This statement requires everyone to forget that Clinton won just 43% of the vote and really might've lost if Ross Perot wasn't in the race.
Obama 2008 ran a much better race on populist themes and won huge. That's a better campaign model IMO, though Obama then turning hope and change into more of the same probably now makes it much more difficult for a generation of voters to believe any populist promises from Democrats.
The debate about the future of the Democratic Party begins and ends with this photo. All theyโve gotta do is turn the clock back 30 years and do exactly what he did.