2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumSo in 16 days, organizing for the convention will not be able to happen on DU
Its hard to talk about electability and flipping super delegates if you can't direct the question of electability at one candidate.
I think this was a much better idea for General Election 'season' timing, as was mentioned in a previous announcement by the admins.
Given that neither Democratic candidate has collected the necessary delegates to win, and neither candidate has suspended their campaign, it is still primary season on Democratic Underground. Members are free to support the Democratic primary candidate of their choice here on DU while the candidates themselves are still actively campaigning for the nomination.http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1013&pid=5098
Barring the convention, or Hillary/Bernie dropping out, primary season should run until the convention.
SFnomad
(3,473 posts)No amount of #BernieMath will change that.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)It's not a silly hashtag, it's the truth. No amount of #hillsplaning will change that.
SFnomad
(3,473 posts)on June 3rd, 2008 ... Barack Obama reached the magic number of delegates and he was called the Presumptive Nominee at that time. It required the counting of Superdelegates to arrive at that. And Clinton did not withdraw from the contest for days. It will be the EXACT same in 2016. Ignoring reality will not change this.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)Obama also didn't have an indictment hanging over his head and if I remember correctly he was actually gaining on Romney in the polls, not losing ground.
SFnomad
(3,473 posts)You're going to be very disappointed on June 8th when the majority of the rest of the people recognize that Secretary Clinton is the Presumptive Nominee. We will all move on ... you can continue to tilt at windmills.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)Full of substance and things to think of. Thanks!
SFnomad
(3,473 posts)When you have to start bringing up "indictments", it's a clear sign you've lost and you're giving up.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)Pretending that one isn't coming down is avoiding it at all costs. The only question is, how will the party deal with it?
SFnomad
(3,473 posts)in indictments ... they NEVER have. I don't expect this to end with them either. And no matter how much you hope they happen will change that. And yes, you're hoping for them, because that's all you have left.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)She would be terrible for the party and for the country. I make no bones about that. If it takes a reckoning of her (as you concede) lengthy bouts of corruption and questionable behavior then so be it.
Taking an actual factual look at her current investigation, would lead any prudent person to believe that it can only end with her indicted. Using the fact that she skated through the system previously isn't really the defense you want to make.
SFnomad
(3,473 posts)like you are supporting that. It's really quite despicable.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)How dare you question if I am willing to deal with reality when you trot that old tired excuse out???
Where there is constantly smoke, there is eventually fire.
SFnomad
(3,473 posts)It's really rather nauseating.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)while believing that Hillary is the victim of a vast right wing conspiracy makes you a super dem? Please.
SFnomad
(3,473 posts)If you're really a Liberal or Progressive, it actually makes you a lot worse.
And you said above you hope she gets indicted.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)not what is best for Hillary Clinton.
SFnomad
(3,473 posts)Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)But that is because you want what is best for Hillary Clinton. I understand.
SFnomad
(3,473 posts)Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)But that is ok, I understand.
SFnomad
(3,473 posts)Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)I understand.
SFnomad
(3,473 posts)Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)I'm not the one taking my ball and going home.
Demsrule86
(68,539 posts)have spewed for 30 + years it puts you squarely on Trump's team...is that what you want?
George II
(67,782 posts)It's the dying hope of a campaign that has run out of steam and available delegates.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)But whatever it takes to get you through the night.
DemocratSinceBirth
(99,710 posts)In that vein, let's make a wager...Hillary is indicted I leave DU forever. If Hillary is not indicted you leave DU forever.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)I don't agree with you at all lately, but I don't dislike you. I'm sorry you don't like me. I bet we'd get along pretty well if we met in person. We both like boxing.
DemocratSinceBirth
(99,710 posts)I am afraid we won't have him around much longer.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)It's a shame, but I thought he was going to leave a few weeks (months?) ago when he went in for Pneumonia and couldn't seem to shake it. Not to rely heavily on metaphor, but I won't count him out yet.
barrow-wight
(744 posts)You just can't see any of it.
DemocratSinceBirth
(99,710 posts)pinebox
(5,761 posts)Just saying
SFnomad
(3,473 posts)Chicken Little BS cheerleaders around here who continue to post facts not in evidence. When someone posts that indictments are imminent (and many here have), they are sounding just like right wingnuts.
But this thread isn't about emails, so I'm moving on ... why do people like you try to reframe every thread with off topic crap?
pinebox
(5,761 posts)and I don't know if indictments are imminent or not, I'm not the FBI but I think we can both agree this is a huge issue for Hillary and at this point, it's damaging her, her campaign and the party as a whole.
As far as my comments about emails, because you brought it up as well? http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=2104935
SFnomad
(3,473 posts)Though neither of us said emails ... just "indictments" ... again, I'm moving on.
pinebox
(5,761 posts)It's the FBI after all and they only deal in criminal investigations. We'll see
SFnomad
(3,473 posts)was the partisan Impeachment and Acquittal. Most all of those investigations have been partisan and many times the FBI has gotten involved ... this is just another in a long string that have begun as partisan hit jobs and I expect nothing to come of it, like the others. If you want to continue to rehash investigations, since you don't seem to want to let this go, why don't you move it to an on-topic thread, I'm sure there are dozens you could find.
pinebox
(5,761 posts)No questioning that but this however is something different. We'll see how it all plays out.
barrow-wight
(744 posts)Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)You're right, NOBODY votes until the convention. Nothing is official until the convention. The primaries continue until the convention. At some point, you'll need to put 2 and 2 together, and figure out that this is not difficult concept I'm championing.
tammywammy
(26,582 posts)There's a 7 day waiting period between a candidate becoming the presumptive nominee and DU going into general election mode. DU went into general election mode on 11 June 2008.
TimPlo
(443 posts)Then she was the presumptive nomination. Really it is all in Sanders count wither Hillary is presumptive nominee. If he feels that the SD can be swayed before the convention then the primary is still open until the first Roll Call at the convention and they SD cast the vote.
See pledged delegates we know how they are going to vote, by party rules they MUST vote in first round for the candidate that they are pledged for. But SD are free to vote anyway they want, just because they say now they are going to vote Clinton is kinda like basing a election on polling numbers. Nothing is official until Sanders drops out or some way Clinton can get a majority of Delegates via pledged ones only. Or of coarse the first round of voting in the convention where the SD actually vote.
