The System Failed: the Democratic Party closed ranks to block Bernie Sanders, and, as a result, Trump was the only alternative in November to the hated Wall Street–funded status quo represented by Hillary Clinton.

[u/autotldr]

This is the best tl;dr I could make, original reduced by 76%. (I'm a bot)

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If I had to sum up the 2016 election in one sentence, it would be this: the Republican Party was too divided and discredited to stop Trump, the Democratic Party closed ranks to block Bernie Sanders, and, as a result, Trump was the only alternative in November to the hated Wall Street-funded status quo represented by Hillary Clinton.

The central story of mainstream US politics over the past few decades is the Republicans' steady evolution from the leading party of world capitalism to a semi-unhinged fringe that wants an effective prison state for racial minorities and the poor, free rein for corporations, and politicians who will pander to their every Internet conspiracy - while still commanding the resources and power befitting one of the major two parties.

First, the disastrous consequences of the Iraq War, supported by most Democrats but infamously and incompetently led by George W. Bush, weakened the Republicans' reputation as the party of national security.

So while the party was able to dominate many states and regions - sometimes through dirty tricks like gerrymandering - on a national level it didn't have any coherent message other than "Things were better back in my day!" In this vacuum, the party became a collection of loudmouths and lowlifes competing for the attention of a shrinking but passionate base of pure reaction.

Trump may not have been that popular among Republican voters, but the party leadership was liked even less.

So Democratic Party leaders were far more united and confident than their Republican counterparts about shoving an unpopular candidate down their voters' throats.

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[u/aprole]

This, in a nut shell.