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2016 Postmortem

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andym

(5,443 posts)
Tue Dec 20, 2016, 03:00 AM Dec 2016

I just can't understand how the worst major party Presidential candidate in American history [View all]

could have possibly won the election, albeit only in the electoral college. According to Polifact he only tells the truth about 15% of the time. He ran a divisive campaign and still won. He should have lost in a rout of the magnitude of Goldwater, Mondale or McGovern. Instead he won by 74 electoral votes (not counting the defections). The only good thing is that he did not have any coat tails, beyond preventing Democrats from taking the Senate and a few more seats in the House.

Yet this is the reality. He is the President and the GOP controls the House, the Senate and about 2/3 of the state houses and governorships in the USA. They also are about to control the Supreme Court. Many people have bought into the conservative agenda that freedom from government taxes, regulations and "interference" that the GOP is not going to be eclipsed anytime soon. Social safety nets and the principles of the New Deal have been demonized by the GOP for years. In 2009 DUers were babbling about a progressive majority. Many articles have been written even this year about demographic changes favoring Democrats and yet the Democratic Party is in retreat except on the West coast and Northeast. And now the country and the world will pay a heavy price.

So what are they practical next steps? What are the priorities? What really needs to get them accomplished? How to fight the power of the rich bent on manipulating the uniformed with misinformation, especially given Citizens United is not going to be struck down by a conservative Supreme court.

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Because they both were highly flawed and unlikable Axolotls Dec 2016 #1
Clinton was not a bad candidate. HassleCat Dec 2016 #3
This is true. In politics, perception is reality... TCJ70 Dec 2016 #18
Well, she wasn't great zipplewrath Dec 2016 #22
She lost to Donald Fucking Trump! TransitJohn Dec 2016 #38
Trump was a good candidate. HassleCat Dec 2016 #39
He was a better candidate than Hillary in th GE. TransitJohn Dec 2016 #40
by any stretch... Locrian Dec 2016 #56
She was certainly able for the job... but charismatic and inspiring to a consumer society, she wasnt dionysus Dec 2016 #42
Maybe to you MFM008 Dec 2016 #13
The new DUer is referring to favorability polls and the like, go easy... JudyM Dec 2016 #16
Welcome to DU, Axolotls! JudyM Dec 2016 #17
Hi and thanks:) Axolotls Dec 2016 #59
RW propaganda was allowed to falsely paint Clinton as highly flawed and unlikable baldguy Dec 2016 #57
How bad was he? HassleCat Dec 2016 #2
Absolutely correct. Mainstream GOP and almost every major newspaper in the country was aganst him andym Dec 2016 #4
That was a mistake Axolotls Dec 2016 #6
You get it! Sekhmets Daughter Dec 2016 #35
I offer this as one reason: Garrett78 Dec 2016 #5
My President Was Black is fantastic andym Dec 2016 #7
The size of his electoral win historically wasn't very significant, as EC wins go. pnwmom Dec 2016 #8
Do not discount Bear Creek Dec 2016 #9
Reagan and W Bush were pretty shitty also. and someone as great as Obama should have won by much JI7 Dec 2016 #10
he won for the same reason White Cops go free even when they are on video JI7 Dec 2016 #11
Corrupt Bear Creek Dec 2016 #12
Comey, Voter suppression, Russia... !!!! uponit7771 Dec 2016 #14
Neither can the statisticians. Coyotl Dec 2016 #15
Because this country is full of a bunch of idiots, racists, and misogynists. beaglelover Dec 2016 #19
Theft. ElementaryPenguin Dec 2016 #20
And Russia True_Blue Dec 2016 #24
Celebrity... Wounded Bear Dec 2016 #21
Polls mean nothing HoneyBadger Dec 2016 #23
+1 uponit7771 Dec 2016 #34
One word - change kudzu22 Dec 2016 #25
I think knowing him from his t.v. show got him a lot of help. gvstn Dec 2016 #26
sadly, i think you're right. americans are so stupid they pick a reality tv star for POTUS. TheFrenchRazor Dec 2016 #46
Corporate Media oldtime dfl_er Dec 2016 #27
Hate filled radio in the midwest. Christian, GOP, and Lunatic Fringe IADEMO2004 Dec 2016 #28
Some people are stupid. forgotmylogin Dec 2016 #29
there was undoubtedly an element of that. nt TheFrenchRazor Dec 2016 #47
The blame rests squarely on CNN and Jeff Zucker. duffyduff Dec 2016 #30
Because the electorate preferred him to the alternative. TransitJohn Dec 2016 #31
Electorate didn't prefer him. He lost by almost 3 millions. LisaL Dec 2016 #32
Zoinks! TransitJohn Dec 2016 #33
80,000 votes spread out over 3 states. Garrett78 Dec 2016 #36
Whatever you say. TransitJohn Dec 2016 #37
Who said nobody misjudged anything or did anything wrong? Garrett78 Dec 2016 #44
No. He was the worst candidate in history. Yes, it was close, but she should dionysus Dec 2016 #43
I don't know what you're saying "no" to. Garrett78 Dec 2016 #45
Im saying she should have destroyed him... he should have been blown out dionysus Dec 2016 #50
i don't know why you keep saying this . a large majority of white voters go for people like Trump JI7 Dec 2016 #51
Yep. Vitter of Louisiana, where more Republicans blame Obama than Bush for response to Katrina. Garrett78 Dec 2016 #53
Huge percentages of Americans subscribe to patently false beliefs. Garrett78 Dec 2016 #52
Yes but this is the first time sipportimg that level.pf crazy went mainstream, beyond a fringe dionysus Dec 2016 #54
I sincerely hope it isn't going to be "triangulation 2.0" dionysus Dec 2016 #41
This is the direction republicans want to take us. Rex Dec 2016 #48
The irony is that Hillary almost won in a landslide andym Dec 2016 #49
He may be the most despicable and unqualified but he wasn't the worst candidate. He won. bowens43 Dec 2016 #55
Yet another Hillary-trashing thread. Enough, already. Paladin Dec 2016 #58
Do you ever do anything besides complain? mtnsnake Dec 2016 #63
Yeah. Every once in a while I put people on Full Ignore. Paladin Dec 2016 #64
Knock yourself out mtnsnake Dec 2016 #65
Here's where you're wrong and is the key to understanding how Trump won Yavin4 Dec 2016 #60
I took this from the Gallup polls andym Dec 2016 #62
When Washington becomes less and less responsive to the needs of voters... Orsino Dec 2016 #61
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