For those afraid of electoral disaster if we move as far left as Warren/Sanders... [View all]

[thesquanderer]

...I'm reminded of how many on the right were fearful of what Reagan's extreme conservatism would do to the Republican party (especially after they saw what happened to Goldwater). In 1976, Ford narrowly beat Reagan for the Republican nomination... and Ford lost... and Reagan came back and won four years later in 1980. That could parallel how, in 2016, Sanders made a strong run for the Democratic nomination but was beaten by the more centrist Clinton... and Clinton lost*... maybe the left is well-positioned to similarly come back and make its mark in four years later 2020. It could be another case of "We tried it your way..."

And in 1980, Reagan benefitted from Carter being, at the time, a politically weak opponent. In 2020, we have the same advantage against Trump. Reagan's win changed the party--and the country--for decades. We may have the opportunity to do the same now.

* - I know, people will argue Clinton's wasn't a "fair" loss... but I'll go with Mayor Pete on this one. Against Trump, we shouldn't have even been within cheating distance.