October 05, 2015, 06:00 am
10 reasons Dem superdelegates will choose Sanders over Clinton

By H.A. Goodman, contributor



Superdelegates are people, too, and as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) explained at a recent Democratic National Committee (DNC) meeting, they're already shifting away from Hillary Clinton and toward Sanders. They watch the news, follow polling trends and they'll side with Sanders for the same reasons that he's surged to only 7 percentage points behind Clinton. In August, writing for Bloomberg, Mark Halperin and Jennifer Epstein offered a quick breakdown of delegates and superdelegates within the Democratic Party and explained that Clinton had "secured" a great percentage of these party officials:

Final numbers are still in flux, but current estimates peg the total number of delegates to next summer's presidential nominating convention at about 4,491, meaning that a candidate would need 2,246 to win. The Clinton camp's claim to more than 440 delegates means she's already wrapped up the support of more than 60 percent of the approximately 713 superdelegates who, under party rules, are among those who cast votes for the nomination, along with delegates selected by rank-and-file voters in primaries and caucuses beginning next February.

Since their only goal is electing a candidate capable of winning the White House, it's highly doubtful Clinton's alleged 60 percent support among superdelegates will remain until the end of the primaries. Like his surge in the polls and the Clinton campaign's continued decline, superdelegates will flock to Sanders for a number of reasons.

1. Polling trajectory and other factors show that Sanders is now the front-runner.

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2. Democratic superdelegates know that the Democratic Party has experienced a paradigm shift toward Sanders and away from Clinton.

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3. Superdelegates want to win.

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4. Superdelegates who've publicly supported Clinton have no obligation to honor their pledge.

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5. Sanders is ahead in Iowa and New Hampshire.

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6. Most Americans don't trust Clinton.

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7. Swing states don't trust Clinton.

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8. There are a great number of progressives around the country who will only vote for Sanders and would rather sit out an election, or write in Sanders, rather than vote for Clinton.

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9. Biden's theoretical entrance into the race is yet another reason why Clinton's campaign isn't viable.

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10. Superdelegates will be remembered for their vote.

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While Hillary Clinton has to be defended against scandals and dodged questions, Bernie Sanders has energized the Democratic base and Democratic Party delegates fear the possibility of a mutiny on Election Day if they ignore reality. The reality is that only one candidate is tied to an FBI investigation, while nobody in the country questions the honesty and integrity of Sanders. His message and the manner in which he has energized Democrats will enable Bernie Sanders to win all the delegates needed to secure the Democratic nomination.

http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/presidential-campaign/10-reasons-delegates-will-choose-bernie-sanders-over-hillary-clinton

Bernie Sanders Terrifies The NRA With Consensus Plan To Reduce Mass Shootings
By: Jason Easley
Monday, October 5th, 2015, 6:01 pm

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) became the NRA’s worse nightmare by announcing consensus steps that can be taken to lessen the number of mass shootings in the US.

In a statement, Sen. Sanders said:

Like the rest of the nation, I am appalled by gun violence in our country and the mass shootings in our churches and colleges,” Sanders said. “While there is no simple fix, that does not mean we should do nothing. The status quo clearly is not working and people on both sides of this issue cannot simply continue shouting at each other. Nobody wants more mass killings and serious people are going to have to engage in serious discussion.”

In my view, there are very concrete steps we can take to lessen the number of tragedies and to make those that happen less lethal, including ideas supported by a majority of gun owners.

Sanders went on to detail some of the steps:

– We must strengthen and better enforce the instant background check system.

– We must close the gun-show loophole, which allows unlicensed dealers to sell guns to people who otherwise would not be able to get them.

– We must make ‘straw man’ purchases a federal crime.

– We must ban semi-automatic assault weapons which are designed strictly for killing human beings.

– We must recognize that our mental health system is seriously broken. While there has been much talk about mental health parity in our health care system, we are not even close to achieving it. It’s past time for a serious discussion about identifying, intervening and treating mental illness and ensuring access to care.

The Sanders campaign also noted that their candidate has a (D-) rating from the NRA.

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The worst nightmare of the NRA and others is that a political leader will emerge who can build a consensus on common-sense gun reforms. Bernie Sanders is a successful politician from a pro-gun state. Despite what Clinton supporters may want to believe, Sen. Sanders has never been a friend to the NRA.

What troubles the NRA most isn’t the idea of radical liberal boogeyman coming to take away all of the guns, that illusion is just a sales pitch that is designed to inspire fear and drive up sales. What really scares the NRA is the possibility of a national grassroots movement that forces changes that they can’t stop.

Bernie Sanders is building exactly the kind of movement that should scare the NRA. The revolution is growing, and it is being led by a politician who can’t be bought with gun industry dollars.

http://www.politicususa.com/2015/10/05/bernie-sanders-terrifies-nra-consensus-plan-reduce-mass-shootings.html