Two historians have said that the Democratic Party was wrong to overlook Bernie Sanders' policies for working class people.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/21778444

Summary

Historians suggest Democrats might have fared better against Donald Trump by embracing the economic issues championed by Senator Bernie Sanders, who has long pushed for a focus on “bread-and-butter” concerns for working-class voters.

Despite Kamala Harris’s progressive policies, polls showed Trump was favored on economic issues, particularly among working-class and Hispanic voters.

Historian Leah Wright Rigueur argued that Sanders’ messaging on economic struggles could be key for future Democratic strategies.

Sanders himself criticized the party for “abandoning” the working class, which he said has led to a loss of support across racial lines.

  • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
    45·
    4 days ago

    This assumes that Democrats want to win at any cost. Listening to Sanders is a bridge too far.

    Democrats would rather lose than do even the most tepid social democratic reformism.

    • cosecantphi [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
      13·
      4 days ago

      It sucks to realize in hindsight, but if Bernie had won the 2016 primary he would have been thoroughly ratfucked as a matter of bipartisan consensus. The Democrats would have sabotaged his national campaign at every step, probably even going as far as to have a few high profile Democrats endorse a third party candidate to make sure Bernie loses.

      • Didros@beehaw.org
        9·
        4 days ago

        The people who kill are not those who refuse to vote. It’s those that vote to kill.

        • Dragon Rider (drag)@lemmy.nzEnglish
          45·
          4 days ago

          Allowing someone to be killed through deliberate inaction is the same as killing them. You’re responsible for the actions you chose not to take.

          • Didros@beehaw.org
            5·
            4 days ago

            You’ve killed thousands if that is true. You could have said something to prevent a suicide, you could have spared a dollar to save a homeless person who froze that night. You are a mass murderer if you really think that. It’s a sad way to live.

  • hydrashok@sh.itjust.works
    46·
    4 days ago

    No shit.

    Thanks, DNC and Debbie Wasserman-Schultz. Took an incredible upwelling of enthusiasm, energy, and grassroots engagement, and completely squandered it by nominating Hillary instead.

    It still pisses me off. It should be the end of President Sanders’ second term.

    • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet@lemmy.worldEnglish
      26·
      4 days ago

      They didn’t just squander it, they actively crushed it with a vengeance. The DNC would rather lose to trump than allow Bernie’s vision for America come to fruition.

  • davel [he/him]@lemmy.mlEnglish
    23·
    4 days ago

    It is difficult to get a campaign strategist to understand something when their grift career path depends upon them not understanding it. — Upton Sinclair, probably

    • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet@lemmy.worldEnglish
      11·
      4 days ago

      Upton is the only other socialist in the USA that I’m aware of who gained mass traction with voters. Much like with Bernie, the DNC did everything in their power to keep him from getting elected. The Democrats and the Republicans actually pooled their resources to keep him out of office and defeat him for the Governor’s seat in California. He only lost by 260,000 votes, which I believe makes him the most successful socialist in US history. He was an amazing person, and an excellent writer.

      Everyone here should read The Jungle immediately, if they haven’t already. Seriously, stop what you’re doing and start reading that book. It’s one of the most impactful books in US history, and the reason why we had sweeping food reforms and the creation of the FDA. He said of America’s response to his book “I aimed for their hearts, and I accidentally hit them in the stomach”. He tried to open America’s eyes to the grueling conditions faced by immigrant workers, and the extreme wealth disparity in the country, but all the people cared about were the horrors he exposed in our food supply chain.

      • Niquarl@lemmy.ml
        21·
        3 days ago

        There were socialist mayors in the USA so they actually won elections, I think that’s more succesfull that getting loads of votes.

  • Vertelleus@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    15·
    4 days ago

    DNC won’t change unless heads roll. They just roll in the fund raising money, getting a president is just a bonus.

    • Cowbee [he/him]@lemmy.ml
      144·
      4 days ago

      Every single day Marx and Lenin continue to be vindicated. Try as liberals and progressives might, as time passes their analysis only gains more evidence supporting it. That’s why I keep an intro to Marxism reading list on hand if people want so I can link it whenever.

  • Etterra@lemmy.world
    4·
    4 days ago

    I’ve been saying the same thing for like a decade now, but it’s not like the DNC actually cares.