Why California Now Matters So Much to Bernie Sanders and the Entire Democratic Party

[portlander23]

Why California Now Matters So Much to Bernie Sanders and the Entire Democratic Party
Steven Rosenfeld
AlterNet

“When you run using language like this is a revolution, you have to expect a few revolutionaries will show up,” said Deb Kozikowski, a superdelegate from Massachusetts and vice-chair of that state’s Democratic Party, reached by phone on Tuesday.

Kozikowski said that superdelegates and party officials like her were paying careful attention to what was going on with Sanders. She said that Sanders had to ask each state party to put him on the primary or caucus ballot, which they did after he pledged to not bolt and run as a third-party candidate, and also after pledging that he would support the eventual nominee.

The thinking in Democratic Party circles at that time was that perhaps Sanders would get four or five percent of the delegates, she said, and his eventual embrace of the nominee would help contribute to a winning margin in November. Nobody, she said, foresaw his popularity, his message’s power, nor how angry the electorate has become. “Nobody ever figured he was good for more than 4 to 5 percent, but he’s at 40 to 45 percent [of the delegates].”

Kozikowski, who is 61, said she hoped that his supporters and delegates would come to see that change is possible and laudable if it comes in smaller increments than Sanders seeks—which, obviously, is what she sees in Hillary Clinton.

But Sanders supporters on Tuesday said almost the opposite—that more sweeping change is what is needed now, and that the Democratic Party should welcome the energy and vision of their candidate and his messengers.

“We aren’t going there to be window dressing at the convention,” said Sanders national convention delegate Jones. “We aren’t going there to hold up signs and show unity… We are going there because we are principled and as long as Bernie is running in the race, he’s our candidate.”

[tonyt53]

1. CA is not even remotely as important now. HRC will have the delegates before the polls close there.

Not a chance in hell the supers will ever change. Not happening.

[winter is coming]

2. You should give Hillary a heads up, so she can cancel those CA appearances

she recently added to her schedule.

[LoverOfLiberty]

14. Proves nothing other than she is fighting the general election

and that winning CA would help her in that regard.

Sanders can't win the nomination so the only thing CA will do for him is stroke his ego and hurt Clinton.

[JimDandy]

19. If you think that CA is not important anymore, I have a NJ turnpike to sell you.

Every exit is a U-turn to California.

[ucrdem]

3. It matters to Bernie because after Tuesday he has no place to go but . . . DC.

[beachbumbob]

4. Back to Vermont so he nap

[ucrdem]

5. And find those tax returns.

Maybe they're in his other pants?

[DURHAM D]

6. and work on his amended tax returns nt

[ucrdem]

7. LOL.

Maybe he can use his leftover millions to buy a new calculator.

[beachbumbob]

8. Figure wher $200 million went with huge loss to Hillary

[ucrdem]

9. Apply for a job at FOX

to keep his revolution alive

[beachbumbob]

11. To keep a microphone in front of him

[ucrdem]

12. Once people get to know him

They'll buy his new line of leisure wear . . .

[Cali_Democrat]

10. California is irrelevant when it comes to the primary between Hillary and Bernie

Hillary won this thing months ago.

I tried to tell you guys, but #BernieMath wouldn't let many folks see the reality.

[Triana]

13. "Nobody foresaw his popularity, his message’s power, nor how angry the electorate has become"

These are the out-of-touch words of one of the Democratic establishment's leaders.

There you go.

They don't see their own voters. You know, the non-millionaire ones. The non-dollar bill ones. The PEOPLE.

"Nobody foresaw..."

Where the HELL have they been?

[vintx]

16. "Where the HELL have they been?"

Good question

[hootinholler]

17. Where have I heard a similar phrase?

I know it was in the last 15 years or so, someone famous said it.

I wish I had a better memory.

[Major Hogwash]

21. Most of the political pundits said the same thing about then-Senator Barack Obama.

They didn't see him coming.

They thought that Hillary would be crowned back in 2008.

Didn't happen.
Will never happen.

[GreatGazoo]

22. "Nobody saw" -- that phrase seems to always precede some kind of mea culpa

You can usually replace it with the words "I didn't see.."

I have an older neighbor who says stuff like that all the time. Whatever he has newly discovered or changed his position on, he will attribute to "everybody." It is kind of cute when he does it. Not so much for the MSM.

[Retrograde]

15. It was nice having a candidate in town yesterday

for something other than a fundraiser priced out of range for most voters. It makes us feel like were almost as important as Iowans or New Hampshirites.

[seabeyond]

18. And still the people voted for Clinton.

[anotherproletariat]

20. If Sanders wins CA, the media will focus on Hillary becoming the presumptive nominee...

The polls don't close in CA until 11pm east cost time, so if he wins, many people will be asleep by then. The Wednesday papers will focus on the fact that we finally have our two presumptive nominees. And Hillary's campaign has plans in place for major endorsements starting on Wednesday morning. (This from one of her policy advisers who was the speaker at a fundraising breakfast on Thursday.) When Obama, Biden, Warren, Carter, Gore, etc. start endorsing Hillary, the media will have no choice but to cover those speeches, and everyone will soon forget that there was even a primary in CA.