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2016 Postmortem

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liquid diamond

(1,917 posts)
Sun Dec 11, 2016, 03:59 PM Dec 2016

The fringe left problem [View all]

Abraham Lincoln once said that a house divided against itself cannot stand. After a divisive primary campaign and losing the 2016 presidential election, we see that his words are true.

Obviously, the 2016 primaries were bitter and drawn out. Bernie refused to concede earlier even though it was clear he was not going to surpass Hillary’s lead. He gave his supporters false hope and continued to solicit tens of millions of dollars in donations. Donations that went to waste. I could understand why his supporters were angry and disappointed. What’s worse is that there wasn’t enough time to heal those negative emotions since Bernie took the primaries to the very last state.

Here is the fringe left problem. All throughout the primaries some of Bernie’s supporters threatened that they would not vote for Hillary if she won the nomination. Even if she won fairly. We read their posts. Bernie or bust (BOB) they said. You need us to win they said. They would and did burn down our house if we did not vote for their candidate even though he lost handily.

So how do we deal with such political blackmail in the future? In this primary contest we rejected Bernie by approximately four million votes. Generally speaking, the Democratic Party is not extremely liberal. LIFELONG and popular democrats such as Hillary, Obama, and Biden are centrists. We are likely going to nominate someone with similar political views which is going to piss off the fringe left.

Suppose they run Bernie again or someone like him in the 2020 election and we reject that candidate? They are a minority, but as we experienced last month there are enough of them to cost us another election if they to sit out.

Do you have any ideas to prevent this tragedy from happening again?

One more thing. I do not believe the BOBs are the only reason we lost this election. There are plenty of others, but I am just focusing on the divide in our party that helped lead to the fuhrer’s election.

