Bill Press: Sanders didnt damage Clintons public image

[JCanete]

220. Clinton was a good candidate for a different environment.

I'm spending a lot of time pushing back against threads that try to attack Sander's character or blame him for his loss, so its only fair that I put a little effort into suggesting that we be less bombastic on our side.

Your critiques, while valid could be said about the institutions that our politicians are operating within, as much or more than about the candidates that succeed in it. The generous read is to allow that the Clinton's took a path that actually kept them in the game, and able to effect policy--that they thought reasonably, that this was the best way to make change for the better. Is that true? Well nobody could possibly know one way or the other. Can it be done that way? You and I think not.

I agree that being republican lite is not sensible positioning if the party wants to ever win back congress or the senate, since at best it makes us the second string players when the corps don't get their first choice onto the field. And it makes it hard to make the case to the public that we are America's team.

But Clinton did tac to the left post-primary, the only way insiders ever do, when enough of the people start demanding it. The issue that sunk her the most was that she'd been made public enemy #1 over the last 20 years by GOP mouthpieces who worked so long and hard at it that people who don't even know shit about Clinton's politics KNOW that she's an evil "bitch." And then there's the rest of the media, that did media, not news or reporting. Nobody is to blame as much for Clinton's loss(and for that matter, a republican lite Democratic Party) as the death of our 4th estate.

Point is, we can focus on what we think works going forward, without vilifying the efforts that we disagree with. I know "shitty candidate" doesn't rise to the level of "monster" but doesn't help people who have a lot of love and respect for Clinton to hear us, and almost certainly is worth 8 more threads about how Sanders fucked us in the primary.