Hillary's win of a majority of pledged delegates won't be legitimate, because...?

[MineralMan]

That pledged delegate majority will not make her the presumptive nominee, because...?

Sanders should continue to fight after she has that majority of pledged delegates, because...?

Super Delegates should switch their intended votes and nominate Sanders, who will not have that majority, because...?

In reality, she will have a substantial margin over that majority when the votes are counted tomorrow. It could be a margin of 100 pledged delegates or more over the 2026 she needs. So, why is this discussion going on? If, as appears to be absolutely certain, she has 2026 pledged delegates and more after tomorrow's primaries, please explain to me why Super Delegates would switch to support the candidate with less than a majority of those pledged voters.

I'll wait here for the answers people might have to any or all of those questions...

[DURHAM D]

1. Well, it is really very simple.

She is a girl so the rules are different.

[OnDoutside]

9. The Super Delegates need to come out on Wednesday Morning to re-endorse Hillary, to drive the point

home that they are not going to change.

[MineralMan]

22. Many of them will, and new ones will declare their support, too.

Count on it. I hope the Sanders campaign is listening when they do.

[MariaThinks]

29. That's what they should do. This is Hillary's time. We should get behind her and help her win.

Imagine, the first female nominee for President. History is in the making. Let's not let Bernie spoil this momentous event.

[MineralMan]

31. I think you'll see a major flurry of announcements from

Democratic Super Delegates, starting on Wednesday. That will be especially true for those who are elected officials, like House and Senate members along with our Democratic Governors.

Some will be congratulatory messages and pledges of support sent to Hillary, and others will be public statements on Facebook and Twitter.

All House members and 1/3 of Senators are running for election in November. Count on them to make statements.

The other Super Delegates, who are DNC members, will also renew their commitments, and many who have not announced their support will, again beginning on Wednesday.

The support of the Super Delegates will be confirmed, making Bernie's pledge to fight for their vote meaningless. I'm sure that won't be lost on the Senator from Vermont.

[MariaThinks]

33. Great

[OnDoutside]

34. Yes, let there not be a chink of light left in the door for Bernie, the sooner this happens the

sooner it allows the grieving/coming to terms process start for Bernie supporters, the better for them and everyone else, and of course the sooner the entire party can unite.

[MineralMan]

15. No, that can't be it.

Last edited Mon Jun 6, 2016, 10:54 AM - Edit history (1)

The United States is gender-blind, right?

[seabeyond]

16. Point. There is no way Obama is gonna let this start out in condescending bigoted treatment.

I am thin king of him with Michelle and two daughters. Further, even better, would be for Michelle Obama to get out front Tuesday or Wednesday and be the first to congratulate Clinton. How fun is this.

[pinebox]

23. Please. The rules are different because she is a Clinton.

[thucythucy]

36. Meaning what, precisely? Nt.

[NurseJackie]

2. Because Hillary's pledged delegates are only worth 77% of Bernie's?

[Proud Liberal Dem]

3. I don't remember

having such existential discussions about Super delegates and the presumption that Barack Obama would be the nominee back in 2008. The margin of victory in terms of pledged delegates was so much slimmer, yet once the primaries were over, she quickly got over it and got fully behind Obama. Bernie OTOH is talking a "contested convention" that isn't really going to be contested because Hillary will have a majority of pledged delegates and most Super delegates have endorsed her as well.

[peggysue2]

37. I don't . . .

recall those discussions either. The 'existential threat to democracy' is Clinton specific because Bernie Sanders has lost the nomination and his supporters have yet to come to terms with that reality. That reality was clear in March and is clear now.

Sometimes you just lose despite your best efforts. Rewind the film to 2008 and Hillary Clinton was in the same position. Bernie Sanders could take a lesson from that same moment in time: how to bow out with your self-respect intact.

[grossproffit]

4. She's not a man.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

6. And he's not through talking yet!

n/t

[seabeyond]

17. Too right on. !!! Nt

[msanthrope]

38. There we are. nt

[pinebox]

24. The rules are different because she is a Clinton.

[msanthrope]

39. A female Clinton, you mean? Bill wasn't subjected to this. nt

[geek tragedy]

5. women get .79 delegates for every full delegate men get nt

[Adrahil]

10. Good one! But isn't .71? Let's do some math!

Current pledged delegate count:

Clinton :1764

Sanders :1424

But if we apply the .71 factor for her being a woman....

