General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I feel like I'm losing my mind with still more Hillary vs. Bernie [View all]Whiskeytide
(4,461 posts)... The outcome in the general was different - but the behavior of the voters was quite typical. The outcome was simply a reflection of that in a close race.
Typically, about 10% of voters are so pissed off that their candidate lost the primary, they refuse to support the "other candidate". It's been that way for as long as we've had primaries. Bernie's supporters fit that model perfectly - 9%. But they are being excoriated because the outcome was different.
2008 Clinton supporters went higher. A lot of theories for that - women felt disenfranchised when she lost the primary, Obama was young and unproven, Obama was black (yes, their ARE racists in the Dem party too)... but the fact of the matter is that this was expected, and always has been. Obama won so overwhelmingly that it didn't affect the outcome in the general. 2016 was closer, and arguably the 9% made a difference.
There was barely a whisper of a difference between Sanders and Clinton policy-wise. I dare you to find a distinction that was genuinely material. There just wasn't one. But this divide is being amped and exploited to create a perception of conflict and divide the Dem party. The question we really need to explore is WHO is stoking it.