Thomas Frank in The Guardian assigns blame where it to a great deal belong.
“What species of cluelessness guided our Democratic leaders as they went about losing what they told us was the most important election of our lifetimes? . . . .Democratic leaders made Hillary their candidate even though they knew about her closeness to the banks, her fondness for war, and her unique vulnerability on the trade issue – each of which Trump exploited to the fullest. . . . To try to put over such a nominee while screaming that the Republican is a rightwing monster is to court disbelief. If Trump is a fascist, as liberals often said, Democrats should have put in their strongest player to stop him, not a party hack they’d chosen because it was her turn.”