Quote:
Originally Posted by pj3000
Bernie would have beaten Trump in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania in 2016.
The margins for Trump over Hillary were slim in all three states... less than 80,000 votes combined.
Bernie's "outsider" persona (like Trump's) appealed strongly to the blue collar ethos present in urban, suburban, and rural areas in the region. Bernie was getting those enthusiastic crowds before Trump did... the difference being Bernie's crowds were significantly populated by white, working class Democrats. Bernie's message of corporate greed destroying good-paying manufacturing jobs (like Trump's of message of Washington DC apathy/corruption and China destroying good-paying manufacturing jobs) enjoyed widespread resonance.
Hillary, on the other hand, didn't even fucking show up... and squandered a huge opportunity to build on an economic recovery, and solidify a powerful voting bloc for the forseeable future.
|
I'm not so sure Bernie would've won Michigan. Bernie has never broadly resonated with black voters, which are a critical Democratic voting block in Michigan (he'd have been the 2020 nominee if he had figured out black voters). He also would've repelled newly minted neoliberal suburban voters in Oakland County that have drifted away from the GOP. Bernie would have outperformed Hillary in Macomb County, but I'm not sure he would've done enough to overcome other vulnerabilities.