My one big regret for this election was not having a Clinton-Sanders ticket

[Fast Walker 52]

where Bernie was VP. That would have really unified the Dems, brought out a lot of swing voters who liked Bernie, kept centrist Dems and would have almost assured a win, I think. It's really too bad they couldn't work it out.

[TheCowsCameHome]

1. Or vice-versa. No salt on mine, please.

[Fast Walker 52]

3. I don't think it would have worked with Sanders on the top, unless he won the primary cleanly

[Hoyt]

2. Maybe so, but if Democrats could not unify in a Trump vs. Clinton election, we have problems.

[Fast Walker 52]

4. well, that was my big frustration of this election! So many liberals holding grudges and

being mad about Bernie, and the "rigged primary".

[bettyellen]

5. I think half of the inter party conflict was pushed by GOP operatives....

Remember dozens left here for a site that ended up supporting Trump. Some had been posting here for years.

[Gothmog]

6. Sanders would have hurt the ticket

Trump had an oppo book on Sanders that was two feet thick. http://www.newsweek.com/myths-cost-democrats-presidential-election-521044

They ignored the fact that Sanders had not yet faced a real campaign against him. Clinton was in the delicate position of dealing with a large portion of voters who treated Sanders more like the Messiah than just another candidate. She was playing the long game—attacking Sanders strongly enough to win, but gently enough to avoid alienating his supporters. Given her overwhelming support from communities of color—for example, about 70 percent of African-American voters cast their ballot for her—Clinton had a firewall that would be difficult for Sanders to breach....

So what would have happened when Sanders hit a real opponent, someone who did not care about alienating the young college voters in his base? I have seen the opposition book assembled by Republicans for Sanders, and it was brutal. The Republicans would have torn him apart. And while Sanders supporters might delude themselves into believing that they could have defended him against all of this, there is a name for politicians who play defense all the time: losers....

The Republicans had at least four other damning Sanders videos (I don’t know what they showed), and the opposition research folder was almost 2-feet thick. (The section calling him a communist with connections to Castro alone would have cost him Florida.) In other words, the belief that Sanders would have walked into the White House based on polls taken before anyone really attacked him is a delusion built on a scaffolding of political ignorance.

Trump would have destroyed Sanders in the general election

[TheCowsCameHome]

7. ...as if it wasn't on election day, anyway.

[Fast Walker 52]

8. maybe.... I know that's the argument against Benrie in the GE, and I think it's right

I wonder if he could have avoided somewhat as VP

[Gothmog]

17. Trump would have gone after Sanders just as much as VP

Look what President Obama did to Sarah Palin

[Fast Walker 52]

19. I suppose... but she was just a nut, and added nothing good to the ticket

[Gothmog]

21. Palin was very popular with the same type of nut cases who voted for Trump

[woolldog]

9. Compared to Trump ?

The oppo file on Trump was even worse. What does that tell you?

Not really a fan of Bernie since early in the primary but he has a manner and way of delivering that is powerful and makes you believe that he is sincere in what he's saying. I think he could've talked his way out of any bad stories that came to light.

[Ace Rothstein]

12. Stop talking about the supposed oppo on Bernie when the most damning oppo in history...

...didn't stop Trump.

[Fast Walker 52]

14. rightwing oppo on the left is always taken more seriously than left wing critiques of RW

unfortunately

[Gothmog]

16. There were tons of tape of Sanders telling everyone that communism was great

In the real world those tapes would have killed Sanders

[Fast Walker 52]

18. yes, although I would hope the damage would have been mitigated if he was the VP candidate

[Gothmog]

20. Again, that did not work for Palin

Why would it work here? As is, Trump tried to go after Tim Kaine and tried to make a deal on the campaign contributions

[Gothmog]

15. In the real world, raising taxes and being a supporter of Fidel Castro is not a good thing

The Oppo on Sanders was extremely damning and Trump would have destroyed Sanders in a general election contest

Sanders was always a very weak general election candidate

[hollowdweller]

10. Or Perez, or anybody but Kaine. I knew she was in trouble when she picked him.

He's pretty lame.

[killbotfactory]

11. I was hoping for Warren. Did Kaine help her in any way? nt

[Fast Walker 52]

13. he helped her win Virginia... and didn't do much else but didn't damage her either

[Gothmog]

22. It is clear that Kaine helped a great deal in Virginia

[okieinpain]

23. i think not choosing him was a big mistake. n/t.

[Axolotls]

24. Kaine was a dud

Not sure why he got the VP spot. Well, there was VA of course (though as it turned out it was for naught since it didn't end up mattering in the end)...but other than that, this guy didn't really add anything to the ticket. A disappointment. Bernie would've added pizzazz and brought out younger voters in droves...and I suspect maybe that's why he wasn't chosen in regards to the former--perhaps Hillary did not want him upstaging her.