Bernie Sanders keeps talking about getting superdelegates to desert Hillary Clinton and vote for him at the convention. Part of his campaign’s argument is that many of them endorsed her before he came into the race, and that, had they but known, they would have waited.
The unspoken premise of this is breathtaking and offensive: the only reason all these superdelegates support her is that they had no other option. That she isn’t deserving of that support.
Bullshit.
Months before he announced, rumors of the Sanders candidacy were swirling around. So much so that President Obama mentioned it in his bit at the April 2015 White House Correspondent’s Dinner (“It seems some people want a pot-smoking socialist in the White House. We just might get that third Obama term!”) Had they wanted to, superdelegates could have waited. They didn’t.
Even after Sanders announced, superdelegates could have switched allegiances, explaining that they had changed their mind — after all, as he is counting on, they’re not bound until they vote at the convention.They didn’t.
Even now, when Bernie Sanders has won far more than anyone could have dreamed of, they could easily announce that they will vote for him in Philadelphia. They aren’t.
What Sanders’ campaign seem to ignore is that many of these people admire Clinton. They think she would make a good — maybe even great — President. They are supporting her for herself, not simply as opposed to him.
This isn’t a matter of settling. It’s a matter of choosing.
The Wild Winds of Fortune 
Exactly. For me, she is not a lesser evil. I support her wholeheartedly, without reservation.
Their purpose isn’t supposed to be endorsement, or even to publicly express a personal preference, prior to the convention. Superdelegates were originally established as a Plan B, in case a candidate who polled badly won the primaries, or to break deadlocks at the convention. They would be able to overrule primary/deadlock results and prevent another Humphrey (who didn’t even run in the primaries) or McGovern (who polled low even compared to other Democrats) from being nominated and losing the general election.
That’s where the GOP is now, stuck with a candidate their voters chose who won’t cooperate with the party, and who is unlikely to be able to draw voters beyond his base. Now that at least 1/3 of voters are independents, no candidate can win unless they attract a majority of them.
If superdelegates are by and large going to make their picks before the primaries begin, there’s no real point in having a primary season. The party biggies can meet and just announce to us all who they have chosen. We could save time and a boatload of money.
Also, they could still withdraw their support. They haven’t been, and I don’t think they will.
I think the entire system should be scrapped, myself.