I planned to write this post a month ago, but as always, I got distracted and the uproar faded.
On one side, Bernie Sanders supporters were freaking out that Hillary Clinton technically got the same number of delegates as him thanks to superdelegates. Superdelegates are elected Democrat officials in each state who are automatically delegates to the convention. They were implemented in large part after the George McGovern and Jesse Jackson campaigns. Both put a scare in the establishment that a far left rabble rouser might get the nomination. Neither did in the end because they were too narrow, not because of superdelegates.
On the other side, libertarians were gleefully cheering that those who wanted more government were getting a taste of their own medicine in a sense. They also were sadistically happy that after Ron Paul was partially robbed by the GOP establishment, Sanders looked headed for the same. “Maybe now they will see that government and political parties are not the answer”. Maybe, indeed.
Lets not leave out the media, in their (understandable) urge to drive clicks, reads, and attention, trumpeted this “fiasco” and the unfairness. Boy, how they manipulate us all. Dozens of articles all over covered the “controversy” as if nothing like this had ever happened before. Outrage blew up and then went back to normal as everyone plodded onward.
In the end, everyone was just dead wrong. This happened just eight years ago in the Obama-Clinton battle. Most of the superdelegates, albeit not as many as support her now, went for her over him. There was the same uproar and concern about the voice of the people. Would these officials use their right to “save” the party from the Illinois upstart? Again, in the end, they came around. Obama turned the tide, and many superdelegates switched. Why wouldnt the same happen now?
Sanders, unfortunately, is farther behind than Obama ever was and while the calendar favors him a bit now, its a tough road. He needs to win and win big in states like New York, Pennsylvania, and especially California. A big win in Washington this past weekend helped a lot and boosted the campaign, but those big states are needed. Polls, however, dont seem to favor him, so it may all be moot. If he does pull it off and at the end of the contest, has more delegates than her, the idea that this would be overturned is simply hard to believe. It was all much ado about nothing and everyone got taken along for a ride. The superdelegates should be completely disregarded until mid June. They still technically have to be wooed, but they arent pledged until they cast votes on the floor. Who they endorse publicly now is irrelevant.
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