However, a thought crept into my mind the other day- what if she doesn't win? Not the nomination, which I consider to be over, but the general election? What if we have President Trump, and not President Clinton? What does that mean for the country? What does that mean for the Democratic Party? Does it mean we should have went with Bernie?
I'm going to reverse the order in which I answer these questions to say that even if she doesn't win the general election, I will have no buyer's remorse in choosing her over Bernie Sanders. Here's the truth of the matter- I think she's the better choice, has the better ideas, has the better experience, and is a more credible voice. I don't really agree with his ideas as much as her's, I see no sign that he is personally so capable as to actually pass his ideas, nor do I believe his plans have any chance at all of passing in Congress. In short, even if she doesn't win in the Fall, and you somehow convinced me he's actually a stronger candidate, my answer would remain Hillary.
So what would it mean for the Democratic Party? I think it has lasting meaning. I think you'd immediately see Elizabeth Warren become the de facto next-in-line for President, which is something this entire process has warmed me up to. Essentially, our party would be basically past the "Baby Boomer" era in politics, opening up the floor for the Cory Bookers, Julian Castros, and Xavier Becerras of the world to take center-stage in our party. While 2018's outlook would be quite a bit better, that would be assuming that the loss in 2016 hasn't completely decimated our party. My sense is that the "identity-politics" driven party we are right now would actually be crushed. History shows that Democratic defeat generally drives us towards more moderate options afterwards, rather than the opposite. The future would be one big depressing mess, with the only thing of value being the room created for some of our younger, rising stars. It's even possible that we would see the Supreme Court get worse, something unthinkable for all the folks who said that demographics are destiny, and would help us.
If a loss would be bad for the party, it would be devastating for the country. Donald Trump is an utter ignoramus, a man who has no idea what to do if he were actually in office. He's a bigot, holds ignorant views on how to fix America's problems, and is an awful person in his personal and business lives. He's a silver-spoon born kid, who's dad gave him the world, and then he walks around thinking he's "earned" his success. He's bankrupt casinos, companies, and everything but himself, who was born with so much money that he can't do it. In short, the guy is an embarrassment. Having him represent our country to the world would be a disaster. Replacing President Obama with such an awful person, one who said President Obama wasn't even an American, is the worst thing imaginable.
So, what if Hillary doesn't win? Things will be pretty rough for a while. Politics will go from something that has always interested me, to something i'll despise. In short, it will be a disaster, which is why we can't let her lose. It's why all of this drama with Sanders' supporters incorrectly feeling they've been wronged by the party bothers me so much. It's why I have nothing nice to say to the "Bernie or Bust" crowd. It's why I think Democrats should reform the primary process to make sure we get these races done earlier in the future. This is not something we should need to contemplate in the future.
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