Demsrule86
(68,539 posts)And your point is what exactly?
tammywammy
(26,582 posts)That's focusing on the wrong aspect. It started after a 7 day waiting period from when Obama became the presumptive nominee. Skinner is implementing the same exact thing this year. DU will move to General Election mode after a 7 day waiting period after we have a presumptive nominee
Demsrule86
(68,539 posts)is not used to select a candidate... Bernie will not be the candidate and we have no time to waste with Trump running a GE campaign...so come Bernie supporters please heed the call,don't stand in the doorway, don't block up the hall...the times they are a changin...my Mom loved Dylan and so do I! Conventions are a big party where the nominee is celebrated because long ago we lost every election that had a contested convention...McGovern prevailed for example with less than 30 % of the vote...that is why we have supers to stop someone like Bernie from taking it to the convention and trying to wrest the nomination from the front runner.
George II
(67,782 posts)Have you ever watched or attended or been a delegate to a convention?
highprincipleswork
(3,111 posts)Democratic Establishment, the media, and a lot of you here.
If you think that Bernie supporters or Bernie himself are going to stop until the actual vote count, you haven't been paying attention.
SFnomad
(3,473 posts)become that person. I realize a few people / articles have called her that, and they were wrong then. What most articles have called her is the "frontrunner" and other such terms ... those terms were correct.
Oh, I figure BS cheerleaders won't stop, they are stubborn people that really don't care about reality. Sanders on the other hand ... we'll see. He's running out of money and running out of options.
Aerows
(39,961 posts)going to bring you nice gifts in December.
It isn't December, yet.
SFnomad
(3,473 posts)Aerows
(39,961 posts)and who is nice.
SFnomad
(3,473 posts)the delusional ones.
Aerows
(39,961 posts)that delusional people tend to not realize they are delusional, hence the term?
Review that thought.
SFnomad
(3,473 posts)5 days and counting ... tick tock, tick tock.
Aerows
(39,961 posts)SFnomad
(3,473 posts)Trust Buster
(7,299 posts)Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)Talk to the Dem establishment if you want that changed.
Trust Buster
(7,299 posts)months. You're just not as slick as you think you are.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)Feel free to link it. Especially one where I whined about them, other than them being unnecessary.
As long as they are part of the process, then they are out there, capable of changing support, until they actually cast a vote at the convention.
What you are suggesting is that we run elections off of polls and not actual voting. For shame.
bjo59
(1,166 posts)most of the Bernie Sanders supporting members have left this site, I guess the Hillary Supporters can come on here to discuss Bernie amongst themselves until November.
Response to bjo59 (Reply #87)
Name removed Message auto-removed
truedelphi
(32,324 posts)Imagine the many interesting varieties of "Trump is awful" "Trump said this awfully stoopid thing" etc that will be posted here.
And there will be lots of space to do it - even Skinner admitted in his first ATA post about Bernie supporters that half the people here at DU were Bernie supporters.
Meanwhile all non_Hill supporters will be busy actually campaigning for people they like, or on Facebook with their friends. Or on other sites more friendly to Bernie.
amborin
(16,631 posts)truedelphi
(32,324 posts)Circa the Stolen Election of 2004, he tried quite hard to talk to people at the DNC and also to party Big Shots like Hillary.
None of those people were interested.
The Party has thrived on their ability to attain positions of power, and to lock in various deals, aka as quid pro quo's, which ensure them of a future of prosperity. (look no further than the Clinton Foundation if you wanna understand quid pro quo's and prosperity.)
Anyway, Stephenson was shut out of the process.
The DNC and other Party Big Wigs have continued, since his death in 2005, to ignore (or perhaps profit by?) such atrocities to democracy as gerrymandering, voting machinery that can be switched in a nano second to flip votes for one candidate over to another. As well as a host of other problems.
Short of having aliens abduct all of the Party Big Wigs, I don't see how anything can be changed. The people at the top do not care to be talked to, abut anything except what quid pro quo's you have to offer.
grasswire
(50,130 posts)Super delegates have zero say until they vote at the convention.
They cannot be counted or anticipated to support anyone, because they have no say and may change their minds at any time until then.
You may survey them and ask who they support. But their response will be meaningless, and rightfully so.
Therefore, the campaign does not end until all delegates have voted.
The whole purpose of the superdelegates is to prevent an unelectable candidate from securing the nomination -- and that is precisely why they should vote for Bernie on that ballot.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)election.
Trust Buster
(7,299 posts)Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)Trust Buster
(7,299 posts)Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)Trust Buster
(7,299 posts)Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)are allowed to vote at the Convention, you are right: "elections don't matter. Voters don't matter" in the Democratic Party.
Fact is, the super delegates don't vote until the Convention.
There is no candidate until someone wins at the Convention.
I learned that when I was 9, in 1952 when Adlai Stevenson and Dwight D. Eisenhower were nominated. Those were the first conventions I remember, and I remember them vividly. Back then, we listened to the conventions on the radio. My dad explained to me what was happening.
The candidates are officially nominated at the convention, not before. Let's just wait and see what happens.
George II
(67,782 posts)...should vote with the will of the voters.
So, if Clinton has earned the majority of the pledged delegates, how could Sanders and his followers possibly think that the superdelegates should now go AGAINST the will of the voters and vote for Sanders?
The Sanders people can't have it both way. Which way is it?
Garrett78
(10,721 posts)These are individuals who have declared their support. They simply haven't yet had the opportunity to make it official. The same goes for pledged delegates, who also aren't technically bound and can change their vote.
The 2008 race was closer, but once Obama was the presumed nominee, it was game over.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)Until its official, it isn't official.
And there are a TON more moving parts in 2016 than in 2008.
Garrett78
(10,721 posts)It's only not official because the convention hasn't taken place.
Not unlike how the declared winner in November isn't officially the winner until the electoral college meets on December 19.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)Until people actually vote.
Same with SD's.
upaloopa
(11,417 posts)Covering your ears and shouting "I can't hear you" won't change that nor will your posts on this board. Get use to it.😂
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)Garrett78
(10,721 posts)It's not like a poll. They've actually cast their ballot. Thus we get the term "presumed nominee." The convention is where that presumed nominee is celebrated.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)They haven't actually cast any type of ballot, and will not until the convention.
Garrett78
(10,721 posts)Superdelegates declare their support, just as voters in primaries and caucuses declare their support. They do so in different ways, but they are still declaring support. Neither pledged delegates nor superdelegates are bound, so I suppose you can argue that Clinton's pledged delegates will also switch to Sanders. They won't, but you can waste time making that argument if you like.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)....and kind of my entire point here.
Garrett78
(10,721 posts)It's so unlikely, though, that I feel this discussion is a waste of time. Hmmm, I should go find something else to do.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)The will of the people is reflected in the pledged delegate winner.
