Free Republic

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Supreme Court is set on Wednesday to consider a dispute involving whether “electors” in the complex Electoral College system that decides the winner of U.S. presidential elections are free to disregard laws directing them to back the candidate who prevails in their state’s popular vote. If enough electors do so, it could upend an election. The nine justices will hear two closely watched cases - one from Colorado and one from Washington state - less than six months before the Nov. 3 election in which presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden challenges Republican President Donald Trump. The...

Dozens of Democratic superdelegates say they’re willing to sacrifice party cohesion to prevent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders from becoming their party’s nominee at the Democratic National Convention in July. The New York Times spoke with 93 superdelegates following Sanders’s victory in the Nevada caucuses on Feb. 22, the vast majority of which said they believe the Democratic Party is headed toward a contested convention. Of the superdelegates interviewed, 84 said Sanders does not deserve to become the party’s nominee based solely on having secured the most, but not over 50%, of the delegates during the primaries and caucuses.

Bernie’s decision to endorse Hillary Clinton back in July 2016 left his supporters with a little option as they would never support the candidate that stands for everything that they opposed. But it seems that we can see why he endorsed her! Former interim chief of the Democratic National Committee Donna Brazile broke her silence on the 2016 election early as 2017, saying she had “proof” that Hillary Clinton stole her party’s nomination from Bernie Sanders. As always the mainstream media did not crucify the DNC, if this kind of scandal was about President Trump it would have been another...

(CNN) Some national and state Democratic party leaders concerned about Sen. Bernie Sanders' candidacy are willing to risk a messy, brokered national convention this summer, which could be potentially damaging to the party, to prevent the self-described Democratic socialist from becoming the nominee, The New York Times reported. Of the 93 superdelegates the Times interviewed, a majority expressed an "overwhelming opposition" to naming Sanders the party's nominee if he wins a plurality of pledged delegates before the Democratic National Convention in July. The vast majority also predicted that no candidate would secure the party's nomination during the primaries and that...

It’s Bernie Sanders versus the Democratic National Committee again, and as in 2016, many congressional Democrats aren’t taking his side. Sanders has argued that whoever gets the most delegates — even if they fall short of the DNC’s threshold — should be crowned the nominee for president. But House and Senate Democrats, for the most part, insist that the party stick with the rules that were rewritten specifically to address complaints of bias against Sanders in 2016.

Interviews with dozens of Democratic Party officials, including 93 superdelegates, found overwhelming opposition to handing Mr. Sanders the nomination if he fell short of a majority of delegates.

Former Senate majority leader Harry M. Reid said Thursday that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) or any presidential candidate should not get the Democratic nomination if they end the primary process in first place but are shy of the requisite majority of delegates. Reid (D-Nev.) dismissed suggestions from Sanders and his supporters that he should become the nominee if he finishes with a plurality lead ahead of the rest of the candidates but short of the 1,991 delegates needed to secure the nomination outright. Reid even suggested that a group of moderate candidates, trailing Sanders overall, could assemble a coalition ahead...

With the potential of a contested convention on the horizon for Democrats, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Wednesday staked out a notably different position on delegates during the ninth Democratic debate. Asked if the candidate with the most pledged delegates should be the Democratic nominee — even if that candidate did not have a majority of pledged delegates — Sanders said, “the will of the people should prevail, yes. The person who has the most votes should become the nominee.” It is the opposite of what Sanders and his campaign said in 2016, even after Hillary Clinton had secured the...

Whispers among members of the Democratic National Committee suggest there is growing anxiety about the rise of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Roughly half a dozen DNC members have quietly discussed reversing historic reforms that reduced the outsize influence of unpledged delegates, known as superdelegates, before the party picks its nominees for president and vice president this summer, according to Politico. The presidential primary of 2016 left Democrats bitterly divided, as liberal supporters of Sanders asserted superdelegates gave Hillary Clinton an unfair advantage. In August 2018, the DNC passed a measure to block superdelegates, which comprise elected officials and party leaders,...

If you are four hands into a high stakes poker game and you still havenÂ’t figured out who the mark is, itÂ’s probably you. Poor Bernie behaves as if he doesnÂ’t yet understand that he is the mark. The deck is stacked. The cards are marked. The remaining players at the table, especially that smiling dealer (the one with the press credentials, shuffling the cards) havenÂ’t determined who the winner will be. But they have decided one thing, it ainÂ’t gonna to be Bernie! TheyÂ’ve tipped their hands. The New York Times Editorial Board canÂ’t decide which woman should be...

