April 13, 2019

"Hindsight is 2020."

A great 2020 slogan, but who should use it. I spotted it on a T-shirt at the Lake Mendota Bernie Sanders rally. This is my screen shot from the video of the event (linked in the previous post, where I have a wider-view screen shot with this shirt that caught my attention):
You can't see the whole slogan there, but I completed it by looking on line. I see many Bernie T-shirts with the slogan "Hindsight is 2020." The idea I'm seeing expressed is that Democrats may have thought they were being safe and sensible by picking Hillary Clinton in 2016, but you see what happened, and in retrospect, it's obvious that it would have been better to have picked the person who got people energized and came across as genuine and decent.

71 comments:

Birkel said...

And that is why Trump wins re-election quite easily.

Temujin said...

I don't suppose there would be any argument from the populace of Venezuela. Hindsight is often perfect.

Big Mike said...

... came across as genuine and decent.

“Came across as” as opposed to “is.” Good catch, Althouse.

I wish I was Inga said...

Buttigeig in 2020. Comes across as genuine and decent.

Bay Area Guy said...

"...the person who got people energized and came across as genuine and decent."

He did energize people and is genuine. His ideas, however, aren't decent. His intentions may be "decent" (i.e., cure poverty), but to do that you have to confiscate wealth and Liberty from others, which is indecent.

traditionalguy said...

Bernie honestly loves the mesmerizing Marxist trash theory for Revolution and Uncle Joe’s governance skill. But Solshinitzen has blown his cover. He has no more sincerity or love than Adolph Eichmann had designing the final solution.

mikee said...

I, for one, look forward to the presidential debate between Trump and whichever of the umpteen socialist candidates garners (not James Garner, but the bad kind of garners) enough special delegates and votes to win the nomination for the Democratic party. Because while hindsight is 2020, mopping the floor with the tears of supporters of socialist candidates after crushing them electorally is always a useful exercise.

elkh1 said...

All pale faces.

Birkel said...

His intent is descent.
The 's' is very important.
Venezuela is the unstated, downward goal.

Anonymous said...

He’s genuine, but not decent. This is a man who enthusiastically favors replacing your local supermarket with government warehouses handing out food to people standing in bread lines with ration coupons! He is a dreadful, evil man, an admirer of the greatest murderers in history, and civil war would be preferable to allowing him to seize power.

Wince said...

Perfect hindsight?

As Hillary showed, that depends on who's hind we're talking about.

Bilwick said...

If "Grandpa Gulag" actually had hindsight, he'd see the kind of chaos, scarcity and bloodshed his policies have brought about in the past.

Bay Area Guy said...

With 20/20 hindsight, maybe some of these aged folks should examine the socialist experiments in Russia, China, and North Korea (still ongoing).

I wish I was Laslo said...

Clever. I submit that the Democrats aren't using any form of hindsight to win in 2020. They are just doubling down on what made them lose in 2016 while choosing new ideas that are even more toxic to voters. (Hint: Hillary isn't why they lost. Policy is.) If hindsight was indeed 20/20 to these crazy Bernie fans, they wouldn't support someone who bent over for Hillary's and the DNC's shenanigans.

MBunge said...

The only way to top the Hillary/Trump race of 2016 would be Bernie/Trump 2020. I mean, if you had to name a possible replacement for Trump our political establishment would hate more than Trump, Bernie is pretty much the only answer.

Forget the socialism. Has anyone actually LOOKED at Bernie's foreign policy? It practically makes Trump look like Max Boot!

Mike

Bobb said...

From the picture alone it may read " nosight is [Bernie]", which may be more apt.

Drago said...

I'm now taking bets on the who the first LLR will be to offer up their latest hot take: "The Conservative Case for Bernie Sanders Socialism"

In the likely event of a tie between every single LLR alive, the award will be split according to an Identity Politics Matrix of Deserved Need.

YoungHegelian said...

That the American people are longing for the advent of a True Socialist to show them the way forward has been a waking dream of the American Left for a long, long time.

They're not. Never have been, a good chance never will be. But that doesn't stop the Left from pining for a "pure" socialist at the helm.

Bay Area Guy said...

No worries! Bernie will romance a few boomers with a nice campaign video to "Scarborough Fair" and all shall be healed.

Drago said...

YH: "They're not. Never have been, a good chance never will be."

That depends on how successful the far left and LLR's are in keeping their Open Borders + amnesty policy dreams alive.

sinz52 said...

As I recall,

Hillary was not the enthusiastic choice of any rank-and-file Dems except feminists.

She got dragged across the finish line by the votes of the superdelegates.

Pianoman said...

The superdelegate system prevented Bernie from winning the nom.