For the supers to choose the candidate who came in second over the candidate who came in first would, by very definition, be going against the will of the people.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)the exact reason they were created in the first place.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)Whether they should do so or not is another question.
grasswire
(50,130 posts)...but if the SD were created to over ride the will of the people (and they were) then what you argue is moot.
upaloopa
(11,417 posts)you dream up will not change that fact.
grasswire
(50,130 posts)WASHINGTON (CNN) -- For the second time in three days, Sen. Hillary Clinton told reporters that the pledged delegates awarded based on vote totals in their state are not bound to abide by election results.
Sen. Hillary Clinton lags behind Sen. Barack Obama in the popular vote and in pledged delegates.
It's an idea that has been floated by her or a campaign surrogate nearly half a dozen times this month.
Sen. Barack Obama leads Clinton among all Democratic delegates, 1,622 to 1,485, in the latest CNN count. Among pledged delegates, Obama leads Clinton 1,413 to 1,242.
"Every delegate with very few exceptions is free to make up his or her mind however they choose," Clinton told Time's Mark Halperin in an interview published Wednesday.
"We talk a lot about so-called pledged delegates, but every delegate is expected to exercise independent judgment," she said.
Clinton's remarks echoed her Monday comments to the editorial board of the Philadelphia Daily News.
"And also remember that pledged delegates in most states are not pledged," she said Monday. "You know there is no requirement that anybody vote for anybody. They're just like superdelegates."
Clinton also made similar comments in a Newsweek interview published two weeks ago.
mythology
(9,527 posts)oberliner
(58,724 posts)Last edited Wed Jun 1, 2016, 10:46 PM - Edit history (1)
That the notion of the super d's overriding the will of the people is problematic.
This seems like something Bernie Sanders would agree with in principle.
azurnoir
(45,850 posts)oberliner
(58,724 posts)If so, they break down 11-3, Hillary to Bernie right now with 2 not yet declared.
Going off the 62-38 win in the caucus for Bernie, then the 16 supers ought to be 10-6 for Bernie.
If you make that requirement, though, then what exactly is the point of the supers at all?
Trust Buster
(7,299 posts)nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)and they are getting nervous about her chances in November. For the record, I expect a dark horse if they decide to go that route due to the legal issues at play, pissing both sides in the process.
It is truly a balancing act. Because as you said, they cannot stand Sanders, and they really need another neoliberal.
As to the Supers, they could change their views al the wayl to the moment they vote. That is the way it works. For the record you did not vote for HRC, you voted for PDs, just like you will not vote for the President in November, but the electoral college, who theoretically, yes it is in the Constitution, could go, nah we don't like HRC or Donald Trump, Congratulation President Johnson. (GARY JOHNSON) That would happen at their meeting well after the November election. Is this likely? Nah. Hell, they could select anybody who is qualified, even LESS likely.
But no, you do not vote for these people, We do not live in a direct democracy. It would have it's advantages, and I for one would like to see that, and run off voting, but that ain't gonna happen unless we have a nasty civil war, in which case I do not expect the US to survive but rather to fully balkanize. (And that might be in the cards for reasons that unless you pay attention to long trends, you will not notice, I mean decades long trends)
Jesus this level of ignorance should stun me, but it does not anymore.
grasswire
(50,130 posts)WASHINGTON (CNN) -- For the second time in three days, Sen. Hillary Clinton told reporters that the pledged delegates awarded based on vote totals in their state are not bound to abide by election results.
Sen. Hillary Clinton lags behind Sen. Barack Obama in the popular vote and in pledged delegates.
It's an idea that has been floated by her or a campaign surrogate nearly half a dozen times this month.
Sen. Barack Obama leads Clinton among all Democratic delegates, 1,622 to 1,485, in the latest CNN count. Among pledged delegates, Obama leads Clinton 1,413 to 1,242.
"Every delegate with very few exceptions is free to make up his or her mind however they choose," Clinton told Time's Mark Halperin in an interview published Wednesday.
"We talk a lot about so-called pledged delegates, but every delegate is expected to exercise independent judgment," she said.
Clinton's remarks echoed her Monday comments to the editorial board of the Philadelphia Daily News.
"And also remember that pledged delegates in most states are not pledged," she said Monday. "You know there is no requirement that anybody vote for anybody. They're just like superdelegates."
Clinton also made similar comments in a Newsweek interview published two weeks ago.
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)but to be expected
GulfCoast66
(11,949 posts)What did she do after the last primary?
She condeded graciously and worked like hell to get Obama elected.
And she was much closer to Obama than Bernie is to her. And leading in the popular vote.
HooptieWagon
(17,064 posts)B Calm
(28,762 posts)Hillary? This primary has been a sham from the get-go and it's going to be revealed during the convention. The future of the democratic party is whether she drops out now or later.
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)If so, why not save some cash and not have it?
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)WhiteTara
(29,699 posts)LexVegas
(6,048 posts)bjo59
(1,166 posts)Iraqis, Syrians, Libyans, and Yemeni who will continue to lose in the ultimate way when, if you are correct, Hillary Clinton is president. How Americans can be so flippant about the death and devastation visited upon so many innocent people on the other side of the world under the Bush Sr., Clinton, Bush Jr., and Obama and, perhaps soon, Clinton II administrations in concert with their corporate partners is beyond me but I guess that's how the "exceptional" people roll.
sufrommich
(22,871 posts)that Sanders is going to flip hundreds of super delegates let alone one. That's delusional. I think this is an excuse to keep attacking the presumptive nominee.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)....but given her polling and the increasing chances of an indictment, she seems extremely capable of doing just that.
Trenzalore
(2,331 posts)Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)I came into this year as a Biden supporter.
Trenzalore
(2,331 posts)I actually probably would have went with O'Malley if he had caught traction. Can't stomach Sanders.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)Can't stomach Clinton. That isn't the route I want the party to take.
But cheers to similar tastes, you and I!
sufrommich
(22,871 posts)hoping it happens isn't going to make it come true. The primaries will be over after New Jersey and California and Hillary will be the nominee.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)Must be fun to pound your fists on reality, hoping it will break.
passiveporcupine
(8,175 posts)If Bernie closes that gap of 268, or whatever it is, to a tiny difference, I think the race could go either way.
If the pledged delegate gap remains where it is or grows in Hillary's favor, I doubt he'll be able to flip many of them. I doubt he even thinks he will.
Karma13612
(4,549 posts)I wonder if Admin would approve of a special Forum where we could still talk about preparations for the convention in a respectful, constructive manner.
