Someone that was electable? - No, I don't think that Sanders was electable in 2020 against Trump. I find Bernie Sanders to be a very good and honest man, and if he were 30 years younger would be a tiger, but he wasn't the right fit at the right time IMO. Also, he wants to work WITHIN the system... these people (Trumpers) want to blow up the system.
So you wouldn’t have voted for him in the general because he was … unelectable? He came relatively close to winning the primary, and in particular did extremely well with independents / a political groups, and fence leaning republicans. Particularly inspired young people. Not sure what about him was unelectable, he’s noticeably sharper today than Biden was in 2019. One of the staunchest supporters of democracy, so it’s not like he was some authoritarian threat. Countless centrist Dems dubbed Sanders as precisely “wanting to blow up the system”, particularly as their claim to WHY he was “unelectable”, so it’s odd seeing that placed against him now, it can’t be both ways. Fundamentally, changing campaign finance laws and steel manning our democracy, taking the power away from the supremely wealthy corporations and individuals ability to bastardize our democracy is exactly what he championed, and IMO is the exact kind of “blowing up” our system has desperately needed. Did he plan on being corrupt, and ruthlessly divisive like Trump? Probably not, but he certainly campaigned on making radical changes to a corrupt political system and economy in a similar fashion.
I love Bernie, but he is what I am now against, and it took Biden, Trump, Pelosi, McConnel to convince me that the old regime and the old ideas have to go. Gun to groin, I would have voted for Haley or Christie as the alternative to trump LOL. People like James Tallarico, Mayor Pete, Wes Moore who have solid ideas and the right temperament are people I gravitate to now. The GOP is so maga now I don't know who the real GOP candidates are anymore, clearly no one stands up to him. If JD Vance thinks he can run in 2028 and not have the stench of trump on him, he will not make it, it's not like he can come out and say how dumb the Iran War was, how bad the tariffs were....it will like when trump said Harris was Biden`s border czar and that stuck, he wont be able to run away from the ugliness of this administration.
What are Pete Buttigieg’s current policy positions? I honestly don’t know what he believes in atm and unfortunately, he’s gay, so I don’t think he has much of a chance…he can kiss the black vote goodbye, and his support among his Hispanics is insanely low too I have family members who would rather their child be a criminal than LGBTQ, I kid you not…homophobia runs rampant in the black community
the only reason Butt-Guy has gotten anywhere in politics is because he's a gay vet. if he were "just" a vet, no one would vote for him, because there is literally nothing exceptional about him.
Bernie had abysmal support among African American voters in 2016 and 2020. His self-ascribed "democratic socialist" label is politically stupid as it turns off older voters and people who immigrated from authoritarian left-wing countries. I like the guy a lot, but he had two primary runs to convince large chunks of Democratic voters that he was electable and didn't get it done.
Bernie was too progressive for when he ran. But his campaign sowed some seeds then that are still impacting political discourse now. It probably made it easier for Mamdani to call himself a democratic socialist and still win an election.
he’ll win it, but it will probably be by the worst margin we’ve ever seen by far from a Democrat candidate in the modern era and turnout would be low, which means the Dems would lose the election he could have the greatest policies on earth, and it wouldn’t matter
The only thing I really can predict is none of the predictable Dem 28 candidates are going to win the nomination. Voters will want something fresh, and most likely an outsider. It's more likely that a business outsider personality like Scott Galloway, or a cultural figure like Jon Stewart much more easily wins hearts and minds. I'd say it's also more likely that a Republican never Trumper wins like Adam Kinsinger as a unity moderate candidate. Some of the in-party Democratic talent hopefuls I could see making a case though would be Andy Beshear and Wes Moore. John Ossoff and Rafael Warnock have a shot if they want to try. AOC won't win the nomination. Mayor Pete's time has passed. Newsome is too high profile. Those big names are going to have unsuccessful runs IMO unless they significantly break through culturally and gain some mass appeal from some sort of breakout. .... Right now I think it's best that these candidates lay low, and let the 2026 midterms be a campaign of candidates who appeal SPECIFICALLY to their independent states, and districts. Let these candidates not be shackled by DC party politics, and almost run as independents. Take as large of a margin as you can in the House and Senate to prepare for the 2028 bloodbath which will require as much congressional power as possible to ensure that Trump and his minions cannot fool around and try to stay in power illegally.