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The fringe left problem [View all] liquid diamond Dec 2016 OP
This message was self-deleted by its author duffyduff Dec 2016 #1
There aren't enough of them out there to worry about. duffyduff Dec 2016 #2
Exactly HassleCat Dec 2016 #66
Nearly half the party wanted Bernie. TDale313 Dec 2016 #3
Bernie wouldn't have won anything outside of Vermont. duffyduff Dec 2016 #4
"The BoBs were strictly a fringe minority. They aren't worth bothering with." The OP disagrees. friendly_iconoclast Dec 2016 #5
The OP is wrong on that score. duffyduff Dec 2016 #7
We gained seats in the House and in the US Senate. duffyduff Dec 2016 #6
While I don't really agree with the OP, I must point out that the Dem Primary wasn't close. Garrett78 Dec 2016 #10
Bernie for 2020! Joe941 Dec 2016 #11
NO Demsrule86 Dec 2016 #77
You are discriminating on age - just as bad as race. Joe941 Dec 2016 #88
That is not true...I want to win. Demsrule86 Dec 2016 #89
Employers might say... Joe941 Dec 2016 #92
Nearly half is not more than half. Clinton won. Sanders lost. baldguy Dec 2016 #24
Nope. Hillary won Dems almost 2::1, only when you add Indies does it get close.... bettyellen Dec 2016 #38
You are peddling false information. No, not half of the party wanted Sanders. KittyWampus Dec 2016 #46
Nope, - that's just plain wrong CajunBlazer Dec 2016 #78
More than half wanted Hillary. WhiteTara Dec 2016 #85
No, that just doesn't follow. TDale313 Dec 2016 #94
3.8 million fewer votes BainsBane Dec 2016 #86
Thank you liquid diamond Dec 2016 #8
Many of the Bernie supporters were not even Democrats; just like Bernie asuhornets Dec 2016 #9
My old boss once liquid diamond Dec 2016 #12
They act as if Hillary Clinton personally showed up at their homes and insulted them to their face. asuhornets Dec 2016 #13
Agreed. liquid diamond Dec 2016 #14
And yet, they were willing to vote for Democratic Party ideals in the hands of... TCJ70 Dec 2016 #16
She lost they got what they wanted. Many of them did not vote for her...nt asuhornets Dec 2016 #17
Thank you for the short summary of the RW propaganda used against the Clinton campaign. baldguy Dec 2016 #25
Tell me which part of what I wrote is a lie? TCJ70 Dec 2016 #31
You think propaganda needs be be a lie? baldguy Dec 2016 #33
Small facts...what a joke. TCJ70 Dec 2016 #35
Therefore Clinton is untrustworthy - we get it. Sanders supporters have been shoveling it for a year baldguy Dec 2016 #36
When you say "honest broker," are you really referring to the person BobbyDrake Dec 2016 #30
I've always thought he should have released his tax returns... TCJ70 Dec 2016 #32
He said he would release them, repeatedly, and then ran out the clock. BobbyDrake Dec 2016 #39
That chair was about to be thrown by a drunk bro and that whole incident was ugly -- bettyellen Dec 2016 #42
Saw it with your own eyes? TCJ70 Dec 2016 #45
That may be true, but here's the thing . . . markpkessinger Dec 2016 #50
That is not true. Bernie did not appeal to African-Americans or Latinos voters. In both cases asuhornets Dec 2016 #74
Great OP. I won't forgive these f'ers for helping elect Trump. We're posting w/ some* of them now. grossproffit Dec 2016 #15
They are worse liquid diamond Dec 2016 #19
I can't even read that trash. They think they are so high and mighty over there. TrekLuver Dec 2016 #22
Do you think there is any legitimate reason why a liberal would not have wanted el_bryanto Dec 2016 #18
You do know that the Hillary supporters did exactly the same thing in 2008 Crunchy Frog Dec 2016 #20
Exactly. The OP would do well to think about this. Pholus Dec 2016 #27
The fringe left needs to understand that the country is certainly not ready for very progressive TrekLuver Dec 2016 #21
The election liquid diamond Dec 2016 #53
The "fringe left" TSIAS Dec 2016 #59
Yea, who needs clean air/water, good education, saftey nets for our elders? Nictuku Dec 2016 #62
Seriously? kentuck Dec 2016 #23
If you think Bernie and his supporters are "the fringe left"...... Coventina Dec 2016 #26
Exactly. The "fringe left", e.g., Trotskyites, don't believe in elections and therefore do DonViejo Dec 2016 #28
I guess "The Nation" is fringe left now. Coventina Dec 2016 #49
What? Did I say that or, even imply that?... DonViejo Dec 2016 #54
Sorry! I was actually agreeing with you! About the silliness of defining "fringe left" as Coventina Dec 2016 #56
Ah! We're in agreement... DonViejo Dec 2016 #63
Agree completely. Anyone who thinks Bernie or his supporters are "fringe left" is either vastly Coventina Dec 2016 #67
I guess this is the new framing for the same old made-up Bernie-bashing. Orsino Dec 2016 #29
This post might be the biggest steaming pile of BS ever deposited on DU... Yurovsky Dec 2016 #34
The "heart and soul" of a party doesn't throw a tantrum and threaten to go independent BobbyDrake Dec 2016 #40
Millennials overwhelmingly identify as Independent Arazi Dec 2016 #37
The difference there is that when Obama reached out to Clinton's voters, we listened. BobbyDrake Dec 2016 #41
Yep- such was the misogyny that her policies and statements are totally unknown to most of those who bettyellen Dec 2016 #43
Then prepare to not gain them as Democratic voters Arazi Dec 2016 #44
"You keep blaming them - yeah that's somehow going to persuade them to like us lol" BobbyDrake Dec 2016 #51
Ah, ok. I get it. You're not really interested in dialogue Arazi Dec 2016 #55
Right, because exposing how progressives don't even practice the outreach they preach BobbyDrake Dec 2016 #61
Whatever Arazi Dec 2016 #69
Yea, the repeat replies really do a good job conveying your disinterest. BobbyDrake Dec 2016 #70
The vast majority of "independents" are party loyalists who just like the term "independent." Garrett78 Dec 2016 #47
Yup, and we want them to join us Arazi Dec 2016 #52
My point, though, is you're making too much of the whole "independent" thing. Garrett78 Dec 2016 #64
young people often identify as idependent before they pick a party La Lioness Priyanka Dec 2016 #48
Yup and we want them to pick us Arazi Dec 2016 #57
people become reliable dems when they live through a GOP administration La Lioness Priyanka Dec 2016 #60
Maybe. But outreach will also work Arazi Dec 2016 #65
there is a reason third party votes are highest after 2 consecutive dem terms La Lioness Priyanka Dec 2016 #68
That's not true.Iirc, 2000 had some small % of 3rd Party votes Arazi Dec 2016 #72
You are expecting them... tonedevil Dec 2016 #71
i am expecting them to realize how wrong they are. nt La Lioness Priyanka Dec 2016 #73
Good luck with that /nt tonedevil Dec 2016 #75
If they remain 'independent' than they will reap the negative nconsequences ... Demsrule86 Dec 2016 #82
I think Democrats should stop running 'Republican Lite' candidates. immoderate Dec 2016 #58
If you are calling HIllary a Reaganite...you have crossed the line in think. Demsrule86 Dec 2016 #79
Bernie would have beat Trump. Joe941 Dec 2016 #76
Bernie was not cheat out of anything...he did not get enough people to vote for him...so stop saying Demsrule86 Dec 2016 #80
The media shares a huge blame in that. Joe941 Dec 2016 #83
Does it matter...it was not cheating is the point...the idea that the DNC Demsrule86 Dec 2016 #91
I liked Bernie a lot, but NewJeffCT Dec 2016 #84
He would have lost....there was a reason they wanted him. Demsrule86 Dec 2016 #90
That's what we thought about Trump. azmom Dec 2016 #98
And right there is the problem BainsBane Dec 2016 #87
Seriously, Melania... TeeYiYi Dec 2016 #81
What a joke the "fringe" left rainy Dec 2016 #93
Centrists are a poison to the Democratic Party. Rex Dec 2016 #97
You can stop this from happening in the future bowens43 Dec 2016 #95
So HRC lost the popular vote? I missed that part. Rex Dec 2016 #96
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