Sanders announces the support of a superdelegate. It’s his 11th. Clinton has more than 32 times....

[Omaha Steve]

Source: W Post

By John Wagner

Democratic White House hopeful Bernie Sanders is touting a new endorsement from a leading advocate for women in politics -- and a superdelegate to the Democratic convention.

Erin Bilbray, a member of the Democratic National Committee from Nevada, said she had been leaning in the direction of Hillary Clinton -- who would be the country’s first female president -- but decided to back the senator from Vermont because of his stance on money in politics and the strength of his grass-roots campaign.

“It really was a deep struggle,” Bilbray, the daughter of a former congressman, said of her support, announced during a Sanders swing through the early caucus state of Nevada that wrapped up Monday.

The endorsement was Sanders’s 11th to date from a superdelegate -- and it underscores how big of an advantage Clinton has on that count.

FULL story at link.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2015/12/29/sanders-announces-the-support-of-a-superdelegate-its-his-11th-clinton-has-32-times-as-many/

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" had been leaning in the direction of Hillary Clinton" Erin Bilbray is Feeling the Bern

Donate to DU for Bernie at Act Blue here: https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/duforbernie

[Kalidurga]

1. It shocking that Bernie doesn't have the support of the Establishment

And some people think that this is a problem. It's not a problem it's a feature. Or in other words it's not a bug not even a cricket we don't roll that way.

[LiberalElite]

2. IMO the inevitability wall is

starting to crack.

[Cassiopeia]

9. Just yesterday HRC had a 45:1 lead by SD's

Today it's 32:1

After Iowa and NH things are gonna get shaken up quite a bit.

[jmowreader]

10. Remember what Mark Twain said about statistics

Just yesterday:
Clinton 359 superdelegates, Sanders 8

Today:
Clinton 359 superdelegates, Sanders 11

[jmowreader]

19. HIGHLY doubtful

I don't think Bernie will make it past Iowa if he continues to refuse corporate funding, and he won't make it past New Hampshire if he does. I hate big money controlling politics as much as you, but here's reality: It's going to take well over a billion dollars to win 2016. He's up against either a fascist billionaire who doesn't mind going bankrupt or one of a long line of theocrats who have billionaires behind them. Either Trump money or Koch money, the stuff's the same color either way. It's going to take a goodly chunk of that billion-plus just to get to the Convention. He can't get there only on union money and small-donor money...and when he starts looking at superpacs and 501(C)(4)s, his base will walk. And if he somehow stays in it to the end and goes into the general on small-dollar it'll be like bringing a peashooter to an artillery duel.

The system has to be fixed - but from the inside. Assuming Hillary Clinton is every bit as bad as the Sanders supporters claim she is, she's still miles closer to what kind of president we want than any of the GOP

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

20. I, sadly, agree.....

And can only hope Hillary does half of what she says she will.....

[Fawke Em]

40. ... I wouldn't say miles.

Maybe a few feet.

[jmowreader]

41. Trust me. It's miles.

The current crop of GOP candidates falls into two classes: Donald Trump, who wants to create an English-speaking version of Mussolini's Italy, and the rest of them, who want to create Saudi Arabia with a cross on the roof. Hillary Clinton is nothing like either of them.

[KingCharlemagne]

24. Technical note of attribution: I believe the source of the quote to which

you allude ('Lies, damned lies and statistics') is the British Prime Minister Disraeli. Twain credited Disraeli for it:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lies,_damned_lies,_and_statistics

[jmowreader]

36. I believe no one actually knows who said it first

Disraeli could have well picked it up from someone else.

[KingCharlemagne]

42. I believe I may have written in haste earlier. Twain attributed the saying to

Disraeli, but no mention of it apparently has been found in anything Disraeli ever wrote.

So we have to take that master humorist's word for it. That said, I think your original attribution has as much chance of being correct as any I might offer

[Thor_MN]

34. I don't understand celebrating jumping from 2% to 3%...

Superdelegates as a topic is an absolute disaster for Sanders. He would need more than 90% of the remaining uncommitted Superdelegates just to tie Clinton, a highly unlikely possibility.

[George II]

21. When one has a very low number to start with, just one or two or three makes HUGE difference...

....in the ratio.

I prefer looking at it in pure numbers, ratios don't win a nomination.

Yesterday 359-8, today 359-11. Still a lead of more than 300+.

[jmowreader]

37. Exactly.

[rhett o rick]

3. Sen Sanders has the support of the People and not the billionaires or their puppets. nm

[GreydeeThos]

4. President Obama won the nomination in 2008 by pursuing SuperDelegates

Hillary Clinton has made note of this, and has been accumulating the support of SuperDelegates for several years now.
Bernie Sanders is late to the game and will be unable to make up the deference before the convention. Bernie Sanders does not stand a chance of being nominated, and this mindless support of his campaign is a waste.

