You’re much closer to the action than I am Charlie, so thanks for the detail, it’s very illuminating. It seemed to be, while looking from across the Atlantic that in the Bill Clinton era the democrats shifted from the politics of social democracy to a mix of identity politics and pay to play politics. That identity politics backfired on them when ethnic minority identity, helped by public mistrust of anything bearing a Clinton name tag, trumped feminist identity and Obama snatched the nomination in 2008.
And in 2016, abhorrence of pay to play politics let in Trump. One would think Hillbillary would get the message now and just go away. But then power is the most addictive thing known to human societies.