Oh God, where to begin.

Here is where I, as a progressive Democrat who voted for Bernie, believe progressives went wrong.

1. 2016 constant saying Bernie was “cheated." He wasn’t, but the rhetoric laid the groundwork for Trump’s “stop the steal" insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021!
2. Bernie should stop calling himself a democratic socialist. He’s not. He literally is a progressive Democrat and should just embrace it. The d-s label is a cute “ I am a rebel" shock label undermining progressive! He isn’t calling for worker cooperatives or nationalized industry. He wants a robust safety net — progressive Democrat!
3. Progressives fractured. History shows change better effective by remaining in our 2-party system. ( See progress in late 1800s early 1900s from either Republicans or Democrats). Working within the Democratic Party gives us the best chance at success. But too many progressives left the Dems after 2016 and 2020 (when the “we got cheated" refrain resurfaced)! I can’t get 6 progressives to a county party meeting out of 40-50 total attendance! Of course we won’t have enough votes

Bernie was hugely successful in moving the conversation left, but carried too much baggage to make it the new center IMO. But we are better off with his efforts.