I love DU and respect Skinner 100%.
I will not break any rules, but if we were allowed a separate forum where we could talk about the convention and preparations, I would hope that might be allowed.
Just a thought?
GulfCoast66
(11,949 posts)Skinner will not give a forum for disgruntled Sanders supporters to scheme up crazy ways to Shanghai the presumed nominee. Of course you would just call them 'making preparations'.
And I can only imagine the CT's that would come out of that group.
Karma13612
(4,549 posts)Adult conversation about work on the platform, etc.
But, since life is not neat and tidy, it would get pretty crazy pretty fast.
Well, I'll have to find one of the other Sanders sites everyone keeps talking about.
Take care
GulfCoast66
(11,949 posts)If you are as polite as your response indicates I am pretty sure you will be back here soon. I have checked some of those sites. Some are like the FR for leftists. Just nasty. I am afraid some of your fellow Bernie supporters may disappoint you. I am sure I have not seen them all and you may find some that suits you.
Again, good luck.
Karma13612
(4,549 posts)GulfCoast66
(11,949 posts)Garrett78
(10,721 posts)DU is a message board, one that most people have never even heard of. If you want to organize some sort of convention demonstration, there are any number of ways to do so.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)Why do we need to support the dem candidate? DU is just a message board that most people have never heard of. Why do we have any rules at all???
Get it?
Garrett78
(10,721 posts)Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)Garrett78
(10,721 posts)2 points. The first in response to the OP. The second in response to your question about why certain topics are off limits.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)what the TOS says at all. Why have a primary season and a GE season?
As long as we do, we should be able to discuss, as a discussion forum, the when.
Garrett78
(10,721 posts)upaloopa
(11,417 posts)Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)I refer you back from to the quote from the admin from earlier this year in my OP.
GulfCoast66
(11,949 posts)Beyond that we do not know. Try asking him. Or just read what he wrote, he was pretty literate.
And OMG, it is not enough complaining about your sore loser candidate losing, you are complaining about the rules of a privately owned site you voluntarily joined? If you no longer find the rules of this site acceptable, find another. I went through several prior to finding this one.
I suspect one way or enother you will be out of here on the 17th, but I hope not.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)but I think we're all grownups and capable of having a discussion together as well.
GulfCoast66
(11,949 posts)But continuing to ask us about why skinner does what he does is silly.
And you can go on the admins, which I know you have and find your answer. I guarantee that the answer you get(if he responds) will be a cut-and-paste of one he has already given.
The admin's are super fun to read right now with all the Bernie supporters looking for loopholes in the coming rules changes.
Basically if you post anything that questions Hillary's legitimacy or harms her chance against Trump, you will be gone.
Tarc
(10,476 posts)I don't think you really have a say in the matter.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)If you don't want to talk about it, feel free.
Tarc
(10,476 posts)Well, if you are going to test that theory past June 16th, Godspeed....
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)Or in your case, you choose the right to cheerlead it. An opinion is an opinion. We're all allowed to have them and discuss them.
Tarc
(10,476 posts)joshcryer
(62,269 posts)So this speculation is pointless.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)the entire conversation is moot. But he hasn't and hasn't indicated that is his plan. So why put a date on what happens around here?
joshcryer
(62,269 posts)But he will concede ("suspend " .
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)You may be right, but to pretend, especially this cycle, that he will not go to the convention is fairly laughable.
but again, the point is, why not wait until he drops out before declaring the primary season over?
joshcryer
(62,269 posts)Do you have any clue? The onus is on him, like it was on Clinton in 2008, to bow out with grace and dignity.
And I believe I have a good judgement of Sanders character.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)candidate with an indictment possibly hanging over her head is absolutely ridiculous.
joshcryer
(62,269 posts)...and busted her ass for the last man to win, doesn't get the same treatment. The woman, who will win by far more votes and delegates than the last man to win, has to differ to the whims of men.
It's a very very bad message to send. You of course will reject this but it's a fact.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)You're better than that load of bs you just posted, Josh.
joshcryer
(62,269 posts)Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)...her opponents performance in polls vs Trump? Not much.
2016 is a MUCH different situation at this point than 2008 was.
joshcryer
(62,269 posts)But she conceded when she lost.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)And was there any scandal, (aside from the birther bs her campaign started) that was an actual threat to make Obama unviable by June?
joshcryer
(62,269 posts)...of the primary, the long fought primary, he dipped.
Clinton made the exact same argument and her surrogates even tried to pull the Jeremiah Wright controversy back up.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)If it's hard to find, no big deal, I can look it up later tonight.
trc
(823 posts)Obama lead by 10-12 points going into June, Hillary leads by 9-12 points currently.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/us/democratic_presidential_nomination-191.html
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/us/2016_democratic_presidential_nomination-3824.html
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)Starry Messenger
(32,342 posts)YouDig
(2,280 posts)Apparently the admins will let the pro-Trump posts continue for a week after that. OK, fine with me, they own the site, they make the rules.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)I refer you back from the quote from the admin in my OP.
YouDig
(2,280 posts)Apparently the rules are that pro-Trump posts get to continue for a week after Hillary clinches. Fine with me, it's not my website.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)I'm just blowing smoke into the ether. Surprised you even bothered to reply.
YouDig
(2,280 posts)Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)My favorite of which being that not being pro-hillary makes you pro trump. That is a clear illustration why stopping the primary before the convention will do more harm than good.
YouDig
(2,280 posts)Pro-Trump is posting links to right-wing press attacking Hillary. Why would anyone do that if not to support Trump?
Anyway, that ends in 14 days, according to site owners.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)Apparently the admins will let the pro-Trump posts continue for a week after that.
YouDig
(2,280 posts)if not to help Trump?
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)I can't answer that question. i do a lot of things, but posting right wing links isn't one of them.
YouDig
(2,280 posts)I wasn't talking about you.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)Like, right now on the front page, there is an article posted from the NYpost. Immediately people start screaming that 'it doesn't matter!!! its a right wing site!!' While it may tilt conservative, its still a fairly well circulated news source.
I would agree that it's lame to post shit from Brietbart or the dailycaller et all. 'Right wing source!!' just becomes to much of a catch all for me to agree outright.
YouDig
(2,280 posts)I don't see the purpose of NY Post editorials attacking Hillary. Fox News is also a well-circulated right-wing source. More watched than either CNN or MSNBC. I don't like that one either.
If after June 15, NY Post articles (or Fox or whatever) attacking Hillary aren't permitted, I don't think that's such a big loss.
