Well considered analysis. However, Bernie’s critical flaw was his vulnerability to caricature. We weren’t running against an opponent of reason. We were running against Trump’s evidently appealing insult, slander, and paranoia machine. Bernie therefore never had a chance with Trumpsters. And for the rest of the electorate, Bernie ruined his chances with righteousness rather than empathy for those voters who simply wanted a return to normalcy. His failure to see a return to normalcy as an opportunity for a further pivot to something better was his undoing. We’ll see whether he uses the Budget Committee assignment wisely and strategically or if he squanders the opportunity to demonstrate a thoughtful, considered, sustainable way toward economic justice.