Collapse

The Democratic nomination process has collapsed.  A few weeks ago there were five or six candidates, and now there are two (not quite Tulsi Gabbard is still running so it three, but that campaign is going nowhere).  How did that happen?  My favored candidate, Warren, is out.  I was suprised at how here campaign went from strong contender in October to more or less dead in the water in February.  I think (or I would not have supported her) that she is stronger as a candidate than Sanders, and has better policy positions than Biden.  A NYT columnist lays it more or less all on misogyny -- the thought of a woman as the candidate swamped whatever she had in favor.  No doubt there is misogyny and no doubt her campaign had the headwind of sexism against it.  But that there over the summer as her polling numbers rose, and in the fall when the number rose.  It is a slightly odd story that all of sudden a really large part of her support melted away because they thought she was doing well.  In addition to the sexism headwind, I think the polls showed a turn when she announced the Medicare-for-All plan.  But I do not see why that would be a turning point against her (assuming my memory is right).  Her supporters are left-wing (by American standards) and they did not move in large numbers to Biden (as far as I can tell), but shifted to Sanders, who offers a similar plan.  Did they conclude that her showings in the very early states could not be overcome?  Do they think that Sanders or Biden will be better able to withstand Trump?

Another reason I am puzzled is because it is extremely unlikely than anything of left side health care plans will get adopted into law.  It would take a Roosevelt level election to make that possible, and that sort of November does not seem to be in the building, let alone in the room.