B Calm
(28,762 posts)YouDig
(2,280 posts)Enjoy the next 14 days.
B Calm
(28,762 posts)YouDig
(2,280 posts)B Calm
(28,762 posts)Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)YouDig
(2,280 posts)Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)That fact remains steadfast.
YouDig
(2,280 posts)LonePirate
(13,414 posts)I don't believe that has ever happened and it certainly won't be happening this year. People need to accept reality and give up these quixotic attempts to change the nominee. Bernie has lost. It's time to move on.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)who is continually losing support against the republican candidate? When have we EVER nominated a person with a possible indictment over his/her head?
LonePirate
(13,414 posts)Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)Keep pretending that everything is just fine.
LonePirate
(13,414 posts)Those things are never going to happen no matter how much you want them to happen. There is no precedent and 2016 will not be the year it happens.
Let me ask you this. Why are you and people like you clinging to such desperate and impossible scenarios that will never come to be? Why is the reality of the situation so impossible to accept? If there was a chance in hell that what you want to happen could actually happen, people might be sympathetic to your cause. However when there is no chance of those events happening, perpetuating those nonsensical beliefs gives off a really bad impression of your cause. Why not go down graciously in defeat and accept that Sanders lost? Why do you continue to deny the reality?
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)theory right? I mean, if you want to have a conversation lets do it, but you have to be down here in reality for this back and forth to work.
LonePirate
(13,414 posts)There is nothing to indict her over. There was nothing in the IGA report last week to indict her. Expert after expert have said there will be no indictment. Still, people are clinging to the false hope - often perpetuated by Republicans - that an indictment is imminent. It is the carrot on the stick you will never catch.
So again, I ask, why do you cling to the absurd hope of Sanders winning the nomination when there is ZERO chance of it happening?
Lizzie Poppet
(10,164 posts)He's not going to suppress an FBI request for indictment.
Besides, the IG report alone is enough ammunition for the talking yam to cripple her campaign...it's perfect fodder for devastating negative ads. He won't even have to lie...
Marr
(20,317 posts)Of course she has a chance of being indicted. Even Beltway insiders acknowledge that.
lmbradford
(517 posts)Kerry started the whole investigation and the IG is Obama's IG. She is not cooporating with her own state dept officials in this investigation. The fbi got involved when it became apparent a crime was probably committed and a criminal investigation was called for, and that turned into two fbi investigations.
This is not right wing. This is her wrong doing within the Obama administration. This is totally on her.
KingFlorez
(12,689 posts)After DC votes, Clinton will have more than crossed the 2026 pledged delegate threshold. DU ended primary discussion in 2008 as well, so it's not a new rule or one designed to be biased against anyone.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)but move the goalposts, its all good.
KingFlorez
(12,689 posts)If you do not like the rules, there are other sites to discuss flipping superdelegates. I suggests that you start posting on those.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)And I've been posting here a long time. The move of the party to the right may push me and a lot of others out, but not today. Thanks for your concern and suggestion though.
B Calm
(28,762 posts)KingFlorez
(12,689 posts)B Calm
(28,762 posts)KingFlorez
(12,689 posts)Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)KingFlorez
(12,689 posts)I mean she did tell people what they wanted to hear for money.
With that said, Clinton will win on the first ballot and that means there will be no contested convention. The only superdelegate that has flipped so far has been one from the Virgin Islands who flipped from Sanders to Clinton.
aikoaiko
(34,165 posts)Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)Sorry, by the time I saw it, the announcement thread was huge.
aikoaiko
(34,165 posts)obamanut2012
(26,064 posts)aikoaiko
(34,165 posts)Demsrule86
(68,539 posts)And I think that would be very subjective and such posts will be hidden regularly...as they should. The idea is to elect Hillary...you want to help Trump or whine about Bernie...then move on to a different site.
aikoaiko
(34,165 posts)Again, as long as people are not trashing the nominee there is little reason for you to be concerned. I don't think HRC is that weak of candidate for nomination, do you?
This site is for all Democrats and not just HRC. People who don't like that might want to join a site like hillaryclintonsupporters.com where support for HRC and trashing Bernie is the only thing that matters.
Demsrule86
(68,539 posts)Every time you criticise her you help Trump...and I would toss the lot of you out and hope Skinner does...sore losers who want us to lose in November is what you all sound like.
aikoaiko
(34,165 posts)But here we are and here we stay as long as we don't trash the nominee.
Don't be mad. You like to say we don't matter, but your anger and vindictiveness says otherwise.
Lizzie Poppet
(10,164 posts)Camp Weathervane is likely to have significant numerical superiority after that rule goes into effect (and a big chunk of Bernie supporters leave, at least temporarily). Despite upcoming jury system "reforms," you know that will still happen.
beachbumbob
(9,263 posts)To discuss methods to damage her is definitely against TOS...find another Internet forum...
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)convention. Its really a simple concept.
upaloopa
(11,417 posts)Bernie won't change that.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)who aren't offical until the convention.
Lets say she is indicted. Stick with me, this is just for sake of argument. It will be the SD's who save the party from nominating a guaranteed loser. So why don't we all just wait until the convention?
onenote
(42,680 posts)The stampede in her direction once she has won a majority of the pledged delegates (and while its theoretically possible she won't, I don't see a lot of people thinking that isn't going to happen) will be overwhelming. Many of the super delegates that have remained neutral will announce their support for her. Some of the supers that have committed to Sanders will bail out on him and throw their support to Clinton. The numbers and momentum will be overwhelming and will be capped off by the endorsement, probably already being planned, of Clinton by Obama.
Sanders will be left tilting at windmills with a shrinking army of supporters. It will be sad and, hopefully, he decide that it's better to get on board than be left behind.
Doctor Jack
(3,072 posts)dlwickham
(3,316 posts)maybe you should post your "plans" on there
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)niyad
(113,215 posts)Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)grasswire
(50,130 posts)the people who construct the content of the site
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)...hard to get ad revenue with no clicks.
niyad
(113,215 posts)Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)Pay attention to the bolded part.
#conventionsmatter
niyad
(113,215 posts)I would guess that under some conditions, some of the people who are so upset now would be thrilled.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)Given that neither Democratic candidate has collected the necessary delegates to win, and neither candidate has suspended their campaign, it is still primary season on Democratic Underground.
That quote was from earlier this year. On June 16th, the above will still be true.
chillfactor
(7,573 posts)Skinner does so get off your high horse....
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)inconsistency. Talk about high horses. What's the view like up on yours?
djean111
(14,255 posts)and here is the facebook page of a group that is organizing one of the protests - https://www.facebook.com/groups/occupydncconvention/
probably some info at JPR, too!
