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Preface: I think Bernie is a historically good candidate and exactly what the country needs; this topic isn't Bernie, but the elections.
If Bernie were the nominee in 2016, I think the country would have had the choice between two 'revolutionary' candidates.
But I think nearly all the issues would have favored Bernie. Bernie had decades of governing experience, trump had none. trump was a genital-grabbing, cheating scumbag who admitted ogling teenage girls as they changed at his pageant, Bernie had one great wife. Bernie was a real populist, trump a phony one. All those voters trump got by running to the left of Hillary, painting her as a Wall Street loyalist, would have gone to Bernie, the real thing.
trump's vote was largely anti-Hillary, the least popular Democratic nominee in history, while Bernie was the most liked. trump was the least liked nominee in history, which would have given Bernie more votes. Bernie would have destroyed trump.
By 2020, the country is more traumatized by trump, but trump has one advantage he didn't have in 2016: incumbency. Bernie would be a lot easier to paint as 'radical change', while trump, as horrible as he is, is a known quantity. I suspect Bernie would still have beaten trump, but by having to rely on a trump backlash - a weaker position than 2016.
Biden has something for 2020 Bernie isn't as strong on. I don't agree with the public, but I think the public wants that 'return to normalcy' from trump, and that they think Biden offers that more than Bernie. So, I think Bernie would have been stronger in 2016 than 2020, probably.
If Bernie were the nominee in 2016, I think the country would have had the choice between two 'revolutionary' candidates.
But I think nearly all the issues would have favored Bernie. Bernie had decades of governing experience, trump had none. trump was a genital-grabbing, cheating scumbag who admitted ogling teenage girls as they changed at his pageant, Bernie had one great wife. Bernie was a real populist, trump a phony one. All those voters trump got by running to the left of Hillary, painting her as a Wall Street loyalist, would have gone to Bernie, the real thing.
trump's vote was largely anti-Hillary, the least popular Democratic nominee in history, while Bernie was the most liked. trump was the least liked nominee in history, which would have given Bernie more votes. Bernie would have destroyed trump.
By 2020, the country is more traumatized by trump, but trump has one advantage he didn't have in 2016: incumbency. Bernie would be a lot easier to paint as 'radical change', while trump, as horrible as he is, is a known quantity. I suspect Bernie would still have beaten trump, but by having to rely on a trump backlash - a weaker position than 2016.
Biden has something for 2020 Bernie isn't as strong on. I don't agree with the public, but I think the public wants that 'return to normalcy' from trump, and that they think Biden offers that more than Bernie. So, I think Bernie would have been stronger in 2016 than 2020, probably.