If we go by pure numbers, Sanders lost the primary by what, a million votes? If he was really that popular my first question would be why didn't he win the primary? I know the common refrain is to blame Debbie Wasserman and the DNC, but ultimately he lost. By a lot. Debbie ain't deliver that many votes.


Secondly, the electorate was nearly 50% voters who were 50 years and older. People aged 50 are not voting for a socialist, not en mass at least. No matter how you try to shape it, there are too many baby boomers who have negative connotations with the word socialist, democratic or not.


Third, as mentioned above Sanders was spared the sort of focused negative attacks that Clinton endured. I think a two pronged attack of Breitbart/alt-right attacks with a whole heap of antisemitism and the traditional republican attacks of incompetence and fear mongering would have doomed him.


Fourth, if we're being honest Bernie Sanders has a lot of great idealistic ideals, but if you scratch the surface you'll find his voting record has quite a few moments of questionable decisions and a lack of strong bills sponsored by him and passed. I always chuckle to myself when people point out Hillary's super predator comment, but ignore the fact that Bernie voted for the bill that followed the comment.


Additionally, although the plans he has sound good, they were never backed by strong plans to both fund them and pass them in the republican legislative stronghold. One of Bernies faults imo is his lack of flexibility, this willingness to be so ideologically pure that he's not willing to compromise to get things done. A candidate can afford to be pure when he has the support of a same party house and senate, not when the opposing party controls both.


Lastly, this election was one of rejection, of resentment, of racism. Bernie has been in politics for over 30 years. They would have played on his being an Washington insider and made it very much an us vs. them thing, played on him being Jewish, played up the thing with wife mismanaging a colleges finances. I believe more of the young vote would have gotten out, but not enough to overcome the deficient of pure unfiltered racism and they're 'taking my jurbs!'.