2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumBernie likely is picking a fight with Obama that he can't win
On June 3, 2008, President Obama was on the verge of having a combination of pledged delegates and super delegate commitments that would put him over the threshold needed for the nomination. His campaign announced a slate of around 60 additional super delegate commitments -- more than enough to reach the target number. That night (after splitting the final two primaries with Clinton) he declared himself (and was declared by the media) to have captured the nomination.
Clinton did not concede that night, but waited only a couple of days before indicating she would do so, allowing the party to begin the unification process and turn its attention to the General Election.
Next week, Clinton will reach the same threshold that Obama reached in 2008 -- her pledged delegate plus super delegate commitments will exceed the 2383 number needed for the nomination. And she will declare herself and will be declared by the media to have captured the nomination.
Under the circumstances, it is extremely likely that President Obama will announce sometime mid to late next week that he is recognizing Clinton as the nominee, will cast his super delegate vote for her, and will call for the party to unify promptly to take on the grave threat to the nation posed by Donald Trump.
His endorsement will trigger additional endorsements and will carry enormous weight with the super delegates that have already committed to Clinton and that Sanders would need to flip to win a "contested" convention.
If Sanders persists after Obama (and probably Biden and Warren, among the more prominent uncommitted supers) call for the party to unite around Clinton, he is picking a fight he can't win. Sanders v. Obama is simply no contest -- the party regulars that make up the super delegates would not, and will not, show up a sitting president -- one with extraordinarily high favorability numbers among Democrats -- under the circumstances presented. Obama's endorsement and call for unity will give them all the "cover" they need to stick to their guns.
And Bernie will be left looking like a sore loser -- a one-man band with a loyal group of supporters who he could be urging to join in the fight against Trump, but instead is relying on to wage a fruitless campaign against the inevitable.
It will be a sad ending to Bernie's campaign.
bigwillq
(72,790 posts)Keep the Bernie posts coming! So glad so many are keeping him front and center on DU!
CrowCityDem
(2,348 posts)aikoaiko
(34,170 posts)wendylaroux
(2,925 posts)bunch of gd crybabies.
BillZBubb
(10,650 posts)He will stay in it until the votes are counted at the convention AS HE SHOULD.
upaloopa
(11,417 posts)BillZBubb
(10,650 posts)He's fighting for influence in the platform.
astrophuss42
(290 posts)Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)but who still thinks the war is being fought.
Trust Buster
(7,299 posts)rock
(13,218 posts)No, only for crybabies. For everyone else it will be joyous!
Feathery Scout
(218 posts)....I think we should wait and see and give him the benefit of the doubt.
I believe Bernie will be a huge help for the entire party.....in fact, he already has.
Let's give him some time, as Hillary needed some time in 2008.
Obama has not endorsed quite yet
raging moderate
(4,305 posts)In 2008, Hillary waited several days to concede AFTER Obama claimed victory. I remember because I was already an old Obama supporter.
Clinton supporters should possess their souls in patience, as we had to in 2008.
Lord Magus
(1,999 posts)That campaign went down to the wire. The outcome was still in doubt until very late.
Renew Deal
(81,859 posts)George II
(67,782 posts)Trust Buster
(7,299 posts)towards Sanders will expire. Sanders will flounder in the Big "O"s shadow.
CobaltBlue
(1,122 posts)onenote
(42,702 posts)that he could not capture the nomination, I shifted in General mode and once Clinton starts raising GE money, I will donate and work for her election over Trump.
mmonk
(52,589 posts)millions left out in the cold by the current economic system will insist on a say on how they governed.
nc4bo
(17,651 posts)In the exact same way.
MoonRiver
(36,926 posts)And he will quickly fade into complete irrelevancy. Good riddance.
nc4bo
(17,651 posts)Yes, I believe it would.
All presidential candidates have egos and I won't get into the petty part since we know who thought voters had every right to question Barack Obama's country and State of birth and made it topic of greeaaat importance to the voting public.
That was a real class act, don't you think?
hobbit709
(41,694 posts)onenote
(42,702 posts)He will be campaigning for the Democratic nominee.
You must be new to politics.
hobbit709
(41,694 posts)onenote
(42,702 posts)You aren't naive enough to interpret my post as suggesting a literal electoral contest between Obama and Sanders.
They will be fighting a battle of wills. Obama's interest and desire to have the party unite on the one side and Bernie's insistence on extending the nomination fight on the other. In order to win that fight, supers would have to follow Bernie not Obama. And that isn't going to happen for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that the party regulars who would have to do so have no interest in making Obama look weak going into a General Election when many will be counting on him for support in Senate and House elections (as well as the presidential election itself).
BobbyDrake
(2,542 posts)instead of having the stones to do it himself. He knew even 4 years ago that Democrats wouldn't line up behind him. How he got bamboozled into believing it this year, you'll have to ask Tad Devine. Devine was the one who bamboozled him into running in the first place, mostly as a grift to swindle millions of dollars out of the pockets of progressives.
Gothmog
(145,231 posts)In every past contested Democratic primary, the presumptive winner was announced by the press based on super delegates. President Obama was correct in making this call and it will be appropriate for Hillayr Clinton to also make this call
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History is a good thing and Sanders does not get special treatment that is different from all past contested democratic primaries
aikoaiko
(34,170 posts)still_one
(92,190 posts)Renew Deal
(81,859 posts)And he probably has already. Obama will finish off Bernie without Bernie even noticing.