How Bernie Sanders Broke the Democratic Primary

[KPN]

62. These are different times. The average American is much

less economically secure; income inequality was not the conspicuous issue nor so blatantly obvious and threatening to the well being of working/middle class as it is today; college debt and health care costs were not crippling for the tens of millions as they are today; the stark contradiction of the dual economy — Main Street vs Wall Street — did not exist in 1972; there was no palpable anger about a tax-payer funded Wall Street bail out from a near economic collapse created by Wall Street’s own malfeasance.

On the Democratic primary front, we did not have a segregationist running in opposition to the LBJ and party civil rights legacy winning primaries and splitting away Democrats throughout the south.

In 1972 we did not have a wildly unpopular, conspicuously corrupt, and blatantly self-serving monster occupying the WH. Nor did we have today’s vilified GOP. There was not the extremely galvanized resistance to the sitting President or the GOP that exists today. 1972’s resistance was primarily anti-war and aimed at both parties.

Biden is called the “safe” candidate. That’s his principal selling point. He’s our best shot, the safe candidate for winning the WH. When was the last time the safe candidate chosen by a party won? What happened to Hillary, Romney, McCain, Kerry, Gore? They were all the relative safe candidates against their GE opponent.

These are different times. 1972 and McGovern are not relevant to 2020. Nor is McGovern comparable to Sanders or Warren today. Or for that matter Yang.