How about we try a "reverse role play".
At risk of oversimplifying, there are currently two factions here: let's call them "Berners" and "Hillers." Even though the primaries are long gone, it still seems to me that these two groups exist, and it goes beyond primary preferences. The "Hillers" by and large think that the party of Obama/Hillary has the right values and policies, and the "Berners" by and large think that we should move in more economically populist direction, and less emphasis in identity politics. Yes, it's an oversimplification ("there are two kinds of people in the world, those who try to divide people into two groups, and those who don't"
, but you gotta start somewhere.
Anyway, it is my contention that we really have a lot more in common than it seems right now. On policy issues, there are certain notable points of contention (trade comes to mind), but by and large we want the same things. All of us want both social and economic justice.
So here's an idea. I am a Hiller, but I'm going to do my honest non-snarky best to describe what Berners are thinking/feeling. Basically as an exercise in trying to see things from a different point of view. I'm probably going to get some of it wrong, so I welcome any corrections. I also welcome anyone else in either group, or neither group, to try the same thing. Maybe it will help us understand each other and come together.
Here goes.
Around 1990, an influential group of Democratic Party insiders and think tanks came up with the idea of moving the party to the right economically. And it worked electorally, at least for a little while. Problem is, once the DLC got in charge, they went and did all the stuff that Republicans had wanted to do for years. Cut welfare. Embrace race-to-the-bottom globalization. Imprison lots of people. Deregulate banks. And so on. As a result of that, working people suffered, and felt betrayed.
It didn't help that, while selling out the working class to corporations, coastal liberals turned their emphasis to identity politics, patting themselves on the back about how socially enlightened they were, telling white people to recognize their privilege. To an average white worker who's factory moved to Mexico, this is a double slap in the face.
2000 should have been a wakeup call. Yeah, it was stolen, but come on, how do you lose to W? The guy is obviously an idiot. Well, I'll tell you how you lose. Eight years of pushing policies that hurt working people. Did the Dems wake up after that? No. They stuck with centrist, pro-business Dems.
2008 was supposed to be "Hope and Change", as Obama's soaring rhetoric led Dems to control the White House and both chambers. But then... Banks were bailed out, underwater homeowners not. No talk of single payer, instead a plan created by the Heritage Foundation. Big new trade deals. Continuous pointless wars.
So then comes the 2016 primary. Bernie Sanders, the candidate of a lifetime. One of the few who never, ever bought any of the DLC-Third Way stuff. Never budged from a principled progressive stance on anything -- he was a gay rights advocate in the 80s and before, long before any politician would even touch the issue.
And it was totally obvious that the electorate wanted Bernie. A 70-year-old socialist with a Brooklyn accent was filling stadiums! He started out with zero name recognition, and pretty soon he was out-raising Hillary effing Clinton!
What happened next was infuriating. Before the campaign even started, something like 90% of elected Democrats had already endorsed Hillary. Why? How about letting the voters get to know the candidates before the party machine puts its foot on the scale. The DNC makes the absurd decision to limit debates, favoring the already known candidate over the others. Did I mention that the DNC was run by an incompetent centrist who was a big surrogate for Hillary in 2008?
Then there was the corporate media. Pretty soon everyone and their sister on MSNBC/NYT/whatever is talking about how Bernie's plans are "unrealistic" and oh yeah he just might be racist because he said that people shouldn't vote only based on their ethnicity. I'm being called a "Bernie Bro". The DNC is leaking debate questions to Hillary and speculating on how to use Bernie's Jewishness against him.
And it worked, Hillary got the nomination. And then she lost to Trump. The DNC and the party insiders forced on us the single person who could to lose to Donald Trump. At the end of the primaries, Bernie was leading Trump by like 15, Hillary was barely ahead. Hillary didn't inspire anyone, Bernie was filling stadiums. Hillary had way too much baggage -- sure, some of it wasn't her fault, but guess what, life isn't fair. You don't nominate such an obviously weak candidate simply because it's only partially her fault that she's so disliked by so many people.
Is the Democratic Party finally going to wake up? Are we done with this third-way stuff? Because if not, it's going to be a very long time in the wilderness. We've gone from a party that said "I welcome their hatred" to robber barons to a party that says "thank you for the millions in speaking fees". As Bernie said, "enough is enough."
But instead I keep reading about how it's Bernie's fault. Really?! Bernie forced her to use a private server? Bernie was behind the decades-long attacks on Hillary from the GOP? Bernie made her vote for the Iraq War? Bernie made her change her mind 279 times on NAFTA, and TPP, and everything else?
= new reply since forum marked as read
Third Way = LET'S GET ELECTED. Nothing else matters. Duh.
Clinton economics - It's the Economy Stupid. To beat the Republicans at the smear that Democrats are only tax and spend, Bill C. went right at them with his fiscal plans, but in the meantime alienated some of the base to accomplish this. I took it as a long game, which it was. Like paying off a credit card, you eliminate some programs until such time until the debt is paid. That resulting surplus would have been handed off to Al Gore who actually had a brilliant mind for global politics!
Then came Nader. Oh, and Al Gore was kinda nerdy. And his voice... And he wore khakis. 
Obama did all he could to clean up Bush's wars and the pillaging of the economy.
Then came Sanders. Oh, and Clinton coronation. And her voice... And she gave speeches.
THE END
