TPM Readers on Sanders #4

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TPM Reader EB is losing patience with the Sanders’ campaign’s resistance to accepting the numbers ….

Bernie’s insistence that the process is “rigged” and that he expects a contested convention are exasperating. I don’t say that as a Hillary supporter—I say it as an Obama supporter who wants a Democrat to succeed him.

His claims of a rigged process are incredibly frustrating because (1) he’s trailing in the popular vote by THREE MILLION VOTES; (2) he’s trailing in pledged (not super) delegates by a margin of about 300; (3) the only reason that margin isn’t greater is because of Bernie’s success in caucuses, which are by far the least small “d” democratic way that pledged delegates are awarded; and finally (4) he’s lost every key swing megastate—PA, FL, OH, VA, NC (I don’t count Michigan—BHO won by 15+ points, that ain’t a swing state). By what metric is this rigged?

As an Obama supporter, I distinctly remember being deeply frustrated by Hillary’s refusal to concede in ’08, and that was a MUCH closer contest than this one. What Bernie is showing, and what Hillary is NOT showing, is a basic contempt for the voters who are choosing Hillary over him. He’s so zealously convinced of the righteousness of his cause that, process be damned, he’s going to heroically carry on to the convention floor, arguing…what? That the guy with 3 million fewer votes should be the party nominee? Bernie has had quite a bit of latitude extended to him, not only by Hillary, who continues to patiently wait him out rather than risk alienating people she’ll need in November, but also by the national press. Essentially his argument is, yeah she has more votes and more delegates, but I’m right and she’s wrong. Hopefully he has genuine friends around him who can clue him in to how ridiculous that sounds, before he flames out and loses the leverage he deserves to have at the convention.

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