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)using kidded gloves when it comes to certain candidates.
Demsrule86
(68,539 posts)the nominee is not known...and rightfully so...all the stuff you talk about will never happen. And despite what you think...a decision has been made that the primary end her on June 16th. I think Bernie will concede before the convention myself.
AzDar
(14,023 posts)azurnoir
(45,850 posts)voices are unwanted here unless we "fall in line" or "come to heel" take your choice for Hillary, as is his right
Times change and when DU was established there was a need for for a progressive voice that no longer exists according to The Party. DU has evolved into a DNC/3rd Way site
Lizzie Poppet
(10,164 posts)There's nothing "underground" about mainstream, Third Way corporate centrism.
barrow-wight
(744 posts)Will you just lose with a little bit of grace, even?
MFM008
(19,803 posts)That Sanders will continue until the convention.... many
Berners will say he still has a chance on the last day of the first 100 days of an HRC administration.
People should be able to talk about their convention experiences. I for one would like to hear it. I'm sure if I wasn't as sick as I was I would give anything to go to that convention. Really stock up on some memorabilia of all kinds.
However Trump will be coming off of his convention and he wants to make it a big deal in an outdoor stadium or whatever he was talking about, so our Focus has to be on continuing to whittle away at his electability and his lack of presidential Behavior.
Major Hogwash
(17,656 posts)But, I have places to go, things to do, people to see.
NCTraveler
(30,481 posts)Of course we can organize our path forward.
beachbum bob
(10,437 posts)hillary achieves the number 9pm tuesday night
primary season is over...DU will not engage in submarining our nominee after June 16th....I'm sure many other forums out there the losing side can find comfort in
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)As silly as they are, we do have them, and they are up for grabs until the convention.
JoePhilly
(27,787 posts)obamanut2012
(26,064 posts)Just like in Skinner's announcement thread -- and people on the internet talked about PUMAs in 2008.
Demsrule86
(68,539 posts)Discussing Bernie Sanders intention to blow up the convention or organize 'demonstrations' against Hillary and the DNC...is not appropriate for a Democratic site. Hillary will be the nominee whether Bernie concedes or not. And we have no more time to waste on Bernie...the general election is upon us. I would say most here want Trump defeated...I believe most Bernie supporters want that too...those who want to cause trouble don't belong here.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)That doesn't end after we nominate a moderate republican. (In theory)
Demsrule86
(68,539 posts)period end of story...and after that we can work together to improve stuff...consider that your side lost, thus you must accept some concessions.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)It's a lame reason to vote for someone, and I'm tired of doing it.
Demsrule86
(68,539 posts)If Trump wins there will be no progressive movement. And this is Democratic underground so if you want the Democratic nominee Hillary to lose, you really should more to Reddit or Free Republic...they want that too. I want to crush Trump period end of story.
brooklynite
(94,483 posts)What gets discussed (or not) here has no relationship to the real world. If you want "organize for the Convention", join your Party organization.
gordianot
(15,237 posts)At party headquarters with real people the acrimony of DU does not exist. All opinions and concerns are welcome.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)Yet we make rules about it.
brooklynite
(94,483 posts)Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)brooklynite
(94,483 posts)Gothmog
(145,063 posts)I know a number of super delegates and they would not care what someone posting on DU thinks about their vote
Bobbie Jo
(14,341 posts)There will be no "flipping super delegates." We will have our presumptive nominee June 14th, if not sooner.
Why should Skinner be expected to provide space for attempts to circumvent the process?
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)I mean, that is the point of the time between the end of the primaries and the convention where the SD's vote. If you don't like that, join me in calling for the establishment to get rid of SD's.
Until they do though, here we are.
pinebox
(5,761 posts)Lots of speculation in this thread but if there is no nominee then things should continue as they are until then which only makes logical sense. The convention will be contested and DU shouldn't wrap it up until someone is on a stage accepting the nomination.
saidsimplesimon
(7,888 posts)logged in to give my support, over and out
Tarc
(10,476 posts)The DU will be about electing the nominee to the White House at that point. That's the side you'll need to be on.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)Tarc
(10,476 posts)Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)As do you.
Tarc
(10,476 posts)Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)Thanks for doing that though, it makes the point so much clearer.
ProgressiveEconomist
(5,818 posts)sowing dissension, coordinating attackks on the nominee with Team Trump, fomenting riots outside the convention headquarters, and continuing brain-dead "campaigning" for the egotistical sore-loser, then, YES, it will not be permitted.
workinclasszero
(28,270 posts)Will we finally get back to fighting republicans on the 16th?
I'm so sick of fighting a two front war with Trump in front and Berners behind!
ProgressiveEconomist
(5,818 posts)conceded THREE MONTHS AGO, on Super Tuesday, had he followed the example of ALL past contenders for nomination in either party, with the exception of Ted Kennedy in 1980.
The "revolutionaries" have been spending tens to hundreds of millions of dollars helping Republicans attack Hillary with preposterous lies. It's way past time for that dangerous derangement to come to an end, finally.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)This isn't the WWE.
Peace Patriot
(24,010 posts)I just read Robert Parry's article, "Waiting for California and the FBI" (6/1/16). He is not the first political analyst this week to discuss Clinton's faltering campaign, but he is the most convincing that the Democratic Party establishment may take action to save itself from a candidate who cannot beat Donald Trump.
First, who is Robert Parry? Parry is one of the more credible representatives of what I call the Corrupt Media. His journalistic tradition is from the old days when the corporate media tended to be less partisan, less propagandistic and more ruled by old journalistic standards of objectivity and neutrality. For instance, as his article bio states, he was an investigative reporter on the Iran-Contra stories which exposed crime in the Reagan administration at a time when Reagan was the darling of the uber rich.
Investigative reporter Robert Parry broke many of the Iran-Contra stories for The Associated Press and Newsweek in the 1980s. You can buy his latest book, Americas Stolen Narrative
https://consortiumnews.com/2016/06/01/waiting-for-california-and-the-fbi/
What does Robert Parry say?
How should this be handled at Democratic Underground?
What is the likelihood of an "anybody but Clinton or Sanders" convention?
-----------------
Second question first, so you can see where I'm going with this:
How should this be handled at Democratic Underground?
I think that what Parry says argues strongly for DU to remain open to criticism of Clinton and to discussions of alternative candidates through the convention. It has become increasingly possible that we are going to have a contested convention and possibly a "brokered" convention. It would be unfair to DU members--including long time members like myself--to exclude from this critically important discussion anyone but Clinton supporters.
