Sanders says he's not interested in asking Hillary Clinton for 2020 advice

[Autumn]

*** Posted in the Sanders Group***

In her book, "What Happened," Clinton placed blame on Sanders for contributing to her 2016 loss, arguing he detracted several would-be voters. The beef appears to persist and was apparent in Sanders’ Friday interview.

“Hillary has not called me. Look, we have differences,” Sanders said, trailing off before conceding: “Hillary has played a very important role in modern American politics.”

But Sanders did not seem to let ideological differences get in the way of backing other hopefuls: He said his main objective in 2020 is to vote out Trump and said he would support any candidate the Democrats choose to do so.

“I hope to be the Democratic nominee and have the support of the whole Democratic Party behind me,” Sanders said. “If I am not and somebody else is, I will support that candidate because what’s most important is that Trump be defeated.”

Sanders campaigned for Clinton in 2016 after losing the party’s nomination.

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/03/01/bernie-sanders-hillary-clinton-2020-1198599

[sacto95834]

1. Never Understood...

Why was Sanders to be blamed for her loss. He did what she asked; he endorsed her and made many campaign speeches for her advocating that we must elect HRC. I'm sure her campaign vetted all his speeches. What more did they want? If they thought Sanders was more a detriment, the campaign should have used him minimally if at all.

I do agree that many Sanders followers did not follow his lead. However a good chunk of those supporters did not identify with the Democratic Party. Rather they were independents and dare I say it Republicans he attracted to his populist economic justice campaign. Unless Hillary could give them a reason to vote for her they would vote for someone else or not vote at all. That was the great strength of Sanders - his ability to attack new voters as well as some stray Republicans and Independents. But since he wasn't part of the ticket it was for HRC and Time Caine to make seal the deal. I do think the vast majority of the Democrats who supported Sanders made the transition to HRC in the general.

IMO, the general election campaign saw many mistakes by the party - their rush to the middle and their courting of suburban Republicans. I do not fault them, if it worked it would have been brilliant. But again, given a choice between a REAL Republican and a Democrat acting like one, they will choose the real Republican. And probably the one thing HRC could not avoid, the populace was looking for a "outsider" and the Clintons are nothing if not very inside the Party. The three critical rust belt states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania was loss due to an under performance by the party compared to turnout in 2012. I can't even remember her campaigning in those states. She may have, but it seems the focus of the campaign was elsewhere.

I supported HRC. I do agree with her supporters that she was very likely the most well qualified person to run for the presidency in my lifetime. But she couldn't sell herself to the populace. Maybe in another time and place her campaign may have caught fire, but it wasn't 2016.

[Raine]

2. It would be better to get advice

from someone like Obama who had a winning campaign.