Clinton's Super Delegates Will Abandon Her At The Convention And Vote For Bernie

[imagine2015]

March 9, 2016
Bernie and the Super Delegates

by Nathan Riley


Superdelegates are Democratic elected officials and other party insiders allowed to support whichever candidate they like. They are there to prevent a kook from leading the ticket. Their interests diverge from Secretary Clinton; they are less concerned about the top of the ticket. They ask will the Presidential candidate help Governors, Members of Congress and the state legislatures win in November. They are as interested in the fate of the Democratic Party as they are in the Presidential candidate. Like Bernie, they need a big turnout of voters.

Clinton’s lopsided lead in delegates comes from pledges made by these party insiders. They are not written in stone. A Democratic victory requires massive turnouts of the young. Bernie has this vote. The issues of income inequality and fighting the Wall Street oligarchy favor Sanders, not Clinton. The superdelegates will assess Hillary’s appeal.

Like Obama, Bernie is winning the battle for enthusiasm. He draws the crowds and he is likeable. Hillary is thoughtful serious and loved by many, but she can’t shake her history. The Clintons prospered by milking the rich, and the charge she is bought and paid for burdens her candidacy.

His day has come – the voters have turned against the parties. Republican and Democratic voters echo this call they want far-reaching change. Hillary’s experience and training is moderate change. Her supporters value these traits, but in 2016 these qualities are losers, and the superdelegates will come to recognize it.

Sanders populist appeal is hard for rich white educated people to duplicate. In Florida, on Tuesday, he held a rally. He shouted Wall Street, the crowd jeered. The event drew the young and had the energy of a rock concert or a football rally. It was lowbrow, and the audience felt at home with Bernie. Bernie is convincing as a man of the people. The superdelegates know he is honest; he has spent decades slamming the injustice of inequality. This is not a campaign message; it is Bernie’s core belief.

Anyone who has been to a left-wing event would recognize this Florida crowd of black, white, brown young with many old. This is the post-2010 Democratic Party. In that off-year election, the Republican picked up a spectacular 63 seats to become the majority that bedeviled Obama. The losers were conservative Democrats who were shy about reproductive justice, opposed taxes and government spending. In defeat, the Democratic Party moved left. Bernie Sanders is ratifying that change. This Democratic Party is proud of its diversity and eager for equality.

The superdelegates know about these changes, by the time the Democratic Convention roles around they can chose Bernie to maximize turnout.

Full article at: http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/03/09/bernie-and-the-super-delegates/

[Thinkingabout]

1. What has been the determining factor the Super Delegates are going to abandon Hillary and vote

for Sanders? I seriously doubt for one who will not abandon Hillary will be Bill Clinton, I doubt others will either.

[Dustlawyer]

37. Your biggest and best argument for your point is something you failed to mention.

The money promised to those Superdelegates currently in office or wanting to run again by Hillary's biggest donors! Many Superdelegates will stick with Hillary for the campaign donations promised or already paid! Look at what those Donors did for Tweety's wife's campaign to get Tweety to shill for her!

I know why you didn't make the arguement, we all do, because the donations are evidence confirming Hillary's close ties/"Golden Handcuffs" to Wall Street! The smart Superdelegates will see that even big money may not win them re-election this time around. Given the rising anger over all of the corruption, people's views towards "Establishment" politicians are very negative. They will learn to be populist, or go extinct.

[Thinkingabout]

43. Are you saying Bernie is going to promise more money to get them to change?

[JackRiddler]

54. That's a great answer.

You're right, Sanders surely cannot outbid Clinton on the amount of bribes. That's what you mean?

[Dustlawyer]

56. I am saying that Bernie, with our help, is going to put an end to the legalized bribery

that has been corrupting our system for decades, giving the wealthy all of the money and breaks. If you haven't noticed, many Americans are tired of the corruption and getting stuck with the bills for meals others got to eat! Bernie is promising fairness!

[Thinkingabout]

58. If your issue of ending legalized bribery is going to be ended by Bernie

then he has been accepting donations from DNC, helping raise funds with the DNC, etc.

Where did you find the information "The money promised to those Superdelegates currently in office or wanting to run again by Hillary's biggest donors! Many Superdelegates will stick with Hillary for the campaign donations promised or already paid!"

I would like to see a link to the source.

[Kittycat]

55. What good is money without votes?

[Ken Burch]

48. If it happens, it will be based on two things:

1)Bernie outperforming HRC in the later primaries.

2)A drop in HRC's support levels in the head-to-head polls vs Trump or Cruz(let's face it, it's going to be one of those two we'll be running against).