[comradebillyboy]

5. It's hard to get Democratic super-delegate support when one has never

supported the election of Democrats.

[FarPoint]

7. Hahahaha... Yes, so very true indeed.

You make me smile. It's really that simple... Not a complicated concept at all.....

[Omaha Steve]

28. OOPS Watch Young Senator Barack Obama Campaign for Bernie Sanders in 2006

[MADem]

44. OOOPS, watch Hillary Clinton donate to his campaign....you do realize he was the DEMOCRATIC

candidate during that election, too?

He REFUSED our good offices, and stuck with the INDEPENDENT label--but the Democratic Party endorsed him for office.

And Hillary Clinton gave him--and other deserving "Democratic" candidates for office--a huge chunk of cash from her super pac, which was called HILLPAC. She ran around eating overcooked chicken and making speeches in order to give this money to Sanders and others in order to elect more Democrats, and fewer Republicans, to public office.

[Omaha Steve]

45. Has he not voted with the D's?

Had he not voted for Obamacare (it just had the 60 votes it needed for cloture) it wouldn't exist.

Had Lincoln & Nelson voted for the Employee Free Choice Act we would have passed that too. He votes better than a lot of D's even as an I!

OS

[MADem]

48. He's not subject to whip pressure as a caucuser.

He is only OBLIGATED to vote with us on procedural matters. He gets committee seats in exchange for procedural votes only. He has no duty to vote with us otherwise. Though, if he stays in the party and doesn't slide back out to the I-Team, he will be subject to whip and leader pressure like the rest of them.

He sure did not vote with us on the damn Brady bill or other gun measures, did he?

[Omaha Steve]

6. And if Bernie wins more regular delegates

Do you see the Supers throwing the pick of the little people? Many Supers signed a pledge document to Hillary.

[Indydem]

8. You have heard of 1968, right?

The party used to do all the picking.

[Omaha Steve]

11. A history lesson

I remember this point in time in 2007. Same script, different lead player.

[Motown_Johnny]

12. You do know who won the 1968 election... right?

The party doing the picking is a recipe for disaster.

[Omaha Steve]

16. Welcome to the DU

[smiley]

50. wow, just wow.

"mindless support of his campaign is a waste"

[GreydeeThos]

51. We need to put our support behind the candidate who can win. n/t

[smiley]

52. I need to vote for Bernie Sanders

I don't like, or trust Hillary Clinton. Couldn't be happier to but my energy behind Bernie Sanders!

[GreydeeThos]

53. I am goint to vote for the Democratic candidate in the general election

are you?

[smiley]

54. a couple of weeks ago I registered from an indy to a dem

that's all you need to know or have the right to know.

[Feeling the Bern]

13. The Democratic Party establishment doesn't support Bernie Sanders. Color me shocked.

The entire concept of super-delegates is disgusting.

[Codeine]

33. Why should they?

Clinton has spent her entire adult life working for that party. Bernie has spent that same time repudiating and distancing himself from that party. Can he reasonably expect establishment support in that situation?

I'm sure he understood from the beginning he was never going to get many superdelegates. He isn't a dumb man, and he's a savvy enough politician to know where his support does and doesn't lie.

[philosslayer]

39. Stop talking sense!!

[restorefreedom]

17. lets remember, though

if the delegates and votes go to bernie and the supers steal it for hillary, its game over for the dem party, not to mention the election and possible downticket races.

the public outcry will be nothing we have seen politically.

the hrc fans try and paint inevitability because the supers are "wrapped up" but if they subvert the voters will its over possibly for years and years to come for the dems

[Duval]

18. K&R.

[PoliticalMalcontent]

22. I've hated on superdelegates as undemocratic before and will continue to do so.

Clinton's campaign has public support from something like half of the 718 superdelegates, but things can change in a hurry. If Sanders wins the vote of the people it'd be very difficult for these superdelegates to maintain their commitment to Clinton knowing it'll piss off a lot of their base... Which is something you DON'T want to do heading into a general election.

Bottom line: It stinks.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

23. Yeah, "superdelegates" seems like a funny idea

for a party that claims to be democratic.

[KingCharlemagne]

25. A nod backward to the pre-1968 ways by which nominees were chosen. Supers only make

up about 15% of the total delegate count Their support will typically fall behind whoever has the nomination locked up pre-convention.

Since most, if not all, supers have themselves been elected to lower-level positions as Democrats, one can make a case that they are somewhat 'democratic' (lower-case 'd'), even if not the result of voters directly exercising their franchise in primaries and caucuses.

Hat tip to DUer MineralMan for clarifying my thinking on this issue and related matters.

[ProfessorGAC]

29. Yes. Remember When "Smoke Filled Room". . .

. . .carried a deservedly negative connotation. This differs only in the details.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

30. ... probably no longer smoke-filled ...

