2012 was the year of Gangnam Style and of the hard fought election between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. Republicans were sick of Obama and crushed the Congress races of 2010. The former governor of Massachusetts invented a healthcare system in his progressive state which was a model for “Obamacare”. In opposition to his primary opponent from the religious right Rick Santorum he believed in evolution. He might have pivoted to the right during the primaries, but he was still considered a moderate.

He was not seen as a monster. Few people were equally afraid of Romney than of Trump. Trump won but Romney lost.

Romney had been a successful hedgefonds manager and earned his incredible wealth of around 250 million dollars without inheriting money from his rich parents. Trump is ten times richer. Bloomberg estimates his wealth at around 2.9 billion dollars. He received a sizable heritage from his father and went bankrupt several times. If one of them were a figure of the “American Dream”, it would be Romney

This video from “CollegeHumor” shows why Romney wasn’t elected. He was not expected to be in touch with the problems of ordinary citizens and percieved as arrogant.

Romney made a statement that 47% of the US population will support Obama no matter what, since they are dependent on government help. He alienated the lower shifts and so did Clinton when she called Trump supporters deplorable.

More poor and less educated people voted Republican in 2016 than in 2012. They identified with Trump, who used easy language and copied Sanders’ positions on Trade. Trump portrayed himself as the anti-establishment candidate who will break the political system in Washington. This was enough to break the Rust Belt.

Trump was the establishment. He bragged about corrupting politicians but came away with it. He alienated Clinton as a part of the political elite even though he did not suffer any second in poverty. Voters are sick of controlled and scripted politicians like Romney and Clinton. He was clueless on policy and his comments were outrageous but everything about Trump seemed authentic, even his locker room talk did. Trump was a faked alternative and that was enough to win the election against a candidate who barely inspired anyone.

If Democrats run another establishment candidate in 2020 Trump will smash them once again.

Only a real progressive alternative can beat the fake.