie stronger against trump than hillary.

Bernie took states in the blue wall against hillary that trump took against her.

There is a very good argument to be made he would have won. If the democrats were not morally bankrupt, holding up the weekend at bernie candidate instead of the real bernie, they could be looking at another four years. Instead the people saw through their crap and they lost the presidency, the house, the senate. They have nothing but tears now. And so many tears. So, so many tears.