As we are nearing the end of the democratic primary, people will start analyzing what went wrong, and what went right. I voted for Bernie, but that really isn’t that important for what I am saying in this diary. Instead, my focus is on what we can learn from the campaign so that we can continue to push the democratic party to be more progressive. As we talk and think about how to move forward, I am proposing one simple thing…
If your candidate lost a key demographic, its the fault of the candidate, not the demographic.
Here are two simple examples.
1. Bernie lost the vote of PoC to Hillary. That is Bernie’s fault, not the fault of PoC. As we move forward to future election cycles, and try to elect future progressive candidates, it would be a very good idea to figure out what, precisely, Bernie’s mistake was.
2. Hillary lost the youth vote to Bernie. That is Hillary’s fault, not the fault of young voters. As we move forward to future election cycles (and this general election), and try to elect future progressive candidates, it would be a very good idea to figure out what, precisely, Hillary’s mistake was.
To be clear, I have theories as to what mistakes Bernie and Hillary made. I will reserve them for another day. My point in writing this diary is merely to focus attention on a more productive way to move forward.
The key here is that everyone should resist the urge to blame key democratic demographic groups for your candidate’s problems. If we are to learn from our candidates mistakes, we have to first recognize that our candidates made them.