[Vinca]

2. This letter appeared in the local paper in Brattleboro, Vt yesterday:

"Any Vermont Democratic super delegate who doesn't cast their ballot for Bernie Sanders at the national convention should be dowsed with pure maple syrup, covered in organic chicken feathers and run out of Vermont on a log truck. It is unconscionable that the super crony, dinosaur delegates would betray the will of 86 percent of Vermonters and vote for someone else. Vermont has 16 delegates voted in by real people. With 115,865 votes for Bernie, it took 7,241 people to elect each delegate. Hillary Clinton earned no delegates, because she didn't muster 15 percent of the Vermont vote. Vermont also has seven super delegates. Each one has the equivalent of 7,241 votes by real people. So each one of us who actually cast a ballot has 0.01381 percent of a vote compared to a super delegate. How is that democratic? The Democratic Party isn't democratic at all. It is run by a bunch of establishment politicians who think they are smarter than the real people who elected them in the first place. It is a disgrace."

I thought it made a very good point.

[rhett o rick]

3. "The Democratic Party isn't democratic at all. It is run by a bunch of establishment politicians who

think they are smarter than the real people who elected them in the first place." Bingo

[glinda]

8. They hope to curry favor from her should she be elected. And some of them

also have a lot to hide as well as could never be elected in the first place without big Corporate money from the likes of Monsanto, Big Pharma, etc....

[rhett o rick]

10. I think it's more likely that are afraid of disfavor if they vote against her. Remember she is tough

[glinda]

57. Yup. Same thing. They know how it goes.

[jwirr]

9. Excellent.

[tokenlib]

18. DON'T WASTE GOOD MAPLE SYRUP....

..get some good tar sands oil or sludge instead...

[Pat Riots]

34. dont use grade B that is the good stuff n/t

[MissDeeds]

26. Spot on!

[Uglystick]

42. I hope a copy of this editorial was sent to Dean and Leahy.

[Samantha]

49. This is exactly what I have been thinking (well, minus the maple syrup and chicken feathers part)

When I realized that one superdelegate could nullify the collective weight of thousands of people with just his or her vote, as Howard Dean has essentially said he would do, something inside of me started screaming, "how in the h*ll is this allowed." What ever happened to one person, one vote?

I salute the writer of that letter because she is exactly right, and she worded her letter in such a way, I cannot imagine how anyone can effectively refute it.

Sam

[JFKDem62]

4. Yes they will. nt

[alcibiades_mystery]

5. Counterpunch, as always, has its finger on the pulse of mainstream Democrats

[imagine2015]

6. Do you have an opinion on the article/writer?

[rhett o rick]

11. For once I think we agree. nm

[Gothmog]

15. I was amused

[DCBob]

7. LOL..

Yet another Bernie will win fantasy scenario.

[StevieM]

12. So now Sanders supporters want him to be the nominee even if he loses the pledged delegate count?

That seems to run contrary to what they said in the past.

[mythology]

16. It isn't the first time I've seen that sort of proposal today

I think some are starting to realize the delegate math is really hard for Sanders to overcome and are putting this out to sort of set the table.

[ChiciB1]

19. The People Will Revolt! If They Go Against The Will Of The People...

then WHY even call ourselves a Democracy?? I will be crystal CLEAR just how TPTB have tried to RULE us for way too long!

It's absurd for them to try this. But hey, they've screwed with us for a REALLY, REALLY long time!

[StevieM]

20. But if Hillary gets more votes and more pledged delegates then how is it going against the will

of the people to nominate her?

[still_one]

52. They won't answer that because it doesn't fit nicely in their world

[imagine2015]

23. If Clinton/Sanders don't have enough elected delegates to win nomination what would you do?

It's in the hands of the unelected delegates and I think many will decide to support the candidate who is most likely to win against the Republican nominee.

That would be Bernie Sanders.

Do you think "pledged" delegates should not be permitted to change their minds and vote for another candidate?

Or do you think that only super delegates pledged to Sanders should be permitted to vote for Clinton at the convention.

I bet you don't have a problem with that! LOL

What is your point, if you have one?

[StevieM]

30. Here are my points:

1) Until recently, Sanders supporters were howling that the winner of the pledged delegate count was entitled to the nomination, and if it was Bernie, and he didn't get it, then that meant that he was robbed.

2) Eight years ago Hillary was denied the nomination specifically because Barack Obama led in the pledged delegate count.

3) I think it would be awkward for Sanders to be the nominee if Hillary wins more overall votes and more pledged delegates.

[bigdarryl]

53. Hate to say this but some of these Sander supporters are EXTREMIST!! on the far left

[Gothmog]

13. Getting super delegates to support Sanders will be difficult at best

Sanders has not been supporting the party and there is a significant risk that Sanders would hurt down ballot candidates. Raising taxes and socialism will not be great for down ballot candidates. The super delegates will need far better reasons than the claims in the OP to support a candidate who will not support the party and may hurt down ballot candidate

[greiner3]

40. Bernie will have the vote in the election

And the shortage of Republican voters will flip the Senate and if DINO's lose it would not have anything to do with Bernie.

[malthaussen]

14. Maybe.

If Mr Sanders has a significant lead in pledged delegates (difficult to accomplish, but we ain't seen nothin' yet), then I would expect a majority to jump on the bandwagon. If he has only a small lead, or no lead at all, then I would expect the majority to line up behind Mrs Clinton, who is the Establishment's choice, after all.

