Why Superdelegates Won't Feel the Bern

[SecularMotion]

Bernie's the guy who hates fraternities on his college campus, speaks out every chance he gets about how elitist they are, how evil they are, how much money they have, and then wants to be elected to lead one of them. Bernie is not running for president as an Independent, which is what he really should have done in the first place. No, he's running to be the nominee of a political party whose grass roots ordinary members he has never met, never courted, never helped. But his campaign will complain bitterly when he loses the battle for superdelegates to the Democratic National Convention, and perhaps lose the nomination itself because of them.

When Hillary got a boost from superdelegates in Iowa, a hue and cry went up from the bowels of Bernie-dom, mostly from his young supporters, that this was the Democratic Party thwarting the Will of The People. However, when Obama pursued a vigorous superdelegate strategy in 2008, there was no hue and cry from the under 30 crowd. Like most political issues, it's a scandal if it doesn't go your way, and just the way things work if it's helping your candidate. But the superdelegate bashing is likely to commence again after Nevada, a caucus state where even if Bernie wins the caucus, there are still superdelegates who, in a close race, might make the difference for Hillary in the all important delegate count. For make no mistake about it, this is a fight for a political party nomination, and the Democratic Party has made the rules thus and so for a reason.

Superdelegates are folks who automatically go to the Democratic Party nominating convention as a reward for service to the Democratic Party. They are largely Democrats serving in elected office in their states, and elected Party officials. These people are not the enemy of progressive causes. These people are the backbone of the Democratic Party, and without them, the party would wither away. And none of them owes a thing to Bernie Sanders; Bernie Sanders has never done a thing to earn their votes. In fact, just the opposite. Bernie's entire career has been a poke in the eye to the Democratic Party. So do not be surprised if he does not walk away with the vote of a single superdelegate. It won't be because of any conspiracy. It will be because Bernie Sanders has not only never been a Democrat, he's shown open contempt for Democrats for a long time.

Let's stop a minute and remember what makes a political party work. It's not a Facebook page or a website. It's human beings who give up their precious free time on nights and weekends to do the grunt work of local democracy. They are the precinct captains who go door-to-door for politicians further down on the political food chain. They organize fundraisers for candidates from State Rep to County Commissioner to School Board. When the party needs somebody to run against a strong Republican incumbent in a Republican district, they are the people who recruit candidates for these political suicide missions, and they are often the people who end up running, trying to get the message out with no money, while they have to keep their day jobs as teachers or farmers or day care providers.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/monica-bauer/superdelegates-bernie-sanders_b_9263352.html

[daleanime]

1. $$$$$$$$$$?

[AtomicKitten]

2. When lobbyists are superdelegates.

Lobbyist Superdelegates Tip Nomination Towards Hillary Clinton
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/2/17/1486673/-When-Lobbyist-Become-Superdelegates

The list contains lobbyists for Keystone XL, private prison group Geo, American Council of Life Insurers, News Corp (yeah, them, as in Fox News), Enron, Countrywide, U.S. Telecom Association, Coca-Cola, CitiGroup and others.

We wonder why this study found that, “The opinions of 90% of Americans have essentially no impact at all.” When we vote, we are not just voting for a candidate, but for a network of relationships which will be brought to bear on the governance of the country. It is determines who gets access, how agencies are staffed and, as the study shows, what actually gets done.

Somehow, I don’t think the folks listed in this article have my interests or the interests of anyone below the 1% in mind. Perhaps some crumbs to keep us in line.

[daleanime]

3. Ah, thanks for the video....

I don't think I've seen that one yet.

[AtomicKitten]

5. :)

[mgmaggiemg]

4. agree

[Thinkingabout]

6. There is a reason for superdelegates, complain all they want it is not

Going to change during this election. Actually Sanders has worked in Congress much longer than Sanders and he had much more time to have established relationships with Democratic congressional members.

[frylock]

7. Go ahead and let the superdelegates burn the party to the ground.

I dare them.

[djean111]

8. So the party is more important than the people. I had already figured that out, thanks.

That which determines a lot of our lives is just really a system of money and paybacks.
Amazing that we get to vote at all, innit? Must really rankle some candidates, methinks.

I don't profess to really know how Bernie feels about Democrats, especially since he is running as one in order to not split the vote. But, and this has been building for a while now - I live in Florida - I am starting to feel disenfranchised, excluded, and disgusted. Bill and Rahm are wrong, you know - sooner or later, we will have somewhere else to go.

[bunnies]

11. + 1000.

Im done being taken for granted. They're not even pretending to give a shit about people any more.

[cali]

9. Stupid, hateful and wordy. Not to mention dishonest. Quite the piece.

Had Bernie run as an independent, this woman and virtually every other dem would be screaming Nader! Spoiler! over and over.

They'd be right.

[LittleBlue]

10. Does it really matter?

If the popular vote swings one way and the super delegates nominate someone else, the party will be fractured like never before. Our nominee will go to the general election as illegitimate. It will be 24/7 media fodder about our nonDemocratic Party. We'll get wiped out and the GOP will take power.

The super delegates surely aren't dumb enough to cause the suicide of the Democratic Party. One would hope.

[kenfrequed]

12. We really should do away with it

There really isn't a good reason for the super-delegate system. It has grown worse with the increasing number of lobbyists that have slitered into the party as superdelegates. The only real solution is to get rid of the whole thing.

I am planning on putting forth a resolution at my caucus to do away with superdelegates on both the state and federal level.

[Dawson Leery]

13. Sanders and Trump are nervy.

They never were part of the party, yet want to run everything.

[Dragonfli]

14. I guess caucusing with and being chosen to serve on committees by Democrats for Democrats

Never really happened.
What rubbish this article is.

[Stallion]

15. Agree 100%

This is the Democratic Party made up of Democrats and Democrats should decide their Party's standard-bearer. Further, the wishes of the 99% of Democratic officeholders who support Clinton should be considered and respected since they have to run on the same ticket. Nothing stopping the many independents on this board or otherwise voting for whatever party or candidate they wish

[libtodeath]

16. The backbone of the Democratic party are the people.

[mhatrw]

17. Yep. The Democratic party is a currently a SAE fraternity party.

Our superdelegates are bunch of Rockefeller Republicans who don't want there cushy meals at the 0.1%'s feeding trough disturbed.