It might do so again in 2020, but only if a centrist (Biden) is leading the pack.

There was a lot of BernieBroRage in 2016 though. If Bernie got iced out again due to superdelegates, it might cause violence at the convention.

Unknown said...

The fact that so many people believe his viable, even if he loses, is truly disturbing.

May I suggest Trump and his campaign offer any border on the fence a free paid trip to Caracas, as long as the airport is still open.

Drago said...

"It might do so again in 2020, but only if a centrist (Biden) is leading the pack."

Michelle Obama will be the Chosen Nominee.

The dems will continue encouraging a cast of thousands to jump in and splinter the primary votes, no candidate will be able to get close to nailing down enough votes to become the presumptuve nominee prior to the convention.

The convention rules will free up all delegates after a first vote and, golly gee whiz, despite all Shermanesque protestations to the contrary, by sheer acclamation Michelle will "reluctantly" accept the nomination....and stand there gleaming from the adoring press and having avoided the primary mudfest.

Post-convention the coverage by the media will exceed Soviet-era praise for their leaders.

All of Michelle's problematic past positions/statements will be buried under an avalanche of over the top praise in the form of "reporting" by every lefty/LLR in sight.

Will this plan, hatched no doubt by the Washington based Obamas (with live in House pal/advisor Valerie Jarrett) and a massive political staff hanging out at obama Central, work?

Since obama had to have known and approved of the dems frameup job he had to believe it would work leaving the path in 2020 open for an obama/white house return engagement.

Anonymous said...

A Bernie and Mayor Pete ticket will make Trump poo his pants. Stocking up on popcorn and beer.

Michael K said...

Dave Begley attended a Bernie rally in Iowa and wrote that about half the people there were under 30.

I think Bernie's attraction is free stuff for people that know no history or economics. They have student loans in default and want somebody to pay them. I have a feeling that few people are interested in Bernie who have a trade and no student loans.

Remember, Chavez was elected by the poor. The same people who are now starving.

Sebastian said...

In hindsight, not just the deplorables but everyone knows Hill was corrupt and terrible.

In hindsight, as Mueller has now shown, it's clear that the witch was a witch hunt and the coup attempt a coup attempt.

BernieBabe said...

Bernie is on the rise again! Biden isn’t going to make it. Buttigieg would be a perfect choice for Bernie’s VP. The energy that Bernie and Butti will generate will be historic.

Achilles said...

Drago said...

Since obama had to have known and approved of the dems frameup job he had to believe it would work leaving the path in 2020 open for an obama/white house return engagement.


Obamas thought Trump would be the one under indictment.

Now it is going to be Barry who is under indictment.

And there are enough people in this country who know what a piece of shit Michelle truly is. With her husband being investigated for spying on a political opponent she will not get that support from the middle they were planning on.

And I will say it now. If another Obama is elected president this country is my enemy. There are plenty of people who agree with me.

Achilles said...

I wish I was Inga said...
Buttigeig in 2020. Comes across as genuine and decent.

His attacks on other peoples faith has turned off most Christians.

The leftists just do not understand Christians. It is clear every time they foist someone like this up there.

traditionalguy said...

It is well to remember that Loving sincere Bernie’s Revolution STARTS by mass arrests and re-education work camps for the 75% of the people. The other 25% must be immediately executed for the crime of being educated professionals and management types. Other than that the health care is free but rationed st low levels to the productive that alone escape the death panel. And all speech that includes ideas forbidden.

Quaestor said...

...it's obvious that it would have been better to have picked the person who got people energized and came across as genuine and decent.

Bernie Sanders may be a genuine socialist, but he and his wife do not conduct their personal finances like as doctrinaire socialism would dictate, which be may genuinely socialist judging from the wealth Hugo Chavez and family extracted from Venezuela and salted away in overseas banks. However, whether he is genuinely a socialist or just another mountebank like virtually every left-of-center politician who has ever held power in this poor, dumb republic of ours, Sanders is far from decent.

Drago said...

"A Bernie and Mayor Pete ticket will make Trump poo his pants"

It seems like only yesterday Trump was supposedly terrified of "Li'l Tomahawk" Warren, and the LLR Fav Avenatti.

Like fascism which is always descending in America but only landing outsude the US, Trump is supposedly always afraid of democrats, one by one, until he flattens them.

Quaestor said...

Sanders and Clinton were indistinguishable on matters of policy. Basically, their joint platform was You want it? You got it! Unless what you want is freedom to work and live without a commissar breathing down your neck, and your deplorable First and Second Amendment rights.

chickelit said...

“Behindsight Is 2020” was Willie Brown’s idea for Harris’s campaign but Obama told her it was too late.

David Begley said...

