I think the reality is it comes down to the voter. Bernie wasn't an also ran candidate, he had exposure, people were able to access and hear his platform. The reality that some people don't want to accept is that a majority of middle class, well to do adults, don't fall that for left or really want to be some progressive. A lot of democrats enjoy the bland, mildly progressive, capitalist, socially aware, less populist brand that Hillary represented. So they chose to vote for her.
Trying to blame other democrats as to why people voted for Trump is just silly to me.
Could the democrats have run a different campaign? Sure. Would it have been more effective? Maybe. Would it have swayed voters from right to left? Not likely. The biggest issue for Clinton was low voter turnout.
The focus should be on why there was low voter turnout? Were people disillusioned by both candidates? Likely. Did many voters stay home because they saw 98% polls and figured they could throw a protest vote because it wouldn't change the outcome? Just as likely. Or did they see the polls at 98% and decide to just stay home because it wouldn't matter anyway? Just as likely.
Okay, several things here:
1. "The reality that some people don't want to accept is that a majority of middle class, well to do adults, don't fall that for left or really want to be some progressive."
- What is the "middle class"? I would contend that classification is a fiction. It is more of an identity tied into the American Dream mythology than a concrete reality. These people are working class; if they lost their jobs, they'd be on the street, and whatever they have beyond food and their lights being on was probably bought on credit.
- Most workers in the U.S. are actually not making much money and live precarious lives (same old story for workers under capitalism). See Exhibits
A,
B, and
C. So is it really what you contend, that most people are happy with how things are, or is the issue really that these people aren't mobilized? You would be correct that most people who
voted are mostly happy with how things are, but if you're saying people
in general, I would strongly disagree.
2. "The focus should be on why there was low voter turnout?"
- I agree. But when is there ever high voter turnout? The reality is that the system is broken and even when voter turnout is "high," 40% of the voting age population still stays home. Why is that? It's because they feel alienated from the political process because the establishment doesn't represent them and their interests. And they're 100% correct in that, the Democrats do not represent working-class interests, and to get these folks engaged in the political process demands either a real progressive alternative or a revolutionary party. I'll bet my house that the Democratic Party cannot be that vehicle for any extended period of time, it is a capitalist party founded by slaveowners, how could it become a revolutionary party? Ain't gonna happen.
The ultimate issue is that the folks who NEED to be organized, are not, and they don't vote for a variety of reasons, many of them structural and legal to deter class consciousness and mobilization.
As a side note, I take the position that low-information voters on both sides gave us Clinton and Trump for the general election.
FUKK DIS HOE
