Sanders tanked Clinton.

[Jarqui]

63. I'm close to this position

it took me weeks/a few months to come around

I was a Sanders supporter who was more anti-Trump than pro-Hillary. Anti-Trump is what brought me around/back into the fight.

If Hillary had won, I would not have been truly "happy" because I do not trust her. I just would have been greatly relieved that Trump was not president and that all the things achieved under Obama were likely to be safe (which was a significant part of my anti-Trump sentiments).

I still identify with Sanders positions far more than Hillary's in terms of where I think the Dem party should be.

If Sanders had run as an independent (like some folk imply he should remain), I do not see how that would have helped Hillary in the general election. Sanders did the Dem party a favor by not running as an independent

Any good Dem candidate would have provided Hillary with this sort of excuse so I'm not deeply buying into it. Sanders credible candidacy was a factor in her defeat but not a good excuse.

The fact is the general election featured two pretty flawed candidates. The Russians and GOP voting scams put their finger on the voting scale and that seems to have resulted in Trump being "elected" (if one can still say that after all the garbage that appears to have gone on).

Hillary had a lower ceiling that made her more vulnerable to Trump than many other candidates. I think Sanders would have beaten Trump handily because unlike Hillary and more like Trump, he would be perceived with his history as an independent by more as a outsider - someone who did not represent the status quo like Hillary did. Obama's election was a nation looking for change. I think that was a factor for Trump vs Hillary and would not have been nearly as much if Sanders was the candidate.

Having said that, I agree with those who feel it is time to move on. Neither Clinton nor Sanders are likely to be the best candidates we can come up with for 2020. We need to find that agent for change.