WI: The Great Recession occurs before the 2008 Primaries?

So I’m breathing life into my own thread here:

Do you think an earlier recession manifesting in the US in 2007 would have led Bernie Sanders to attempt to make a run for the Democratic nomination in 2008? If so, what impact do you think his policy proposals would have on the discourse of the other candidates running for the Democratic nomination? With a divided field is there a chance that he manages a win in Iowa and becomes a dark horse candidate?

Is there a chance of it? Sure, I think there's a chance of it. And as a Bernie supporter, I think it'd be great if it manifested into something. But my gut feeling on it aligns with something I saw in another thread discussing him running in 2008; he's not right for the time. An earlier recession would give him a platform to make his case, and probably make it effectively to a large slice of the electorate, but I think it would just scare most people. They wanted change, but not the radical change that Sanders would represent. If he does quickly establish a solid support base, though, then I think you'd see the frontrunners slowly shift towards some of his proposals and ideas. But all in all, I get the feeling that the kind of rhetoric that comes from Sanders might scare people more than anything.
 
I don’t think Sanders could win presidency, but maybe if he entered, he could still leave an earlier and stronger impact that’d benefit him down the line.
 
Like turning OWS into an effective group?

Yeah, basically they began gathering around him and organizing earlier than in OTL, especially once the growing contrasts Sanders and the other Dems become open, such as about money in politics, healthcare and whatnot
 
I don’t think Sanders could win presidency, . . .
Well . . .


youtube: Bernie Sanders on Enron Collapse (12/12/2001)

Here's Bernie talking about Enron, about employees being ripped-off on their company pensions, about Arthur Andersen who did a lousy job auditing financial statements, and about Enron's campaign contributions. All in less than 3 minutes!

So, if he adds some straightforward solutions, maybe he could!

LATER EDIT: Arthur Andersen is the correct spelling of the former accounting firm.
 
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Well . . .


youtube: Bernie Sanders on Enron Collapse (12/12/2001)

Here's Bernie talking about Enron, about employees being ripped-off on their company pensions, about Arthur Anderson who did a lousy job auditing financial statements, and about Enron's campaign contributions. All in less than 3 minutes!

So, if he adds some straightforward solutions, maybe he could!

I meant being able to convince the Dems to do so. Most are still pretty centralist and have their benefactor to consider.

I do think that even if he does not win in 2008, he’d inspire a lot of people to run as leftier Dems in the next 8 years and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Dems controller House and Senate by 2016 and he’d very likely win
 
. . . convince the Dems to do so. Most are still pretty centralist . . .
In other ways, Dems, Indies, Repubs, more than ready for reform. For example, the Family and Medical Leave Act was twice vetoed by Bush, Sr., was passed again by the new 1993 Congress and was the first piece of legislation Pres. Clinton signed on Feb. 5, '93. And it was surprisingly popular, I think in large part because it was clear and straightforward, in which most of it can be put on one half of one piece of paper.

And in late 2008 and early 2009, many American citizens were ready . . . to bring the Hammer of God down upon Wall Street! :p
 
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2013/02/28/how-the-recession-turned-middle-class-jobs-into-low-wage-jobs/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.6909e6e67a35

This is showing four years into the Recession, and only some of the mid-wage jobs came back.
 
Do you think an earlier recession manifesting in the US in 2007 would have led Bernie Sanders to attempt to make a run for the Democratic nomination in 2008?
I'm skeptical. IIRC, Sanders' main motivation for running in 2016 was that he didn't want the Democratic primaries to be a Clinton coronation, because he didn't believe her to properly represent the progressive wing of the party. But in this alt-2008, the primaries are going to be amenable to a progressive economic message if not fought over it, and the field includes Edwards ("Two Americas") and Obama (who campaigned for Sanders in 2006). I don't think Sanders will see much room, let alone purpose, for a bid of his own.
 
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Employers will do almost anything to find workers to fill jobs — except pay them more

Los Angeles Times, Michale Hiltzik, July 10, 2018.

http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-employment-20180710-story.html

' . . . "Labor is being paid first again," Kevin Crissey, an airlines analyst for Citigroup, bellyached to clients after the announcement. "Shareholders get leftovers." . . . '

' . . . The labor share [of Gross Domestic Income] has since crept up to 43% as of 2016, but it’s still well below its postwar peak of 51.5%, reached in 1970 [Emphasis added]. . . '
As if paying employees somewhat more in a relatively tight labor market is some kind of new discovery!
 
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I'm skeptical. IIRC, Sanders' main motivation for running in 2016 was that he didn't want the Democratic primaries to be a Clinton coronation, because he didn't believe her to properly represent the progressive wing of the party. But in this alt-2008, the primaries are going to be amenable to a progressive economic message if not fought over it, and the field includes Edwards ("Two Americas") and Obama (who campaigned for Sanders in 2006). I don't think Sanders will see much room, let alone purpose, for a bid of his own.

Yeah though I figure there would still be some form of unification could lead to some sort of coalition
 
I'm skeptical. IIRC, Sanders' main motivation for running in 2016 was that he didn't want the Democratic primaries to be a Clinton coronation, because he didn't believe her to properly represent the progressive wing of the party. But in this alt-2008, the primaries are going to be amenable to a progressive economic message if not fought over it, and the field includes Edwards ("Two Americas") and Obama (who campaigned for Sanders in 2006). I don't think Sanders will see much room, let alone purpose, for a bid of his own.

I guess it depends on how effectively and how early Bernie would begin his campaign in an alt world where the recession begins early 2007
 
Chris Dodd ran in the 2008. No, he didn't get very far.

Now, for this ATL of an earlier Great Recession, the question might be, how much experience did he have from the perspective of 2008 in the oversight of banks and other financial institutions, and then basically, how much reputation did he have as a bad ass for after banks and wall street?
 
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