SIMPLE & QUICK: Bernie bros are few but protest votes are many

The lead up to the 2016 election was a cacophony of outrageous Trump rallies, incessant Clinton drama, and Bernie bros screaming foul at the DNC. Every aspect of the election cycle was disconcerting.

In the following months and years since, talking heads and internet wonks alike gave as many reasons to why Donald John Trump was elected the 45th POTUS as there are Russian-Trump coincidences in the GOP politisphere. Some claim Team Hillary took The Blue Wall of WI, MI, and PA for granted and did not invest in them as Team Trump did. Others claim that 2016 was a change election and Americans do not like dynasties.

The truth is that Hillary Clinton is why Donald Trump is the 45th President of the United States. Hacks can debate all day on the Secretary’s endless qualifications and political contributions, but in the American body politic, the Clinton name remains contentious. As the Secretary will tell you herself— even in the 90s people were burning her in effigy. And this was because she wanted to bring universal healthcare as a right to all Americans.

Hillary Clinton’s campaign was doomed form its onset. Further proof of this was uncovered in the 2020 Democratic Primary. This cycle Democrats of every stripe had a candidate up for review. One by one the field was whittled down and the big tent party had a choice. It is between a moderate-left establishment and former VP, Joe Biden, or the progressive left firebrand and democratic Socialist Senator from VT, Bernie Sanders.

Today, Democrats have done everything but officially nominate their candidate. Team Biden will have you believe that they need Bernie’s enthusiastic base to close the deal and get Uncle Joe elected as the 46th POTUS, but that is probably not necessary. But unity is of course the message to project. It turns out that Bernie’s real 2016 strength was that his primary opponent was Hillary Clinton.

As the 2020 primary map fills out, whether Americans study state primary results on a county to county scale or spend hours verifying local caucus tallies and changes, they will quickly see a pattern. Bernie Sanders underperformed at every benchmark and with every voter cohort— including those whom voted for him in 2016. Bernie Sanders’s candidacy in 2016 only accelerated to the level it did because he was a vote in protest against Hillary Clinton.

Lifelong Republicans voted as they always do for the R on the ticket— despite many claiming a “Never Trump” mantle. Independents took a chance on liberating the free market and eliminating taxes on an easily lead Trump. Evangelicals salivated over the promise of far-right Justices and Federal judge appointments. The faithful gleefully traded in their faith for MAGA— and Pence.

Most importantly, those Democratic primary protest voters— ahem, Bernie voters— became Obama-Trump voters in November. The thin margins aligned and the rest is US History.