2016 Postmortem

At the beginning of 2016 I was expecting and dreading a Bush/Clinton face-off in November. Expecting because they were both being pushed as their respective party's "inevitable" nominee, dreading because I don't like the idea of political dynasties (2 Bushes were more than enough). Bush had out-raised the rest of the initial GOP field: then primary/caucus voters told the Republican party in no uncertain terms that they didn't want their establishment candidate. I think the Democratic early voters were trying to say the same thing, but Sanders didn't have the steamroller effect that Trump did.

As the campaign drew to its end and polls were showing Clinton with a seemingly unbeatable lead, it seemed to me that she was talking more about electing the first woman president than she was about continuing Obama's legacy or even being a better qualified person for the job. It seemed as if she focused more on her own ambition (and anyone who seriously runs for president has to be truly ambitious) and was asking voters to support her vision, rather than her supporting theirs. Disclaimers: I live on the West Coast where we don't get much in the way of political ads or even campaign visits, and I voted for Clinton in both the primary and general because I thought she was the best choice on the ballot. However, there always seemed to be an underlying "It's my turn" vibe which is what I think fueled the Sanders insurgency.