Updates on the election for those of us...

[Crossless2.0]

Wasn't everyone saying during the primaries that Bernie had a better chance against Trump? I think he would have appealed to many hard working people who got hit by the economy and who voted Trump because they feel elitist Clinton will not care for them.

Much as I'd like to claim credit, I can't. I figured that Bernie would go down in flames like McGovern if actually nominated and that Hillary would be able to beat Trump thanks to her experience and policy chops and in spite of her considerable 'negatives' in the public's perception. I was as wrong as could be.

But I'm not sure that it was all about Hillary. So much of this seems to have been driven by anti-Washington, anti-establishment sentiment. I doubt that Hillary's problems as a candidate would have been that much of a problem against a Jeb Bush or a Marco Rubio. Sure, the people who hate her and have hated her for nearly 30 years would have been highly motivated to vote against her, but they're pretty much a known quantity. Trump brought a lot of people into the process who hadn't been active before. I can't believe that any of the "established" GOP contenders in the primaries could have produced so much enthusiasm or so many votes for the party in the general election. In that scenario, the DNC ground game in swing states probably would have prevailed.

A Sanders-Trump general election could have been a very different beast. I wish we could have a "do-over" to find out.