It's over Bernie! Voters rejected you.

[The Magistrate]

29. You Do Understand Simple Arithmetic, Sir, Do You Not?

You do understand how proportional allocation of delegates works?

You do understand that no quick 'knock-out' is possible, because each contender gets a delegate share apportioned to the share of a state's vote received?

If your answer is yes to all these questions, and it had damned well better be, if you are an old fellow commenting on matters political in a forum not known as a haven for people afflicted with a muddled mind, then you will be aware that under these practices an existing lead of several hundred delegates is insurmountable. 'Bernie' is getting roughly a third of the vote, and Mr. Biden the rest. To overtake Mr. Biden's lead, 'Bernie' would need to reverse this proportion, roughly doubling his share of the vote in all future contests. That is not going to happen. We both know it, and so does everyone else commenting on this forum. What will happen is that with each contest Mr. Biden's lead will widen, though owing to the practice of proportionate allocation, it will take some while to actually cross the line. Taking this for grounds to hope 'Bernie' has some chance is moonshine.

It is noted you did not engage the meat of the comment you have replied to. It is clear enough why 'Bernie' wants the contest to continue. He is not running for the Presidential nomination of the Democratic Party, 'Bernie' is engaged in an attempt to overthrow the 'Democratic Establishment', and in this attempt, has not the slightest regard for the damage he might do to the prospects of putting this cheap thug Trump out of office. "Bernie' is quite willing to see the people and the country come to the harm that would ensue should the cheap thug Trump remain in the White House, if only the 'Democratic Establishment' is brought low.

The question is, why do you set such value on making a futile gesture? You are of an age that ought to be well past nonesense like that. Futile but grand gestures are the business of young men, who are both angry and a little foolish. Their actions are understandable, given their inexperience of the world, and pride in coming into adult state. But things that are ornaments to a young man of spirit are often disfiguring to a man of mature years and wisdom. A devotion to futile gestures is one of these things. So the question naturally arises ---why? Do you lack wisdom? Have you preserved an indomitable immaturity through all your decades drawing breath? Or do you share the 'Bernie' purpose, and dedicate yourself to his nihilistic crusade? Are you of the view that the 'Democratic Establishment' ought to be broken, and that it is the chief obstacle to advancing left and liberal and progressive policies? Haven't you the wit to see that nothing can be done to achieve progress in the direction all of us here desire, unless the christo-fascist reactionary right is turfed out of office? How is it that you manage not to see that doing this is the chief duty of anyone who calls himself a leftist or a liberal or a progressive in the present peril facing our people and our country?







"From Bernie’s perspective, dropping out of a race once you have no chance of winning is peculiar behavior that can only be explained by the work of a hidden hand. For most politicians, though, it is actually standard operating procedure. Only Sanders seems to think the normal thing to do once voters have made clear they don’t want to nominate you is to continue campaigning anyway."





"When things are not called by their right names, what is said cannot make sense. When what is said does not make sense, what is planned cannot succeed. When plans do not succeed, people become uneasy. When people are uneasy, punishments do not fit crimes. When punishments do not fit crimes, people cannot know where to put hand or foot."