Time: And the 2016 Ralph Nader Award Goes to Bernie Sanders

[ericson00]

On Election Day, Senator Bernie Sanders earned the 2016 “Ralph Nader Award” for the Leftist Most Responsible for Helping Republicans Win the Presidency. True, Donald Trump cleverly exploited voters’ frustrations. And Hillary Clinton’s campaign in 2016 was as rigid and empty as it was when she lost in 2008. Still, Sanders helped Clinton lose. His insurgency pushed her too far left to prevent an effective re-centering in the fall, while goading her into wooing different constituencies rather than uniting the nation.


(Sanders') hip campaign addressed the displaced and disempowered, claiming Hillary Clinton was the problem not the solution. In response, Hillary Clinton channeled Walter Mondale in 1984, desperately appealing to different special interests. Characteristically, after winning Super Tuesday, she declared: “We have to defend all our rights—workers’ rights, and women’s rights, civil rights and voting rights, LGBT rights and rights for people with disabilities.” This pluralistic appeal failed to offer a unifying national mission. It illustrated Donald Trump’s complaint that Democrats were so busy kowtowing to minorities they neglected the white majority and the nation’s need for consensus.

http://time.com/4569766/bernie-sanders-ralph-nader-2016/

[BainsBane]

1. I have my issues with Bernie

for sure, but he didn't push her too far to the left, and I don't think her being so "left' had much to do with her loss.

That's not saying I don't hold some things against Bernie, but that's not one of them.

[ericson00]

8. yes he did. He made her lean into identity politics to "prove" she's "progressive"

and made her walk back being a "pragmoderate," which would've helped her in the general.

[BainsBane]

9. No, he did not

That is the nature of the Dem Party today. Trump ran on identity polics as well, white nationalism.

[Arkansas Granny]

2. No, none of this is Bernie's fault, IMO. His supporters who didn't vote for Hillary would

have never voted for her under any conditions. He campaigned for her and urged his supporters to vote for her after the primaries. You can't lay this at his feet.

[ericson00]

10. he should never have run in the first place. He shoulda known he wouldn't and couldn't

win because yes, none of the people who dedicate their lives to public service and work with the DNC were gonna let McGovern 2.0 be the nominee again. It created a sideshow and made her move double down on ID politics too much and cave to the MoveOn crowd on national security positions that it turned off white ethnics and security voters, electing Trump. She should never have had to walk back being a "pragmoderate."

[ThirdEye]

21. Amazing...

It's Hillary who lost the election, for a variety of reasons, to Donald Trump and you blame Bernie for running a campaign from the heart?

Even if Bernie did spoil it by influencing Hillary, it was her choice to do so.

[BeyondGeography]

3. Yeah, sure

[flor-de-jasmim]

4. AS Biden would say: Malarkey!

[Lunabell]

5. nope.

Hillary lost because she didn't connect with most working class American. It was her and the DNC's fault. Don't blame Bernie for her failing to connect the working class.

[SunSeeker]

17. Hillary connected quite well with working class Americans of color.

She lost the white working class vote. That is because they were scooped up by Trump, using white nationalism rhetoric.

[Lunabell]

18. Hillary did not do as well with African Americans as Obama did.

Hillary didn't connect with the working class at all. She couldn't for some reason. It's just the truth.

[SunSeeker]

20. White people are not the only members of what you call the working class.

Hillary got 88% of the AA vote. Obama got 93%. Hardly a fall off the cliff.

The "some reason" is pretty obvious. White nationalism sells well to white people.

[ThirdEye]

22. Percentages are tricky

I think the point is not the percentage of the AA vote, it's how many people came out and actually voted. Hillary simply didn't have the vote volume. Trump won on fewer votes than Romney got, don't forget.

[INdemo]

6. Bull Shit

Hillary Clinton was a flawed candidate to begin with.

Democrats that voted for Trump was a vote against Hillary and not a vote for Trump
Those particular Democrats hated Hillary Clinton.
Hillary actually became a better candidate because of Bernie Sanders
She had very poor managers and very incompetent advisors
Had Hillary won the nomination in 2008 we would have had President McCain.

To accuse Bernie Sanders of being a Ralph Nader is bullshit and you know it.

If Hillary would not have been so over confident and began campaigning for the down ballot and addressed the White male/Union voters she would have won. This was just very bad advise from her incompetent handlers.

[sfwriter]

7. nonsense

Go back and look at Bernie's first ad. He had a plan to speak to rural and feelings of white disenfranchisement. We could have used more of that, but all the DNC wanted where his mailing lists and pledges of loyalty. They rejected his analysis and lost the election all on their own while he worked hard to bring her votes. He was so NOT Ralph Nader, and any such mischaracterization runs the risk of of ignoring the very dynamics that handed Trump his victory.

-Sfwriter

[ericson00]

11. Hillary's initial plan was to try to get back white vote. Bernie made her prove how progressive

she was, and she couldn't do it on economic policy because he stole that lane so she had to do it on identity politics and security policy.

[Little Star]

12. I have to agree to an extent. At Trump's Rallies he often said.....

Bernie was right about this or I agree with Bernie on that, etc.

I think trump might have even used that technique during the debates with Hillary if memory serves me right.

[muriel_volestrangler]

13. "This pluralistic appeal failed to offer a unifying national mission" - how can you write that

with a straight face? You're contradicting yourself in the same sentence!

I don't know what has inspired this explosion of bullshit from you, but it makes no fucking sense, even on its own terms. You've obviously taken this all so badly, you're unable to think.

Oh, I see you took if from somewhere else, though you didn't provide a link. It's still bullshit, and Time has got some serious editorial problems if they publish crap like that.

[left-of-center2012]

14. Ralph Nader Award goes to ...

[Scruffy1]

15. Typical Time Bunkum.

In my own district Hillary got 73% of the toal vote and Trump 19%. This district went for Bernie in the primaries by a large margin. It's a given that minor candidates wil always get about five-10%, and it is mostly comes from dissatisfied Republicans. Calling the Green party leftist is a joke. They really have no coherent ideology, just the Green name. A friend of mine just got elected to the soil and water board, which Is a big accomplishment for an AA open lesbian woman. We also have one Green city council member. The other went to prison for taking bribes. Blame the Greens? Time to face facts. Our Party sucks and needs to get it's act together. A complete overhaul from top to bottom is in order.

[geek tragedy]

16. incredibly unhelpful, and silly, nt

[kebob]

19. James Judas Comey

May he rot in Hell.