As you know, I disagree with your point here. The Dems did not force the party to run that candidate. The vast majority of Democratic primary voters voted to nominate her. Furthermore, research shows that the vast majority of people who claim to be independents are actually partisans in disguise. The percentage of true independents is less than 10% and might be even less than 5%. Here is a quote on that point from fivethirtyeight.com: “As Amy Walter from the Cook Political Report has pointed out, independents usually lean towards one party or the other, even as they claim a nonpartisan label.”

I agree, however, that Clinton was a deeply flawed candidate.