The future President speaks at an event within walking distance of Ann’s house and she didn’t even go? It would have been on the route for the regular walk!

tcrosse said...

Hillary's 2016 campaign was light on policy and mostly about what an awful person
Trump was. Too bad for H>er that awful as Trump might be, she was worse. I expect more of the same no matter who the 2020 nominee is.

Michael K said...

David, was my memory of your observation of the Bernie crowd correct?

My impression has been that his fans are mostly the young.

The Godfather said...

Patterns, people, patterns. They're important. Ever since 1952, we've had a pattern of two terms for Party A, followed by two terms for Party B. The only exceptions were (a) Carter's defeat by Reagan after only one term, and (b) Bush's election to the "third Reagan term". The Republican candidate (whoever) was going to defeat the Democrat (whoever) in 2016. Yes, the Dems made their defeat more likely by nominating Hillary, a terrible candidate, but then the GOP made their victory less likely by nominating Trump, an unusual candidate. In the end, the pattern prevailed. It will prevail in 2020 -- Trump is not Carter, and there's no Democrat who's equivalent to Reagan.

But Drago's right. As I've said before if the Dems nominate Michelle O they might just break the pattern and pull it off.

walter said...

In hindsight, Berno should have given a damn about Hillary's emails.

tim in vermont said...

I would have voted for Bernie at the time since I really sort of despised Trump, though not as much as Hillary. Knowing what I know now about Trump, I am happy that I didn’t get the opportunity.

Seeing Red said...

Who comes across genuine and decent. But he’s not.

LA_Bob said...

Hey, Walter! Nice blog name (though I'd drop a "G") but not much to read.

LA_Bob said...

If Bernie gets the nomination, the Trump campaign needs its own T-shirt:

"Hindsight is 2020, but Foresight Made America Great Again!"

walter said...

Heh..yeah..I'm betting I put a lot of effort into that back in 2011 ;)

Gahrie said...

it's obvious that it would have been better to have picked the person who got people energized and came across as genuine and decent.

How truly fucking awful do you have to be that a hardcore Marxist is considered genuine and decent compared to you?

walter said...

Andrew Yang says "Foreskin is 2020".
and Yang: Preserve the wang!

tim in vermont said...

Lefties think that Christianity supports leftism and non leftist Christians are therefore hypocrites, which is Butt-whatever’s position. But the fundament belief of liberals and of the left is that you can change human nature and perfect mankind if you just have a strong enough government, whereas Christians (I am not one, BTW, but was raised as one) believe fundamentally that Man is fallen. It happened in the Garden of Eden. Therefore the Christian position is that government should accept the fact that Man is fallen and not perfectible, and should pursue policies that maximize the general welfare given this fact.

That’s why I don’t think that the commie Pope is even a Christian. Somebody should ask him if he thinks that mankind is perfectible, which is a core belief of communism.

tim in vermont said...

If course to “perfect” mankind, you have to fill a lot of trenches with the bodies of the imperfect. Lots of bullets, backhoes, and lime involved in the “perfection” of mankind.

Yancey Ward said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Yancey Ward said...

Well, I don't think one can really argue that the phrase doesn't belong to Sanders' campaign during the primaries, or even the general election should he win the nomination- seriously, he is the only candidate that can plausibly claim that, with hindsight, he should have been the nominee in 2016.

I don't think he will be the nominee, but I do think he will run all the way to the end- his base of support is pretty solid, though not likely to ever breach 40% in the primaries at any point.

David Begley said...

Michael K

Yes, many young people and a few hippies from the 60’s at the Bernie rally in CB.

BJM said...

and in retrospect, it's obvious that it would have been better to have picked the person who got people energized and came across as genuine and decent.

That would be whom? In 2016 the Dems had no bench or vision and still don't. Obama eviscerated the party in his own self interest. They have nowhere to go but to stand with fringe social movements, anti-Semites and terrorism apologists: heckofajob Barry.

BJM said...

hmmmm....is a Foxworthy style meme born?

When a freshman congresswoman realizes that picking a fight with a company that orders ink by the tanker truck wasn't such a good idea...that might be Hindsight 2020

Big Mike said...

“Medicare for All.” Has anyone thought to ask doctors what they think of accepting the Medicare schedule of payments for everybody they see? Just thought I’d ask.

Rory said...

"In hindsight, Berno should have given a damn about Hillary's emails."

There's a Podesta wikileaks email that referred to some sort of hands-off campaigning agreement between Bernie and Clinton. He may have agreed up front not to give a damn.

Donna Brazile talked about calling Bernie and apologizing for the DNC fixing the primaries for Clinton. I always imagine Bernie on the other end thinking, "I know, I helped fix them."

h said...

replying to bay area guy at 2:19 who said " No worries! Bernie will romance a few boomers with a nice campaign video to "Scarborough Fair" and all shall be healed."