In an abrupt about-face, Hillary Clinton said Tuesday night that she would endorse her 2016 rival Bernie Sanders if he wins the Democratic nomination to face President Donald Trump in November. The former secretary of state had earlier refused to say whether she would endorse Sanders in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published Tuesday, instead telling the outlet: “I’m not going to go there yet.” She had also offered a broad condemnation of the progressive candidate’s style of politics. “I thought everyone wanted my authentic, unvarnished views!” Clinton tweeted Tuesday night. “But, to be serious, the number one priority...

LITTLE ROCK - Don Beavers of North Little Rock has been asked a lot of questions lately by curious friends and acquaintances. "They ask me, 'How are you a superdelegate?' and 'What is a superdelegate?' They just don't know about the process," Beavers said. He and the nearly 800 other so-called super delegates to the 2008 Democratic National Convention are receiving unprecedented attention this year. Beavers has been a superdelegate since 2000, but he said he has never seen so much interest in what he prefers to call "automatic" delegates. "Those active in the party were aware of them, but...

Presidential candidates may seek our votes, but they really want our delegates. And, they covet our superdelegates. Delegates and superdelegates are appointed party representatives who cast votes at each party's convention to select the nominees for president. For Democrats, there are 2,025 delegates; Republicans have 1,191 delegates. Most delegates are beholden by party rules to pledge their support to a certain candidate based on the popular vote, but some superdelegates are free to vote for whomever they choose - making them prized in an election year where both parties' contests have been so close. Super Tuesday victories so far have...

-- snip --The elected delegates, though virtually unknown, are at least selected by the voters and pledged to the candidate those voters chose. Most of the super delegates aren't chosen by the general populace, and they are not bound by the votes in their respective states. If they end up making the difference in the nomination -- especially if the winner came into the convention in second place -- there is a strong possibility of disenchanting a good portion of the party's base, potentially costing the party the election...

Super delegates will determine the next nominee of the Democrats, and a happy ending for the Party looks unlikely. Mathematically, the Democratic Party is nearly locked in to Barack Obama entering the convention with a significant delegate lead. Taking the nomination away from him via the super delegate mechanism would alienate the Party's African-American base and potentially turn off a swath of the younger generation enthusiasts for Obama's multi-cultural charisma. Yet there are signs that the Obama bubble may be bursting, his support peaking, while serious press scrutiny is beginning to fire buyer's remorse in certain quarters. The potentially seriously...

The Tyranny of Super-Delegates Barack Obama's stirring victory in Iowa was also a good night for our democracy. The turnout broke records and young people – who were mobilized and organized – participated in unprecedented numbers. And now that Iowans have spoken – the first citizens in the nation to do so – here's the Democratic delegate count for the top three candidates (2,025 delegates are needed to secure the nomination): Clinton – 169 Obama – 66 Edwards – 47 "Huh?" you say. "vanden Heuvel, you made a MAJOR typo." In fact, those numbers are correct: the third-place finishing Sen....

Back in 2016, we speculated about a brokered convention.  Remember the stories about Trump failing in the first vote and Kasich taking it in the third round?    Well, it may happen this time, as Karl Rove is outlining:    There’s growing concern among Democrats that their July 2020 convention in Milwaukee could open without a candidate who receives a majority of the vote on the first ballot.  The last time that happened to the Democrats was 1952. There are now four candidates—Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren—who have enough support and money to be competitive through...

Candidates from large states enjoy a big advantage in presidential elections, and Sen. Kamala Harris is the only major candidate from America’s largest, wealthiest state. Yet she is running in a disappointing fourth-place in California polls. Why? It’s not a good time to be a law-and-order Democrat in California. There is a backlash against mass incarceration and the policies that led to it — a sentiment which imperils Harris’ campaign.

RUSH: Do you realize it may well be the Democrat primary race is over? In New Hampshire, Joe Biden is blowing out Bernie Sanders. Bernie Sanders was up 30 points nationally, he was up 25 or 30 points in New Hampshire, the last poll, and Biden has just launched over Bernie Sanders. This may not be bad, by the way. Don’t misunderstand. When I say “us,” meaning the Trumpster, may not be a bad thing. A bunch of mad Bernie voters might end up voting for Trump before the end of the day, but nevertheless — and Trump’s even tweeting:...

Democrats will hold at least a dozen presidential primary debates starting in June 2019 and running through April 2020, with party Chairman Tom Perez promising rules that will give everyone in a potentially large field a fair shot at voters’ attention. Making public his first in a series of decisions over the 2020 debate calendar, Perez said Thursday that the national party will sponsor six debates in 2019 and six more in 2020. That could be extended if the nomination process drags deep into the spring. Exact dates, locations, media partners and qualifying thresholds will be announced in early 2019....