(03-18-2020 08:19 AM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  So to Big's comment - you can't think of any similar instances?

First, you'd have to define 'similar'. Apparently you don't see Trump and Bernie as similar. How about Perot? He didn't win either, but he ran as an independent and clearly took votes away from the conservative candidate that gave Clinton the election despite not getting 50% of the vote.... though we don't know how many of them would actually have come and voted for either other candidate.

It hasn't happened in my lifetime that someone who hadn't been part of and supported by their party for many many years before getting that party's nomination... though in both of the past two elections (including the upcoming one) and a few others within my lifetime (Perot), someone has come from outside that situation and impacted the outcome.

Trump is the first one who has come from outside the party and won... so of course you've not seen EXACTLY this happen before...

So the better starting question is, what has happened before that you would consider 'similar'? If Perot and Bernie aren't similar in your mind, then there is literally nothing I can think of to compare it to. As Frizzy noted, Carter was arguably close... but still a longtime elected party Democrat... plus the market/media was 3 major TV stations, weekly or monthly magazines and a daily print newspaper.

If you don't believe there's ever been a similar event, then of course there hasn't been a similar reaction to that event.