How about "hello darkness my old friend. I've come to talk with you again."

walter said...

I wonder if Inga drove to Madison for this...

William said...

I have a vague memory of him saying nice things about Venezuela's health care system. I don't suppose any of his Democratic opponents will bring it up, and no responsible journalist would ever question him about such unseemly matters. Still, that's the kind of thing that Trump might mention. Gutter politics.

BJM said...

When all the for-profit hospitals, medical centers, urgent care, diagnostic and satellite treatment facilities close...that might be hindsight 2020

gspencer said...

Thanks for reminding me. I try to do it at least once a week.

Do what?

Say a prayers of thanksgiving that Hillary is not president.

walter said...

Bernie Sanders Praised Socialist Venezuela as Model for Ending Income Inequality

Big Mike said...

Does anyone know the status of the investigation into the apparent bank fraud committed by Bernie's wife Jane when she was president of Burlington College? A couple years back the media reported that she had wildly overstated the value of the collateral pledged for the loans needed to buy property from the local Catholic Diocese that would let the college expand from 200 students to 750. If true then she committed a felony. If not true, then the FBI should say so.

Or is it the case that truth is a secondary consideration to which senatorial caucus your husband participates in.

Big Mike said...

@walter -- Venezuela mostly ended income inequality. There are a handful of people named Maduro and Chavez who are still unequal, but everybody else is poor, so therefore equal.

walter said...

Yes, the closer you get to nothing, the easier it is to equitably distribute.
You get bupkis! You get bupkis! And you too get bupkis!

walter said...

That's also why the foreign aid waiting to get in must be refused..

Maillard Reactionary said...

Hindsight, all the back to 1917.

Great slogan.

wildswan said...

Bernie and Butti in 2020 = BB gun vs. angry elephant.

Michele? I think she is sincerely unwilling to take on politics at the highest level after having seen it at work for eight years.

Hillary. She is playing a game of chess, while pressing lidless eyes and waiting for a knock upon the door, as the convention suddenly calls for her on the second vote. She was asked if she thought politics was more like West Wing or Veep and she said it was more like Game of Thrones. Nice, huh? And it would openly be like that if the Dem convention nominates anyone but Bernie Three-House. I don't say he'd win the election but I say the Bernie Boys think he damn well BETTER BE GIVEN the Dem nomination while Hillary thinks she damn well WILL GET the Dem nomination. Unreality TV at its best. Followed by another Trump win since only he will have mentioned the economy, deregulation and health-care while the Dems will have spent the time explaining that Deplorables should be too ashamed to live, let alone vote. Besides that, either Bernie or Hillary or both will be running as an Independent against Trump and whoever the Democrats nominate. SPLAT.

Fen said...

Bernie people were betrayed by the DNC, Hillary stole the nomination.

But they are 100% down with (fake) Russia Collusion invalidating Trump. Because stealing the Presidency is a bridge too far.

I don't understand these people.

But hey, they are Filthy Marxists anyway. I only need to understand how much to lead them by.

Fen said...

I'm now taking bets on the who the first LLR will be to offer up their latest hot take: "The Conservative Case for Bernie Sanders Socialism"

There was already a Chuckish version of something close to "Is Socialism Really So Bad?"

I'll see if I can find it for you.

Fen said...

Hitler has nothing on Marx. 6 million VS 120 million murdered.

People always use their Time Travel Voucher to kill Cpl Hitler.

I would use mine to strangle Marx in his crib.

It's so ironic to see people who would burn a Hitler t-shirt wearing Che and Marx branding like it's something to be proud of.

It's also an interesting tell re the moral weakness of the Right. People are getting beaten up, not for wearing Nazi memorabilia, but for MAGA hats. Meanwhile, a Marxist can wave a Hammer & Sickle flag while dressed in his How Cool Is Che shirt without the fear of even harsh words being directed his way.

Does that seem right to you?

If you want to know why Marxism is normalized in the US, it's because WE didn't denormalize it. Same pattern repeating itself - Conservatives lack the will to attack pre-emptively. Which is why we always seem to be on our heels trying to muster a counter-attack. We don't want to go for the ball, might incur a foul. Always playing Prevent Defense.

Mark Steyn recently addressed this. I'm happy to see that other people are picking up on it.

The Craven Pile-On Of Hollow Conservatives

This is why I despise the Chucks of the GOP. They have seen Auschwitz and still they caution us that Hitler only wants more living space. Lebensraum. And as was recently demonstrated: when the truth finally comes out, they are all "...but I voted for Trump. Pinkie Swears."

We make men without chests and expect from them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. - CS Lewis