2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumDelegates, Super Delegates...Is the whole thing already won by Hillary?
I don't understand how this works. Looks like if we win, we lose.
What happens if so many delegates are pledged to X candidate and the opponent wins the popular vote?
Have 'Googled' and cannot find a real answer.
Thanks, PR
daleanime
(17,796 posts)And since most of them hold office it's doubtful that they would try to override the voters decision. Influence is a different subject.
Nuclear Unicorn
(19,497 posts)This is an anti-establishment election cycle and such a blatant establishment maneuver will drive people to the GOP who through either Cruz or Trump will be fronting an anti-establishment candidate.
JimDandy
(7,318 posts)djean111
(14,255 posts)They all got really involved with the political process, and if the process turns out to not be "democratic" - they are out.
Their reply to the smug DNC - "No, YOU say hello to President Trump".
The old school Rahm bullshit doesn't work any more - who else they going to vote for? No one. The candidates are too far apart to make voting for an engineered winner a lock. Right now, Bernie is seen as what a Democrat is supposed to be, and Hillary is seen as just old school big entitled money. And anyone who thinks gender is the reason is a damned fool and brings a loss down on their own heads.
onehandle
(51,122 posts)Rocky the Leprechaun
(222 posts)Unpledged delegates do not count unless they are needed in the convention.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)The superdelegates will not usurp the popular vote.
Sancho
(9,070 posts)restorefreedom
(12,655 posts)Nanjeanne
(4,974 posts)It's the death of democracy. Just think. One person - one vote goes out the window.
If Democrats believe in democracy, they would be fools to take the election out of the hands of the voters. It's not one person - one delegate!
randome
(34,845 posts)[hr][font color="blue"][center]Everything is a satellite to some other thing.[/center][/font][hr]
Jarqui
(10,130 posts)Super Delegates in 2008
Obama 463 Clinton 257
That's the problem I had when they tried to count Clinton's Iowa super delegates against Bernie - they're not committed - they can switch.
cali
(114,904 posts)backscatter712
(26,355 posts)If the superdelegates and the Democratic Party don't respect the will of the voters, and stick us with a candidate we don't want, I will not vote for that candidate in the general.
Gothmog
(145,489 posts)The delegate process is critical to the primary process. Democrats award delegates based on proportional representation and there are no winner take all primaries for Democrats. The pledged delegates are obligated to vote to the candidate they are pledged to for the first ballot. It does not matter who wins the popular vote in that state. Again, the name of the game is to win delegates.
Super Delegates are party officials and members of the DNC who are going to do what is best for the party. Remember that there is a great deal of concern by party officials that Sanders would kill down ballot candidates which is why I would not count of Super Delegates switching to Sanders.
Bluenorthwest
(45,319 posts)persons, some elected to positions in the Party but also each member of the House, the Senate, Governors. There are in fact just 20 unpledged delegates who have a vote based purely on their 'distinguished status' such as ex-Presidents, former VPs, former Party Chairs and Congressional leaders of the past.
So that means all but a handful hold positions that can be taken from them by their constituents who tend to do so if they use their vote as delegate to counter the will of their own voters. These are politicians, they will do what is best for themselves almost always and very few elected officials are willing to risk their own jobs to serve the advancement of another politician, which is what it all boils down to.
They vote with the people or they lose their seats and blow up the Party. They know better.
Myrina
(12,296 posts)N/T
Bluenorthwest
(45,319 posts)that is what they are. They are not pledged and they can't be held to any endorsement they have made. Obama started out with half the unpledged delegates Hillary had and ended with far, far more. They switch as the voters express their will because those delegates are mostly elected officials who counter the will of their constituents at great personal risk.
Anyone who is counting them now is engaged in dishonest representation of the actual process. That starts with calling Unpledged Delegates 'Super Delegates'. Are they really Super? Or are they as the Party regs say, simply uncommitted delegates who hold a vote due to position in the Party?
Super is a word meaning 'very good or excellent'. Uncommitted is a word meaning 'not promised, not pledged, held aside for future use'.
rocktivity
(44,577 posts)which they didn't do 8 years ago.
rocktivity