U.S. presidential rivals Clinton, Sanders tied in support among Democrats: poll

[cloudythescribbler]

22. abolishing "closed" primaries MUST be one of the things Bernie delegates demand of the platform ...

... whether he is the nominee or not

I suspect that MANY of Hillary's own delegates would agree, and if he manages to hold his delegates together on this and many other issues both internal to party politics/process and on policy generally, there should be some concrete changes in the platform

I recognize that if Hillary gets the nomination, she and her camp will determine most of the main planks in the platform. But Bernie has a chance to win a lot of concessions at the Convention even under those circumstances

The reasons in principle why Independents, who are a huge and growing percentage of the population, should be able to vote in primaries and caucuses are many. First, Independents are crucial to victory in the general, and candidates like Barack Obama and Bernie Sanders who run strongly among independents should figure fully in the nominating process. Second, the notion of letting the 'neighbors' determine your 'house's interior decorating' just don't apply -- many voters registered as Independent are as important to the progressive Democrats as other less progressive Democrats. "Closed" primaries are a lot like voter ID laws -- they serve to narrow the voter base to the advantage of powerful elite interests in the elections