Biden: "I Never Thought Hillary Was The Correct Candidate"

[pnwmom]

99. The DNC allows the states to do this. It doesn't have to.

And all the electoral votes were determined by the caucuses, not any by the primaries. The reason Hillary got votes was because of the caucus people who voted for her.

My caucus was closely divided, but the precincts tended to be less so. My husband was struck by how young, male, and white the Bernie precincts were. College students have a lot more time on their hands to hang around for hours on end at precincts -- and not just for one event -- but to commit for the next stage events. Each precinct had to commit to sending people down to Olympia for a whole day -- far more of a commitment than most ordinary voters would make.

I didn't say that the caucuses were set up to assist anyone. But the effect of the caucus system is to help candidates who appeal to fervent supporters with time on their hands. People with jobs and children were much less likely to be able to afford the time commitment. Having participated in them, and voted against them years ago, I am personally aware of what an onerous bar they are to participation. A classic voter suppression device -- in fact, that is the whole point. And anyone looking around could see who benefited by the Democratic party rules that set up the system. It wasn't the candidate who appealed to a large spectrum of voters in our state.

If you don't think that the voting system mattered, then you'd have to explain why Hillary won almost all the primary states and Bernie took the caucus states. That system clearly worked to his advantage, and he knew it. He openly concentrated in those states. He didn't benefit from other Democratic rules, but the caucuses were good for him.