That is my position, after reading Parry's article, and taking into consideration the other rumblings within the party in recent weeks, and the increasing likelihood of a big Sanders win in California. Whether or not Clinton clinches "the math" on June 7, the main issue, after a big Sanders win in California, will be a failing campaign vs a campaign with momentum. And THIS is why "super-delegates" were created in the first place--to rescue the party from a candidate who cannot win the GE and may well wreck down-ticket races with a crash and burn.
Again, my position: DU should not "close" behind Clinton until the convention is over.
------------------------
FYI: I am a strong Sanders supporter. I am a woman. I'm 71, and have been a loyal Democratic supporter since 1960, when I was 16 and a volunteer for JFK's one and only presidential campaign and that of the first CA Governor Brown. I've been a member of DU since 2004.
-----------------------
First question: What does Parry say?
https://consortiumnews.com/2016/06/01/waiting-for-california-and-the-fbi/
A summary (at the top of the article):
Some Democratic leaders are privately scouting around for someone to replace Hillary Clinton if she stumbles again in California and/or the FBI detects a crime in her email scandal, reports Robert Parry.
His first paragraph:
For months now, poll after poll have registered the judgment of the American people that they want neither Hillary Clinton nor Donald Trump as the next President, but the two major parties seem unable to steer away from this looming pileup, forcing voters to choose between two widely disdained politicians.
A bit later in the article:
...the Democrats have one final chance to steer clear, on June 7 when they hold several primaries and caucuses including New Jersey and California. If Bernie Sanders can upset Clinton in California and/or if Clintons legal problems over her emails worsen there remains a long-shot chance that the Democratic convention might nominate someone else.
As far-fetched as this might seem, some senior Democrats, including reportedly White House officials, are giving serious thought to how the party can grab the wheel at the last moment and avoid the collision of two historically unpopular political figures, a smash-up where Trump might be the one walking away, damaged but victorious.
Middle of the article: Discusses the OIG report from Secretary John Kerry's State Department, which reveals very serious issues with Clinton's private email server. Quotes Doug Schoen: "Given the inspector generals report, a clean bill of health from the Justice Department is unlikely."
Conclusion of this part of the article:
(quoting Schoen) "...with Mrs. Clintons negative rating nearly as high as Donald Trumps, and with voters not trusting her by a ratio of 4 to 1, Democrats face an unnerving possibility.
(Parry) Besides the lack of trust, voters simply dont like her. On Wednesday, the Real Clear Politics poll average of Clintons favorable vs. unfavorable numbers were 37.6 percent to 55.8 percent, an 18.2-point net unfavorable.
Thence to the section in Parry's article that is relevant to a possible "anybody but Clinton or Sanders" convention. Parry quotes the Carl Bernstein article:
I was in Washington this week, I spoke to a number of top Democratic officials and theyre terrified, including people at the White House, that her campaign is in freefall...."
Parry's analysis of the primaries:
Whereas Republican leaders failed to suppress their voters uprising as Trump torched his GOP rivals one after another the Democratic leadership did all they could to save Clinton, virtually pushing her badly damaged bandwagon toward the finish line while shouting at Sanders to concede.
But it has now dawned on some savvy Democrats that Clintons campaign vehicle may be damaged beyond repair....
One surprise in the article is that Democratic insiders are not just discussing Biden and Kerry as alternative candidates (this article doesn't mention Warren) but are also considering going with Sanders!
Looking down at our country and our party from as high of a perspective as I can get to, what I see is that the people who chose the wrong horse, War Admiral, have been trying to trip up the real champion, Seabiscut, because that funny little knock-kneed horse is a joke, beneath contempt, disdained by all. They don't want Sanders to win! And we know why: They are mostly Corporate Democrats like Clinton. TPP is on the line, and Sanders doesn't like TPP nor any other aspect of Corporate Rule.
So, amidst these rumbles and rumors, I really don't think that Sanders--who has run such an amazing campaign with all odds against him--is among the alternatives that our Party leaders are truly considering. They likely would want a Clinton-like candidate, and they likely think that a Clinton-like candidate without the "baggage," and without the rotten trustworthy numbers, can pull in young voters and independents and beat Trump.
Thus, what may be developing is a contested convention, with party leaders trying to make it a "brokered" convention. And in that fight, Sanders, Sanders delegates and Sanders supporters are going to have a strong hand to influence the party's choice (whether Sanders or not) and to influence the official policies of that candidate.
Shouldn't DU be engaged in that debate--evaluating Clinton's viability and choosing an alternative if necessary? It is perhaps the most important debate that Democrats will ever engage in. Is DU going to be left out of this?
------------------------------------------
What is the likelihood of an "anybody but Clinton or Sanders" convention?
Parry concludes:
...whether the Democrats have the guts to go through the pain of denying Clinton the nomination may depend on what happens in California and inside the FBI.
We don't know what the FBI is going to do (or when), though the report from Kerry's OIG does not bode well for Clinton. The FBI seems to be proceeding normally with a serious criminal investigation that has gotten to the point of granting immunity to witnesses (and extraditing a witness), interviews of various parties including Clinton aides, recovery of Clinton's "wiped" emails, rumored pending interview of Clinton, etc. The bits and pieces of what they're looking at, that have made it onto the internet, do not bode well for Clinton. But we just don't know what the FBI is going to do, and this case is fraught with political overtones and undertones and whole orchestras of behind-the-curtain music (including distant trumpets from the intelligence agencies).
California will be a known next week. Here's what we have on California:
1) Sanders has closed a big deficit in the polls to tie Clinton in recent CA polls.
2) CA has registered TWO MILLION new voters, as of the registration deadline May 23--MOST of them young voters, MOST of them Democratic registrations--an enormous surge in Dem Party registration (increase of 218%!).
3) CA Democratic voters are farther left than CA Democratic Party office holders and leaders. And CA voters in general tend to be independent-minded (not cowed by party bosses, as in some states). So items like Gov Jerry Brown's rather cool endorsement of Clinton likely won't influence many voters, especially with Bernie Sanders being so visible and energetic, up and down the state, at numerous big rallies and other events.
4) "No Party Preference voters" (NPPs, i.e., independents) can vote in the Democratic Party primary, by mail-in (if they've requested a Dem ballot) or at the polling place on June 7, by requesting a Dem Party ballot. NPP voters cannot vote in the Republican primary. So the new NPP voters likely did not register in order to vote for Trump. NPPs will be a factor in the Dem primary.
