There are going to be a lot of "Bernie lost but his movement is the future" takes flying around in the next few days. That might be true. But it's worth pointing out that he did worse in 2020 than in 2016.

In 2016, Bernie won Michigan in a stunning upset, against a supremely well-funded and well-organized opponent.

In 2020 Bernie lost *every single county* in Michigan, against an opponent with a fraction of Bernie's cash and little ground game to speak of.

Here are the 2016 and 2020 Democratic primary election maps for Michigan. Bernie went from winning almost everywhere to winning absolutely nowhere.

Obviously the diehards' explanation for Bernie's thwacking in 2020 is that the media and the Democratic establishment were against Bernie. But if so, why should we expect that these invincible forces will evaporate in 2024 or 2028?