But the scotch is top-notch.

[ProfessorGAC]

31. Single Malt, Or I'm Not Going!

Well, Johnnie Walker Blue, i could deal with.

[MADem]

49. No, it doesn't. It is only in recent years that we had primaries from sea to shining sea.

It used to be we'd have just a few of them and they didn't rule the day AT ALL.

The super delegates are there to insure that there's a modicum of actual "party" influence in the process.

The voters now have more say than they ever did back in the old days.

[MADem]

26. Superdelegates came to be in order to prevent hijacking of party goals.

And to prevent electoral maps that look like this:

[PoliticalMalcontent]

35. I understand that, but it seems ripe for abuse.

When half of your superdelegates have publicly committed to a candidate before a vote has been cast it looks bad. Live and die by the vote of the people.

As an example, Republicans seem to favor Trump right now (as confusing as that is). If he gets the votes I'd gather the GOP ride that to it's natural conclusion. Sure, he's a terrible candidate and his map could end up looking McGovern-esque, but if you actively undermine the people they could rebel by not supporting the party's handpicked candidate which could have consequences down the line in the Senate and House.

I personally would have a hard time supporting a party that actively undermines my vote. That's why superdelegates suck.

Sanders has already shown, anecdotally, an ability to bring in support from across the aisle. A McGovern-esque map is not likely this go-round, for several reasons. A). McGovern ran against an incumbent. Incumbents are always tough. George W. Bush got re-elected as mind boggling as that is... The power of incumbency. B). Lousy competition from the GOP this year. I feel like Rubio might be their best show, but the base has shut him down over his immigration stance.

[MADem]

43. No--it has been ever thus. Those super delegates are simply saying, that of the five (now three)

candidates on offer, this person best reflects my vision of a candidate who will uphold the planks of the Democratic Party platform to the greatest extent.

There's no need to wait--these superdelegates are not there to "follow the will of the voters," a HUGE chunk of whom are NOT Democrats (a slew of independents vote in our primaries but they are not members of our party and they've never given a penny in support of it, either).

These super delegates are there to skew the party toward DEMOCRATIC PARTY principles, to ensure that Democratic priorities are represented, and they do that with their endorsements and their votes. They are granted the privilege of being a superdelegate by the DNC--that's where they get their authority, not from voters--to include voters who don't give a shit about the Democratic Party and waste no time denigrating it at every opportunity.

It's not the GOP or the Reform Party, after all--it's the DEMOCRATIC Party. DEMOCRATS have donated to the party, to the cause, to the effort--not independents or other people who happen to be interested in our race this particular cycle, but who will wipe their ass on us if we don't have a candidate that interests them under our big tent.

It's not a secret that we do this--we have done it for decades now. People who don't like it don't have to run under the DNC banner--they can go with the GOP or the Greens or the Independents. For members of the Democratic party, it's a way to ensure that Democratic priorities aren't hijacked by elements that don't really give a shit about the party, but are just using us because we're more welcoming and open than the other major team.

[PoliticalMalcontent]

46. We'll see how it plays out MADem.

It is my understanding that many superdelegates are current or previously elected officials, so in a sense voters do get a say. When blue dog Democrats get elected the super delegate pile gets a bit more conservative. It takes a looongg time for that pile to churn over.

What are "Democratic party principles?" Right now the democratic party covers so much. You've got your power player 1%ers. You've got blue dog conservative dems. You've got a more populist flavor with Elizabeth Warren. That's what I think this election is about right now. If the people say "no thank you" to the party's power player who has been running for President for over 8 years at this point, who are these superdelegates to stand in the way?

I'm not sure Hillary is more of a Democrat than Sanders when we take away the labels and look strictly at the platform. They're just different flavors of politician in the end.

[MADem]

47. Democratic Party Principles are found in our platform.

Here's the most recent one, we'll see the next edition next summer:

https://www.democrats.org/party-platform

As for who is a better Democrat, the point in having super delegates as a leveler to the primary hoopla is to ensure that people who have been members of the party, who have helped to shape that platform over the course of many decades, actually have a say in who we pick to represent us, and that we aren't hijacked by a bunch of election gamers who engage in strategic voting (which is not an uncommon tactic, though it hasn't been hugely successful of late).

I don't have a problem with the way we do things at all.

[djean111]

55. How do you explain that Debbie Wasserman-Schultz campaigns for her GOP buddies down here,

and refuses to campaign for Dems running against her buddies? That's being a "true Democrat"? DINOs like Debbie are making the Democratic Party into a Third Way farce. I will not enable that any more.

[Vinca]

27. I remember the 2008 election season. Same scenario.

But there came a point when delegates went overboard like rats on a sinking ship. So don't count your rats . . . er, chickens . . . before they're hatched.

[rocktivity]

38. Those who don't know their history are doomed repeat it

rocktivity