Biden said he would contest nomination even if Sanders leads in delegates

[RandySF]

Former Vice President Joe Biden said Sunday he would contest the presidential primary nomination at the Democratic convention if Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is leading in delegates without securing a majority.

“The rules have been set,” Biden said on CNN’s “State of the Union.

Biden questioned Sanders’ take that the candidate with a plurality of pledged delegates the convention should become the nominee.
“I wonder where that view was when he was challenging Hillary when she went in with a commanding lead,” Biden added. “You don't change the rules in the middle of the game.”

Sanders is the only candidate in the field this year to insist that the candidate with the most pledged delegates should be the party nominee. He held the opposing view in 2016 when facing former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.



https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/485345-biden-said-he-would-contest-nomination-even-if-sanders-leads-in-delegates

[tarheelsunc]

1. Good. The rules are the way they are for a reason.

If no one has managed to secure the support of a majority by the convention, then clearly more work is needed to decide on a nominee.

[TwilightZone]

2. As he should.

If we're just going to coronate the nominee based on a plurality, there would be no reason to have the process at the convention. That's why it's there.

[onetexan]

8. Yup, whats good for the goose is good for the gander

Rules should stay the way they are. BS cannot change them for expediency.

[Blue_true]

12. It will be interesting to see what Bernie says if Biden is heading in the

convention with the most pledged delegates. That will tell us everything about Bernie, IMO.

[msongs]

3. sanders does not support majority vote unless it goes his way and when he loses... nt

[ripcord]

4. Of course he will

He has the old people he needs to step in and deal with all those young whippersnappers supporting Sanders.

[stopdiggin]

5. what he actually has

is a lot more support in the party (and by extension the general electorate?). But, of course .. all those delegates could turn around and vote for Sanders on the second ballot ... All he needs to do is convince them ...
-- -- --

[Cha]

6. This is about Democracy

[Rstrstx]

7. If Biden ends up receiving more total votes in the primaries then he has a legitimate case

Most Democrats have said they want to get rid of the electoral college and go to a national popular vote, how would this be any different?

If no one gets 50% of the delegates but Bernie ends up with both a plurality of delegates and total votes cast I think it would be hard to deny him the nomination. Any other scenario and the case for Bernie gets harder. If another candidate were to drop out and endorse Biden that could complicate things if their delegates + Biden's delegates > Bernie's delegates. The reverse also holds true.

[karynnj]

9. One difference this year is that the first ballot is just pledged delegates and you need 50% plus 1

to win on that ballot. Sanders may have won more pledged delegates than anyone else, but less than 50%. However, it is possible that some people who have left the race will release their pledged delegates. If as some polls show, it is the MODERATE side that adds up to more than 50 percent, it might be that the bulk of their pledged delegates will go with the top moderate on the first vote.

If that happens, in effect, what we have is a version of ranked choice voting - a progressive idea. (Not exactly because the pledged delegate decides the second choice for a large number of people he represents when a first choice is not viable.) It is, of course possible that some pledged delegates go to Sanders.

If that happens on the first ballot, it will not be the superdelegates making the choice.

[not_the_one]

10. ok, let's talk this through... 2376 of 4750 delegates needed to get nomination

If the nominee doesn't have 50% of the popular votes, and gets the nomination, then MORE people did NOT want the nominee, than those who do, yet that candidate gets the nomination anyway? That is not fair.

It is totally democratic that a brokered convention then has a second ballot, with the ultimate goal of the nominee having AT LEAST more than 50% of the delegates. There may even have to be subsequent ballots to get to that goal.

As a devil's advocate, let's say all 22 Dem candidates stayed in, none dropping out. The delegates were split pretty evenly, but with Tulsi receiving the highest # of delegates, 216. Those 216 should outweigh all the other combined delegates, 4534? Obviously not. The nominee SHOULD have at least 2376, which is > 50%.

Hopefully with a second ballot, > 50% of actual, earned delegates will be reached, if not, subsequent ballots until it DOES reach > 50%. I am not sure how super delegates work to have undue influence.

The Electoral College, as I understand it, essentially has little to do with the popular vote, since it allows STATE legislatures to elect how to apportion their EC votes. Republican states have that particular math down to a science, allowing enough unrepresentative gerrymandered districts and winner take all tallies to completely skew any proportional EC vote results. Aside from the Democratic party not putting the energy needed into the election of state legislators, either Democrats aren't good at math, or are too "fair" to allow us to win when we didn't earn it... Even if we DO get control of state legislatures, we SHOULD NOT practice gerrymandering to KEEP our legislative control, if it is not as the state residents voted.

That is how Hillary, who won a DECISIVE popular vote victory, is not our president. (Along with Pootie Poot's gross interference...)

So Bernie could have a plurality of popular votes, still with over 50% more people NOT wanting him, AND a plurality of delegates, still with over 50% more delegates NOT wanting him, yet still be the nominee.

When it looked like Hillary would benefit, Bernie was NOT ok with it. Although he was just fine with these very same rules last time around, NOW he has a problem with it?

How Republican of him...

[showblue22]

11. There's not much Bernie can say about this since he pushed for a contested convention himself.

Gas light us and say he did not push for a contested convention is all he can do and he will.