An Open Letter to the Superdelegates
The following is a letter I am sending to the Superdelegates in my state. Feel free to forward this to the Superdelegates of your state, whose professional contact information may be found at Superdelegatelist.com.
Hi,
If the Democratic Party chose to collect money the way Mr. Bernie Sanders does (small individual donations) could be incredibly lucrative. The United States is home to over 200 million adults, about half of whom are democrats or democratic leaning independents. If 20% of democrats pledged a dollar a month to the party (one can easily set up automatic recurrent donations through ActBlue, for example) the Democratic Party could easily raise $240 million per year ($12 per year from 20 million people). Reaching out to Senator Sanders’ supporters and casting your vote as a super delegate would reinvigorate the party as these people can certainly be counted on for both monetary support and volunteer work. However, if Sanders does not win the nomination they will likely turn away from the Democratic Party, as 33% of them said they would never vote for Hillary Clinton [1] and probably even fewer would be willing to do anything for any political party that did not stand for the values they believe in.
One of the values they believe in is that politicians should be funded by the mass of voters who support them instead of corporations and affluent donors. This value, if practiced, could both (a) bring much financial support to the Party as previously argued, and (b) Confer the Democratic Party with a distinct advantage that no other party can claim: a disavowal of “big money.” A whopping 85% of Americans believe that “The political money system needs fundamental changes or a complete rebuild.” (2) If the Democratic Party chose to follow Mr. Sanders’ lead and be the first party “funded by the people and for the people” and also throw its weight behind candidates who believe the same, then it would have the potential for near limitless growth and support among voters for years to come. Bernie Sanders also stands as the more electable candidate. Consider:
– More independents have voted for Sanders than any other candidate (3). Independents constitute over 40% of Americans (4). Though independents have been largely disenfranchised during the primaries, this will of course not be the case in November.
– Multiple polls have shown that Clinton has an unfavorability rating well in excess of 50%, whereas Sanders does not. (5)
– Polls consistently show that in hypothetical match ups (“Would you vote for Donald Trump or Bernie Sanders if that was the choice?”) Bernie not only beats all Republican opponents but does so by a wider margin than Clinton. (6)
Make the right choice.
Afterword: I designed this letter with the intent of bringing to light issues that are especially relevant to a Superdelegates (who is typically a politician): future funding (which Bernie supporters would help,if embraced by democratic "elites"
, and electability. Write your Superdelegates a letter and tell them what they need to hear!
References
1. http://www.wsj.com/video/poll-33-of-sanders-supporters-wouldnt-vote-for-clinton/69C05055-85FE-4320-8D02-3EAC972CACD0.html
2. http://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2015/06/03/411604682/americans-think-money-in-politics-is-a-problem-but-just-how-big
3. There is wealth of evidence to support this. 73% of Independents who
voted for a democratic candidate chose Sanders in New Hampshire:
http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/primaries/NH
66% in Massachusetts:
http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/primaries/MA
71% in Michigan:
http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/primaries/MI
4. http://www.gallup.com/poll/180440/new-record-political-independents.aspx
5. A summary and citation of these polls can be found at:
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/poll-hillary-clinton-unfavorable-numbers-118532
6. Found in a survey conducted by CNN / ORC:
http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/01/politics/donald-trump-hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-poll/index.html
The result was corroborated by a poll conducted by NBC News and the Wall St. Journal:
http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/poll-sanders-outperforms-clinton-hypothetical-general-election-matchups-n520956
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