Corey Robin on evaluating presidential candidates – emphasis mine:

I think a lot of the discussion of various candidates for the Democratic Party would be significantly advanced if, rather than focusing on some problematic or terrible policy they adopted in the past (which is going to be true of any viable presidential candidate; Bernie’s record was hardly perfect, after all), we focused on who is backing these candidates, pushing for them, and the money that is behind them: that really is much more central to the crux of the matter, it seems to me. When we focus on specific policies, we do sound like we’re adopting litmus tests and focusing too much on individual personalities. Much more important to attend to the coalition of interests behind these people, and who in those coalitions will have the upper hand.

I remember within days after Obama’s election, a very senior US historian sat me down and said, basically, it’s all over. He pointed to all the finance people Obama had installed either formally or informally as his advisers and cabinet. I didn’t pay attention, focusing instead on all the inspirational rhetoric and very real victories of representation (which I continue to believe were super important). He (the historian) was right, though. And it was a point anyone could have seen from the very beginning when so much of Wall Street rallied behind Obama.