Superdelegates have nothing to do with the popular vote, and despite Mr Dean's recent protest, do not exist to serve the nation, they exist to serve the Party. For a large number of SDs to abandon Mrs Clinton, they must be convinced that she has little chance to win the General, and that nominating her will injure the Party's chances in the other elections. There is no reason to believe that they are persuaded that this is presently the case, but anything may happen, especially if her campaign (and the candidate) continues making unforced errors.

-- Mal

[ConsiderThis_2016]

17. DWS & the Clintons win...

either way. It's what triangulation is all about.

[Maedhros]

21. If Bernie has won more elected delegates and they don't, the Democratic Party will disintegrate.

And rightfully so - it will have been proven to be controlled by utter assholes.

[imagine2015]

25. Do you and other posters mean "elected" delegates as opposed to the "pledged" super delegates?

[Maedhros]

32. Let me fix that.[n/t]

[Gothmog]

45. That is not likely with proportional voting and current lead

I found this video to be interesting

[SheilaT]

22. In the end the super delegates have always gone to the candidate

with the most pledged delegates. If Bernie Sanders winds up with a lead in those delegates, virtually all of the supers will be for him. I can see why Bill would still vote for her, but people here are freaking out quite unnecessarily about this.

[Kaleva]

29. In the 2008 primary, only a handful switched when Obama reached the delegate threshold

"At the time of Hillary Clinton's campaign suspension on June 7, 2008, the count was 246½ for her and 478 for Barack Obama,[2] with 99 still 'Uncommitted'[3] of the 823½ total then existing, although this number represents the realignment of around 50 superdelegates who switched their support from Clinton to Obama when he had gained the majority of delegates. Clinton released her delegates during the convention."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Democratic_Party_superdelegates,_2008

[SheilaT]

44. In the end he still had the majority of the super delegates.

I suppose if after June 7 they are virtually tied in pledged delegates, either the Supers will decide, or we will actually see a brokered convention. But I'm highly confident that won't happen. It's my semi-informed opinion that Sanders will continue to grow in strength, especially after March 15. More to the point, she is just totally fucking up everywhere. Her recent nonsense about the Reagans and AIDS is a perfect example. I can't figure out if she somehow remembers it totally wrong, or if she thinks she can say anything at all and no one will point out how wrong she is, but over and over again she does this.

She's completely a creature of an old, outdated, and useless model of how to run. It's a pre-internet model, when fact-checking was a bit harder, when videos and audios didn't live forever in the ether. Her inability to check two different email accounts is the perfect example of this. I'm only a year or so younger than she is, and I'm not as tech savvy as I'd like to be, but maybe because I first started working with computers as a user in 1969, I'm a lot more aware of various things connected to computers than she apparently is. And it looks as if no one ever had the nerve to set her straight about all sorts of things in this arena.

I also think that when she so graciously did her thing at the Convention in 2008, calling for Obama's nomination by acclamation, she'd been more or less promised a good Cabinet position and a hands-off to her running again in 2016. She hung in there, assuming her coronation this year, and unfortunately for her it's not going that way at all.

[Firebrand Gary]

24. Wrong! And Sander's will lose! And you're going on ignore!

[imagine2015]

27. OK Firebrand! LOL

Whatever.

[Oilwellian]

59. LOL...well that was entertaining :D n/t

[Scootaloo]

28. ...

[bvf]

38. Bet your caps-lock key is broken. Am I right?

[Metric System]

31. So far Hillary has more earned delegates and she's winning the popular vote. Superdelegates

are irrelevant at this point.

[imagine2015]

35. Here's the latest delegate count: Clinton 921 Sanders 563

State-by-State Delegate Distribution at:

http://www.electionprojection.com/democratic-nomination-delegates/

[FighttheFuture]

39. Remove the super-delegates and its 770 - 550. A bit closer.

[imagine2015]

41. Thanks

[Number23]

47. With the superdelegates, it's 1223 to 574. Her (normal) delegate lead is now 214

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/us/elections/primary-calendar-and-results.html?_r=0

[Garrett78]

46. Yeah, I don't see the superdelegates playing any role this year.

Chances are Clinton will end up with way more pledged delegates.

[scscholar]

51. This

And, this article is really insulting to the superdelegates. It makes them sound like they'll vote with which ever way the wind is blowing instead of who they actually support.

[zentrum]

36. The Super Delegates

…..because they are so Establishment would rather have a Republican in office than Bernie. Sadly. So I'm not sure I agree with the analysis.

The Supers aren't FDR Democrats. Most of them see their real constituency as the campaign funders—PACs, Goldman, Pharma, whatever.

They know that a Democratic party that moves left is not the party that will keep them in it. So they may not mind that the base vote is suppressed in 2016——so long as they don't have to live with the political revolution that Bernie represents. Hence, in this way of thinking, they'll go with HRC even though they think she won't win.

This really is a civil war within the Democratic Party. About time.

[ibegurpard]

50. Not if he's behind by the convention

He has to surpass her... unless she flames out somehow.
And even then some of the people with blinders on will be going "it's just a flesh wound..."