5) NPP Sanders voters are not likely being captured by polls. The many new Democratic voters are not likely being captured by polls.
6) Sanders almost always outperforms the pre-election polls.
The TWO MILLION new voters is a very strong pointer to a Sanders blowout. Sanders' polling among young voters is very high (60% to 70%). The many newly registered voters are mostly young voters. Last poll I saw, Latino voters were split 50-50, Clinton-Sanders. Sanders poll numbers have soared in California, among Dems and among Latinos, over the last month or so, bringing him to an apparent tie with Clinton, but the polls are not likely catching all of it, especially given the lateness of these new voter registrations, more than half of which occurred in April-May.
Prediction: Sanders will win California (and if he doesn't, we need to throw the ES&S/Diebold vote tabulators into the Pacific Ocean!). (Seriously: western-style 'Boston Tea Party'!)
Guess: Sanders will win by at least 20%.
Consequences: Depending on what happens in the other June 7 states, and later in DC, Sanders will probably not reach the magic number of pledged delegates (to win a first ballot vote at the convention without superdelegate votes). Clinton may not get that number either. But, presuming he doesn't and she does, where will we be?
Clinton will limp into the convention, having lost the biggest state in the country by a significant margin, the state of which it is said, "As California goes, so goes the nation." She will have lost Oregon, recently, with blowout Sanders numbers, and a string of other primaries and caucuses. She will be a wounded candidate, whether she has a first ballot number or not. And the party bosses and delegates will have to decide whether to go with this wounded, currently losing and falling in the polls candidate, and try to put together a coalition that smothers her weaknesses and utilizes Sanders' strengths, or whether to do something else.
Clearly, this convention is NOT going to be the coronation that Clinton planned for. It is going to be a rough, contested convention for Clinton, as the primaries have been. And, despite her early wins, and despite her acquisition of superdelegates before Sanders even entered the race, she will not have a strong hand.
She has to prove:
a) that she is NOT going to be indicted and neither are any of her aides (if the FBI hasn't acted by then);
b) that she is NOT a threat to national security;
c) that she can win over young voters and independents (essential to beat Trump);
d) that she can restore some trust within the general electorate (a Nixon-like "Checkers" speech?--emotional apologies--that sort of thing? I don't know how she can do this);
e) that she will have coat-tails for down-ticket races (very important to party leaders and to all of us),
f) that she has the strong support of Secretary of State John Kerry (quite important because of the OIG report).
g) that she has the strong support of President Obama.
Looking at all of this, superdelegates and delegates to the convention must be having restless nights, dreaming of a candidate with no "baggage," with high likability and high trustworthiness, who can win half the Democratic Party voters with no news coverage for six months and then mostly negative dribbles, who can do that with small donations from millions of people and no superpac, who has not amassed personal wealth, who has served all his elected positions well, about whom the worse scandal is that his wife failed at a college fundraising campaign, who is beloved in his home state, and who has attracted young voters and disaffected voters in droves, and who can run up and down the state of California on the most grueling barnstorming schedule ever devised, and plunge himself into the Pacific Ocean in the middle of it, like he was 20 years old.
Dream candidate. Why can't we have HIM, instead of a candidate who has to START her GE campaign by proving that she won't be indicted?
-------------------------
Some scenarios:
If the FBI report comes out before the convention and recommends indictment of Clinton or her aids, then it's game over for Clinton (no matter what A.G. Lynch does, a Clinton ally, but whose own career will be on the line).
What will the convention do in that case?
If the FBI report is still pending, the convention has to face all of the above political considerations.
What will the convention do about all of the above?
If the FBI report comes out before the convention and does NOT recommend indicting anybody, but is nevertheless seriously critical of Clinton (and criticism seems almost certain and could be blistering, given the OIG report), the convention will have to assess the damage to GE chances.
How will the convention go about assessing damage to GE chances from a critical FBI report or a still pending FBI report? (Also, what implications for a Clinton presidency?)
DU SHOULD REMAIN OPEN TO CRITICISM OF CLINTON THROUGH THE CONVENTION.
Should DU be excluded from these fateful decisions and discussions within the Democratic Party on through our convention?
It's NOT going to be a coronation. It's NOT going to be easy. It is going to require the concerted efforts of all Democrats and wide variety of opinion. We need debate of these matters! And, being the "underground," we don't want the debate to occur exclusively behind closed doors. We want to provide in-put into how our party leaders assess this situation and who gets chosen as the nominee, if Clinton is not viable, for whatever reasons. That, to me, is one important role of DU. We also educate people about Democratic candidates and issues, and this helps voters and party leaders.
-------------------------
DEAR SKINNER:
I urge you to keep DU open through the convention! You need us and we need you! And the Democratic Party needs all of us doing what we do best here, arguing it all out! I'd say leave DU discussion open through the convention even if Sanders wins California by less than 10% or only ties or only comes very close. The issues that Robert Parry and others are now raising are not going to be settled completely by California. They involve factual issues (what the FBI does, for instance) and judgement issues (for instance, what weight to give to Clinton's falling numbers against Trump?).
It seems like many Clinton supporters at DU really don't want us here, criticizing Clinton and raising difficult issues. I hope you override their desire to see us gone until the convention settles all these matters as well as it can. This is a very unusual primary and a very rocky time for the Democratic Party. I hope you will agree with me that vigorous debate will strengthen us in the coming months.
But you, of course, are the judge of this, and I'm okay with that. We need rules and focus, and consensus about rules and focus would likely be impossible to achieve, especially right now. So it's best that you, the owner, decide what's what.
My personal policy is never to use the "ignore" function and almost never to vote for "hiding" posts. I want to read what everyone has to say--even posters I really dislike and disagree with (and maybe especially them!) It is all important to arriving at good policies and good candidates, and to educating and informing ourselves (myself included) and those who only read DU and don't participate.
Thank you for DU! I love this place--you've done a wonderful job creating it and mentoring it! I don't want to see DU left out of the party reform movement. I want DU to remain a vital part of the important debates and decisions of the coming months.
Peace
(Note to this thread: I'm going to post this as an OP in GD .)
Demsrule86
(68,539 posts)and does not need to be discussed. It makes Bernie look really bad and will end any revolution.
cui bono
(19,926 posts)Now it's looking more grim. We must not allow that thinking here. If DU group thinks only positive things about Hillary they can will it so!
.
CobaltBlue
(1,122 posts)I enjoyed the 2008 Democratic convention. But, I suspect that would not be the case here in 2016 given its corporate sponsorship. The Republican convention may provide some chuckles.