2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumThe Democratic Establishment isn't half as smart as it thinks it is
Hillary Clinton breathed a "big sigh of relief" at the end of the night in Iowa. And odds are that she will eventually prevail and secure the nomination. But at the same time, a year ago — or even six months ago — the idea that Clinton would be trying to put a positive spin on a de facto tie in Iowa would have seemed wildly implausible.
No modern political party's establishment has ever tried as hard to package up a nomination and tie it off with a bow as the Democrats did for Clinton over the course of 2016. And it didn't work out very well. The result ought to serve as a wake-up call to a Democratic Party elite that's gotten a little smug and out of touch over the past few years.
The Clinton campaign's strategy will, of course, be second-guessed as stumbling frontrunners always are. But the larger problem is the way that party as a whole — elected officials, operatives, leaders of allied interest groups, major donors, greybeard elder statespersons, etc. — decided to cajole all viable non-Clinton candidates out of the race. This had the effect of making a Clinton victory much more likely than it would have been in a scenario when she was facing off against Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, and Deval Patrick. But it also means that the only alternative to Clinton is a candidate the party leaders don't regard as viable.
Trying to coordinate your efforts to prevent something crazy from happening is smart — otherwise you might wind up with Donald Trump. But trying to foreclose any kind of meaningful contact with the voters or debate about party priorities, strategy, and direction was arrogant and based on a level of self-confidence about Democratic leaders' political judgment that does not seem borne out by the evidence. This is a party that has no viable plan for winning the House of Representatives, that's been pushed to a historic low point in terms of state legislative seats, and that somehow lost the governor mansions in New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Illinois.
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http://www.vox.com/2016/2/2/10892724/bernie-sanders-wake-up-call
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John Poet
(2,510 posts)on foreign policy down our throats...
That's all Hillary is. We may as well nominate Jeb Bush.
On the issues of war and peace, the result would be the same.
Lorien
(31,935 posts)Wall Street corruption, inaction on climate change,student debt and access to education, Walmart business practices (where women had to sue for equal pay while Hillary was on the board). There are ZERO difference between conservative Republicans and Hillary save for her (stated current) position on a woman's right to choose and pay equity-which Bernie shares. I can see no reason whatsoever for ANY "Democrat" to ever support her.
VulgarPoet
(2,872 posts)Lorien
(31,935 posts)at least they have to make a small effort to appear left of center when a Republican is in charge. It's time to take our party back!
ErisDiscordia
(443 posts)Last edited Tue Feb 2, 2016, 03:09 PM - Edit history (1)
Iowa was pretty sleazy. Tradition be damned. Do it right, or don't even bother.
For too long Iowa has treated this as a social event, not a matter of setting the course for the nation. And this ambiguously decided, contentionious result doe not reflect well upon the Show Me State Hawkeye State, which is showing contempt for democracy.
edit: my apologies to Missouri....I was thinking Hawkeye, and getting confused with Buckeye, which is Ohio, right?...and trying to remember if the Music Man had anything in it...
CrispyQ
(36,509 posts)
closeupready
(29,503 posts)
Ed Suspicious
(8,879 posts)But I like where you're coming from.
irregularities are popping up everywhere. https://medium.com/@1e3d0077c3ca4df4b260e1ee0bceb6/hillary-clinton-may-have-just-committed-election-fraud-and-the-internet-found-out-part-1-bb7647415a71#.rrpes34tg
Fantastic Anarchist
(7,309 posts)KingCharlemagne
(7,908 posts)particular version of contempt for democracy, be that as it may 
Wellstone ruled
(34,661 posts)want to know what the game plan is to regain the Senate,and knowing it will take two election cycles to capture the House,what is DWS's game plan. Oh that's right,we are only doing the 13 state strategy. Me bad.
Punkingal
(9,522 posts)The party elites won't get it though...we need a purge.
R. Daneel Olivaw
(12,606 posts)Croakley ran a horrible campaigne both times.
She should have retired after losing to Scott Brown, but I guess that she wanted a re-do on augering her campaign into the ground.
Warren would have won the governorship had she chose to, but that's the difference: she has talent and a backbone.
That was quite the fuckup
jeff47
(26,549 posts)That's how we lost so many seats, statehouses and governors.
apnu
(8,758 posts)They've sold out to the magic free market theory and have convinced themselves that being conservative-lite is not only an option in America but where the actual center is.
Establishment Dems survive on big corporate donations. Corporations who will donate to anybody, so long as the corporation gets the short-term perks it wants out of the politician. They have no party affiliation and are unconcerned with the condition of America or the world. They don't care so long as they see a ROI in the next quarter.
They couldn't be more wrong.
And so, by ignoring everything in the center and left of America they're functioning as a political organ with one arm tied behind their backs.
Lorien
(31,935 posts)the less of an influence they'll have on our so called Democracy. Most liberal Progressives I know have had it; they will never hold their noses and vote for the less vile right winger again!
Tierra_y_Libertad
(50,414 posts)And, it's waaay past due.