Clinton :1252
Sanders :1424


Sanders wins! Duh! How could I have not seen it!?

[Starry Messenger]

25. Ouch. Stealing that.

[Adrahil]

7. Because Bernie didn't win!

Yeah.... the Sandernistas have completely succumbed to outcome based thinking. If Bernie loses it's fraud. When Bernie wins it's the Will of the People.

[aikoaiko]

8. Bernie should continue to fight because the primary isn't over.

He should fight for every vote and every delegate possible. Its more about allowing democratic primary voters the change to weigh in on two different agendas even though they came last in the primary schedule.

Since some 400+ super delegates declared their loyalty to HRC before a single vote was even cast, I'm dubious of HRC supporters claims that SDs should be bound to votes.

I think Bernie is merely campaigning for those SD votes and some should probably switch given their states' votes, but they shouldn't hand him the primary.

[Adrahil]

11. Then on June 14, you'll admit that Sanders lost? NT

[aikoaiko]

12. Yes, I will admit he lost the pledged delegate race.

I will even admit today they he will most likely lose the pledged delegate count, the SD count, and the primary.

But that's what the convention is for -- to make all the delegate votes official and declare the candidate with the required number of delegates the nominee.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

14. Yes but

nobody (not even Hillary) seriously suggested that Barack Obama wasn't going to be the nominee in 2008 after the primaries were over (but before the DNC).

[Adrahil]

18. Sure. But at that point it's a formality, barring something dramatic.

We cannot afford to ceded a month to Trump and GOP while continue the charade of a "contested convention." What good will that do?

[aikoaiko]

20. The ongoing primary won't get in HRCs way as we saw in her San Diego speech.

I understand that many HRC supporters have little respect for Bernie or his ongoing campaign, but he is not attacking HRC viciously. She could have stop campaigning completely weeks ago and still win.

[Adrahil]

30. But what GOOD will it do?

If it is clear she will be the nominee, then why continue the farce of an "ongoing primary?" Why won't Sanders actually begin working to defeat Trump by getting behind the presumptive nominee? I have up until now respected Sanders, if not necessarily his more extreme supporters, but I admit that his refusal to actual get behind the nominee after the last primary would sevrely damage my respect for him, even if it plays into my suspicions about him all along.

[justiceischeap]

32. Because he seems much more interested in attacking the Democratic Party

than Donald Trump. I hear much more criticism of the Democratic Party from him than I have from Donald. Of course, Donald is just letting Sanders do that work for him at the moment. Why should he attack the Democratic Party when he has Sanders doing it for him?

I'm not naive, I know there are issues that need to be addressed within our party but my goodness, one would expect a modicum of loyalty from a man that asked to run on this party's ticket.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

13. I don't think that Bernie should quit before the primary is over

but continuing to act as though things "aren't settled" until the DNC makes it 100% official is silly IMHO. If some extraordinary circumstance were to occur that would totally destroy Clinton's viability as a candidate, I'm sure that the Super Delegates will step in to save the party but other than that, I don't see them switching en masse to make him the nominee.

[seabeyond]

19. It was in '08. Sanders and Cenk said so. Nt

[aikoaiko]

21. Im willing to read what Sanders and Cenk said if you have links.

I get it, the primary is over in many ways -- the outcome is all but set. But in a technical way it is not and Bernie seems to want to avail himself of that option.

Hillary folded up shop because she was drowning in debt (12 million of which was to herself) and Obama said he would help her out.

[seabeyond]

27. We have never talked technically... hence, so many women being bothered by this.

The outcome set, was all we went on. Now, technically. I am at work. I do not have the links. I will get them later this evening. Geek Tragedy provided the two quotes in separate OPs.

[aikoaiko]

28. I'll look for the geeks OPs.

[tonyt53]

26. Because Bernie said so. No other reason.

[HumanityExperiment]

35. ...cart...horse...

because, Convention...

'So, why is this discussion going on?' for a person that posts about rules a lot this primary cycle you'd think you wouldn't post these questions... but then again... you're dipping into the TT again

Read the DNC rules, you'll find all your answers there